The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : It's the spirit that counts here

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Sep 01, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

It's the spirit that counts here

By Our Staff Reporter

CHENNAI, AUG. 31. A. Sunil Kumar, a standard III student, was busy sketching his favourite pet, a pussycat.

His friends too were busy drawing their pet animals.

You could be forgiven for thinking there's nothing remarkable about a painting contest for children.

But the fact is, Sunil has lost both his arms. He was drawing using his legs at the competition organised by Madras Round Table 1 at Lady Nye Madras Round Table 1 Special School at Pallippattu on Tuesday.

He studies in the Home for Handicapped, Anna Nagar. Similarly, his schoolmate, S. Raji of standard II, has no fingers on his hands but manages to draw and paint.

Sunil's teacher said the boy had joined the Home four years ago, and since then he had been winning prizes in several competitions.

Raji, who joined the home two years ago, has also won many prizes, the teacher added.

The drawing competition is an annual event for children with physical and mental disabilities organised by the Madras Round Table 1, said its chairman, Amarnath Reddy. "We are conducting this programme for more than a decade now," he said.

More than 175 students from seven special schools in the city took part in the contest.

They were divided into three groups according to their age -- six to eight, nine to 12 and 13 to 17, with each given one topic.

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