The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Freedom centre to be dedicated to nation today

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, May 20, 2007
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Kerala

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Freedom centre to be dedicated to nation today

Staff Reporter

`Artistic expression allows special children to claim their place in mainstream society.'

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Less ability does not make a lesser human being. If P.T. Usha can sprint, they too can, says Thomas Felix, director, Central Institute on Mental Retardation, about the capabilities of special children.

It was this conviction that prompted him to start a `Freedom Centre,' an institution for training mentally challenged persons in art and music at Kovalam.

"Society in general has a negative attitude towards the mentally challenged," says Fr. Felix.

"People seldom accept the fact that mentally challenged persons are as talented as all others. But we have to take the effort to bring out the talent inherent in them. Our task is to integrate them with their family first."

At Freedom Centre, special children are given training in various art forms and instrumental music, including Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Kuchipudi, Odissi, sitar, violin and veena, as part of a three-year programme.

"The stimulus from various art forms can play a crucial role in the holistic development of the candidate.

"They have a sense of rhythm like all other individuals. The training helps to bring it out," says Fr. Felix.

Artistic expression allows the special children to claim their place in mainstream society, he says.

It helps them to attain functional development in a systematic way. Their parents and family accept them better, which leads to acceptance from the community. This in turn helps them gain entry to all spheres of activity, he says.

For instance, while performing a dance form or a ballet, some players enact multiple roles which requires special skills. The demands of the stage are complex and varied. They have to synchronise their movements according to the musical cue.

This helps them improve their cognitive ability, says Fr. Felix.

Similarly, when a candidate plays different instruments that require different movements and coordination, they receive developmental inputs. This helps them master different movements.

Playing a guitar requires different movement and coordination from playing a sitar, he says.

Art also involves shapes and colours either in two or three dimensions.

A total of seven candidates are currently undergoing training at the centre.

The centre, inaugurated in May 2000 by A.P.J. Abdul Kalam who was then the principal scientific advisor to the Union Government, will be dedicated to the nation at a function on Sunday evening.

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