When Saurav Verma grooved to the classical rhythm of Kathak with just the right expressions and grace, his audience knew not that the 22-year-old was dancing to silence.
Saurav, who performed here recently at the "Grand Finale of the cultural stage show for people with disabilities" is deaf.
In an attempt to "empower" the disabled, Manovikas, a charitable society, organised a cultural programme for the differently-abled children here at the India Islamic Cultural Centre last evening.
"We wish to offer them a platform to showcase their abilities," Vikram Dutt, President, Manovikas said.
The finale was the culmination of four stage shows conducted earlier under the awareness programmes on inclusion and disabilities by the organisation.
These were hosted across Delhi, Gurgaon, Faridabad and Ghaziabad with over 250 participants out of which 80 made the cut to the finals.
The first group performance by St. Mary's school, Dwarka left the audience in awe as they failed to distinguish the disabled children from the others.
"Out the nine who performed six were disabled," said Anuradha Gupta who is a special educator at the school, which she says is an inclusive school that offers education to children with disabilities in the same classrooms as the regular students.
"Most of the times, they need special care and approach us during free time where we teach them exclusively," Gupta added.
Besides the dance performances, 11-year old Manu from Aakriti Vishesh Vidyalaya was a major attraction of the evening as he enacted a comic scene from the Bollywood film "Bhoothnath."
Dressed half as the little boy that he was, and the other half as the ghost from the film, he performed a dialogue between the two characters.
The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, which conceptualised the event, offered to extend all possible "aid and assistance" for the upliftment of the disabled in the country.
"The government is committed towards their empowerment and supports the efforts made by Manovikas towards the cause," Lov Verma, Secretary, Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry who was the chief guest for the evening said.
Among the several projects conceived by the government for the empowerment of the disabled are the upcoming Open Paralympics, a national sports event scheduled this May and the National Skilling Plan under which it plans to skill 25 lakh youths by 2022, he said.
