Special children exhibit skills at nature camp - Kids from Cooch Behar camp in Buxa for trekking and adventure sports

Children enjoy at the nature study camp organised in Buxa Tiger Reserve 

TT, Alipurduar, Nov. 22: A nine-year-old boy who draws with his legs as his hands don’t work is quite a star along with many such special children at a nature study camp being organised on the Hatipota range campus of Buxa Tiger Reserve near here.

More than 150 children with special needs from Cooch Behar district are having the time of their lives at the nature study camp here. The event is being organised in two phases by the Sarva Shiksha Mission and the Himalayan Nature and Adventure Foundation.

The camp, around 41km from Alipurduar, is the first of its kind here. Children with special needs in the age group of 6-18 years are taking part in the camp.

Most of the children who reached the camp were boarding a bus and seeing a hill for the first time.

Animesh Bose, the programme co-ordinator of HNAF, said: “This is the first time that any district education authority under the Sarva Shiksha Mission is organising such a camp. There are 13 rivers in the Terai-Dooars region and we have set up 13 such tents named after these rivers. The camp is being organised in two phases and more than 150 children with special needs will attend the camp.”

“In the mornings, we will take the children for a walk and then serve breakfast. After this, we will go for trekking and tell the children about the rich flora and fauna of the forest. Apart from this, the children will also learn adventure sports. Then they will have lunch and in the evening, there will be cultural activities like sit-and-draw contests for the kids. The camp is aimed at helping these children understand each other and encourage their talents,” he added.

The first phase of the camp is from November 21 to 24. The next phase will be from November 24 to 27. The Sarva Shiksha Mission of Cooch Behar district is funding the camp, while the Siliguri-based HNAF is the organiser.

The camp is held on the foothills of the Saili-Maili hill, an ideal spot for children to experience the plethora of flora and fauna.

Parents and guardians of children are amazed by the talents displayed by their wards at the camp.

Nine-year-old Tirtha Sarkar, from Ghokshadanga in Cooch Behar is drawing with his legs and attracting all the children from the camp. He feels shy with all the attention and stops to draw for a bit. Tirtha has not been able to use his hands since birth and was standing with his mother in a queue for a roll call in the camp.

His mother Lazzapati Sarkar, who works as a domestic help, said: “My husband died in an accident six years ago. I have been taking Tirtha to a resource centre for the past three years and my daughter Mithu is a student of Class VIII. When Tirtha was six-years-old, I saw him trying to draw with his legs while balancing the pencil in his toes. I helped him and now he has become very good with his artwork. He likes to draw scenery and solve puzzles,” she said.

When asked if Tirtha was liking the camp, he said: “I am very happy and this is the first time I am attending such a camp.” Lovely Roy, 17, from a remote village in Haldibari with multiple disabilities forced her mother to take her to the camp. They started from their home on Wednesday and reached the camp here today after spending a night in Cooch Behar yesterday.

Her mother Purnima Roy said: “We reached here only yesterday afternoon. But surprisingly, she has started doing everything on her own. She is washing her plates and even going to the toilet on her own at night. If we get the opportunity, then every year, I will bring her to this camp. The organisers are very punctual and sincere.”

Lovely said: “I love the camp and we are getting to do a lot of things.”

Dhanonjoy Das, who is visually impaired and has been working as a special educator for the last 13 years in Cooch Behar, said: “We are grateful to the Sarva Shiksha Mission in Cooch Behar district for organising such a beautiful camp for children with special needs. We can not see but our ears are very powerful and we can feel everything. I lost my eyesight when I was five-years-old after a wrong treatment was administered to my eyes.”

Animesh Bose said the children were very surprised to see personalities like Chhanda Gayen ( the first woman from Bengal to climb Everest) and Rajeeb Mandal (who has crossed the seven Himalayan states on foot in nine months) to be a part of the camp. They also helped us set up the temporary toilets for the kids.

Aminul Ahsan, the district project officer of SSM, Cooch Behar district, said: “We are doing a lot of work for children with special needs but within the four walls. We wanted to take our work outside to help the children explore new things and their qualities.”

Bose added that through the camp, a message of integrity was being taught to the children.

“The camp is helping the children build self-confidence and perform their own activities.”