A young adult in Pittsburg played the piano and a nine-year-old girl in Asansol recited from Sukumar Ray’s Abol Tabol.

Children and individuals with special needs and mental illnesses participated in an online talent hunt organised by a city NGO, which their parents said helped them to be meaningfully occupied. It made them feel accepted at a time when they have been confined to their homes, a situation that has dealt a major blow to their confidence, some parents said.

Around 250 participants from India and some from outside the country took part in the two-day programme “Open the Door” — a talent hunt in singing, dancing, music, recitation and mono act — that was held online for the first time in eight years.

“There are many children and individuals who feel restless with confinement and the inability to step out, something that the pandemic thrust upon them. Barely 10 per cent have accepted it while many others could not and some required constant counselling. This kind of a programme kept them occupied with rehearsals, they were excited and had something to look forward to,” said Ishita Sanyal, psychologist and founder-director of Turning Point, the NGO that organised the event.

Dimitri Seal

The programme helped them “connect” with the world outside their homes and believe in their “identity as individuals”, Sanyal said.

The number of participants this year went up by over a 100, compared with previous years.

Not just the students, but parents, too, were excited.

One of them, Madhabi Chattaraj, called the organiser the day after the event to confirm if she had heard right that her daughter Priyanka had won a prize.

“My daughter’s circle of friends is limited because she is not so physically agile to go out and play. Her world revolves around recitation and music. She recites even during her physiotherapy sessions and such a programme is important because it rebuilds her confidence,” her mother said.

Satabdi Daw

Priyanka recited from Abol Tabol.

The participants included individuals like a 22-year-old student in Maryland who is majoring in music and 21-year-old Dimitri Seal, a student of hospitality management in Calcutta, who played the synthesizer.

“Who does not need encouragement or acknowledgment? We all do. And as for my son, the acknowledgment helps him to push back the negative emotions that develop in him when he is unable to do something,” said Dimitri’s mother Tapasi.

The performances, that were not judged through any special lens, left the judges feeling inspired because of their quality and the “self esteem” of the performers.

“When we started years back, we thought that this opportunity would change their lives, but their potential and talent have changed our lives. It is so rewarding to watch all of them perform. Some of them are great performances... We find a lot of joy and excitement in discovering that some who don’t speak clearly have a beautiful sense of music and rhythm,” Sanyal said.