Bhubaneswar: They are not like common children. They are mentally challenged, but their talents in art and swimming have earned them national-level awards and helped carve an identity for them.
Meet Priyaranjan and Dadhichi, two students of ‘Children’s Home’ run by Open Learning System (OLS) in association with Special Olympics.
Dadhichi, who was orphaned in early childhood, has won a gold medal in swimming and has also secured third position in an art competition in the programme Surabhi. Now a student of Class VIII, he was groomed to pursue his talents by OLS secretary Dr Tapas Rath, executive officer Prakash Rath and Arpita Mohapatra.
Similarly, Priyaranjan is a skillful artist and had secured second position in a drawing competition organised by the Indian Council for Child Welfare in 2014. Besides, he secured the third position in a song competition in the programme Surabhi. A student of Class VIII, Priyaranjan is equally adept in swimming and won a silver medal for the same.
Proud of the achievements of his protégées, the OLS secretary said, “We are helping all these children to bring them to the mainstream. They also have the right to lead a normal life in society.”
