For this school in Dadar, a year full of glory and memories of actors and mediapersons pouring in has come to an end. But these kids throw no star-like tantrums. Nor do they need Ram Shankar Nikumbh (played by Aamir Khan in Taare Zameen Par) coming to their school every day to make learning fun. For, they have their own teachers painstakingly taking care of each and every child. After all, the kids who were exposed to tinseltown have moved on, and it is business as usual at the special schools Tulip and Saraswati Mandir in Dadar, where some scenes of Taare Zameen Par were shot.
A year after the success of the movie, the children once again put together an enthralling two-hour dance show at a function to commemorate the release of their annual souvenir release. They sang everything from Manoj Kumars favourite patriotic numbers to songs from Bobby Deol-starrer Bhagat Singh. In all, they were on stage with a message of patriotism. Our kids are very sensitive and they wanted to pass on their message of peace, said Medha Lotlikar, Trustee and Founder of the schools.
Performing to a medley of songs glorifying the freedom struggle, the mentally disabled children testified the very foundation of the school: If provided with a free and fair and equal opportunity to learn, we are equal to every kid of our age, if not better.
This years souvenir, in the form of an informative book, has primarily focused on the cause of sensitising the public and making them aware of what it is to be mentally disabled. In our souvenir we have tried to interview a lot of parents and make them share their experience. Few of our parents and volunteers have also tried to put togther the ordeal that their kids have had to face when they were sent to conventional schools, added Lotlikar.
At the function, the teachers and parents while sharing their views also tried to clarify the the wide misconception of dyslexia being a mental disorder. We have had a lot of parents coming to us frantically trying to get their perfectly alright kids admitted because they are disowned by regular schools. We run schools only for mentally retarded kids who need special care. A child with dyslexia or attention deficit disorder has every right to a normal elementary education, said a counselor.
The school has a full-fledged classroom and also 200 kids studying at different centers in Mumbai. The hope every teacher here shares: A perfect world where very child is accepted, with every disability, and made a part of the mainstream.
URL: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/little-drops-of-sunshine/437875/
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