Disabled campaign is child's play

Luh De Suriyani ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Denpasar   |  Wed, 06/24/2009 11:27 AM  |  Bali

Once upon a time in Nangun Cipta kingdom, Princess Diah Larasati, who had spent her life in a wheelchair, told her Queen mother that she was keen on attending a regular school, Happy Heart School.

However, the Queen refused her daughter's wish as she wanted to avoid embarrassment. Instead, the Queen hired a tutor to teach Princess Diah inside the palace.

Rejecting her mother's suggestion, Princess Diah decided to run away, with her maid Luh Sekar, to enrol at the Happy Heart School.

Elsewhere, I Wayan Lara, a poor farmer's son in a village in the countryside, also showed his determination to go to the school. In order to fulfil their beloved child's dream, his parents decided to sell their only valuable cow for school tuition.

A similar situation also happened to Prince Wira Paksa, who was blind from birth. Having a common situation, the three kids took a journey, with a united aim: Going to the Happy Heart School. Unfortunately, when those kids arrived at the school, they found they were facing difficulties with many stairs and limited access toits building.

At the end of the story, Princess Diah, Wayan Lara and Prince Wira succeed in making sure Happy Heart School supported disabled kids in pursuing formal education.

It was a short recap of a drama gong (a play in Balinese language) performed by a dozen children from Senang Hati (Happy Heart) Foundation, a social community for disabled people.

The play opened the second week of a month-long Bali Cultural Festival (PKB) at the Art Center, Denpasar, on Monday.

The girls in the play were dressed in beautiful Balinese traditional clothing, and their featured devices, such as wheelchairs and supporting trestles further enhanced their performance.

Amazed by the performers, a seven year-old spectator, Dede, asked in a whisper, while pointing his little finger to an energetic boy with solid black eyeglasses, "Is he really blind, Mom?"

The young spectator even noticed the performers' physical conditions.

Commenting on the special performance, American Lindsay Comstock said: "I am so excited and enjoyed this show. The community involved all the kind of things that they can do."

Sang Nyoman Puspa as Princess Diah, Komang Rudiawan as Wayan Lara, Wayan Tono as Wira Paksa and Wayan Sukamen as Prince Wira's maid were four among 15 main actors in the play.

They were all from the Senang Hati Foundation, which is located in Tampaksiring, Gianyar.

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