Rajendra Dhurve does not miss any chance of putting colours on his friends approaching him. “I love Holi very much and this year I am especially enjoying it as my Board exams have just completed,” Rajendra exclaimed.
Eighteen years old Rajendra, who plans to study commerce in college, is visually impaired.
On Tuesday, he enjoyed playing Holi with more than 50 friends at Arushi, a voluntary organisation working to provide education and care to disabled children in the State capital.
Rajendra has been celebrating Holi at Arushi for nearly 15 years now, informed Arushi co-ordinator Sapna Gupta.
Vivek, aged 21 and suffering from mental impairment, also shares his excitement on playing with colours, “I like to have fun with my friends here. Tomorrow is a holiday and there would be none of my friends around to play and have fun. But there are no sweets here. I have colours today and sweets tomorrow.”
Twelve-year old Neha, suffering from downs syndrome, is also enjoying the celebration splashing a mix of colours on her friends and even the staff of Arushi accompanying the children. “I like the festival very much. Tomorrow I will play Holi with my family members. There would be no friends tomorrow,” she said. Arushi co-ordinator Sapna Gupta informed that more than 50 students in the age group of three to forty years enjoyed playing holi at the centre on Tuesday.
“Some of the students are grown up physically, but mentally they are like children due to different kind of impairments,” she explained.