An Effect Of Inclusion

Inclusion! Inclusion! Inclusion! is what has been running in my mind since the time I heard about India Inclusion Summit. I started to think what inclusion is!

I read somewhere in a Facebook comment that “Inclusion starts from home”.  I paused for a while there when I noticed a subtle change in me. These days I started addressing people with disabilities as “differently abled” and not “disabled”.  

I realized, differently abled people carry out certain tasks in a different manner and are no less in doing anything that a normally abled person does. Then why the tag “disabled” when they are capable of doing anything and everything?

Since that realization I have been unable to look at any differently abled person sympathetically; rather I learn from them how to strive forward and achieve the impossible.

Maybe this shift in mindset, acceptance of differently abled persons into our own space, providing them with equal services and opportunities is inclusion!

To share with you one inclusive story I came across, let me take you to the reality show “DID L’il Masters – Season 3” aired on Zee TV during the weekends.

A hearing impaired girl of age 9 named Palak Berat won the super wings in Kolkatta Auditions of DID L’il Masters Season 3. Considering her hearing impairment, the judges could have denied her participation further in the competition or convinced her saying she cannot compete with the normal contestants.Instead they believed in her abilities, spirits and gave her the super wings to fly along with other contestants.

Living up to her judges’ expectations Palak crossed the next level and got selected into the top 16.

The contestants were then distributed among 4 skippers for further training. 

Now, who would want to accept, take pains in training any problematic kid, when you have option of choosing normal contestants? This got me more curious as to know who would be Palak’s skipper?

….and Palak got into the group “Swarali Ke Sparklers”.

Next couple of shows, I got enthused to see how much skipper Swarali adored Palak and choreographed beautiful stunning performances for the hearing impaired dancer.

Palak did not win the competition, but it is worthy a note of, how inclusion by the skippers and judges at Zee TVs reality show gave Palak an opportunity to show her talent to the world.