Sreenidhi Keshavan has been organising programmes and introducing differently abled children to the world of digital technology, computers, and other subjects.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Twenty-year-old Sreenidhi Keshavan, a resident of Pilathara, has severe cerebral palsy. Despite his acute health issues, he is making a difference in the lives of differently abled children in Kannur.
Mr. Keshavan has been organising programmes and introducing differently abled children to the world of digital technology, computers, and other subjects.
Being confined to his chair and hardly able to move out of his house by himself, Mr. Keshavan has been reaching out to differently abled children through his WhatsApp group called ‘SR Talks’, which he started in 2019 and now has around 100 members.
“We are living in a digital world. My motto is to introduce special children to digital technology so that they become self-dependent and are not left out of society,” he said.
The group members are introduced to digital learning with the support of experts, who take online classes for free. Mr. Keshavan contacts experts from various fields such as education, IT, and organisations such as Chakshumathi, a non-government organisation, and persuades them to conduct classes and share their experiences.
But, Mr. Keshavan felt that online classes have limitations and the members require face-to-face interaction. With the support of Junior Chamber International, Payyanur Eye Foundation, and Chakshumathi, he is now all set to organise a five-day camp on April 25 in Kannur where children from across the State will participate.
Ram Kamal of Chakshumathi, who works with special children in 22 States, will be giving technical support for the camp. He said that the future is digital and those who are not digitally enabled will find it difficult to earn a living.
Mr. Keshavan’s dream is to pursue his studies in social work and one day convert his WhatsApp group into a charitable trust, which will help several children who are differently abled.
His immediate goal is to provide the members in the group with computers, for which, he has sought the help of businessman M.A. Yusuff Ali.
“I want people to empower differently abled children, not sympathise with them”, he added.
