Helping others lead independent lives with vitality
Many of us juss ignore the suffering around us. Some that Anjali from Mumbai help them lead a life of vitality. She shares her experience with Jamuna Rangachari
Sukanya comes from government home in Mumbai where she was been picked up by an NGO called Kshamata inTthane. They pick girls who are 18 yrs n above train them vocationally and make them self sufficient so they become independent and can lead their life further on their own, Sukanya was one of the girls but was very aggressive and hyper and they did not know how to handle her. I use to go there once in a week to train these girls for various activities and on day one i identified her as special and asked them to hand me Sukanya so that I can train her at Advitya and make a difference to her present mental n physical condition since nobody knew how to handle special case.
Sukanya is a brain damage child currently she must be around 25 or 26yrs . since past 4yrs she is been staying with me at my residence so she can experience what is family and that we love her with all her disabilities so after4yrsnow she is very beautifully groomed mannerism, dressing and whatever responsibilities she could handle being special. It was a huge challenge for me because she came to me with lots of physical n mental health issues n now she is back to herself finally. so looks very normal but due to brain damage her IQ is very low but she loves helping other students with our vocational activities which is commendable, she is a lot inclined towards art work that we do at Advitya and wants to come every single day. she feels sense of responsibility when she is helping any other special children ,when we see her happy face i really feel blessed to have tried to make a difference to this childs life..Advitya is her life where her life has a meaning with lots of friends of her kind.
To make them independent, she founded Advitya, a creative center for mentally challenged adults. They accept students who are unable to adjust in other special institutes either due to their growing age or the need for individual attention. They work with the most challenging adults, channelizing their energies toward productive outcomes. In order to keep them occupied, Advitya gets them to add value to a range of Indian handicrafts like bags, wallets, jewellery holders, office stationery, magnets, and other lifestyle/utility products.
Colour and music is used as therapy for the special adults. Apart from the vocation that is meted out to them, they also have a host of recreational activities such as yoga, music, dance, pottery, art on canvas, animal assisted therapy, Socialising etc etc. The different kind of challenges that Advitya caters to are Down’s Syndrome, Autism, Brain Damage, epileptic , schizophrenia , trauma, dimentia and borderline cases.
Most of the students face great degrees of social rejection, therefore there is a great need to instill in them a feeling of belonging, being loved and cared for. Advitya ensures that its students are taken care of like their families do.
An important part of their therapy are the monthly outings that they are taken for. Over the years Advitya has taken its students on field trips to amusement parks, out-of-town 3 day trip, disco lunch/dinner parties ,movies, corporate office socialising (CSR) , loads of college and School students pan India come to do internships .This enables a smooth synthesis of interaction between the special ones and others. This is primarily to raise awareness and give the special students an experience of social learning.
Anjali and her NGO Advitya have been featured on CNBC’s ‘Smart Business Woman’, DD Sahyadri’s ‘Hello Sakhi’, Sahara Samay’s ‘RKB Show’ her students also got an opportunity to perform at India's got talent and India's Dancing superstar . She has also been featured for her work in the area of social development for marginalised sectors in newspapers like Hindustan Times, DNA, Westside Plus, Education Times and magazines like New Woman, Meri Saheli, 17 the magazine, The Ideal Home & Garden and Creative Craft , Humans of Bombay, Angels of Mumbai. She hopes all recognise their needs and help them, taking a leaf out of her book.
She has also addressed communities and students at various awareness platforms. She is a life member with the Indian Merchants’ Chamber (Ladies Wing). She has been an honorary advisor to various other NGOs, guiding them in the area of ‘Vocation & Development’.
We from Life Positive wish her all the best and hope many get inspired by her journey.
