Journalism of Courage
A social worker,teacher and filmmaker,Sandhya Devrukhkar has a steely determination to help physically and mentally challenged children lead normal lives. In the year 2006,she,along with 10 children from her organisation Matimandh Vikas Mandal,set up a garden – Aamchi Baug – off Bhandarkar road. Built on a plot of land given by the Pune Municipal Corporation,the work done by the children in the garden helped rehabilitate them. In 2011,she suggested the idea of a Tree Library to the Nirmalaya Trust that now runs the garden,and the concept has already gained momentum.
Under the terms of agreement with the PMC,she built the garden from scratch and maintained it along with the children for five years. “Eight of the 10 children found jobs as gardeners at various institutes in the city,” she says. “Now the garden is run by the Nirmalaya Trust that works with girls affected by cerebral palsy. They liked my concept of a tree library and I am currently working with them on it,” she says. Under this initiative,they give out plants for a period of two-three months to people who are interested in renting them. “We charge a deposit of Rs 300 and a monthly rental of Rs 100 per plant,” she says,adding,”We do this so that the girls who are working now at the garden can get some money.”
“One of our customers requested us to take care of her plants as she was going to America. When I mentioned the tree library concept to her,she was more than happy to let us sub-let her plants out,” Devrukhkar says.
Having worked as a teacher for 28 years,she says that a major problem that these children face is of finding a respectable job to help them survive. The percentage of mentally challenged children,she says,has risen by seven per cent in the last five years. “This is alarming as most of them come from economically backward families. Moreover,since nuclear families have replaced the joint family concept,these children receive less care. Thus,the need to get them rehabilitated is even more acute,” she feels.
Recently,she even made a film on Down’s Syndrome called ‘Tale of a Little Half Chick’. It’s a true story of a boy who suffers from the illness but managed to become independent and get a job as a librarian. “Films have a visual impact and can encourage parents to help their children lead normal lives. I am working on a second film now that will be based on a child suffering from cerebral palsy who wants to learn to play football. I want these children to be able to lead as normal a life as possible,” she says.
