Umed Pariwar, a parents’ organisation working for rehabilitation of persons with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD), has developed a sensory garden to make such persons aware about the five basic senses.
The Sensory Garden has been developed inside the hostel campus run by Umed Pariwar at Wadki village, around 15 km from Hadapsar, Pune. Currently, 35 special adults reside in the hostel.
The Sensory Garden, developed using funds from Tata Bluescope Limited, was inaugurated by Rotary District 3131 Governor Anil Parmar in presence of Rotarian Mohan Palesha, Santosh Marathe, Umed president Ramesh Wandre and Umed secretary Rajendra Nahar. Also present were Umed’s trustees — Subhash Rawal and Praveen Chhajed.
“A sensory garden is all about stimulating and engaging the five basic senses — sight, smell, sound, touch and taste. This garden has been conceptualised by architect Snehal Oswal. Entry to this garden is free and open to all. The timings are 10 am to 1 pm and 3 pm to 6 pm,” Nahar said.
“Different kinds of bells have been installed in the garden for sound purposes and various kinds of flooring have been installed for touch purposes. Herbal plants like tulsi and neem, which will stimulate smell and taste senses, have also been planted in the garden,” said Rajendra Nahar.
“We urge all special schools to get their students to this garden to make them aware of the various senses,” the secretary said.
What is Umed Pariwar
Umed Pariwar is a parent’s organisation established in 1990 in Pune and is working exclusively for rehabilitation of IDD persons for the last 32 years. The organisation conducts bi-annual state-level conferences, state-level annual drawing competitions and dance and drama competitions for students at special schools