Koraput: They greet you with ease and much élan. They break into songs and are ready to shake a leg with very little coaxing.
While 11-year-old Ajay Sirika tell you about his family members, eight-year-old Dayanidhi Gouda will leave no stone unturned to tell you about his lunch comprising rice, dal and curry despite having a speech problem.
Ajay and Dayanidhi live at Manas, which is a centre for education and vocational training for mentally handicapped children.
The centre is home to 50 mentally-challenged children, including 10 girls, deprived of a normal childhood. They get the much needed emotional support and guidance that they don't get at home to hone their latent talent.
"The children are mentally retarded. Depending on their mental condition they are distinguished as mild, moderate, severe and profound. They are treated through physiotherapy and speech therapy that also help them to develop their skills," said Bidyadhar Pramanik, principal of the centre.
"We select mentally ill children for admission to the centre by organising camps at different times. We keep the children with us till the age of 18," he added.
Mentally-challenged children between six and 18 years are admitted at the centre. Apart from their regular treatment, children between 14 and 18 years are provided with vocational training such as stitching mosquito nets, candle-making, book binding and screen printing, so that they can lead an independent life once they step out of the centre.
"After getting vocational training from here, till now at least 26 children are leading a successful life," said Prakash Dheury, special educator.
However, owing to financial crunch, vocational training in screen printing, book binding and candle-making have been stopped at the centre a few years ago.
"I am a master in stitching mosquito nets. I have also learned to count money. Once I get out from here, I want to lead a decent life and will try to start my own enterprise of making mosquito nets," said 14 year-old Ananta Tadingi, who was admitted at the centre in 2008. The residential care centre was established in 2001 and managed by the Koraput district administration.
