A musical feast by visually-challenged

Organised by Nethrodaya, a social service institution for the visually-challenged, the event saw around 100 participants from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

“The event hopes to give differently-abled children the platform they lack otherwise to show their talent. The UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disability states we are deserving of cultural and social entertainment. Looking at the children’s faces, it is clear that they had that today,” said Govinda Krishnan C, founder of Nethrodaya.

The panel, consisting of singers Senthil Dass, Mahalingam and MLR Karthikeyan, deemed Dinesh M from Kerala as the winner. The runners-up were Indumathy from Chennai and Prema from Karnataka.

“I found out about this competition two days ago. I still rushed and came for the event because I wanted to take part. There aren’t many platforms available for us. Despite being a BA Music student, I find it difficult to perform,” said Dinesh, who won a cash prize of Rs. 50,000.

“What’s important is that people and society at large begin to see people with disability in an equal light. Many coddle people with disability, and many ignore them all together. There must be a middle ground. Based on the talents today, they are better than us in certain respects,” said music composer D Imman, who was present at the event.