Umang: Celebrating the strengths of the differently-able

Our Correspondent
Kohima, March 20 (EMN): A platform by the name Umang festival, which was organised for differently-able children to promote their talents and to publicise the issues they face, was held at the State Academy Hall, on March 20 in Kohima.
Kavita Acharya, wife of the governor of Nagaland, attended the occasion as its chief guest. She said that the event was a ‘special occasion’ for physically challenged children to participate as a community.

“Every child is a flower created by God and has a role to play as a useful living being,” she said. ‘With hard work, sincerity, and innocence you are living a life of value and giving happiness to all,’ she told the children.

Acharya lauded the effort and hard work of the organisers, teachers, and parents. She appreciated the children’s enthusiastic participation too, and expressed a wish to see the growth of such events.

The joint director of Social Welfare department, Atoli Sema, also said in her address that the vision for the community in the country is moving ‘very fast.’ The government is taking a lot of initiatives for the disability community; these initiatives including the Disability Act of 2016, will bring a lot of changes, Sema said. She added that ‘so many avenues’ are coming up for the children.

The officer appealed the inclusive schools to nurture children ‘with equality’ and take more steps to bring more such children.

An activity called ‘Ring the Bell,’ where the children rang the bells for a minute, followed the formal function.
Ring the Bell is a campaign to spread awareness about the importance of inclusive education in both private and government schools, said Purnima Kayina, headmistress of Cherry Blossoms School, an institution based in Kohima.

The students also conducted a signature campaign besides Ring the Bell to support the cause.
The festival was organised by the North East Zone Cultural Centre, of the ministry of Cultural in collaboration with the Cherry Blossoms Society of Kohima.

The event was marked by a variety of performances from different schools including Cherry Blossoms schools, G Rio School, Jo Foundation, Tabitha Enabling Academy, and Bumble Bee Inclusive School. The students performed songs, bible recitations, music recitations, dance, mime etc., during the function.