Sunday morning, I wake up and pack my gears and I am on my way to Hasseraghatta to visit Nrityagram. Its been a long time since I wanted to capture images here. Well, it turned out to be that the dancers were on a long break and were in no shape and didn't wanted to be photographed.
On my way back home, it started raining and there goes my last chances of any photography. I had a couple of friends with me who were to shoot a drawing competition at a park in Bangalore. I wasn't interested at all, but something kept me waiting with them. The rain stopped and we reached the park and I was taken by surprise.
Well, it sure was a drawing competition held by Association of People with Disability. For a very long time I wasn't responding to anything. I was hit, until a lady asked me to help carry a wheelchair down the steps.
What shook me up was the courage, the enthusiasm and energy each child had. They just went on drawing on sheets after sheets. There was nothing that could stop them.
What I witnessed cannot be described by words, it can only be felt. I leave you with some moments that I captured at APD and these would last as memories forever.
Akash's hands don't function, he gets exhausted extremely fast, but it just didn't stop him what he likes the most; Painting! And he does it with his feet.
What I noticed here was the amount of courage every single person involved with APD had. Teachers drawing on sheets for those who couldnt draw but could color, students from Chitra Kala Parishath making paintings non stop, as much as they could and in all the buzz, excitement... you could also hear parents talking to their son and daughters, tears rolling down looking at their picture and saying "my kid did this drawing"
It takes courage to be anyone of them - be it a teacher, a student or a parent. We all dream, it only takes courage to full fill them.
More photographs from APD on my Photostream
From a passive existence to a meaningful life.
From days and nights of empty hours to an enriching lifestyle.
This is the aspiration of every child and adult living with disability.
10 comments:
Courage...What an apt title!
Definitely people with disabilities are not the one who are handicapped. It's people with no will-power or desire or hope in life...
This has been rightly captured through photographs and words in this blog.
Hats off to APD for conducting such an interesting event and kudos to Vandan to have captured it so wonderfully...
Thanks @divya tanjore
This is reality as it is.
Pure. Unadulterated.
Thanks for sharing the shots and your views on it.
Courage indeed it is.
God Bless.
That's JUST awesome. Neatly written.
Awesome frames... Thanks Vandan for u too...
Really puts things in perspective - these children have to endure so much just for mere existence. And we have managed to find a bunch of useless things to fret over.
Nice collection.
Vandan, that was very touching. The photographs are just amazing and clubbed with your words, it does show the enthusiasm and courage these kids have!
Dear Vandan,
I am a proud employee of The Association of People with Disability. I chanced upon your blog through our Google Analytics.
Working here has made me almost forget that these children have disability. They are amazingly spirited, powerfully assertive and tiringly brattish! When people come over to volunteer with them, I tell them "We are perfectly OK with it, but I just hope you can match the energy levels of our kids!". You would agree with me after being a part of the art show. :)
We have a whole lot of activities and also offer vocational training to young adults with disability. They are also a hotbed of talent and potential waiting to be explored.
you could come over anytime and see for yourself all that we are doing.
Could I also ask you for permission to use the amazingly beautiful pics you took?
Sravanthi
Sarvanthi,
I would be the happiest person, if my photographs could be of any use to you. As a matter of fact I have all the photographs in a CD and would definitely be coming down to APD to hand it over to you.
Would love to meet the children there!
Wonderfully captured!
Children look so content and proud of their work and totally engrossed.
In todays world where people do not have time for anything, young people like you make a big difference. I totally agree with Divya that people with no will power or desire or hope are in true meaning handicapped. Keep up the good work.
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