Sports

The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan Sports Camp

It was a special day for some 250 children with special needs students of government and private schools in the district, they had gathered to participate in a sports event organised by Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan. Keeping in mind their special requirements, the organisers had arranged for 58 events. The enthusiasm and confidence of these young students made one realise that given the will power, a person could achieve anything.

Yadwinder Singh, a speech and hearing impaired student of Class III of Government Primary School Jassowal, said he was very happy participating in the event.

Thirteen–year–old Dulari, from Government Primary School Number 5, who is visually impaired, said, “I am here to participate in a race. This is the first time that I am participating in such an event and it makes me feel good.” Dulari’s father, who was accompanying her, said, ”She suffers from a very complex problem of squint. I cannot afford the kind of money that is required for the corrective surgery she needs.”

Eagerly waiting for his turn for short–put, Jatinder Singh, a 12–year–old student of Government Primary School Lulkan, said, “It is a big day for me, I will throw the farthest in the short–put event.”

The sports event was organized under the supervision of Varinder Sharma, District Education Officer(Elementary). He said, “After meeting these children, I felt that we had succeeded in our mission which was to make them confident. To encourage them, all participating children have been gifted with a ‘tiffin’. Those finishing in the first three positions in each event have been awarded gold, silver and bronze medals.”

Baldev Mangat, Primary Education Officer of Ludhiana Block–1, said, “Gurudwara Dukh Niwaran Sahib has provided free langar, Master Jarnail Singh Yadgari Trust, Swaddin Kalan, has provided tents free of charge and the State Bank of India provided students with drinking water.”

Source: Special children win over everyone with their zeal and zest, Indian Express, Ludhiana, 23 October 2007.

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The great Himalayan Adventure!

Challenging the odds that life has posed for them, 10 mentally retarded persons from Hooghly district in West Bengal are all set to hike up to Sandakphu, a popular Himalayan trekking destination situated at 12 thousand feet near Darjeeling.

The unique 10–day long expedition named the ‘Himalayan Adventure’ that set off from Kolkata, has been organised by Partner Hooghly, an association of parents of the mentally retarded, with technical aegis from the National Institute for the Mentally Handicapped and the Chandannagar Mountaineering Association.

“The specialty of the expedition is that none of the team members have any experience in trekking and too in high altitude. In fact, this would be first time these special persons would experience the wilds,” said Ms Ela Sengupta, president, Partner Hooghly. The idea of taking the mentally challenged persons on the uphill excursion stemmed from a pioneering move, which the Partner Hooghly organised in 2000. As part of the maiden attempt, 17 persons with mental disability were taken to Susunia Hill (1400 feet) in Bankura.

“After the Susunia expedition, we noticed a major change in the behavioral attitude of the 17 persons. Their ability to cope with adversity had increased manifold after the Susunia expedition. That encouraged us to go for a tougher assignment,” Ms Sengupta added. This time, an officer from the NIMH regional center, Kolkata is accompanying the Partner Hooghly team with the objective to note the behavioral changes in the 10 special participants through tests at different stages.

“The first test was conducted before the trek began. The second test would be held during the expedition and the last one would be done three to four days after the expedition is over,” Mr RK Nagar, the NIMH official accompanying the team, said.

As per the itinerary, the expedition team that reached Manebhanjang (5000 feet) this evening, will halt there tomorrow for acclimatization. On 18 October, it will head for Chtreyi by vehicle .The team would then trek upto Tumling (7000 feet). After halting at Tumling for the night, the team would head for Gairibas (4500 feet) the following morning and halt the night there. On 20 October, it would go trekking to Kalipokri located at an altitude of 10 thousand feet.

On the 7thday of the expedition that is on 21 October, the team would finally trek to Sandakphu (12000 feet approx) – their Shangri La. The team would return to Howrah on 25 October. En route to their uphill journey, members of the expedition team along with guides and support staff, 73 in all, was given a warm send off this morning at‘ Basundhara, a charity foundation working for the underprivileged children, at Dagapur on the outskirts of Siliguri.

Source: Bappaditya Paul. Mentally retarded persons on mission Sandakphu. The Statesman, Kolkata, 16 October 2007.

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