GUWAHATI: Differently abled often turn out to be extremely gifted and talented provided they are supported well to hone their latent skills. Realising this after meeting 9-year-old immensely talented Akhtara, the Deputy Commissioner of Sivasagar district in Assam, Dr M S Lakshmi Priya has initiated the Project Pokhila (butterfly) under the novel Mission Soulful Sivasagar.
“Akhtara can neither speak nor she can hear. Her eyesight too is very weak still she can draw and paint splendidly and that awed me when I first met her in my office chamber when she accompanied her father who was an applicant for a ration card. She could draw with quite ease a replica of model of Rong Ghar that as adorning my office table. Because of her skill and ability, it had dawned on me that we should do something out of the box to spot and nurture such talented children who are differently abled,” the Deputy Commissioner told media here on Tuesday.
That way the Project Pokhila came into being under which few more differently abled talented children are being nurtured by Sivasagar district administration.
It was a D-day for Akhtara on Tuesday as some of her paintings and drawings were displayed in a state-level art exhibition held at Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetra here. Her health condition is being taken care of by the administration under National Health Mission while she is being trained to hone her skills.
“We are planning for an exhibition of Akhtara’s paintings in New Delhi near future as we want to send out a message about the tremendous latent talent that maybe inherent in differently abled children,” the Deputy Commissioner said.
The administration in Sivasagar district has initiated several novel projects under Mission soulful that included Project, Project Kuhi, Project Morom, Project Adhyayan, Khelo Sivasagar Khelo, Project Nirmal and Project Lakshya. The mission has earned the historic district with rich heritage and culture tremendous limelight of late and Government of India too have selected Sivasagar district to be developed as an iconic site with an on-site museum.