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| Sarada Venkitachalam, Edayazham, Kottayam |
Sarada Venkitachalam was perhaps gifted with a daughter of different abilities so that one day she could learn to take care of more such children.
In the Lalitha Sahasra Namam, after Asokaya Namaha and Anandaya Namaha comes Amruthaya Namaha. So perhaps, her sons Asok and Anand believed even before the birth of the next sibling that it would be a girl.
And true to their belief, the girl-child was born, only to be diagnosed by doctors a few days later as suffering from brain stroke due to pediatric jaundice.
What could not be set right by tears, she set out to mollify by sharing. Thus Tejas Special School for children with different mental capabilities was formed with 11 similar children. The funds for running the school were gathered by her from her relatives. In order to encourage such children, she does not collect any fees from their parents. Thus the day to day running of the school is a recurring act of balancing debt and needs.
However, once started, she cannot think of letting these children unlearn all the skills - especially personal hygiene - that they have gathered in the school. And so she does pull on with a constant prayer to the Lord to give her the strength to surmount sorrows.
She sees many talents in music and painting among these children, although the financial condition is not conducive to the blossoming of these latent abilities.
Courtesy:
Vijeesh Gopinath (text), Vanitha, February 1-14, 2009
Contributed by: Administrator
