At first glance, Rucha Shere (28) comes across as quiet; almost reclusive.
In fact, others around her -- her family, friends and teachers -- have more to
say about her.
Her father, Sunil Jagannath Shere, says she “has been
defying norms since birth”, and has always pursued what she loves. Mr. Shere
and the others should know. Her academic achievements -- even if she is the
last to speak about them -- can fill a whole register: In 2016, she topped the
SNDT University in BA (Sanskrit) and bagged a gold medal. In April this year,
she won the Mayor’s Award for this. She also received the Smt. Vajkorbai G.
Betai Prize for securing the highest marks in Sanskrit and the Late Mrs.
Mangala M. Mangalmurthy Kulkarni Award for securing thehighest marks in Sanskrit
in SNDT University.
But the one felicitation she possibly cherishes, is
from the Indian Medical Association, West Zone, Juhu, Mumbai for challenging
medical history. Ms. Shere was born with Down Syndrome, a genetic disorder that
brings about mild to moderate intellectual disability, and doctors had said at
her birth that she may not be able to doeven basic chores on her own. Ms. Shere
proved them all wrong.
To her, the recognition means a lot, especially since
she has had her fair share of discrimination. “When I was young, many children
refused to play with me. Some parents too did not allow their kids to mingle
with me. This was hurtful,” shesays. Thankfully, this is history; parents come
to her for tips on how to motivate their children to study. Ms. Shere is
pursuing an M.A in Sanskrit from SNDT University.
Why Sanskrit? One, she has nurtured a deep love for
the language since her school days. And two, she wishes to help other students
develop a liking for it. For this, she plans to do a BEd on completing her MA.
“It is sad that not many are keen to take up Sanskrit at higher levels of
education. The root of many languages, Sanskrit is known to improve speech
scientifically,” she says.
Ms. Shere has started a ‘Subhashit mala’, or a series
of free motivational lectures, through the narration of inspirational stories
from Sanskrit verses. She has conducted three such lectures in Kandivali, which
was attended by people of age groups from 15 years to 50 and above.
“I have attended two of these workshops and found them
to be inspiring, refreshing and educative. Ms. Shere has the extraordinary
skill of explaining Sanskrit verses in a simple manner by narrating stories,”
says Jyoti Satpute, a Kandivali resident.
Besides academics, Ms. Shere is a dancer, and has
cleared four levels in Bharatnatyam with an A+ at each level and has completed
two levels of Western dance from Shiamak Davar’s Academy for Performing Arts,
Borivali.
“She has performed in several solo, group and duet
dances in inter-school competitions in college annual functions. She has won
around seven trophies, citations and awards,” says Mr. Shere.
Ms. Shere, on her part, says she just can’t stop
tapping her feet to peppy music. “I love dancing and even choreograph dances.”
The long journey
When Ms. Shere was born, her parents were crestfallen
when doctors told them that she may not be able to do basic chores without
their support.
“It was shocking and heart wrenching for us to hear
that,” says her mother Sunita Shere. Ms. Shere attended a Marathi-medium
school, ‘Suvidyalaya’ till Class IV.However, her teachers felt she found it
difficult to cope with studies and advised herparents to put her in a special
school. Ms. Shere later went to the ‘Sadaphuli School for Special Children’ in
Kandivali in 2000. With help from her parents and senior special educator,
Reema Wahi, Ms. Shere continued to excel in studies and extra-curricular
activities. “Rucha was an avid reader and had good grasping power. All she
required was some remedial therapy,” says Ms. Wahi. On her advice, Ms. Shere
completed her schooling from a regular school.
“While I loved Sanskrit, History and Marathi, I
avoided Maths and English,” says Ms. Shere, with a smile. “The students helped
me immensely and gave me notes whenever I could not complete assignments.”
Ms. Shere cleared her SSC exam in 2011, without a
writer, and with just 30 minutesof extra time. She scored an overall 58% with
70% in Sanskrit.
“Rucha was the first DS child from the state to have
cleared the SSC exam along with regular children,” says Smita Ramkrishna
Abhyankar, the then Principal of her school, Suvidyalaya.
Dr. Preeti Shrivastav, Head of Sanskrit Department
(BA), SNDT, Mumbai, says Ms. Shere’s discipline is what has worked in her
favour. “Rucha is a highly disciplined child and along with academics, takes
keen interest in extra-curricular activities as well. None of the teachers have
ever felt that there is anything unusual about her. Weare proud to have her as
our student.”
Dr. Jitendra Tiwari, Head of the Sanskrit Department
(MA), SNDT, says Ms. Shere, being the youngest in class, is loved by all.
“Rucha has good grasping power. All we need to do is explain to her in a gentle
manner and boost her enthusiasm.”
A role model
Her classmates have good things to say about her as
well. Pranoti Prakash Nashikkar, who was in the BA batch with Ms. Shere, says
she is a friendly person who is always ready to help. “While all of us found
Sanskrit to be tough, Rucha just loved it. She has an extraordinary grasping
power and we all knew she would be the highest scorer. All of us felt motivated
by her zeal and enthusiasm.”
Neha Pawar, who is pursuing MA along with Ms. Shere,
also holds her in high esteem. “She is very shy, but after speaking with her at
length we realise she knows a lot. Her hold on Sanskrit is extraordinary.”
Her former special teacher, though, says Ms. Shere is an example of how
inclusive education can work. “When potential is given an opportunity, the
outcome is success,” says Ms. Wahi.
Source: THE HINDU-9th August,2017
