Event
Ability, not disability
Portrait of courageous children
Afsar Ahmed
The day was unusual for Jolly, a physically challenged teenager who has been under treatment since last year, at the Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralysed, commonly known as CRP. Not for Jolly only, for Sumon, Kamrul, Mukta and Swapna, and for many others too with physical impairments, the day started with immense enjoyment as the children of the People's Theatre Association (PTA) interacted with them. They also conducted a daylong theatre workshop under the banner of Social Harmony Project (SHP). For them it was a great opportunity to interact with each other and learn through exchange of ideas.In Bangladesh, disabled people are often regarded as unfortunate, inactive, different and 'blemished'. Children, with physical disability, are the worst victims. However, it is not a curse on them and they have the right to enjoy their lives too. To develop confidence among them through proper medications and related activities and to make the general people aware of the issue, CRP has been working since 1979. This year CRP is celebrating its silver jubilee. Alongside, close attention is paid to the psychological element of recovery. Thus, they are mentally prepared to live away from home and build a support system to meet their social, emotional and physical needs. To boost their mental strength, SHP held an event where theatre is used as a medium for raising awareness and promoting positive images. Children can make friends in a minute. Thus, the day began with engaging the CRP children with the PTA members to develop a better communication. Together, they took part in a number of activities related to theatre performance, rehearsals for the main programme, and even a course on hand puppets conducted by the theatre personality Liaqat Ali Lucky and his staff from the PTA. In the programme titled Look at Me, the children sitting in wheelchairs from CRP performed with the PTA children. The programme started with lighting up the candles by the paraplegic children of CRP on the song Anondolokey Mongolalokey by Tagore. Other performances like folk dances, dances on songs from different countries like Morocco, Russia and England, a documentary by Arjo Shesthro were also displayed. The main attraction was the performances by Mukta and Kamrul, where they displayed hand puppet shows to depict the story of the tiger and the rabbit. The programme was displayed in front of a sizeable audience from the Special Needs School, Cheshire Home Foundation, Natun Jibon School, Gulshan Literacy Programme and the Acid Survivors Foundation. ' Look at them! They can also sing songs, write poems and can make a good contribution to the country. In fact, they are really talented', exclaimed the director of PTA Liaqat Ali Lucky. 'Proper motivation can make these children perform their best', said the directors of SHP Cliff Boucher and Alejandro Escalona. This was SHP's final part of a successful series of events with the Peoples Theatre Association. The united effort with CRP will be a milestone for others.
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Physically challenged children showing off their enthusiasm and ability in acting |
