The PG department of Journalism and Mass Communication (MA JMC) of St Aloysius College (SAC) conducted ‘Schwimmen’, a two-hour talk and interactive session on the importance of swimming for the parents of special children on March 29, 2019. The event took place at Arivu intervention centre, Shakthi Nagar. The speaker of the event was Mr Sharath Kumar Shetty, swimming instructor of St Aloysius swimming pool.

The event was organised in collaboration with Arivu, an early intervention centre for special children and learning ability. “When you are playing in water you feel happy and this will reduce all your physical, mental and social stress. I have trained a girl of twelve years who had a bend backbone. After three years of training in swimming she was able to walk straight,” said Sharath Kumar Shetty.

Parents actively interacted with speaker where in they cleared their doubts and queries.   

“Swimming is more than a medicine; it benefits special children for improving their mental, social behaviour, and physical health. It also helps the hyperactive children to concentrate on one particular thing. We would like to provide special sessions on swimming for special children twice a week after summer at Aloysius swimming pool” he added.

Poornima Bhatt, administrator of Arivu said, “Swimming is one sport that enhances all our five senses and it is proven that hydrotherapy will systematically train the children. This is the first time in Mangalore that the students are coming up with such an initiative for special children.”

In this occasion Radhakrishna Bhatt, treasurer of Arivu trust, Ms Tia Boban, Assistant Professor, St Aloysius College, social work students and teachers of Arivu intervention centre were present.