Great effort on part of the organisors to put together a team of people who have been working in the field for decades. Special mention of ” Dr. Rekha ramchandran” the director ” down syndrome association of India” for her passionate work and inspiring words. what a lady!! The whole auditorium was in awe of her. When she talked, everybody listened.
The team of medical professionals from AIIMS, doctors from chennai, the sibling group, various NGOs working for the betterment of our children, everybody made it informative and educative.
One resource person that took the audience by surprise was Dr. Ambika Kameshwar, Director RASA (Ramana Sunritya Aalaya trust) on Importance of music, theatre and dance for children and adults with Down’s syndrome.
It was amazing to see how theatre can bring out the, not so expressive speakers” to the front and teach them the finer nuances of life and everyday living through role plays, drama and music…dedicated to the cause, Dr. Ambika, got lot of fans and followers that day.
A film on independent living made by siblings of a down syndrome girl, lifted the spirits of the crowd and the sparks in the eyes of people grew brighter, thinking that their children too, would be able to live on their own one day…great work ” the special network” sibling group…The panel discussions, transition problems, behavioural issues, everything got discussed slightly, leaving the audience asking for more, however just the fact that this was a first of its kind effort, made me a little less cynical than my actual self!!
Now some things that could’ve been better…
Too many chefs spoil the dish..seemed the quote of the day. Everybody wanted to speak something irrespective of whether it was worthy of being heard by the audience or not…people flying down from various cities for the event, deserved a little better.
Bringing the adults with down syndrome , working for a certain NGO, up on stage, who were making Rs. 1000 a month as a stipend as role models, didn’t go down my throat too well…we know better, but thinking about the kind of bleak future picture it portrays for a lot of families coming from a different strata, doesnt quite serve the purpose.
But despite some glitches…applaud for madhumati and team for bringing everybody together and making it happen.
Kudos to the parents for coming and spending an entire day listening, asking questions, networking..
Hope to see such events in near future, more frequently…!!
