School Notes

Tamana celebrates World Autism Awareness Day

A walkathon was organised on World Autism Awareness Day by Tamana,Delhi’s leading NGO for differently-abled individuals. A number of mainstream schools from places across Delhi — including Chinmaya Vidyalay-Vasant Valley,Tagore International School-Vasant Vihar,Springdales School-Dhaula Kuan,Lalit Mahajan School,Guru Harkrishan Public School-Vasant Vihar,Upras Vidyalaya and DPS-RK Puram — joined hands with Tamana students for the march.

The visitors were provided orientation in autism through a powerpoint presentation. They were invited to volunteer at Tamana and become friends with autistic children and include them in their world. The march began from School of Hope (Vasant Vihar) and ended at Basant Lok Market. The march was flagged off by Bharkha Singh,the local MLA,and Dr Shayama Chona,Tamana founder. The students of Tamana avidly participated in the Walkathon and wore hangers with an array of slogans such as ‘Include me in your world’,‘We may be different,but aren’t we all’,‘I am not sick,I am special’,‘I deserve acceptance and respect as I am’ and more.

“It is a walk for autism,for creating more awareness on the condition,as it is not a disease or a mental illness. In fact,it is a condition,a neuro developmental disorder,” says Dr Chona. She recalled that 26 years ago,when she wanted to set up a special school in Vasant Vihar,residents of the colony had protested against letting mentally-ill children live among them. She described the various battles she had to fight to change the perceptions of the society. A short presentation ‘What is Autism?’ was organised in School of Hope. Tamana teachers performed the Nukkad Natak at Basant Lok Market to create awareness on autism. This was done to sensitise the students and the general public on autism. Autism is a complex developmental disorder that typically appears during the first three years of your life. It is the result of a neurological disorder that affects normal functioning — impacting development in the areas of social interaction and communication skills. Some facts about autism are:

n Autism affects one in 100 children.

n Autism is the fastest growing serious developmental disability.

n More children are diagnosed with autism in a year than diabetes,cancer and

AIDS put together.

n Boys are four times more likely than girls to have autism.

n There is no medical detection or cure for autism. Early diagnosis and intervention improve outcomes,and ongoing intervention improves the life of autistics.

n Autism does not discriminate by class,ethnicity or geographical factors.

Ramjas School holds nature camp at Kanva Ashram Ramjas School,Pusa Road,organised a nature camp for students of Classes VI,VII and VIII. Forty-six students,along with three teachers,participated in the five-day programme. The students pitched camp at Kanva Ashram on the banks of the Malini River and the outskirts of Rajaji National Park,Uttarakhand. From there,they went on a hike to Sigaddi Srot and Sher Ghati ,exploring the hilly terrain. Besides the trek,students also participated in other adventure activities such as jungle- roving and river crossing,which gave them a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get a feel of the jungle and its inhabitants. They also attended a talk on the flora and wildlife found in that region. The group was also taken for village study,where the students interacted with the local villagers and learnt about their culture and living habits. They also learnt about the hardships faced by the local inhabitants. Various competitions and fun activities were also organized for the students. These included shooting,painting,diary writing,camp cleanliness,camp fire and group song. The students of Ramjas School also took a dip in the cool,crystal waters of the Malini and visited the actual site of Rishi Kanva’s ashram. They were also taken for a sight- seeing tour to Lansdowne,a quiet picturesque hill station in Uttarakhand. The nature camp was held to sensitise students to environmental issues and bring them closer to nature.

Bal Bharati Public School celebrates annual day Bal Bharati Public School,GRH Marg celebrated its annual day and prize distribution function on April 10. Renowned Indian classical danseuse Padma

Vibhushan Sonal Mansingh graced the occasion as the chief guest. The guest of honour was Markus Biechele,Regional Head of the Language Department,

South Asia,Max Mueller Bhavan. In her inspiring address,Dr Sonal Mansingh explained the five attributes of a “true student” to a rapt audience. She said a true student would not care about surface appearances but concentrate on “every nuance and word” of his teacher. A true student would neither be lazy nor consume heavy food items as they lead to “a slothful mind”. He would always be ready to give up the comfort of his home and hearth to attain his goals. Markus Biechele was full of appreciation for the impressive exhibits,cultural presentations and “motivating learning atmosphere” at the school. He enlightened the audience about the school’s partnership under the PASCH project. He hoped that this partnership would “continue and intensify” in future so learners could benefit from it. Principal L V Sehgal,in his address,opined that in the present context “education should not only equip an individual with skills to earn his bread and butter but also focus on human values and — ultimately — character formation”.

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