Helping them to find happiness

IT WAS supposed to be a ``bubble fest.'' And it was - in several ways. The enthusiasm of the crowd bubbled over. The brightly coloured balloons and the fresh green lawns of the beach resort, off the East Coast Road, made a happy picture.

Dancing in gay abandon to the rhythms of A. R. Rahman and Aqua, it was a special opportunity for ``special people'' to let their hair down.

But, while they did so, a group of psychologists waited patiently, observing their every activity and making meticulous notches on their evaluation sheets. The occasion served twin purposes, said Ms. Rekha Ramachandran, president of the Down's Syndrome Association of Tamil Nadu, who organised the entertainment programme for mentally disabled children and adults.

Senior students of psychology, in collaboration with the Madras University, who spent the day studying the various capacities and emotions of the target group, have promised to prepare exhaustive reports about each member of the group under observation. Every activity had a dual purpose. The ``puliyattam'' which kick- started the morning's events, was performed by a Chennai-based troupe. Though on the surface, it was a ``fun event'' it was also a means of measuring the emotion - `fear' - exhibited by the young performers. It was a complete riot, of course, when the clowns (who had come all the way from Alaska) jumped into the fray. Clad in bright harlequin hues, the clowns managed to elicit the complete participation of the audience. Sobering up for a serious talk, Ms. Ramachandran explained the rationale behind the programme. ``What happens to mentally disabled children when they grow up? Where do they go,'' she asks.

A large number of mentally retarded persons fade away into oblivion, or are left to fend for themselves once their initial rehabilitation process is completed and follow-up is, in several cases, next to nil. ``We're trying to work on this now and chalk out a schedule to facilitate the rehabilitation of children above 12 years.'' According to her, the most important thing is to keep the individual happy and that could be best done by helping him to become self- reliant. ``Even if it is a very small task, letting them do it themselves would be a very great gesture,'' she says.

Like the fest itself - which was a huge gesture. Considering the trouble they had to take to bring the participants together. Tracing most of the participants through the alumni associations of schools, the organisers had to individually contact and invite every young adult for the programme. Students and alumni of around 27 schools for the mentally retarded took part in the day- dlong programme.

( Ramya Kannan)

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