School offers refuge for disabled

MADRAS, India -- Between classes, Indian movie tunes blare from an old tape recorder in the unlighted hallway of the Bal Vihar school -- and its students break into dance.

Eleven-year-old Babu pushes his way into the corridor and leads his classmates in an impromptu version of the shoulder-rolling, hip-shaking numbers that India's film industry mass produces -- the kind of story that ends happily.

Babu, whose teachers describe him as severely mentally disabled, is unable to speak more than a few words. But he loves to dance.

Music and movement classes are part of the curriculum at Bal Vihar, a school and home for mentally retarded children in the south Indian city of Madras. It aims to teach students how to lead normal lives by the time they leave at 18.

The school's nearly 60 students have disabilities including autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy and other mental and physical disabilities.

A day at Bal Vihar begins in the front yard with a group prayer followed by exercises.

There are special classes in toilet training, grooming and simple motor skills -- like directing a spoon to the mouth. Students also take basic reading, writing and arithmetic.

School manager Rani Gulrajani says Bal Vihar's other main function is to provide a haven for poor youths, who face a stigma in Indian society due to their disabilities.

Mental disorders afflict up to 10 percent of India's population, or as many as 100 million people, according to a recent survey by the Spastics Society of Northern India.

Jivaraj, a bone-thin 11-year-old with cerebral palsy, was kept locked in his house by parents who were ashamed of him. When his mother learned of the school and brought Jivaraj, his body was locked in a fetal position.

"His legs are straightening out, but it's a slow process," Gulrajani says.