A contributor to the greeting cards collection. Picture by Anindya Shankar Ray

The children of NGO Pratibandhi Kalyan Kendra (PKK) have learnt that disability need not be a handicap.

“I now know I am no longer limited by polio,” claims Class XI student Promila Shau. Her painting was used for a series of greeting cards launched by the NGO at Rotary Sadan on November 10. At “Ujan”, as the programme was titled, PKK students with hearing disabilities who performed well in the Madhyamik exams, as well as those whose paintings had been used, were felicitated.

Paintings of 24 kids had been selected for the greeting card series. The subjects were glimpses of everyday life, like a fresh blossom, a village scene or a festival.

The event began with a dance performed by the students to the song Shotophul bikoshito hok.

“The idea of making greeting cards hit us when we saw that regardless of their background, all the children could paint well,” said Nandini Sen, the assistant director of the 34-year-old institute that works with disabled children and adults in Orissa and West Bengal. The project has been running for seven years.

Each contributor was given Rs 1,000. “We sell about 50,000 cards each year to corporate organisations. A part of the money is kept aside for these children,” said Sen.