Drugging is not the solution for violent children. I can't work with a regimented child but I can interact with a hyperactive one because at least he is communicating with me.

Her intimate interaction with young mentally challenged individuals spurred the former textile design student into developing a new form of art therapy and rehabilitation. Award-winning, pioneering educator and vice principal, SPJ Sadhana School for the developmentally handicapped, Mumbai-based Dr Radhiké Khanna tells Shraddha Jahagirdar-Saxena, “I never saw their disability…I only saw how I could help them.”

[Radhiké Khanna: mentor and friend to Vasudha Jain ]

Today, 41-year-old Dr Radhiké Khanna, vice principal, The SPJ Sadhana School for the Developmentally Challenged, and founder and trustee of Om Creations and Shraddha Charitable Trust, looks back on her long involvement with these children of a lesser god with a satisfaction and fondness that is distinctly palpable. In her small but open door office, she converses freely with her protégés and the teachers, even as she rewinds over years spent fruitfully. As I sip intermittently on a welcome cup of chai, a young man, Pradeep, halts quietly at the threshold of the office, requesting permission to enter. In his hand is a tray laden with two glasses filled with steaming coffee. He looks at the cup in my hand and offers some refreshment to Khanna. Not wishing to disappoint him, she picks one. “Pradeep was one of my students and now works here,” says Khanna, the pride in his development amply evident in her voice.

The former textile design pupil recalls the year she was awarded the outstanding student award and how Mrs R Krishnaswamy, the then principal of SPJ Sadhana, called her across to help out at the institute a short while after the presentation ceremony. “That was the starting point,” flashbacks Khanna. “She motivated me into seeing her wards in a different light.” Destiny beckoned and this girl 'born with a golden spoon in her mouth' moved onto paths she'd never trod on.

Initially, it was difficult as members of her family and umpteen relatives did not understand what she was doing. “None of them had ever come into contact with a 'retarded' or challenged individual,” she says. “Hence, they found my involvement puzzling…and when we met on rare social occasions, they did not know what to ask me about my work. Luckily for me, my parents were broadminded enough to let me do what I wanted…else, today I would not be sitting here.”

Like all parents, the Khannas were keen that she settle down into matrimony. Khanna did not discount that possibility while in her early 20s. “Even while working at SPJ Sadhana, I continued to see prospective grooms side by side,” she recalls. “Call it fate…or what you will…but I could not find a suitable boy. Perhaps, my heart was not in it. I did not want to go abroad because I wanted to serve my country. I convinced my parents that my growing work and responsibilities here had become a full-time occupation and demanded all my commitment.”

After all these years, she has no regrets, not even when she sees her friends with husbands, kids and families. “They envy me my single status,” she chuckles. “It gives me the time, freedom and space most people dream of. And, who says I do not have children? All these boys and girls are mine!”

[Young Wards]

Briefly, she outlines how Vasudha would react violently with her until Khanna's form of art therapy established a lasting rapport. “I sat with her many times, encouraging her to draw,” says Khanna. “At first her pictures were a constant brown as the autism was very strong. But I did not lose hope as I realised that an autistic child needs stability. When Vasudha continuously interacted with me, my face broke through her consciousness and she saw me as a caring, responsive person. Her scribbles, instead of being erratic strokes, gained in form and colour. She stopped screaming constantly, began to converse with her limited speech forms and became a part of her group.” Vasudha passed out in 1995…. Today, in her early 40s, she is part of the creative unit run by Shraddha Charitable Trust. As we later walk into the gala where she is working on sticking and pasting delicate sequins on final products, Vasudha looks up, smiles at Khanna and continues with her task. It takes a lot of cajoling to get her to abandon her job and come out into the sunlight to pose with her mentor and longtime friend.

“For many years,” Khanna states softly, “people did not believe that severely handicapped children could be artistic. When I joined SPJ Sadhana, no one had faith in their abilities. They were being trained only in the business of daily living and simple jobs like packing.” Socially too, their prospects were dim. “At home, they would be put into the last room of the house so as to avoid attracting attention. If the family had another child, all the attention was lavished on the normal sibling. Often, when the 'handicapped' offspring was born, parents were told that you should put him to sleep as he is useless.”

Khanna's attitude was more optimistic, her faith in the children more firm. “I never saw their disability…I only saw how I could help them. “Initially, many educators thought that I was crazy. But luckily the school gave me the infrastructure to create teacher training methods, to generate a platform of ability. Sister E Gaitonde, our present principal, has always been pro individual talent and has stood by me through all my decisions.”

The pioneering educator firmly believes that the needs of multipally handicapped children must be addressed, immediately and directly. Quite a few parents would drug their children with medicines to calm them down. “I requested them not to send the child to school in a drugged state,” Khanna states. “If the child is biting or kicking we will talk to him to try and understand his reasons for doing so. It is important to divert their energies into constructive living. Drugging is not the solution for violent children. I can't work with a regimented child but I can interact with a hyperactive one because at least he is communicating with me. That is why I requested the school to give me a padded classroom to ensure that the children are not hurt.”

Khanna points out that it is not just the parents but other institutions and individuals who are unable to comprehend the capabilities of her wards. “In our outreach programme we often ask principals if our children could visit their schools for a short while,” Khanna says, “but most of the time we get a negative answer as the uninitiated look upon these children as pagal and prefer to steer clear of them.” Getting permission from bureaucrats and municipal officers is another headache that Khanna has had to endure. Om Creations, that offers students, who pass out, a productive life, is located on a floor in a municipal school a short drive away from SPJ Sadhana. “We wanted to provide them with the facilities they need, particularly in the toilets, but it took a long time for our files to move. Finally, one day, fed up, I took a few of my students to the office and told the concerned officer that if he had lost my files, we would find them.” And, that worked wonders.

The staff at SPJ Sadhana tries its best to help the students get employment once they have finished their course at the institute. “We visit hotels, factories and other units to see how best they can be absorbed.” And children report back to the institute on Wednesdays informing their teachers on how they are progressing. Khanna emphasises that when they are working, it is not just a boost to their self confidence. “The family accepts a working person much better, even though their salaries are often just enough to take care of their monthly needs. From a part time volunteer to a pioneering vice principal of the institute, Khanna has come a long way and takes great pride in the supportive staff that helps translate her vision into reality. “The teachers work for free or for very low salaries,” she states. “But, for us, more than the money, the work is its own reward.”

Contact information:

SPJ Sadhana School,
Dr Rosendo Ribeiro Children's Complex,
Sophia College Campus,
Bhulabhai Desai Road,
Mumbai 400 026.

Tel: 23647913/ 23619853.

Email: ssadhana@vsnl.com/ info@yougivemewings.org

Website: www.yougivemewings.org