"Hi!!!"
The loud chorus of children was sharp, as they got down from their bus. And the colors were beautiful. I like blue.
It was a cool morning and I just came out of the college building where I had been to appear for a national examination. The exam went well, and after that, I was delighted to see so many children.
The group that got down from the bus comprised mostly of girls. They must in the age group of 12-16 years, accompanied by a couple of teachers. They had come here to participate in a group dance performance.
They went in a queue, led by a well-dressed man. I asked the security guard nearby whether I could attend the children's show. He said it is a public show and that too a free one. People were welcome to donate if the willed too.
I went ahead and lodged myself in a right corner seat in the front row. The advantage in a corner seat in the front row is that you can see who is coming next on stage before others can know.
I was struck by one particular girl. Of course, she was the reason I thought of staying back and watching the show. There are three things I would like to tell you about this girl.
Firstly, she had a amazing personality. The way she carried herself, the way she talked to other friends, the way she listened and followed the teacher who was accompanying them was really something. She had a wonderful calm around her, and seemed to exude a great sense of confidence.
Secondly, the dance that she did after some time on stage was enthralling. It was a "Geeti-Natya", a song-drama, that was played in the form of a dance. The theme was about helping each other in order to have better results for the nation, and the world.
Forget about the theme, my eyes were hooked on the girl I spoke of. She must be sixteen. She was wearing a blue dress, with snow-white wings on her arms as she was enacting an angel. It so much suited her character! She had a white veil on her hair. It was amazing. Simply amazing. She danced with amazing gait and seemed to carry the whole show herself.
It was a half-an hour performance, but it did not seem so. The received a standing ovation after the performance.
The third thing that I wanted to mention about this girl was that, like all her group members in the dance, she was blind.
I cannot imagine the sharpness of the brain behind the little child's imagination, and the amount of hard-work that she must have done to achieve the perfection that she showed on stage. Her mobility was awesome.
Life is a surprising experience. A amazing tale of conviction and faith winning the last bites of misfortune and sorrow. Life is beautiful.
I was too speechless, over-awed, and choked by emotions to do anything but just keep looking. After the show, I talked to the teacher who accompanied them. I informed about my efforts at making a shoe-fitted navigation device for visually-impaired persons. And I informed about one of the members of National Blind Association with whom I have been in touch in order to make my product a better one. I asked him if I could talk to the girl that I mentioned.
Sadhana. I do not have a perfect English equivalent of the word that represented her and her name so aptly. Literally, Sadhana means penance. But it is much more.
I talked to her. I told her about a small chip that can be fitted in her shoes and that will guide her if their is any obstacle in her path. It may also learn specific dance steps and guide her to dance better.
"Bhaiya! Even without your chip, I can dance like anything!" was her innocent reply. "But please tell me for sure when the thing is ready. Do you have something I can put in my eyes so that I can see your face?"
She had her arms around me. And one of the 'bestest' smiles I have ever seen in my life.
The loud chorus of children was sharp, as they got down from their bus. And the colors were beautiful. I like blue.
It was a cool morning and I just came out of the college building where I had been to appear for a national examination. The exam went well, and after that, I was delighted to see so many children.
The group that got down from the bus comprised mostly of girls. They must in the age group of 12-16 years, accompanied by a couple of teachers. They had come here to participate in a group dance performance.
They went in a queue, led by a well-dressed man. I asked the security guard nearby whether I could attend the children's show. He said it is a public show and that too a free one. People were welcome to donate if the willed too.
I went ahead and lodged myself in a right corner seat in the front row. The advantage in a corner seat in the front row is that you can see who is coming next on stage before others can know.
I was struck by one particular girl. Of course, she was the reason I thought of staying back and watching the show. There are three things I would like to tell you about this girl.
Firstly, she had a amazing personality. The way she carried herself, the way she talked to other friends, the way she listened and followed the teacher who was accompanying them was really something. She had a wonderful calm around her, and seemed to exude a great sense of confidence.
Secondly, the dance that she did after some time on stage was enthralling. It was a "Geeti-Natya", a song-drama, that was played in the form of a dance. The theme was about helping each other in order to have better results for the nation, and the world.
Forget about the theme, my eyes were hooked on the girl I spoke of. She must be sixteen. She was wearing a blue dress, with snow-white wings on her arms as she was enacting an angel. It so much suited her character! She had a white veil on her hair. It was amazing. Simply amazing. She danced with amazing gait and seemed to carry the whole show herself.
It was a half-an hour performance, but it did not seem so. The received a standing ovation after the performance.
The third thing that I wanted to mention about this girl was that, like all her group members in the dance, she was blind.
I cannot imagine the sharpness of the brain behind the little child's imagination, and the amount of hard-work that she must have done to achieve the perfection that she showed on stage. Her mobility was awesome.
Try doing a simple experiment. In your own house, just close your eyes and try dancing. You can try this when no one is at home so that people do not laugh at you, but it would be a good idea to have some friend nearby so that you don't hurt yourself by falling down. Dance as a blind and think how easy or difficult the act is.
Life is a surprising experience. A amazing tale of conviction and faith winning the last bites of misfortune and sorrow. Life is beautiful.
I was too speechless, over-awed, and choked by emotions to do anything but just keep looking. After the show, I talked to the teacher who accompanied them. I informed about my efforts at making a shoe-fitted navigation device for visually-impaired persons. And I informed about one of the members of National Blind Association with whom I have been in touch in order to make my product a better one. I asked him if I could talk to the girl that I mentioned.
Sadhana. I do not have a perfect English equivalent of the word that represented her and her name so aptly. Literally, Sadhana means penance. But it is much more.
I talked to her. I told her about a small chip that can be fitted in her shoes and that will guide her if their is any obstacle in her path. It may also learn specific dance steps and guide her to dance better.
"Bhaiya! Even without your chip, I can dance like anything!" was her innocent reply. "But please tell me for sure when the thing is ready. Do you have something I can put in my eyes so that I can see your face?"
She had her arms around me. And one of the 'bestest' smiles I have ever seen in my life.
