Inspiring stories of 2 Premature Babies
The agonizing tale of a baby being born before their time is told every single day. We hear the silent cries of their families louder and more intense each day. The baby who didn’t even get a chance to breathe the first breath of life, or the baby who couldn’t survive long enough to see their parents rejoice at their birth.
In India, among the total 27 million babies born annually, 3.6 million babies are born premature, and over 300,000 of these premature babies die each year because of associated complications.
These 2 talented individuals are making their parents proud every day. Divya and Karishma were premature babies as well. Look where their shot at life has brought them. Imagine how many such talented lives get cut short because of lack of money or facilities. We urge you to come forward to do your bit and further this initiative.
Divya Shankar — The Enthusiastic Dancer
At age 8 what most of us think about is what to play, how to bunk school. But this girl started preparing for her dance career and started her professional training in this and performed many shows. With 8 years of experience this 16 years old girl Divya Shankar from Ernakulam, Kerala was diagnosed with Down syndrome at a young age. But that has not stopped her from chasing her dreams of becoming a dancer.
Divya has performed at over 30 venues. She is learning Classical dance for the past 8 years and has performed in more than 50+ stages. She currently holds the Record Titled “Girl With Down Syndrome Performing Bharatnatyam” for performing 2 hours of Bharatanatyam on December 23rd, 2018 in India Book of Records. Facing all the odds of disability, she was able to perform 10 items of Bharatanatyam. She is very passionate about performing Classical dance forms like Bharatanatyam and Mohiniyattam. Her biggest support system is her family who ensures that Divya follows her dreams.
Click here to book a dazzling performance by Divya.
Karishma Kannan — The Achiever Par Excellence
Karishma — born in 1991 in India, underwent early intervention at Mathru Mandir, Chennai, and developed early learning skills at Srishti Special Academy, Bangalore. She later trained in pre-vocation and Creative Movement Therapy at RASA, Chennai. In 2008, Karishma relocated to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam with her family where she learned to paint and developed the skill. She later moved to Bangalore with her family and has set up her own art studio and a recreation center for young adults with down syndrome called, Studio 21 UP.
Karishma’s journey as a contributing member of the society began in 2011 with her first solo painting exhibition titled — ‘I Can, You Can, We Can’. Since then she has had 4 solo exhibitions and one auction in India and Vietnam and has donated over 135 paintings. Her exhibitions and auctions have raised over 75, 000 USD for charities supporting infant heart surgeries and special education in Vietnam and India. Karishma does paintings using a variety of mediums like Spray painting, Acrylic painting, Water drip Painting, etc.
Karishma’s work has been recognized and appreciated internationally. Besides extensively being covered by print and TV media in Vietnam, her early years talents were widely published in Indian media as well. Her yoga sessions for young children were featured in the Niki magazine, Japan.
Karishma is also the recipient of the ‘World Downs Syndrome International Award’ 2014 and again in 2018, she received the self-advocacy award from India International Down syndrome Federation.
Click here to commission an artwork from Karishma.
‘A Shot at Life’ campaign is an effort by Milaap and Atypical Advantage to save these 3 lakh new lives. Each time you purchase an artwork from Atypical Advantage or Milaap’s ‘A Shot At Life’ page you not only save a newborn but get an exceptional art piece made by an Artist with Disability.
We, as a community, should step forward to help in making their lives better. Buy any of the exquisite artworks from here and help save premature babies.
