Himachal Pradesh governor Acharya Dev Vrat on Thursday honoured six special children who won accolades at the Special Olympics World Games, 2015, held at Los Angeles in July.
The felicitation function was organised by the Special Olympics Bharat Himachal Chapter at Raj Bhawan.
Those honoured were Vishakha from Una and Sulochana from Chamba, who won gold medals in athletics and table tennis (unified); Palak Bhardwaj from Una, Rakesh Kumar from Bilaspur and Krishan Kumar from Kangra, who won two medals in roller-skating and one silver in handball, respectively.
Rahul from Mandi was honoured for securing the fifth position in football. The governor also honoured coaches Nirmal Chauhan, Prashant Bhasin, Anand Kumar and sports director Rashim Dhar Sood.
Earlier, Mallika Nadda, national vice-chairperson, Special Olympics Bharat, welcomed the governor and briefed him about the activities of the organisation. She said special children from the country had won a total of 247 medals, including 61 gold, 65 silver and 121 bronze, at the Special Olympics World Games.
Addressing the gathering, Dev Vrat said every human being was blessed with one talent or another. “Every child has a hidden talent, which should be tapped early in life, as young minds are more receptive and can be trained to excel in various skills,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}Addressing the gathering, Dev Vrat said every human being was blessed with one talent or another. “Every child has a hidden talent, which should be tapped early in life, as young minds are more receptive and can be trained to excel in various skills,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}“These special children are an inspiration to everyone as they have faced challenges with determination and hard work and have won accolades for their talent,” the governor said.
“Society should develop a kind and considerate attitude towards special children and should provide them with opportunities for progress. We need to come together and try to bring these children into the mainstream,” he added.