Dateline Dehradun: Café Commune, Dehradun will turn into a splendid art gallery, one that could remind you of Australia for a special two-hour event in the honour of Radhika, a 51 year old woman with Down’s syndrome.
Currently a resident at Project Arunima, Dehradun, a program for adults with autism and other developmental disabilities, ARUNIMA is a Skilling center that is focused on independence, dignity, and respect to all people.
Radhika an extremely talented artist took inspiration for her art work from her time living in Australia. Her work is inspired by Australian Aboriginal art styles which she beautifully translates onto canvas. Her pieces at the exhibit have been donated by her family to the NGO to sell and raise awareness.
Along with Radhika, art work of Sanjay Tiwari and Shikha Pandey will also be on sale and display at the Café from 5:00-7:00 hrs, Saturday evening.
Since 2011, the NGO has served adults with Autism and Developmental disabilities from various socio-economic backgrounds, cultures, and ethnicities with the simple goal of striving to create a world better and more acceptable.
As Meghna from Arunima puts it, “We like to separate ourselves from the labels and not focus so much on disability as we do on ability. Our program works to find the interests of our service users, or friends as we call them, and help them work towards hopefully one day working a regular job in an integrated environment.”
Equipped with trained in-house staff from various backgrounds, including Special Education, Psychology, Social Work, and NGO specific administration, ARUNIMA is doing its best to make a difference.
So get out there and witness how ‘Different’ doesn’t mean ‘Less.’ And lend your whole-hearted support for the noble cause as you learn to look beyond and understand how a person is so much more than his/her disability.
