Trust helps erase the us-them divide

Ritika Sahni, a Hindi film playback singer, has set up Trinayani, a registered trust that works towards creating awareness on how to behave with the disabled and also to support rehabilitation and education for the disabled.

The trust works with and for people with disabilities and is primarily involved in creating awareness, especially in the academic community, about issues pertaining to disability and the rights of a disabled person.

The one-year-old trust creates awareness through documentary films and books.

Says Sahni, "Funds are a big problem. One short film for awareness creation costs at least Rs 1 lakh. As of now it's only me putting in the money that I earn into my trust. Trinayani also has to depend on donations."

In the last one year of its operation, Trinayani has already campaigned in 26 schools in Kolkata alone and a few in Bombay and Pune. A few of the campaigns included teaching students sign language, so that they could communicate with the hearing disabled.

Trinayani has brought out the 'TALK TO ME' calendar, in association with Reliance Industries, which tries to take a small step towards erasing the lines between 'us' and 'them'. It contains information that sensitises people on disability issues.

According to Sahni, approximately 6 per cent of India's population is disabled. However, the 'normals' do not see them, do not go to school with them, do not work with them and do not shop with them.

Trinayani, organises Disability Awareness Film Festivals of famous films on disability for school children.

Movies like Anjali by Mani Ratnam, Choo Lenge Aakash by Virendra Saini were screened to students between 10 and 16 years of age.

This helps to instill in the student community a feeling of camaraderie and togetherness, so that ordinary students accept children with disability among them and build bonds of friendship with each other, said Sahni.