We The People: When An Assam Woman Turned A Personal Experience Into A Social Cause

For Mira Kagti it all began with Amit. Before he came into her life, neither Mira nor the extended family had much idea about what “special children” meant. Amit is her brother’s son, born at a particularly harrowing time for the family. Amit’s uncle was admitted to a Calcutta hospital, fighting a losing battle with cancer. The new baby brought some sunshine to their lives when all seemed dark and gloomy.
Amit was a healthy, beautiful baby with a ready smile. Unlike other inf­ants Amit never cried. No one realised that this was not normal. The family assumed that he was a happy child and that’s why there were no tears or tantrums from him. His paediatrician, however, took this much more seriously and ordered a battery of tests. Lat­er, it was confirmed that he was a special child, he had cerebral palsy, a motor disability in childhood.

By the time Amit was three, the family started looking for schools for special children. But in Guwahati of the late 1980s, there was no such facility. By this time, they were in touch with other parents that had children with special needs. This is where they got to meet another mother, Tondra Borbora, whose son Biki too had been diagnosed with CP. So, they decided to take matters into their own hands and started a school for children with special needs.

A room was loaned to them by Tondra’s parents in her home. The first two students were Biki and Amit. The founding team included special educator Brinda Crishna, who had earlier worked with the then Spastic Society of Eastern India in Calcutta. Brinda had accompanied her husband to his work place in Assam. Tondra and Mira were in the team too. Brinda initially trained the others and later new recruits were sent to Calcutta so that within a few years the institute could have a steady flow of well-trained staff.  They registered the non-profit organisation as Shishu Sarothi, which translates to children’s support. But in those days parents often tried to hide the condition of their children due to the social stigma att­ached to people with special needs. Neigh­bours and friends were awkward, not kno­­w­ing how to react to the child  who was not like every other kid.

Guwahati is a small place where  it was not difficult to find families with such kids. Invariably the reception was hostile in the beginning. “We  went from house to house and had to literally beg parents to give us a chance,” Kagti remembers pleading with sceptical parents. Parents were  convinced that nothing could be done.

But once they visited the school, the attitude changed. It all spread through word of mouth and very soon the one room was not enough. But getting a bigger place on rent was difficult as many landlords refused. Awareness about special children was next to none in those years in Assam. It was after much cajoling that they finally got a bigger room.

But gradually the school took off. And by 1997, ten years after it was laun­ched, the state government allotted Shishu Sarothi a piece of land.  As people got to know about the good work, donations too came in. The tea and oil industry of Assam were generous contributors. So was the North Eastern Council, besides the government.

Today awareness about disability has spread. People recognise Shishu Sarothi, volunteers are plentiful. Its team of dedicated staff has evolved into a leading regi­onal institution. They offer expertise for children with cerebral palsy as well as associated multiple disabilities.

Once Brinda left, Mira took over as executive director. Shishu Sarothi is her pride and joy. “We built it from scratch. When we began in 1987, none of us could imagine it would one day become what it is today, the go-to place for the differently-abled children  for the entire Northeastern region,” she says. It is also a training centre for hundreds of instructors and teachers from all states of the Northeast.

In her own family, Mira saw to it that Amit was the centre of all attention. The children of the entire extended family were told that Amit was a special gift and they were lucky he was part of the family. It was their duty to look after him. This is the message Shishu Sarothi gives to the families of each student. “Shishu Sarothi was not built by one or two persons. Every single person down the years has contributed  with dedication and hard work to make it a centre of excellence,” says Mira.

Shishu Sarothi was presented the President’s Award for the best institution in the region in 2004. Mira, 85 now, herself was honoured with many awards for her dedication and hard work. She is no longer involved in the day to day running of the institute but is remains a member of the Shishu Sarothi managing board.

(This appeared in the print edition as "The Guardian Angel")

Liked the story? Do you or your friends have a similar story to share about 'ordinary' Indians making a difference to the community? Write to us. If your story is as compelling, we'll feature it online. Click here to submit.