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By Bhargavi Kulkarni
Several visually, speech and hearing impaired dancers performed recently at the United Nations, leaving the audience, mostly children from the U.N. International School spell bound. These dancers, part of the Bangalore-based Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled’s cultural troupe Sunadha, are regularly invited to perform at events and venues all over the world. Last year the troupe bagged both the group and solo awards at the National Dance Competition for the Visually Impaired.
Established to encourage talent among visually impaired and economically marginalized youth, Sunadha provides a platform for budding dancers and musicians to undergo specialized training, according to its website. The artists go beyond their visual challenges to skillfully perform classical Bharat Natyam, folk and contemporary dances. Sunadha dancers have gained popularity and received rave reviews from platforms like Hampi Utsav, Vishwa Kannada Sammelana and the Rotary International Convention, among others.
Sunish Gupta, director of Samarthanam told Desi Talk the purpose of such performances was to bridge the cultural gap and gain exposure, travelling around the world and meeting people. “Such experiences go a long way towards building their confidence and creating opportunities for economic self-sufficiency,” said Gupta, an access technology consultant in Boston. “Further, each new show contributes to the growing awareness about the abilities of the disabled,” he added. Currently 10 dancers from the troupe are on a U.S. and U.K. tour, Gupta said.
What distinguishes the Sunadha dancers, according to Gupta is the bringing together of people with different disabilities. “It is a challenge to get all of them to perform, synchronized movements to the beats,” Gupta said. The dancers are trained by Jayalakshmi, who is the main choreographer.
Gupta’s involvement with Samarthanam began 10 years ago when he lost his eyesight due to Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP), a progressive eye disease that causes peripheral and central loss of vision. Gupta, 40, who was born sighted, experienced the onset of RP back in the mid-1990s when he developed night blindness, according to an article on the MIT website. Gupta completed MS in System Design and Management from MIT’s Sloan School of Management. He was diagnosed with the incurable disease in 2001. Today, Gupta can see some light and shadows, but cannot discern details such as facial features or text. He now depends entirely on speech technology for reading and for using a computer. He has served as advisor for several assistive technology projects within MIT as well as corporations in the financial, media and healthcare industry. Notably in 2005, he directed the development of the world’s first portable reading machine for the blind. Gupta says he understands the challenges faced by the visually impaired in India.
Established in 1997, Samarthanam is working to support the disabled to keep in pace with the rest of the society by providing quality education from kindergarten to college with hostel facilities, nutritious food, vocational training, placement based rehabilitation and support to achieve personal independence. Samarthanam works towards creating an inclusive society which provides equal opportunities without any discrimination, for the development of the people with disabilities and those from underprivileged backgrounds.
Some of Sunadha’s star performers
Lingaraj (Visually Challenged): Lingaraj has been learning to dance since the early age of eight. A graceful dancer, he now manages Samarthanam’s cultural program and also teaches dance.
Suma B.D. (Visually Challenged): Currently working in the computer department at Samarthanam, Suma has completed her B.com from Vijaya College, Bangalore. He has been learning dance for the past five years and has performed in the U.K., U.S., Malaysia, Thailand and India.
Suma Shivakumar (Speech & Hearing Impaired): A 12th grade student at the Samarthanam High School, Suma was picked up in the dance team because of her interest in dance. She was a part of the team to perform in Malaysia & Thailand to participate in Rotary International Conference in Bangkok in May 2012.
Sridevi (Speech & Hearing Impaired): A 12th grade student at the Samarthanam High School, she has participated in various events and shows including a cultural trip to Malaysia and Thailand in 2012.
This story originally appeared on News India Times.
