Readers' Forum
Helping the handicapped
Parsis are in the forefront of innumerable medical and educational institutions with a large number of them having been built all over the country through Parsi charities. One such is the 50-year-old Society for the Education of the Crippled (SEC) that educates orthopedically challenged children and adults.
The SEC has three schools in Bombay, at Agripada, Antop Hill and Santa Cruz, and a residential school at Kanhe Phata near Lonavala. Nearly 400 children from an underprivileged background attend these schools. Besides academic pursuits, the children also learn English, music, dancing, computer education, physical education, swimming classes, arts, crafts, adaptive daily living skills, etc. The ultimate objective of the institution is to rehabilitate the handicapped students by their placement into the mainstream of the community.
All this requires a team of dedicated workers to look after the day-to-day running of the institution. The SEC executive committee has on it, among others, a number of committed Parsi ladies — Banoo Cama, Arnie Antia, Homai Dhondy (president), Roda Khambatta (past president), Yasmin Dhunjisha, Nergish Subawalla, Zarine Chothia, Zenobia and Zarin Havewala.
As children attending the school come from strata of society that can barely make two ends meet, the children are provided free meals, uniforms, school requirements, education and transport. There is little they can look forward to from their impoverished families. SEC therefore ensures that they have a few events during the year which provide them with fun and entertainment.
As in the past, this year the Christmas-cum-New Year party was celebrated in true festive spirit at the Agripada unit. A huge Christmas tree was put up at the entrance of the school. The tree as well as the class rooms and the corridors were decorated with bells, stars, pine cones, drums, streamers and small Santa dolls with the help of the excited children.
The party was sponsored by the Inner Wheel Club of Bombay under the guidance and initiative of Chothia. There was a magic show, a ventriloquist with a monkey, and catchy music to which the 100 odd handicapped children, dressed in festive attire, danced with enthusiasm and gusto. Prizes were awarded to the best dancers. Every child was given a gift of toys. Candy floss and popcorn were provided and a special lunch was organized for the children. Similar parties were held at the other units of SEC.
The party became a memorable morning for the children, and they look forward to many other functions organized by the kind ladies on the committee.For further information readers may contact: Chothia — 9820294362; Dhondy — 9819109147; Khambatta — 9819560138.
The SEC has three schools in Bombay, at Agripada, Antop Hill and Santa Cruz, and a residential school at Kanhe Phata near Lonavala. Nearly 400 children from an underprivileged background attend these schools. Besides academic pursuits, the children also learn English, music, dancing, computer education, physical education, swimming classes, arts, crafts, adaptive daily living skills, etc. The ultimate objective of the institution is to rehabilitate the handicapped students by their placement into the mainstream of the community.
All this requires a team of dedicated workers to look after the day-to-day running of the institution. The SEC executive committee has on it, among others, a number of committed Parsi ladies — Banoo Cama, Arnie Antia, Homai Dhondy (president), Roda Khambatta (past president), Yasmin Dhunjisha, Nergish Subawalla, Zarine Chothia, Zenobia and Zarin Havewala.
As children attending the school come from strata of society that can barely make two ends meet, the children are provided free meals, uniforms, school requirements, education and transport. There is little they can look forward to from their impoverished families. SEC therefore ensures that they have a few events during the year which provide them with fun and entertainment.
As in the past, this year the Christmas-cum-New Year party was celebrated in true festive spirit at the Agripada unit. A huge Christmas tree was put up at the entrance of the school. The tree as well as the class rooms and the corridors were decorated with bells, stars, pine cones, drums, streamers and small Santa dolls with the help of the excited children.
The party was sponsored by the Inner Wheel Club of Bombay under the guidance and initiative of Chothia. There was a magic show, a ventriloquist with a monkey, and catchy music to which the 100 odd handicapped children, dressed in festive attire, danced with enthusiasm and gusto. Prizes were awarded to the best dancers. Every child was given a gift of toys. Candy floss and popcorn were provided and a special lunch was organized for the children. Similar parties were held at the other units of SEC.
The party became a memorable morning for the children, and they look forward to many other functions organized by the kind ladies on the committee.For further information readers may contact: Chothia — 9820294362; Dhondy — 9819109147; Khambatta — 9819560138.
ZARIN HAVEWALA
zarin0607@gmail.com
zarin0607@gmail.com
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