Ranchi, Jan. 9: They are the ?knights? of the highest order ? bravehearts fighting their own war and lending a shoulder to those washed ashore, helpless and bruised. You can?t help but love them, pledge a lifetime of care and honour ? stand by them as they go about winning every battle.

The special children of Deepshikha ? a home for spastics in the capital ? have no idea what the tsunami was. They are too busy grappling with their own demons to spare a thought for the castaways. But the ?wounded? have the softest and the largest of hearts.

They got together to put up one of the most touching cultural evenings in the capital today to raise funds for the tsunami victims.

The repertoire was wide, ranging from classical, semi-classical, folk and film songs. Some of the dances were difficult and elaborate, and they stretched themselves to the limit to do justice to the show.

The charity gala was organised jointly by Deepshikha, an institute for the mentally-challenged and the Rotary Club of Ranchi, North, at the Davis Institute of Neuro-psychiatry.

Shampy, a child suffering from cerebral palsy, who danced to a popular Hindi film number, said, ?My parents explained to me that the tidal waves had killed thousands of people and rendered many homeless. Several people lost their sons, daughters, fathers and mother. I had to dance for their sake.?

She said it took a month?s rigorous practice to perform at the show. ?It required tremendous effort on my part,? she explained, with a proud smile.

?Although I can?t visit the ravaged areas, at least, I can raise funds. My parents helped me reach my goal,? she gushed.

The audience lauded the efforts of the children in making the show a success. Programme?s organiser Vipul Nayak said, ?As all of us were collecting money for the tsunami victims, we wanted to rope in the special children too. They have hearts and they can also feel. They only require a few words of encouragement and moral support from the society to prove their ability.?

Anuska Roy, another physically-challenged child, said, ?It?s unfortunate that so many people lost their lives. Although one of my legs is affected by polio, when the organisers approached me to dance, I jumped at the opportunity. It is the least I could do. I feel this is the best thing, I?ve done to help the victims.?

The spirit of oneness was palpable. Several normal children pitched in to help their ?special? friends. Soumya, Kasturika, Tanya, Akriti, Smita and Ritwik, who were also part of the entourage, said. ?We feel proud to be part of the programme with the special children. This was the best way to raise funds and help the tsunami survivors,? Tanya said.