Specially-abled kids taste essence of ‘give and take’, unconditional love

NAGPUR: ‘Give and take’ is the essence of Valentine’s Day. Specially-abled children of different schools got a taste of true love at a programme organized by Rotary Club of Nagpur (RCN), in association with Lata Mangeshkar Hospital, at Mankapur Indoor Stadium on Friday.
It was time for nearly 800 children of 40 schools from the city and nearby villages to soak in unconditional love showered on them by the organizers and enjoy every moment of the daylong event ‘Udaan’.The programme gave them confidence to rise to the occasion, treat obstacles as a challenge and overcome them by dint of hard work, fun and frolic, and lead a meaningful life.
Chief guest Suresh Sharma, CMD of Baidyanath Ayurved Bhavan, was welcomed with a band performance by the students of Modern School. The flag hoisting was followed by a march-past by specially-abled children, led by Jeevoday School, with the rest following.
Students were in their element as they presented Bharatanatyam, patriotic and other forms of dances, and skits. It was a touching moment when deaf and mute children sang the national anthem in sign language, understood well by the viewers. They demonstrated that patriotism knows no barriers as it comes from the heart.
This was followed by a lively band performance by the students of Modern School.
These children proved their worth in competitions like relay, skipping, blind cricket, fancy dress, throwball, kabaddi, tug-of-war and other events. Last in the list but liked the most was Zumba dance performance. It was difficult for those present to hold back the tears of joy.
Earlier, in his address, Sharma said, “Every child has a desire to fulfil for which they require motivation. ‘Udaan’ gave specially-abled children the much-needed boost, and the environment was like a mini-Olympics in which students participated with the spirit of a true sportsperson.”
RCN president Parag Paranjpe said like every year, the 10th edition of ‘Udaan’ was a much-awaited event. “Fun activities and performances will keep their morale high, and this is the spirit they will carry with them for long.”
Rotary member Sanjay Sethi administered the oath. Secretary of RCN Namita Sharma proposed a vote of thanks.