If you happen to be on the side of the border facing Pakistan, then chances are, you may not ever hear a good thing, forget two about the country. India derides Pakistan for obvious reasons and sadly, truth be told, so does Pakistan. Cricket, which often served as the only proud commonality between the countries often at odds with one another has also taken a backseat- which is shocking- in front of the bitter enmity between the two countries.
But does that mean that if there is a good news emanating from Pakistan, it may not be read or well received from the other side of the border? You are mistaken and that’s unfortunate. Recently, such a brilliant piece of news came in from Pakistan that it makes one’s heart swells with pride about a country that’s often plagued with humanitarian, economic and political crises.
But then, it also proves that not every day in Pakistan is a despicable, torrid affair. Not at all, honestly. Pakistani Catholics (Christians) recently came to the rescue of the disabled in the country. As it is, there’s so much that the disabled do not have a privilege to, on account of the obvious physical discomfort. But then, why should they be left out of some simple pleasures of life seemed to be the prime agenda on the notes of Pakistan’s Catholics who decided to do something special for their fellow nationals.
In handing out lots of gifts to the disabled Muslims in Pakistan, the Catholics ensured that they were at the distributing end of some smiles in the city of Lahore. A beautiful mini-function organised recently under the auspices of and at “The Dorothea Center for Special Children” saw Pakistani Catholics extend lots of special gifts for their friends, most of whom were wheelchair-bound. This beautiful and sweet commemoration had a beautiful religious undertone to it.
This event took place in the form of a mini Pre-Eid function in the city of Lahore where a lot of speakers took to the Dias and exchanged meaningful, motivational dialogue about life. The attempt in Pakistan, in the recent years, as it is, has been to work toward the direction of making disabled people in Pakistan more and more independent.
While there’s still a lot that can define the life of the disabled with a lot more meaning, what worries one more than any other thing is that while a lot of people and organisations are working day in and out to uphold the dignity of the “differently-abled”, a lot of the society could not be bothered, truth be told.
Yet, having said that, the DCSC isn’t like that. It’s head and shoulders above the rest when it comes to including the not so privileged or disabled in its plans and policies to make the lives of the said community better.
Founded in 2001, DCSC offers free therapy classes in sports, arts, music, daily living skills, toilet training, hygiene and behaviour to children with Down syndrome and other disabilities. Promoting outstanding, talented athletes in different games and sports, DSCS likes to push and encourage disabled athletes to express themselves better. A special ceremony just before the arrival of the religious festivities of Eid, therefore, was organised where as many as 35 mentally and physically handicapped students were facilitated in front of their parents and families.
Attending the Pre-Eid gift distribution ceremony, such an outstanding move toward achieving the globally-accepted and followed the template of Diversity+Inclusion, were families and friends who may surely have found great solace in seeing that their kids and members of the family were being treated as equals. Moreover, these special events break the barriers between two sub-cultures within a nation-state which is even more heartening. One certainly hopes to see an increased involvement and inclusion of the disabled or ‘specially-abled’ into the mainstream.