At a gathering to promote the latent talents of differently abled students at the Sathram school in the Fort area recently under the aegis of the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, a group of techies from Technopark came forward to donate equipment for band training for these students.
This was not the first time that this group of 20-odd friends was pitching in to help the students at the school.
They, in fact, have been sponsoring speech therapy, individual and group, for 35 differently abled students there for two years now. Earlier, they had sponsored physiotherapy, till a physiotherapist was appointed by the government.
Last week, the group took 25 of these differently abled children to Thenmala in what was the third annual tour sponsored by them. Last year, they had taken bedridden differently abled students to places such as the Varkala beach and aquarium and the Anchuthengu Fort.
Alumni of the Muslim Association College of Engineering at Venjaramoodu, this bunch of friends had not always been this proactive in taking up various initiatives for the help of the marginalised and the needy. It was the death of a friend and batchmate, Nirmal Thomas, in a motorcycle accident that spurred them to do their bit for causes that were dear to Nirmal.
“We would be there with Nirmal to participate in various activities, but he took the initiative and organised them. It was only later that we started planning and organising such activities,” they say.
They began by doing a lot of research and talking to people about organisations that needed support, and finally decided on the Sathram school. They visited the school, and interacted with students, teachers, and parents to ascertain their requirements.
Today, they continue to lend a helping hand to the needy in memory of Nirmal. The group provides aid to patients at the Regional Cancer Centre in consultation with doctors there, besides raising funds in response to e-mails that reach them through various organisations in Technopark. They are also part of Technopark-based organisations such as Tejus and Pratidhwani, and that experience has stood them in good stead while doing their own activities, says Asnov, one of the group members.
Limited funding
As yet, they are a group without a name, but more than becoming a formal organisation, what they are keen on is to keep their activities going.
“Our funding is very limited, so we keep the books now. In future, we may be forced to register as a trust if we feel up to taking up such initiatives on a larger scale,” says Asnov.
The group draws inspiration from the fact that on hearing about them, many people have become motivated to help such causes.
The group is looking forward to World Disability Day celebrations at the Sathram school in December where at a programme to showcase the students’ talents, they will present gifts to them in a gesture of appreciation.
