Not a step out of place

The Indian Council for Cultural Relations in association with Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan hosted a 90-minute performance by the students of Samarthanam. 

The performers were all trained artists and dancers who are either visually, speech or hearing impaired. 

But one couldn’t quite understand the difference for every dancer performed his or her part to perfection.   

 

The event that was held at Khincha Auditorium, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, witnessed a magical spell of music, dance and drama. 

Every performance provided the audience a sharp insight into the world of disabilities.

 

From an evocative invocation to humorous mime, to an extremely relevant skit on the environment to vibrant dances – the evening witnessed an impressive range of dance, song and mime. 

A solo stand-up mimicry performance by visually-impaired artist Balasubramaniam left the audience splitting with laughter and admiration. 

 

The speech and hearing-impaired group from Dharwad presented a hilarious mime act of cooking competition, which was again received with great applaud and appreciation.

Tiny tots from HSR School educated the audience about the importance of preserving forests and thereby contributing to the environment. 

Dancers Lingraj, BD Suma, Usha and Jailakshmi (visually impaired), Manasa, Suma and Sridevi with hearing impairment left the audience wondering about their coordination skills and sense of rhythm. 

 

The instrumental music played by the visually-impaired group led by John on the drums was entertaining. 

Another performance by Sunadha, Samarthanam’s cultural troupe, comprising young artistes from across the State, powerfully demonstrated the ‘ability in disability’. 

Sunadha encourages talent among youth with different disabilities and nurtures their skills in art, music and dance. 

Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled has been working towards creating education and livelihood opportunities for persons with disabilities. 

Those who watched the performance were delighted with the way the students coordinated their steps with the music. 

Divyashanthi, a member of the audience, said, “They are all children who are endowed with a special skills. I was so thrilled to see how they matched the steps to the timing. They must have had to practise really hard.” 

Samvritha Rajan, a classical dancer, said, “It requires a great amount of coordination in the head. These children will make any dancer proud for their performance was flawless.”