Specially abled persons celebrate Diwali in Bhubaneshwar

Several specially abled persons of all age groups celebrated Diwali here on Monday.

The event called, 'Dil, Diya, Diwali' was organized on the eve of Diwali.

Several women, suffering from disabilities, were seen sitting and enjoying the performances. They were thrilled to celebrate Diwali with the volunteers.

A German tourist appreciated the fact that non-governmental organizations in India were taking up such initiatives for the differently-abled.

"I like it very much that India does so much work for disabled children, it is pretty different from Germany and I think it is a good way to get more information about their diseases," said Claudia, a German tourist.

Event organizers said their aim was to bring the specially-abled, often considered as marginalized, into mainstream society.

"Diwali is a festival of lights, for brotherhood, for prosperity and the other segment of the society that differently abled people, the disabled people, those who are alone, those who are moving around and those who are not able to celebrate these things," said Govind Patnaik, one of the organizers.

"We are celebrating to earmark this thing that they are also a part of this society and we all have some responsibility to carry out them forward," he added. (ANI)