My Visit To Opportunity School

My Visit To Opportunity School

On Thursday the alarm in my phone is programmed to cut short my trip to dream world earlier than on other days, and I don’t mind that a bit. Thursday is the day when I visit the opportunity centers for special children. I need to visit two centers; one an opportunity school in Madikere (or Mercara) and the other a special child center in Pollibetta, on first and second Thursday of every month respectively.

Today was my second visit to the opportunity school. So I already knew how wonderful experience it is to do something beneficial for these special children. It’s an hour long convoluted drive from my college through the Coorg mountains. So by the time we reach there we feel as if we are just coming out of a tora-tora ride!! :) But as we meet these lovely children we are soon energized by the enthusiasm and the sheer cuteness with which they come to us. The staff at school too is very supportive.

Today the first child I met was maria (name changed) a 4+ years old girl who manifests Down’s syndrome and deafness. What is making me write about her is her ability to connect to us just with her expressions… She had early to extensive carious lesions on her teeth and so it was decided that today the less extensive treatment would be rendered to her and as her confidence in receiving dental treatment increases we would give her the comprehensive treatment.

As I see her coming towards me, being walked by her teacher, I notice her sweet smile and then she holds my hand in a way that instantly makes me feel connected to her. Before making her sit on the dental chair, we started knowing each other and soon we were conveying with our gestures and expressions. As my colleague Dr Wilson was treating her, she found the most amusing gadget for herself, the dental three way syringe which has air and water outlet!! :) She would endlessly enjoy the air puff over her face and palms and making this a game we started with the treatment for her. Soon with this play the treatment planned was over.

Following her we treated few more children. Everyone had a different shade of cuteness. They very easily win your heart and you find their world very pure and full of selfless affection which inevitably makes you contrast it with the relentless world we are used to.

On my way back, as on my last visit, I was already missing their company and was desiring that may the next month’s first Thursday comes soon………..

Luv n Luk

Pranjal.