"The soul is healed by being with children". A visit to Harsha Memorial school brought to the fore of consciousness the true meaning of these words of Dostoyevsky. On the morning of the 65th Independence Day, a batch of SRC members from XIMB set out for the said school which provides for the educational needs of children with hearing and speech disabilities. SRC, in collaboration with the Bhubaneswar Chapter of Rotary International, was to take part in the Independence Day celebrations of the school with the aim to make it a day of fun and frolic for the children.
The proceedings of the day was commenced with the traditional flag-hoisting and singing of the national anthem. One could not fail to notice the sparkle in the eyes of each and every child and their dimpled smiles as they watched the Indian flag being unfurled by the dignitaries from the Rotary Club.
A particular mention needs to be made of the sand casting of the map of India as well as a sand sculpture of the Father of the Nation-Mahatma Gandhi made by the children-remarkable concepts executed to perfection!
Next up was a march past conducted by the children. How to conduct a march past with a neat clockwork precision minus the fanfare of trumpets and drums was exemplified by the children looking neat and trim in their all-white uniforms. The Rotary Club dignitaries shared their fervour and enthusiasm through their eloquent speeches that were communicated via sign language to the students. After a quick snack arranged by the Rotary members, the children gathered in their classes to take part in the drawing competition arranged by SRC. Armed with all the required stationary provided by SRC, the children poured forth colours and creativity into their drawings. Not even twenty minutes had passed when a child from the junior batch came forth with his drawing all finished. The integration of the Indian map, a dove signifying peace, the Indian flag and a lotus in full bloom that was presented in the drawing with deft colouring and shading won our hearts!
A major portion of all the drawings were so captivating in terms of their beauty of conception and sincerity of execution that we were thoroughly convinced that what these children were bereft of in terms of their auditory and speech disabilities were compensated for by their individually novel powers of imagination. That an artist of the stature of Hussain or Dali could emerge from amongst these very children was not at all a baffling thought anymore! The events of the day were drawn to an end with the prize distribution for the drawings which had captured the attention of the jury the most. As we all bid adieu to the children, we could not help but think that these were indeed the children of heaven!
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