THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: For Class IV student Mareena Daiju from Pala, the stage is a place where she can lose herself in dance. And she did just that at the Special School Kalolsavam, which began on Wednesday, earning an A-grade for her graceful performance depicting the tragedy of a young girl who lost her dear ones in the 2019 Puthumala landslide.
Moving effortlessly across the stage, Mareena made full use of the performance space, drawing thunderous applause from the audience. The five-minute performance was the result of more than six months of practice, and this was not her first success at the event. She had secured an A-grade in the same event at the previous edition of the Special School Kalolsavam as well.
“I am not sure what the exact incident was that happened there. But I felt a little nervous while performing on stage,” Mareena said. Yet, the nervousness hardly showed in her performance.
A student of Sneharam Special School, Pala, Mareena has been diagnosed with autism, with her disability assessed at 50%. However, her enthusiasm for activities beyond the classroom is evident in her interests. While dancing remains her biggest passion, she is equally keen on sports, particularly long jump, running and cycling. Mareena’s mother is a teacher at a school for students with hearing impairment in Kottayam, while her father works at an Ayurvedic treatment centre.
According to school principal Sr Rosmitha, Mareena has adapted well to life at the school’s boarding facility. “Sometimes, following a minor disagreement or a playful quarrel, she even tells her parents that she would rather return to the boarding,” Rosmitha said.
Mareena also has a learning disability. While she can verbally count numbers, she finds it difficult to write them, as well as words. Nevertheless, her progress in dance has been steady, with her trainer Thankachan ensuring regular and disciplined practice.
As she entered the green room after her event, her hands instinctively began moving to the rhythm of a song playing on the stage. For Mareena, it seemed, the performance had ended, but the dancing had not.