Calcutta:
It was a happy day for 12-year-old Sharda. Guests appreciated her block printing work on paper bags. She also got a chance to sing before an audience, wearing her beautiful dress. The best part was visiting a new place.
“It feels nice to be here,” gushed the girl who lives in a shelter (JJ Home) for abandoned and disabled children, run by the Society for Indian Children’s Welfare.
Rima’s handmade bookmarks lay next to Sharda’s creations. “I love art. I love to dance too,” said the 14-year-old who shares her home with Sharda.
Around 34 kids from SICW’s Beck Bagan shelter got an opportunity to take part in an exhibition organised for the first time at the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) on November 20. “Twenty-one of these kids are those with special needs,” added Shirin Dastur, the vice-chairperson of the organisation.
Joining hands with these kids were the women and children of SICW’s community outreach programme in Kasba. This is the first time the organisation had showcased its members’ creativity.
“We have been working with special, abandoned and marginalised kids for 40 years. It took us six months to organise the exhibition. But seeing the response this time, we plan to make it an annual event,” said Zarin Dadina, the founder and chairperson of the organisation.
From handmade jewellery by the women to the stationary items made by the children, the exhibition was a sell-out.
Up for grabs were decorated envelopes, embroidered towels and a range of painted candle-holders and bookmarks. “It boosts the confidence of the teachers and the students when they get such recognition,” added Dadina.
The organisation runs a creche, a medical unit, an adult literacy centre and more at Kasba. “Around 200 children are covered by this programme. We also work for rehabilitating the children with disabilities. Some of them have joined mainstream schools and the Indian Institute of Cerebral Palsy,” she said.
source: http://www.telegraphindia.com / The Telegraph,Calcutta,India / Home> Calcutta / by Chandreyee Ghose / December 05th, 2017