Three young handicapped people. Samia Samad Shanta. Yasmine and Iqbal are three student* of the special "Kalyani" special

school for the handicapped of Bangladesh ProUbondhi Foundation' who leaves Wednesday for Hong Kong to participate In the third International Abilympics.

Thev will be staying for five days and taking part tn an art exhibition in which there will be more than 8.000 participants, from all

Shanta is a sweet and amiable young woman of 19. who enjoys Bengali poetry More than that she excels tn doing 'nakshikantha ” with motifs of forest*, flowers, animals and human beings. Dressed tn orange and green, she spoke to me of how she enjoys painting and fairytales.

She laughed and spoke of how she adored eating "rubbish" like chocolates, "bhelpuri" and "chanachur." She takes delight in cooking and can prepare “firni." pudding and other light items for an evening meal. There was a time, she said, when she enjoyed playing carom and ludo. Now she lends her mother a hand in the house after she comes back from school at three p.m.

Shanta has a brother studying USA and a sister working for her International Relations degree at the Dhaka University.

Twenty-two year old Yasmine can dance and sew like a

dream this is though she cannot hear or speak Her terracotta jewellery mak Ing. dolls and sculpture work have tire finesse of experts. Like Shanta she

artistic sensibility, and despite her handicaps, is facing life boldly.

Yasmine cannot read or write as much a* Shanta but she too can do simple a ri th metic. He uses hearing aid at times and depends upon lip reading. She does an enormous amount of em-' broidery and often gets back aches. Bui she carries on with her sewing and handicrafts despite all physical discomfitures.

Yasmine has two brothers and sisters.

Iqbal Hussain the 16 year old young man who Is also Included tn the group. Is the son of a rickshawpuller and lives in the nearby Shantinagar slum. Well-be haved and good at gymnas tics he Is excellent at handicrafts too like doll and rug making

He said he was excited about going abroad and had been given some dollars by a Gnerous Journalist to buy

s dad a watch from Hong Kong

Good luck to the young ones tn the "Abilympics'