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‘Hausla’ sports meet: Specially-abled kids show grit, courage
Chetna Sansthan, Navdeep Sansthan and Study Hall (Dosti) of Lucknow win the titles for bocce, shot put and roller skating, say organisers
LUCKNOW Nearly 400 children from over 20 special schools across UP gathered at the KD Singh ‘Babu’ Stadium here for the 8th annual two-day state-level sports meet ‘Hausla’ for specially-abled children, organised by Sahas Trust. On the opening day, students took part in events like bocce, shot put, sprinting, roller skating and powerlifting, among others.
Chetna Sansthan, Navdeep Sansthan and Study Hall (Dosti) of Lucknow won the titles for bocce, shot put and rollerskating, said the organisers. The highlight of the day was that all of the children competed with confidence and excitement.
The event took off with a musical start with one of the students presenting a Hindi song to welcome chief guests Ashok Bajpai, Rajya Sabha member; Manish Rawat, MLA and Aseem Arun, state minister, social welfare.
“In 2014, we participated in the event for the first time with 12 kids, the second time with 16, and now the number has grown to 20,” said Dharmendra Kumar, coach at St. Alphonsa’s Institute of Special Education, Agra.
“Sports/extracurricular activities help keep children physically and mentally healthy, and open up their world to community behavioral tendencies that are not necessarily possible in a classroom,” he explained.
“Many of these kids, who are on the autism spectrum, often have a lot of energy that they do not know how to burn. And participating in sports gives them an organic outlet,” explained Sudha Bajpai, chairperson, Sahas Trust. “It is very difficult to get sponsors for this competition, but we get small amounts from various well-wishers or stakeholders,” she added.
MANTRA FOR GOOD HEALTH
Pallav Mehrotra, 30, is a softball champion, who is hearing impaired and has Down Syndrome. He has competed in the US, Bangladesh and the UK, representing the state in several tournaments and won medals. He also shows up regularly at the Hausla Special Games every year to motivate and encourage students who come to perform.
“People will tell you studying, eating and sleeping is important…but very few tell you how healthy it is to be active for a few minutes after a meal and before bed,” said Mehrotra.
