THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Different Art Centre under the Magic Academy is organising an All India Art Festival, Sammohan, for children with disabilities on February 25 and 26 in Thiruvananthapuram.
The two-day event is organised as part of empowering differently-abled children across the country and is supported by the department of empowerment of persons with disabilities under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and the state’s social justice department.
As a curtain-raiser, the children from the Different Art Centre will showcase a two-hour performance titled Empowering with Love.
The performance will include dance, music and magic and will be held at Tagore Theatre on Saturday.
Touted to be the first-of-its-kind event in the country, Sammohan will be a venue to exhibit the artistic talents of children with disabilities, says magician Gopinath Muthukad, the brain behind the fest.
“For many years, I have been organising engaging activities to spread awareness about the need to promote differently-abled children and their talents. Visiting many universities across the globe, I understood how inadequate the facilities and developments are arranged for them in our country. So I believe events like these would enhance their exposure in our society,” says Muthukad, who wants Sammohan to be an annual event.
The fest will be held at various venues inside the Magic Planet campus at KINFRA Park in Kazhakootam. According to the organisers, the fest will feature more than 100 children selected from nine national institutes.
The fest will feature painting, music, and dance events apart from awareness sessions and seminars.
According to Muthukad, the focus is on bringing these artistically and skillfully talented children to the forefront and helping them lead a normal life with dignity.
“Children from the majority of the states will take part along with their parents. One of the highlights will be Bengaluru-based group’s wheelchair dance performance, a dandiya performance from Gujarat, folk and traditional art forms from Assam and Orissa,” he adds.
Empowering With Love will be inaugurated by 15-year-old Aditya Suresh, who won the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar. Veteran filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan, a patron of the Different Art Centre, will preside over the function.