Cycling to say thank you to the teachers

BANGALORE: Ever seen a teacher tending to a child who cannot hear? It is not easy, but there are people who love to reach out to those who can’t hear. Not letting their disabilities get to them, several hearing impaired students gathered at the Bal Bhavan, Cubbon Park and held a cycle rally in order to salute the contribution of the teachersin their lives. The event was organised by Foundation of Art and Culture For Deaf in association with  ‘Go Green’. Said to be the first of its kind in the state, it saw students from RV school, Hamsadhvani and Shalashrunga cycling their way from Cubbon Park to Ulsoor Lake and back.Organisers say that the concept was introduced as one didn’t realise the extra patience and dedication it takes to deal with deaf kids. They say that these students did not want to lag behind in showing their gratitude and hence the rally                             was organised.  The rally was flagged off by Olympian and Arjuna Award winner Nisha Millet. Speaking on the occasion, she said, “It is such a unique concept. It is so nice to see something of this nature organised to pay tribute to the teachers. Also, the turnout has been quite good which is a positive sign.” K S Nagaraj, a participant, remarked, “The amount of sacrifices that a teacher makes when he/she is guiding a hearing impaired child is immense. It’s good that an attempt of  some kind has been made to honour them.”Also present was Prabhakar Rao, the founder and president of GoGreenGoCycling.org. He heaped praises on the organisers for the thought provoking idea. “It is such a progressive step. It’s nice to see people gathered to celebrate something as good as this,” he said.Shivanna, a teacher at the Hamsadhwani school of hearing, said, “I feel so honoured to be a part of it. Payback of this kind is the best a teacher can get when he/she puts so much of effort into teaching these kids. Next time, if we can see a larger crowd supporting the cause with more schools participating, it will be exceptional.” He further added that it was high time that they received a platform  to voice their  thoughts.  The kids were just excited to be doing something for their teachers. They expressed joy at having been given the opportunity to show their acknowledgement. A child at the event was seen saying that it was so cool that they could take their bicycles out and ride without a care in the world.The gathering comprised  approximately 75 people from allwalks of life including teachers, volunteers and students.