BENGALURU: Specially-abled children can now enjoy the lush green and swings in Cubbon Park after Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot inaugurated Karnataka’s first exclusive park for them on Saturday.
Designed in the shape of a turtle, the park consists of different zones for physical, mental, therapeutic, leisure, and touch-and-feel activities.
Spread over an acre of land within Bal Bhavan at Cubbon Park, the area has been carefully audited by the children, care-givers and the Association of People with Disability to ensure maximum comfort.
Addressing the media, Debashis Chatterjee, CEO and MD of Mindtree, stressed the importance of having a place for children with special needs to experience and enjoy their childhood, and hoped the park will also help them and their parents destress. The children were elated playing on the brightly-painted swings amid tall trees.
“We have come a long way addressing the issues of specially-abled people, still a lot still needs to be done but this a step forward,” Gehlot said. From tunnels to seesaw, the kids can access everything. Care givers, in some cases, will sit with the children for support. It could be a perfect picnic spot for family to have snacks at the canteen, play around and spend some time in nature’s lap.
Chikkamma Basvaraj, chairperson, Bal Bhavan Society, thanked the government and Mindtree for helping realise the project, and added the children will learn new skills and improve their self-esteem and confidence by coming to the park.