Go Green! Special Kids of SASS host ‘Ag-Green Special 2016’
Mangaluru: If people say that differently-abled children don’t have commitment, dedication and talents? Then they are wrong- a visit to the special project called “Ag-Green Special 2016” bringing awareness of Green Environment and Green City organized at St Agnes Special School (SASS) by the staff and students of St Agnes Special School on Tuesday, 27 September shows a new and fresh perspective that even Special Children can beat normal human beings in creativity and uniqueness. A creative display says a thousand words. These children with the help of their teachers have painted the atmosphere green with various plants, ranging from Fruit/Flower plants, Medicinal plants, and Decorative plants.The colorful sight of the plants and flowers, the scent of the fruits and flowers, and above all the beauty of Mother Nature is all experienced under one -roof at ‘Ag-Green Special 2016’. The atmosphere looked like the “Garden of Eden”, except no Adam and Eve?
This project was designed to test the creative spontaneity and gardening skills of young children and to provide them with a platform to unleash their hidden talent- and the special feature was that the creativity and display was done by differently-abled children, with a little help from the Sisters and teachers at SASS. The programme began with a invocation prayer rendered by a group of SASS children, after the dignitaries were escorted to the dais by the School marching band. In her welcome address, Sr Shruthi- Principal of SASS said, “There are a number of quotes on Mother Earth – Go Green, Save Earth etc. But I quote “When we heal the Earth, we Heal ourselves”. What we give to the nature, the nature will give back to us a hundred times more. Today, St. Agnes Special School, presents this idea through “Ag-Green Special -2016”, and we are happy to present this project display, the long and hard efforts of our staff and students over the past few months to promote a healthy and green environment around us”
In the absence of Ivan D’Souza- Congress Chief Whip, who had to rush to Bengaluru on a special assignment, Parish priest of St Sebastian Church-Bendore-Fr. Antony Serrao did the honors in inaugurating the event by cutting the ribbon along with Sr Valeriana AC-Joint Secretary of SASS, Mrs Irene Pinto-President of PTA, and a bevy of Apostolic Carmel nuns namely- Sr Shalini, Sr Edna Furtado, Sr Rose Marie, Sr Marie Evelyn and Sr Maria Roopa. As a mark of appreciation and gratitude, a student of SASS offered a flower plant to chief guest Fr Serrao as a continuation of the School’s effort to green the Mother Earth.
Addressing the gathering, Fr Serrao said, ” This is a very good initiative taken by these special children to highlight the importance of green environment, portrayed through various flower and fruit plants, also including medicinal and decorative plants. In the Bible, God has said, ‘Be fruitful, grow and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth’. But sadly in our city and elsewhere, people are destroying nature by axing down trees to give way for widening roads, for infrastructure, multi-storeyed buildings etc. One one side we are planting trees, but on the other side we are destroying trees. This kind of attitude needs to be stopped. And it’s nice to see that these children, although they are differently- abled have unleash their talents and creativity, along with their dedicated teachers in arranging this project to bring awareness about green environment. Good job and may God bless these special children”.
Later the chief guest along with other dignitaries took a tour and enjoyed the beauty of the Mother Nature, all naturally created by the Special children at ‘Ag-Green Special 2016’, which led to many “Wows”, and also compliments to the management, staff and students of St Agnes Special School. A job well done and Go-Green! SASS teacher Reena D’Souza compered the formal programme. In conclusion, quoting Mahatma Gandhi’s words ‘What we are doing to the forests of the world is but a mirror reflection of what we are doing to ourselves and to one another’ I can say that the students and staff of St Agnes Special school have done a great job in bringing awareness of showing care and love towards plants and trees, aiming at a green and clean environment.
Like it is said that the best friend of earth of man is the tree. When we use the tree respectfully and economically, we have one of the greatest resources on the earth. But a nation or a person that destroys its soils destroys itself. Forests are the lungs of our land, purifying the air and giving fresh strength to our people. The earth we abuse and the living things we kill will, in the end, take their revenge; for in exploiting their presence we are diminishing our future. Till now man has been up against Nature; from now on he will be up against his own nature. We say we love flowers, yet we pluck them. We say we love trees, yet we cut them down. And people still wonder why some are afraid when told they are loved. He that plants trees loves others beside himself. These Special Children through this project have a message for all of us to “Go Green” and Save the Green Environment”. Long live these Differently-abled children who are making a difference in the society.
May God bless these special gifted Children and to the entire team. While global warming is killing us day by day, the school had indeed put up an amazing show that had various medicinal plants with their usage along with ornamental garden plants.
“Kashaaya”, the traditional method of preparing medicine out of herbs and medicinal plants and the presentation of more than 15 types of freshly prepared Kashaaya was a centre of attraction.
Congratulations to the entire School team. God bless them.