Cerebral palsy did not stop these boys

CHENNAI: As many able-bodied students got news of their Class XII exam results, there was quiet celebration in the homes of Rishabh Bhutia and R Rakshit.Students of the inclusive education programme at Lady Andal Matriculation School, both 19-year-old boys have cerebral palsy. Both scored extremely well in their exams. Rakshit uses a wheelchair, but can communicate well, and has scored 82 per cent (language exempt). His father, Ravi Chandar, a TNEB engineer, says, “The academic part is taken care of by my wife Lakshmi. A banker friend of ours taught him accounts.”Rishabh’s mother Sharda says that the preparation was not easy, although her son scored 78.9 per cent. “He doesn’t concentrate enough, so I read aloud to him,” she says. A science student, she made the effort to learn the basics to teach Rishabh. She gives his teachers credit for encouraging him, “They kept telling him what he loves, ‘You can do it’. And he did.”