Salt Lake CE Block-based school for special children, Drishti, celebrated Valentine’s Day by showering lots of love on their students. The students attended a party at FC Park where they sang, danced, ate a cake they cut and were encouraged by some celebrity guests too.
The party began with a solo Rabindranritya with Madhur dhwani bajey by guest artist Korok Biswas, who has Down Syndrome and received the Pradhan Mantri Bal Shakti Award in 2020.
Rituparna Sengupta, 28, sang for the audience. “I mainly like singing modern songs but today I’ll sing Ektu bosho chole jeo na,” said Rituparna, a resident of Bangur Avenue. “My daughter has a knack for music and completed fifth year in classical music and Rabindrasangeet. In 2017 she received the state award in music in the disabled category,” said her mother Keya Sengupta.
Sayantan Sengupta 19, and Pratibha Hazra, 20 performed dances. The parents were delighted with the gathering. “This institute is like a second home for my son Atif, who has been coming here since 2006,” said his mother Tahmina Haider.
Sayak Faizal Raja has autism. He was brought to Drishti when he was a small child and Sushmita solved his behavioural problem through training and counselling. “Whenever I felt helpless or faced any problem, I approached Sushmita and she counselled, handled and resolved it. Sushmita is his second mother,” said Sayak’s mother.
The show was also attended by the likes of Upal Sengupta of the band Chandrabindoo and painter Nirupam Roy. “These children hardly get opportunities to express themselves so we wanted to showcase their talents, " said Sushmita Nag, founder secretary of Drishti. “We work on behaviour modification, community education and survival education for them round the year but have been organising such short tours and outings for them since 2006 to give them exposure. To empower them economically we also train them in handicrafts.”
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