News

Volume 3 Issue 9 - May 01, 2005

Disabled children honoured at annual National Bal Shree Awards

DNIS News Network - This year’s Bal Shree awards included four disabled children, from around the country, being honoured for their creativity in art, performance, writing and scientific innovation.

At the annual Bal Shree Awards 2004 ceremony, President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam honoured 22 children from around the country. Among the awardees were 13-year-old Vinod from SOS village Karnataka, 12-year-old Manshri Uday Soman from Maharashtra, 15-year-old Natvar Raghubhai Surela (son of a vegetable vendor from Gujarat), and 13-year-old K. Janarthan from Tamil Nadu -- all children with disabilities. Their parents and other members of the audience could barely hold back their pride when the President walked down to each of these students to present the award to them.

President Kalam urged the Centre to explore ways to reduce syllabi for primary schools and lighten the load of the student. He concluded with a suggestion to officials at the Bal Bhavan to promote creativity. “I suggest the creation of Bal Bhavans in the rural areas for promoting creativity and innovation among our rural youth, awarding 10 ‘creative teachers’ as part of best teachers honour presented for recognising creativity among students, and creating a research cell as part of Bal Bhavan to study the creative potential among children. Bal Bhavan should also look at introducing a feedback column in its website for periodic interaction between the awardees and the Bal Bhavan Research Cell.”