Membership of MS [ Matru Sangharsh ] started growing, monthly meeting attendance was also going up. Dr.Shailaja Deshpande continued to guide the mothers from the front. She motivated them to take decisions. She started with action group. This action group of young and enthusiastic mothers in turn started helping and supporting elderly and aged mothers. After the initial inhibition, each mother started thinking beyond her self and her mentally challenged son/daughter. Dr.Shailaja with her personal resources got many experts and professionals attached. In monthly meetings these people started guiding mothers on various subjects like routine health problems to leisure time activity for mentally challenged. MS also started celebrating annual programme since last three years.
On 26 th Jan'10 MS celebrated their annual function at Sandnya Srushti, Butibori. Mothers are really resource full. They not only raise required funds but manage the whole physical management also. This programme was scheduled between 11.00 am to 4.00 pm. Dr.Shailesh Pangaonkar, Psychatrist and Director of Central Institute of Behavioural Sciences, was the main speaker. During his keynote address, he said parents of special children are not ordinary parents, they are the special parents. And their ability as a parent of mentally challenged or autistic is far better than the normal parents. GOD has bestowed special responsibility upon certain more capable people and in my opinion they are the special parents. I have very high regards for these parents. This and other encouraging message from Dr. Pangaonkar certainly boosted the spirits of all parents present. There were many other recreational items on the agenda. One of our senior mother Mrs. Kothiwan, who is 75 plus sung a marathi song and all of us thought that we never new she was such a good singer. Group of mothers presented a dance and we could notice, that few of them had real good talent. Our students also gave a dance performance and as usual got a huge applause. The programme included lunch for all 400 people present. The function concluded at 4.00 pm as scheduled.
What we learn: The forum of Matrusangharsh is bringing out many dormant talents of mothers, who otherwise were only leaving under the pressure of being mothers of special children. This forum seems like giving new lease of life to these mothers which in turn is helping their mentally challenged children. We at Sandnya Sanwardhan Sanstha always believed that mental disability is a multi dimensional problem and should be managed for all its dimensions simultaneously.
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