It was not an A/C auditorium, but a makeshift shamiana that made the performing area. The audience did not sink into plush chairs but squatted on the floor for an hour of good music. But nothing deterred the performance of ace carnatic singer T. M Krishna. He sang recently at the V Excel Educational Trust for special children in the city.
“I enjoyed performing for the children here and they also seemed to have had a blast,” said a visibly happy TM Krishna. Talking about song selection for this special concert, he said “All the songs that I sang today were decided after going on stage. But there was a conscious effort to sing songs that were a slightly faster pace, keeping in mind the attraction of the audience.”
Does the musician believe in music therapy? He says, “I doubt that singing certain ragas can cure diseases, but am sure music or art in general can connect to certain part of the brain and give a whole different perspective to the issue. It makes one to think in a non linear fashion.”
Every Friday is music day at the V Excel, a school for special children, run by Mrs. Vasudha Prakash in Mandevali. Mrs. Prakash holds a doctorate from Rutgers University from New Jersy in Special Education and founded V Excel in the year 2001. “V Excel is nine years old and we are improving at great lengths. We operate in two levels; the city and the village program,” she says.
She affirms that Chennai is the best city in the country to bring up special children. “The number of schools in the city catering to the needs of such children is more compared to other cities. Also people tend to encourage such deeds better in the city,” says Mrs. Prakash. Around 40 per cent of her children are on aid.
However, what the city lacks is the acceptance of such children. According to Mrs. Prakash, the attitude of parents towards these children has to change dramatically. “Yes, it is difficult to bring up special children and most of the parents are not in great mood all the time,” and adds, the society affects the way the children behave. And that is why they insist on providing counseling to parents and also a compulsory PTA meet at V Excel.
Qualified teachers are also another need of the hour. “Most schools lack well qualified teachers. We need more people with enough qualification to help these children. I’ am personally not for people who are not backed by good courses for teaching,” she says.
Admissions happen through out the year at V Excel. For further details regarding the school, visit www.v-excel.org
Aishwarya Srinivasan