Fifteen-year-old Neha Ghosal, a resident of Kachrapara, woke up in a tizzy on January 22. It was not the promised trip to Kolkata that made her heart beat faster as the opportunity to be part of an inter-school sports meet. A few hours later the Class IX student bagged the third prize in a 100m sprint. Neha was, however, happier to socialise than to win.
Neha, who suffers from down syndrome, was one of the 600-odd special children who came from all over Bengal to take part in Aashayein-2003, a sports meet for the disabled organised by Lions Club of Calcutta, in association with Round Table India at Gitanjali Stadium.
Winning was not what mattered to most participants in this meet. They were looking forward to some interaction and fun instead.
“My daughter woke me up at 6 in the morning wanting to come for sports. She could not contain her excitement,” chipped in Anjali Tanti, mother of 17-year-old Kisita from Morning Glory Integrated School.
Kisita took part in two races and was not at all sad for not winning anything. “I like to play and I like to dance. I had fun,” said Jadavpur resident Kisita, outlining her priorities. There were around 18 students from Kisita’s institute, every child as eager to have fun.
Sixteen-year-old Sraboni Dey felt like being in a picnic. “I want more of this,” said the child, who also suffers from down syndrome, happy to run and let loose her energy on field.
For many parents too, the event came as a breath of fresh air. “My son Siddhartha’s school closed down during Covid. I was worried how he would get to socialise in future. Events like these help,” said Manicktala resident Bijay Bhattacharjee.
According to the organisers, the event had begun with just 100 special children in 2014. On January 22 this year, it saw 33 institutions and over 600 kids signing up for the 50 runs and other contests.
“The meet aimed at giving the kids a good time. The number of participants has increased drastically since Covid,” said Krishna Raj Gupta, president of Lions Club of Calcutta.
According to consultant psychiatrist Sanjay Garg, activities like sports are more necessary for special kids than the mainstream ones.
“They learn important social and life skills from sports, such as sharing and working in a team. They learn while having fun and feel less judged. The pandemic has been the most cruel to special kids. There has been a sharp rise in their anxiety level with their normal routine going haywire,” said Dr Garg.