Jul - Sep 2000

Salil Chaturvedi
Describe yourself in five words.
Intense, intense, intense, intense, intense.
What keeps you busy?
Laughter and pain
And a little dance
When it begins to rain
If that keeps you busy
Darling won't you come in?
What do you look for?
The final truth
And to bring you some joys
So your pain I can soothe
If that's what you look for
My heart is your booth.
Do you believe in God?
My favourite response to that is that I wonder if God believes in me!
How would you like to be remembered?
You may live by flaunting rules,
Or else by the book,
But you have lived in the manner....more

All the world's a stage - Meera Balachander
The power-packed voice of the tall, lanky Maratha fills the auditorium with an earthy Marathi folk tune. As the actors, both disabled and non-disabled, break into a dance, the stage comes alive with rhythm and movement. An innovative way of teaching class IV Geography, on stage, has been experimented with. The undulating deep voice of Bipin Varthak , the Sutradar or Narrator, dominates. Partially sighted, Bipin, at 24, lives, breathes and aspires theatre and music. His talent was discovered by Natyashala, a pioneering institution which aims to overcome the handicaps of disabilities through music, dance and theatre. Bipin has also acted in Marathi plays by other groups. In one of the versions of the famous Teen Paisecha Tamasha written by P. L. Deshpande, Bipin composed the music for each role. This involved a lot of intuition to get the feel of the characters and the effect that this would create. Bipin now teaches in the dramatics workshop of Natyanjali. Music is also Bipin's forte. He is equally at ease with ghazals, Bhav Geet , Marathi abhangs and folk tunes. He can play a good number of instruments too...more

Miles away… and yet two of a kind - Meera Balachander, Madhulika Goyal,
She is a majestic Krishna now; a twirl later, her expressive eyes depict Radha's melancholy love and longing. Her sense of rhythm is perfect, her expressions so true. Even as the gracefully petite Kathak artiste goes round and round lost in her art, it is difficult to believe that the melody of the song and the beat of the percussion mean nothing to her. Netrali Bhide, 20, profoundly deaf, has internalised music so much that she can dance away to ecstasy just on her own, without the paraphernalia of accompaniment. She has not only participated in competitions but has actively conducted Kathak workshops for disabled children on behalf of Natyashala, an institute promoting the performing arts for the disabled. Netrali is also part of Jaya Bachchan's troupe of talented disabled artistes and has played lead roles in ballets. The list of the prizes she has won is impressive.
Chennai, the bastion of Bharatanatyam and Carnatic music, has seen the emergence of a gifted young dancer – Jayanthi. She has given a number of well-appreciated Bharatanatyam performances since her arangetram last year. People who have watched her dance have applauded her courage and persistence as well, for Jayanthi is profoundly hearing impaired. The beauty of her performance lies in the fact that she manages to keep perfect time, synchronising all her movements to the beat or to the “nattuvangam” as it is called in dance. A photogenic face and graceful personality have opened other avenues for Jayanthi. She has done a little modeling and acted in a Tamil TV serial too....more

Give us this Day Some fun n games - George Abraham,
A cricketing experience transports one into a simulated world of fantasy that very often seems to be very close to reality. My dream of becoming a fiery fast bowler had to be consigned to the file of childhood fantasies as I grew older and began to realize the physical limitations of being visually disabled. I remember in Class VII, during the annual sports meet, I was about to take up my position for the 100 m qualifying race, when one of my teachers walked up to me and asked, “Why do you take the trouble of running? Any way you are going to lose”. My prompt reply was, “I love running.” The next year I surprised myself and everybody else when I qualified for the finals and won the 100m dash in spectacular fashion. In the following years, I went on to represent the school at the district, state and zonal level athletic competitions. Sport and art are very effective tools for rehabilitation. They keep the disabled alert and help them release their energies....more

Swimming to Success- Madhulika Goyal,
Arun Satyamurthi, is a young hearing-impaired swimmer who had represented Tamil Nadu at the Junior Nationals. When I met him and his close-knit family, I came to know that he has scored 90% in Class XII exams. I could not help wondering here was a young man who seemed to have everything- brains, talent, athletic ability, a well-defined personality and a caring home environment. A student of the P.S. Senior Secondary School, Chennai, he found his teachers and school authorities helpful and cooperative. A quick look at the bunch of certificates proves that he is a talented swimmer. He won a bronze medal in the Tamil Nadu State Swimming Competition in '97 and '99, won the gold twice at the APSC meet again both in '97 and '99, represented Tamil Nadu at the Junior Nationals in '97. An independent young man, he makes his own decisions today because his parents took the right decisions for him years ago. How many other children are so fortunate? How long can we, as a society, as a country, ignore the needs and potential of all such children like Arun?....more

A Day to Remember - From Vidya Sagar,
The annual sports day of Vidya Sagar, Chennai, “Vikasa” was held on July 9 th , 2000 at the IIT cricket stadium. The concept of playstations was used, where the games were so designed as to provide everyone an opportunity to participate in all events. This concept was a direct outcome of a movement workshop held in Delhi which was conducted by RESPO DS-DI (Netherlands) and Amar Jyoti Rehabilitation Centre for children with orthopaedic disabilities which was adapted creatively to suit children with multiple disabilities at Vidya Sagar. The entire event was broken down into nine different Playstations. Each Playstation had a game, which was manned by two staff facilitators. The groups were formed on the basis of age, mobility, cognitive levels and hand functions. The whole school was divided into four houses WIND, WATER, FIRE, and EARTH. Each house had students with multiple disabilities. Drill, march past and torch lighting ceremony made the playground a centre of activity with fun, noise and cheer. The spirit of healthy competition was evident.....more

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