The Malsawm Initiative: A Beacon of Hope.
Words and photographs by Lallian Valte
As I sit down to write this piece on The Malsawm Initiative as an institute that provides Special Needs for Special Children, images of the children came flashing right through. One after the other would they put on their shoes after the Morning Prayer and race down the ramp to head to their respective classes. Although they all have their own respective disabilities, never did I saw a child feeling intimidated or below par because of the disability. However they seem to understand the capacity of each other and instead extend a helping hand.
These children time and again remind us of the need to necessitate a society that not only harness social impeccable roles but also understand to incinerate the underlying factor that generates myths and superstitious beliefs about disability and to resolve a significant decry.
The Malsawm Initiative has been successfully providing opportunity to children with disability for few years together; to learn, to grow and to generally feel how a kid of their age should in ordinary circumstances would without the fear of segregation and outcast.
My tenure at The Malsawm Initiative enriched my perception with a paradigm shift for a Person with Disability. With varied instances where thought provoking reflections occur, one can only agree to believe that social inclusion and interaction is the key to quality life.
Having been initiated by Mr Pauzagin Tonsing who felt the need to finally put an end to the stigma that Children with disability are unable to acquire education and learn the attributes of life, The Malsawm Initiative has been able to influence, if not change, the society’s perception and acquire acceptance to a recommendable extent as compared to the past.
Parents too are now open and approachable to the fact that their child is with a disability. They accept their
child with benign affection. A parent in fact said, ‘If God gave us a child with disability, He must have done it with a purpose.’ However, the fear of isolation of their children among peers or in society is still far more painful than the disability itself. What’s interesting is that the parents of the children at The Malsawm Initiative also apprehend the limitations of resources by the management. Therefore they associate themselves to various activities and services for the development of the school. Father of Elizabeth Chawngzamawi, a student at The Malsawm Initiative, Mr Nghaka, in an interview mentioned that he is more than happy to extend any kind of service for the betterment of the school. He also said that ever since the inception of The Malsawm Initiative, his family could have that extra time to earn extra income which benefits the family to a very large extent.
No one is eligible to define what being Normal is. But with social interaction and promotion of an inclusive society, we may find love and happiness beneath our differences. We should strive towards bringing an end to barriers which hinder accessibility and develop relationships and reflect on the value of friendship, a sense of belonging- to family, to society, to mankind.
[Lallian Valte was a Student Intern at The Malsawm Initiative from St. Joseph’s College, Bangalore currently pursuing Master of Social Work in Disability Studies and Action at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai]
