The able defied the notion of the disabled

BANGALORE: Saturday was a special day in the lives of 14 children suffering from Cerebral Palsy for it was an occasion to prove their ability.Around 100 people assembled at Mini Bal  Bhavan, Jeevanbima Nagar, to encourage and motivate the children. What made this function  special was that neither any politician nor a government official attended the event. It was organised by volunteers and members of Parents’ Association of Persons with Cerebral Palsy to celebrate.The 14 children came dressed for a costume drama and had fun imitating various personalities. Sharad Gupta was dressed as Haridasa but his mischevious nature reflected in his smile gave him away. Then there was the coy bride-to-be Varsha Rao, who was resplendent in her South Indian bride costume. She greeted the gathering with folded hands in a typical South Indian namaskara. Mahalakshmi was seen in a Punjabi dress while Varun B was every bit the king in his Mysore Maharaja robes. He observed the gathering with all dignity and royal pride. To assist him in his endeavour was Jubin Kembhavi, who followed him around as the Yuvaraja. Sanjay Patil paid tribute to Cricket royal Sachin Tendulkar and literally swelled with pride when one of the volunteers told him that she was waiting for Sachin to hit his 100th ton.It was not just royalty but visitors from outer space who visited the venue on that day.  Akanksha Naidu was the alien in her elaborate costume. Jayashree was smiling in her Radha’s costume and Karthik appeared on stage in Gandhiji’s costumes but without sacred thread.Others like Moulya danced to interesting tunes on stage while Bharath, in his Englishman’s coat, and Ramji, as a priest, took a step closer to the audience by waving and blessing the audience respectively. But it was Raghu as Dr Rajkumar who stole the show and performed like a true hero. Earlier, children performed to songs such as Mastike Patashala, Tara Rampam and Huttidare Kannada Naadalli Huttabeku. Even as the children danced to the latter song, the audience were moved to tears. Children in wheelchairs waving Kannada flags and singing Badukidu Jatakaabandi was a sight to behold.