Pooja Kalra, a polio patient, could have played the reservation card and chosen any cushy government job. This young self-confessed Osho fan, however, chose to tread a rather difficult, yet inspiring path by opening a private training centre for the differently-abled children.

It was after working with various NGOs and other institutes that Pooja began with her independent venture nearly two years ago.

“It was during my Masters programme in Child Development that I came across specially-abled children and realised how ill-equipped the city is as far as training them is concerned,” says Pooja.

And, therefore, instead of pursuing a doctorate, as planned earlier, Pooja jumped into the field head on.

“For almost a decade now, my life has been more or less the same. Sounds boring for many, but believe me each day is a new challenge,” adds the educationist who renders her services to nearly a dozen children every day.

So what comprises the daily sessions, we ask. “Apart from social behavior, we train children in speech therapy, academics, sports and even social graces. The progress report of each and every child is also maintained. Also, parents are trained through various seminars and counselling sessions,” says Pooja.

The sessions begin around 11 am and go on to as late as nine in the evening.

“I deal with children who have development problems like autism, hyper-activity, cerebral palsy and other learning disabilities,” adds Pooja.

Asked about the basic ingredients needed to take up the challenge, she says, “Endless patience. Today, we all love instant results — instant noodles, instant food and instant phone calls among others. But here are children for whom progress means small steps taken each day.”