They may be down but they only look up

Chennai: After winning a gold medal in Australia in the Special Olympics Asia Pacific and in the Special Olympics in Los Angeles last year, Karaan is all set to participate in Down Syndrome International Chess competition in August this year.

Karaan is no ordinary person. Born with Down syndrome, this exuberant young chap and his mother worked against all odds for his education and to get him involved with mainstream society.  Not only that, Karaan has starred in a Santhosh Sivan film ‘Inam’ (Ceylon), which was set against the backdrop of the Lankan civil war, in which he played the special child on a journey to find his brother. He was also awarded the ‘World Outstanding Achievements Award 2015’ from World Down Syndrome Foundation for playing chess with normal intelligence peer group.

At present, he is a second-year student of Multimedia at Loyola College. He loves animation classes, and wants to pursue animation further. A self-proclaimed Vijay fan, Karaan loves dancing to songs of Vijay, mimicry, basketball, pool, dancing and singing.

“Theri will release in April, and I will be going for the first day, first show,” he added. His mime instructor and actor, Mime Gopi, describes him as a ‘hero’ and an inspiration to many others.

Another remarkable story is about 12-year-old Srivaikunth, who studies at a Corporation school in the city. A student of grade 4, he initially 10 faced issues at schools with teachers complaining about him not paying attention.  “After he turned 10, teachers started being more acceptable. He loves playing the keyboard, and Carnatic music,” said his father, Raghu.

His mother, Jayanthi, said that he is very considerate and compassionate too. “He gets a lot of help from his peers at school and the kids are a cooperative lot.
Also, a way of encouraging him to learn is by appreciating his work. “I have to keep remarking ‘Very good!’ at everything he does. That way he does it better,” she added. Teachers at Down Syndrome Federation of India (DFI) say that such kids have to get involved in a task for them to learn it and they grow better with encouragement.

DFI has been helping parents in bringing up children with Down syndrome. The centre at Mylapore provides therapy to babies from 0 to 5 years of age and vocational training to adults with Down syndrome.

K. Sandhya of DFI said, “At school, children such as mine, born with Down syndrome are not given opportunities. They are seen as a burden, and are not understood.”

DFI provides vocation training in baking and weaving, thus keeping the adults engaged. When one visits their centre, one can find hands at work, meticulously weaving doormats and yoga mats. A bakery in Mylapore also puts forth for sale, cookies made by adults at the baking class. “There are schools which are now becoming inclusive and giving opportunities for children with special needs to study and learn with regular students,” Sandhya added.

One such student is Shruti Subramaniam, who studies in grade 4, at an international school in the city. “Initially it was tough, but now, she is studying in an inclusive environment. Children with special needs are slow at learning, so they learn by emulating others, and it is essential for them to mingle with other students,” her mother S. Harini said. “I can do’ is the mantra that should be taught to them,” she added. On Monday, DFI is celebrating International Down Syndrome Day at 11 AM at Nageshwara Rao Park in Mylapore with children and their parents.