Special needs children earn the unique chance to meet RCB heroes
On their day off, the Royal Challengers Bangalore spent time with children with special needs from the Tamahar Foundation, in the first of the team’s community initiatives this season. With the children absolutely delighted witnessing the players at first, they were completely captivated while indulging in some interactive catching, batting and bowling skills.
It was indeed fun and games for these lucky children, who did not lack any energy whilst interacting with the players and it was definitely a moment they will cherish.
Tamahar, which was founded in 2009, was envisioned to provide a holistic intervention for children with special needs, to give personalised care and to enable caretakers to be a part of the rehabilitation process. In an institution where brain damage is identified, assessed and intervened, Tamahar certainly stepped out of the crease for their children with RCB.
In a special day for both the players and the children, a lot was achieved from both camps. The children developed their cricketing skills whilst the players understood the problem of brain damage and other challenges children with special needs face. The players while providing engaging cricketing practice, had the children in laughs while they posed for multiple photographs and signed memorabilia.
Commenting on his experience, an enthusiastic Ashok Dinda said: “I am excited about being able to share my experiences from cricket with these children and their parents, I am hoping that I make a significant contribution with these experiences. I am also glad that I could make them smile!”
Adding to Dinda’s comment was Subramaniam Badrinath, who was delighted to call them “hard-hitters of the ball, with a keen eye.”
Commenting on Royal Challengers Bangalore’s community initiative, Russell Adams, Vice-President, Commercial Operations, Royal Challengers Bangalore, opined: “We need to make a difference to people’s lives and we realised that we needed to branch out to do initiatives like this and eventually the opportunity arose. It is something small but also an experience which we realise has a massive impact on these lovely children and parents. It was a great experience for us and I am hoping, the team, children and families of Tamahar think so too.”
At the end of the day, it was Vaishali Pai, Founder of Tamahar, who concluded the evening, sharing with the community that, “It was indeed an incredible experience to be a part of this effort with Royal Challengers Bangalore. The experience of today has been overwhelming for all of us at Tamahar, with an opportunity for us to witness the children express themselves like never before – the noise levels in this room, have been beyond comprehension and we are delighted that they have this experience that they can treasure.”