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Different abilities, winners all
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There is a big difference between mental illness and handicap. Each child has special abilities, which should be identified and tapped. This is precisely what the recently-held Special Olympics tried to achieve.
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THE 2002 Special Olympics - Tamil Nadu State Games organised over the weekend (March 23 and 24) at the YMCA College, Nandanam, saw a huge turnout of candidates. Spearheaded by Rekha Ramachandran, Area Director of the Special Olympics, this annual event for children with different abilities has seen an increase in participation over the years. The sunny Saturday morning found the ground bustling with activity. Contestants were either settling down or collecting their breakfast packets from the food stall. Among the enthusiastic few who were warming up was a boy on a bicycle who caught the eye. Hunched in position, his commentary took a feverish pitch as his cycle gathered momentum. For another contestant, Kavitha, as she alighted from bus number 41 D at the YMCA bus stop at 8.00 a.m. a mixture of wonder and trepidation flashed across her face. Her mother, who was accompanying, explained: ``It is the first time she is coming out of the house.''
The 23-year old (it is difficult to estimate her age at the first glance), whose world is only as big as her house in Kilpauk Garden and the Bala Vihar Opportunity School for the Mentally Retarded (the school she attends) was excited at the very prospect of visiting a new place. After brief introductions, the games were declared open and contests in basketball, roller-skating, handball, cycling, table tennis, swimming, field and track events and bocce (a specially designed game) simultaneously took place.
As the day progressed, one saw contestants attempting the events with determination writ on their faces, trying hard to focus on what was instructed to them by their wardens. There were also those who were timid, harried and those who were plain uninterested. Irrespective of their performance levels, as a banner proclaimed, all were winners.
The event culminated with a march past, in which all the participants (1895 of them from 54 schools. Outstation candidates came from Coimbatore, Madurai, Salem, Palayamkottai, Sriperumbudur, Tiruchi, Vellore, Thanjavur, Sivakasi, Villupuram and Kumbakonam) parading with glee to the beats of a live band. And when they noticed the crowd cheering them, the feeling of self-importance added a spring to their steps.
This grand exhibition of solidarity was only outmatched in brilliance by the display of fireworks. Most of the contestants retired for the day in a sombre mood. The excitement and the novelty of the experience had them in awe. Sunday's activities were an encore, during which those who did not get to participate the previous day attempted the sport events.
``On the whole, the exercise was a success,'' noted Rekha with satisfaction. Absorbed as Rekha was in overseeing the smooth functioning of the games, she elaborated, ``The objective is to stimulate a child's activity level by improving the coordination of body and mind. What better way to do it than with physical activities? The competitiveness gives the child a sense of achievement.'' ``It is unfair to a child that he/she gets branded as a retard and is cut off from society. There is a big difference between mental illness and handicap. Each of these children has special abilities, which should be identified and tapped," she felt.
Though diminutive in stature, those who know her are aware of her fierce commitment to her cause and never-say-die attitude. The gutsy lady refused to allow resignation to take over when her second born was diagnosed with Down's Syndrome at a time when there was no treatment available in India. Unwilling to let the paucity of specialised skill stand in her way, Rekha single handedly went about acquiring information to treat her daughter Bubli. Wanting to share the knowledge with parents of similarly affected children, Mathru Mandir was started in 1984. The centre today provides medical check ups and rehabilitates children with the syndrome. As for the multi-talented, bubbly Bubli, she has a cheerful smile and a polite `Hello' to everyone she meets. This youngster is definitely a chip off the old block. She has inherited her mother's independence and is very articulate about the things she wants to do. Passionate about painting and singing, she helps out at Mathru Mandir's nursery section, by assisting the speech therapist. Her favourite task is to enact the nursery rhymes. This busy lady, what with her wide circle of friends and the various classes she attends, dotes on her brother Rahul, and makes sure her father Ramachandran, Executive Director of India Cements, does all that she asks of him. That he readily complies is a different matter. He also funds all of Mathru Mandir's activities. At Bubli's request the Ramachandran's left for Tirupathi on Monday, the day after the games concluded. The mother-daughter duo were the recipient of the International Woman of the Year and International Girl Child of the Year awards in 1998. And this year, Bubli is all set to receive the Duke of Edinborough award.
Rekha has recorded her experiences in a book ``Life Starts at Sixteen - Down's Syndrome''. It is available at their school, 439/1, E. V. Periyar Road, Arumbakkam, Chennai - 600106. Phone 4756654. Their website is www.mathrumandir.org
B. SARAYU
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