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Abling the Differently Abled
This affectionate, elderly lady with a disarming smile can very easily pass of as your grandmother next door, and, in fact, her innate simplicity belies the fact that she belongs to one of the most important industrial families of India—the Dalmias. But being the daughter-in-law of Jay Dayal Dalmia, younger brother of Ram Krishan Dalmia, is not the reason for her fame and renown across the nation. She could have easily led a life of indulgence, but, instead, she chose to trudge the hard path by dedicating her life to the underprivileged and differently abled children, facilitating them to economic empowerment and a life of dignity. She—Aruna Dalmia—is a social worker par excellence, a person with great compassion and empathy for the downtrodden.
Aruna Dalmia has had a long innings in social service; she was always interested in gender issues, uplifting the underprivileged, and helping the differently abled get inducted into mainstream society, and so naturally took to social work like a duck to water: this is her true calling in life. A compatriot of Dr. Mohini Giri, she has played proactive roles in both the War Widows’ Association and the Guild of Service. In Guild of Service, she is still actively involved as Vice President.
Compassion; Vision; Dedication
It was during one of her many social work stints—while working for a vocational training centre for women—that she came across many disabled children from poor and underprivileged families. This induced her compassionate heart to do something constructive for the education and rehabilitation of many such unfortunate “Children of a Lesser God.” Soon the dream translated into initiative, and the initiative took the shape of a concrete reality. The name of that reality is Akshay Pratishthan—a voluntary organization that works towards the rehabilitation of people with disability. It is primarily funded by individual donors, and is being supported by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, by way of grants.
Aruna Dalmia founded this organization in 1988, and, though, initially, there was paucity of funds, and she had to struggle hard to convince parents about the utility of sending their children to schools, she didn’t lose hope. “Though it was an uphill task, but I knew I had to succeed to create a better tomorrow for these unfortunate children, many of them being plagued by disabilities, and almost all of them belonging to underprivileged families with very little education; where they were expected to supplement the family income rather than getting themselves educated, ” explains Aruna Dalmia. Since then, chiefly due to her dedication and vision, Akshay Pratishthan has gone from strength to strength and has emerged as a name synonymous with selfless social service. Today the organization’s ambit of work involves a wide range of activities.
Inclusive Education
Akshay Pratishthan is most well known for its experimentation in the education process. Its model of inclusive education can be an eye-opener for a, by and large, insensitive society. The organization runs a school where an integrated group of 425 children, which includes both able-bodied as well as differently abled children, study and play together, from Nursery to Grade VIII. Although children with almost any kind of disability are being catered to, most of the differently abled children of this institution belong to the category of orthopaedically handicapped or mentally challenged. Teachers of this institution are trained in management of disabilities in class rooms. Besides abundant love, care, and patience, they also employ the latest technology to make inclusive education a reality. Besides classes, the school also has a special wing for children with special needs; this special wing consists of three sections: trainable, educable, and vocational.
As most children in Akshay Pratishthan are from needy backgrounds, free refreshments provided by the school also acts as an added incentive. Education is free, but a nominal rate is charged for stationery, uniform, and books to prevent dropouts. Previously they were given free of cost, but that proved to be a mistake. “As majority of our students belong to economically underprivileged families with very little exposure to education and most of them being first generation learners, initially their parents did not realise the immense role of education in their children’s lives. Thus, many children didn’t turn up after taking their uniform. So, to ensure that at least their families realise the value of education we urged them to come back,” elaborates this lady of substance.
Preparing for Life
At the same time, the school doubles up as a rehabilitation centre as well by rendering rehabilitative services to disabled children at the school, and, also, for the underprivileged community at large. “We ensure that each differently abled child in our school is being imparted some vocational skill or other that will facilitate them to earn their own livelihood, and be freed from the crutches of dependency,” says Aruna Dalmia, with loads of conviction. By imparting an array of vocational training courses (tailoring, carpentry, electrical works, beauty culture, baking, arts & crafts, computer learning, air-conditioning and refrigeration, home science, etc.), Aruna Dalmia and her dedicated team of social workers have been instrumental in facilitating many disabled children from their school to lead a life of economic independence and dignity in their post-Akshay Pratishthan future.
That’s not all. The institution also makes a concerted effort to get these students with disabilities proper placements. “Not only many of them are now gainfully employed, but some of them have even opened up small-scale income generating enterprises with the help of vocational training received with us,” she points out. “When I see them get their well-deserved economic freedom, I feel a happiness that can’t be explained in words … I feel I have done my duty to humanity and my service to God,” continues the Founder-Chairperson of Akshay Pratishthan, as her features bask with unusual grace and satisfaction at the thought of the little success stories of her students.
Usha Verma, Media Coordinator of Akshay Pratishthan, took pains to show me in detail the different departments of this noble organization and the gamut of works that they undertake. Besides various workshops for vocational training, there are separate rooms for occupational therapy and physiotherapy respectively. In the occupational therapy department, I met Madhur Bhandari, a senior occupational therapist, working at the institution as a medical consultant. She has to her credit the designing of a special bus for wheelchair-bound persons, featuring a hydraulically operated tail-lift end. This is the first tail-lift bus in India. The institution has a fairly well-stocked library and a computer room to complement the well-maintained classrooms.
I also came to know from Usha Verma that Akshay Pratishthan assembles and procures assistive aids for their disabled children and also for others similar outside, which include crutches, callipers, modified shoes, etc. Overall, the infrastructure is impressive, along with a distinctive personal and humane touch; a touch that is soft like the winter sunshine flooding the adjacent lawns.
At Akshay Pratishthan, the medical team works in tandem with the therapeutic departments to provide preventive and curative care to its school children and the community. Seven medical specialists give their valuable time, holding clinics on a regular basis for general check-ups and referrals. “We also coordinate between sponsors and doctors to organize corrective surgeries for the physical well being of the children,” informs Usha Verma enthusiastically. And, of course, it is free of cost.
Akshay Culture
Akshay Pratishthan doesn’t believe in all work and no play. This is very much reflected in the profusion of cultural programmes and sporting activities in which the children of Akshay Pratishthan heartily participate. The case in the point is the Akshay Utsav, an annual inter-school cultural event organised by Akshay Pratishthan, where an integrated group of differently abled children from various schools, NGOs, and other organizations showcase their talent. “The festival not only provides a platform for less fortunate children to share the joys of life but also proves to our so-called ‘able’ world that disability can never overshadow potential,” asserts Aruna Dalmia, amplifying her unwavering commitment towards the differently abled.
However, students of Akshay Pratishthan not only take part in their school’s cultural events, but also enthusiastically participate in other inter-school events, which, besides honing their inherent creativity, improves their interactive and social skills to a great extent. No talk of cultural events pertaining to Akshay Pratishthan would be complete without the mention of Ramayana on Wheels—the Ramayana performed by an integrated group of 80 physically and mentally challenged students of Akshay Pratishthan! “And what’s more, in the two shows that we have had, they managed to keep the audience spellbound,” exclaims Aruna Dalmia, her voice resonant of someone with strong maternal pride. Seeing her dedication, even a hard-boiled and cynical journalist like me couldn’t but help feeling enthused. Both the shows were choreographed by Guruji Syed Salauddin Pasha. On seeing the maiden performance of Ramayana on Wheels, which was staged at Kamani Auditorium in New Delhi, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dixit requested to restage the show the following day. Durga—another important stage production performed by students of Akshay Pratishthan—was performed in 2004.
A School of Thought
The wide ambit of welfare works carried out by Akshay Pratishthan is not limited only to its school. The institution renders healthcare and immunization services in rural areas, conducts adult literacy and non-formal education classes, organizes camps for medical examination and fitting of orthopaedic aids and appliances in and around Delhi, and organizes self-employment through revolving fund schemes. And Akshay Pratishthan’s work is not only centred on Delhi, where the voluntary organization is based; a branch of Akshay Pratishthan is doing similar commendable development oriented works in Chirawa (Rajasthan). It also conducts vocational training classes for less privileged women and is developing cooperatives and self-help groups for women in urban and rural areas.
As I take leave, and start strolling towards the gate, I am deeply moved by the children’s laughter and noise. Their differing physical attributes don’t intrude into their shared joy and mirth in any way. “No, the children don’t believe in any disabilities,” I thought. And nor does Aruna Dalmia and her dream-turned-reality: Akshay Pratishthan.
But sadly, we have yet to overcome our disabilities …
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