Pingalwara kids’ performance draws applause at Kirti Mela

Tribune News Service

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Amritsar, July 31

The ongoing handicrafts festival at Urban Haat is a creative playground for the kids of Pingalwara’s special school. Twenty kids, who are suffering from various physical and intellectual disabilities, performed dance and songs at the festival, drawing applaud from the audience.

Wards of Pingalwara, the children were aged between 10 and 16 years. Anita Batra, a teacher at Pingalwara and one of the wards of the charitable society herself, has been training them for the past two months for the show. “It took a lot of time for us to work with them as they have physical and mental limitations. We taught them using action choreography and had to use props as cue since they miss the steps in between. But the performance was wonderful as their effort got applauded and their sincere expression while performing on stage was the biggest takeaway,” she said.

The kids also performed a small skit on water conservation titled Paani Da Satkar Karo. Leading a life based on principles of Bhagat Puran Singh, where every human is equal, irrespective of their physical and mental limitations, these children are also taught vocational skills for employment opportunities.

“We hold regular workshops and training under expert supervision on handicraft making, teaching them pottery, carpentry and other vocational skills. Our handicrafts are liked and bought by visitors from world over,” informs Batra.

A stall of handicrafts prepared by the kids of Bhagat Puran Singh Special School also has been pulling buyers at the festival. The products displayed include bags, boxes made out of natural fibres like jute, hemp and cloth, decorative pots, paintings and pocket items. “Our aim has always been to make these children self reliant. The money from the sale of these items are sourced back to these kids for development and education,” said Darshan Bawa, co-ordinator, Pingalwara Society.

Conjoined twins Sohna-Mohna, 14, who have been adopted by Pingalwara, also performed a devotional song at the cultural programme. Enjoying their day out at the Kirti Mela, they were happy to interact and get clicked.