Mysuru: Disability has not been a hurdle for either 12- year- old Uday Kumar, who launched the Special Children’s Dasara or the over 200 special children from 18 different institutions, who performed on the occasion, inspiring their fraternity here on Thursday.
While his parents and three sisters are normal, Uday was born visually challenged. But despite his condition, Uday , who hails from Kote Hundi village near Mysuru, is doing well in a government school for the visually challenged in Tilaknagar and is also learning Carnatic, Hindustani and light music. Having won several district and state level singing contests, he opened the Special Children’s Dasara with a song. “We must see our disability as a challenge and with patience overcome it to do anything we want like Louie Braille, who is my inspiration,” he said.
If young Uday displayed the wisdom of someone far older than him, 80- year- old S Manorama, who was among the 50 senior citizens, all between 70 and 80- years- old, at the Senior Citizens’ Dasara, demonstrated that age is but a number. A retired employee of Sri Maruthi Vidyalaya, she is a talented singer and a popular voice, telling stories in the Sandhya raaga and Mahila raaga on Akashvani. She also composes bhajans, and writes poems and stories.
Manorama, who has not married by choice, being a Hanuman devotee, says aging must only make people more active.
“It should not be an excuse for sitting at home. Instead, we must get involved in social service and various activities to stay active and young at heart,” she said.
The others, not very much younger or older than her, who also participated in the Dasara, were a treat to watch as they enjoyed games like musical chairs and pot breaking and even sang and did mono acts with the enthusiasm and vigour of those much younger.
