Their deft hands make special diyas in Visakhapatnam

Visakhapatnam: The incessant downpour hardly seems to dampen the spirit of these differently-abled persons who could not wait to unlock their creativity. Their deft hands get down to work as they follow a pattern to accomplish the task ahead.

As M Lavanya and Palla Manohar with Down Syndrome are adept at painting and giving a fresh appeal to the otherwise plain terracotta lamps, Karthik, an autistic person, gets a set of sun-dried diyas neatly packed in batches.

Following the instructions of trainers, a team of over 35 differently-abled persons and the ones with special needs, discuss, coordinate, share work and bring out myriad artistic designs in attractive colours and sizes.

With barely a week left for Deepavali, Prajwal Vani Welfare Society (PVWS), an organisation that provides technical education and soft skills to differently-abled persons free of cost, trains a batch of enthusiastic learners in designing diyas under Visakha Kushi Deep Project. The exercise does not stop here.

"We facilitate marketing opportunities too for them at various places, help them make instant income by selling their wares. It not only helps them boost their confidence level but also makes their parents happy with the proceeds made," says K V L Suchitra, founder-president of the society.

Some lamps are filled with wax and a wick, others are embedded with kundans and few more in lantern models form a part of the collection brought out by the differently-abled students to light up homes this festival season.

Many of these lamps that range between Rs 50 and Rs 250 have already been sold. Diwali mela hosted by Navy Wives Welfare Association, shopping malls, beach road and college turn out to be the marketing ground for differently abled along with their parents to market their products.

"Earlier, my son never used to socialise. Now, he has changed a lot. He looks forward to market his wares as he finds it interesting," says D Kavitha, a mother of an autistic son and trainer at PVWS.

The exercise of designing 'special' diyas began a month ago. Crafted in vivid hues, they are soon going to brighten up several corners of homes this Diwali.