Ekadaksha Learning Center
A unit of Ekadaksha trust
Special education for special children
Fun times and excursions are a part of everyone's childhood memories.School life isn't complete without excursion and fun trips.Children at Ekadaksha too enjoy having fun trips and excursion every year.This year they went on a trip to "Junglii - the petting zoo".
Everyone loves the company of pet animals.The chirping sound of birds,the soft touch of the furry friends like cats and dogs,cute farm animals like goats,hens,hamsters,rabbits, it was lovely to be with them. Their company is therapeutic and most of our children love being with animals.Hence the trip to Junglii gave them additional joy and they were all set to visit their farm friends on the 4th of March 2025.
The ride on the bus was a jolly one with music and snacks.Dancing and vibing to their favorite peppy songs made everyone so energetic and happy.Having yummy snacks (Sandwich,cakes,murukku and juice) was an additional delight for everyone.
Once they reached the spot,the children and teachers formed different groups.They enjoyed seeing Hamsters,Hedge dogs,cute bunny rabbits,different birds,a huge tortoise,hens,goats and finally cute cats and furry dogs.Some children touched the animals while some saw them and enjoyed.The Junglli team also helped by carrying the animals while the children touched them safely and enjoyed the soft feel of the animals.After seeing all the animals,they took group picture at the entrance and got back to school.
The day was full of fun, giving the children and the teachers lovely moments and memories to treasure forever.
"What after us?" - An informative workshop was conducted by ELC for the parents of the children at the Madras Cricket Club,Chennai.
Every parent wonders what the future of their child will be.When it comes to parents with a child with special needs,this can be scary and a difficult thing to think about.Planning for their child's future and taking proactive steps to give them a secure future can help the parent live their lives without fear and worries.
This workshop by Mr.Gopinath(Co founder,SCAN-Special Children Assistance Network) and Mr.Kiran Gupta(Advocate and Chartered trust and Estate planner) was conducted with an idea to give useful insights that can help parents think about and plan for the future.
Gopinath Ramakrishnan is the Co founder and Managing Trustee of Special Child Assistance Network(SCAN),a support group for special needs families based in Chennai.Gopi and his wife Mini co-founded SCAN in 2015 along with another couple.Their interest for special needs started when their younger son was diagnosed with verbal and motor aphrasia (speech delay and motor skills issue) in 2006.Over a period of time they had the idea of starting a parent support group to meet,discuss and share experiences of having a child with special needs.SCAN now has over 5000 special needs families and well-wishers.Gopi is active in the area of Disability RIghts and interfaces with many other organizations and groups across India,as well as with the government for this purpose.He has been invited as a speaker at several conferences and webinars for the disability sector.
Kiran Gupta R is a seasoned corporate lawyer with over 25 years of experience,starting his career at the Madras High court before transitioning to in-house counsel roles in telecom,IT,private equity,agritech and food businesses.He specialises in corporate advisory,scale-up strategies and growth initiatives.A Chartered trust and Estate planner,a Fellow of American Academy of Financial Management,and a father of a child with special needs,Kiran also supports families of children with special needs focusing on estate planning and living communities.
Mr.Gopinath explained what all needs to thought about while choosing accomodation and while doing the financial planning.
Mr.Kiran spoke about the importance of estate planning and briefed on what all it entails.
The session was an eye opener and gave useful information to think about future planning.It was followed by lunch and a photo session in front of the Chepauk Cricket Field.
Ms. Janaki Sabesh was invited for a fun session for the mothers of ELC. This event called "Katha kelu Katha kelu" was one of kind which involved listening to stories and sharing of stories - happy, sad, funny, serious - anything they wanted to share.
Ms. Janaki Sabesh performs,writes and lives through stories.Her distinctive and authentic style of blending narration,music and movement is loved by children,youngsters,teachers,corporate professionals and everyone alike.She is the chief fun officer at her own story telling initiative "Golpo tales".She facilitates and curates workshops on effective story telling techniques in communicating and marketing for educators,corporates and other professional networks.
Every one of us have stories to share. A few stories we share openly while a few remain untold, hidden and buried within us.Stories need the right person to listen and the right safe space to come out from the hearts.A story told from the heart will always win more hearts.
Mothers especially of special children go through a lot of turmoil in their lives.Taking time for themselves seems to be impossible.Having light hearted fun moments is a luxury for them. Therefore ELC organised this session for the motehrs to have a break and let go of their worries for atleast 2 hours of their lives.
The session turned out to be a wonderful one with listening and sharing of stories.The fun,comedy,emotional sharing session brought out many hidden stories - Stories of Kadhal(love),Kovam(Anger),Kannadi(Mirror which leads to realisations),Kitchen(experiences in the kitchen) flowed out of them without inhibitions.It was a mix of comedy and emotions which finally led to them sharing their Kanavu(Dreams).
Ms.Janaki with her lively and interesting style of narrating stories,made the mothers get involved,she gave a space of trust,love and relaxation.A space where they could just listen,share if they want to,or just relax and enjoy the time for themselves.Most of them came with the thought that they would just listen,but it ended up beautifully with they sharing their own stories as well.
It was a lovely,heart touching session. The stories and moments shared left everyone feel light and full of smiles.
Ekadaksha children and teachers love dancing.When their favorite Nikhil Anna(DJ NIkhilesh) visited the center once again,everyone welcomed him with the joy to party once again.
The session began with a chanting.The chant spread soothing,calm vibes.Then he played the "house music". The children and teachers slowly started moving and dancing casually.Children got involved in the music so naturally and without much of prompts and instructions. They started dancing in their own way and in their own style.As the music filled the space, some of the chidlren saw their teachers and danced, while some made their own steps and vibed to the music.Danny in particular was ultimate,he danced so well matching and following the steps spontaneously with great energy.Vishal too enjoyed following steps. The other children too danced their hearts out.Everyone participated and enjoyed with full energy and fun.The session ended with a relaxed chant.
