Many of us have been differentiated with others at one point in time which may have somewhere made us feel inferior. Such comparisons stay indelible, especially for a child. When 27-year-old, Sangsrita Bhattacharjee started volunteering for differently-abled kids, she thought to herself, why can’t they be as good as other children? She kept mulling on how to ameliorate them so that they become independent individuals in their own rights. And after innumerable discussions with various professionals belonging from the field of special needs, she came up with Aarambh-Benefiting needs for a progressive society.

Aarambh is an institution which is not only founded for differently abled kids but, also for other children. “We feel that it's important for a child with autism or any other condition to mix with everyone because they are not anything close to what society has framed them to be,” Sangsrita told My Indian Dream.

Right from physiotherapy to occupational therapy to speech therapy, every kind of assistance is provided to the children to improve their condition. Special educator of the institution, Swatilekha Ghosh has been with Sangsrita through thick and thin and she is one of the reasons why Aarambh is standing tall today. “Before opening Aarambh, Swatilekha and I went to the parents’ houses to convince them that their kids have the ability to prosper. We even performed workshops for them. And today when they see the progress in their children, we feel great.”

One of their students, Nabeel who has cerebral palsy has shown a tremendous development in less than one year. Earlier he could not even walk properly but, with the therapies provided by the team, Nabeel not only walks independently today but, also climbs the stairs. Another student named Biprarshi who has autism has improved a lot in academics and now he will appear for Open Basic Education-Level A. Team Aarambh says that he is a real example of development. 

Sangsrita says that she has seen a strong will power in the mothers of these kids and their motto is not just to put a smile on the little one’s faces but, also to see them happy.

Together they celebrate each and every festival and make the surrounding a jovial place for the kids. Team Aarambh is a source of inspiration for all of us. We hope they give a much better life to numerous other kids through their institution.