GUWAHATI, Oct 14 - Apart from ushering in joy and enthusiasm, some occasions also contribute towards the overall development of those taking part in festivities.
One such occasion that has, over the years, successfully established itself in the hearts and minds of the students, teachers and caretakers of Shishu Sarothi, is the festival of Diwali. This festival of light not only brings smiles to the faces of the students, but has also ensured their betterment.
According to Mridula Baruah, deputy director, Centre for Special Education, Shishu Sarothi, Diwali is one of those festivals that has great impact on its inmates. �The festival has several benefits for our children. As our children get involved in the festival through the process of decorating earthen lamps, it helps them gain attention, improves their identification and learning capability, enhances their hand-eye coordination and ensures their overall development,� said Baruah, adding that the diya or earthen lamp decoration process has gained momentum at the centre.
It needs mention that last year the students of Shishu Sarothi, a centre for rehabilitation and training for multiple disability, had decorated around 8,000 earthen lamps. This year the target is to decorate 10,000 earthen lamps. Already the students have completed cleaning, washing and drying these earthen lamps and will start decorating these lamps from Monday.
�The festival also allows the children an opportunity to take a step towards self-sufficiency. They learn to colour and decorate the lamps in the most eye-catching manner and a section of our inmates also get a part of the profit that comes from the sale of these decorated lamps,� said Baruah.
Baruah further said that the pre-Diwali sale of the earthen lamps that is held at Shishu Sarothi has been attracting more and more buyers, with people coming forward to be a part of the efforts of the centre to give a dignified life to the differently-abled.
The packaging of the earthen lamps is also done by the students and this activity is also beneficial to them as it helps them in calculation. As per demand of the customers, they count and pack the lamps that illuminate different nooks and corners of the State during the auspicious occasion of Diwali.
