9-year-old Sengrik Sangma, who has a hearing disability, has big plans for the future

Nine-year-old Sengrik Sangma from Assam has beaten all odds to study in a regular school and live a normal life. This class 3 student, who is deaf and hard of hearing, is an aspiring artist too. Sengrik recently won an award from the Collective Action for Basic Rights Foundation (CBRF) for his achievements.

“A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to preserve and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles”- this quote from Christoper Reeve aptly sums up Sengrik Sangma. This nine year old from Moirapur Village in Assam is indeed a child prodigy. In spite of being hearing and speech impaired from a rural area, Sengrik has beaten all odds to attend school and live a normal life. He is also an aspiring artist. Sengrik was recently awarded by the Collective Action for Basic Rights Foundation (CBRF) at their Samarthya 2020 award ceremony. Sengrik was awarded for his grit and determination to reach out to the stars at such a young age. This young boy is indeed inspiring and motivational.

An inspiring journey

When Sengrik was born with a speech and hearing impairment, his parents nearly gave up on him. He was the only child of the family who had many financial constraints. His father worked hard to meet ends. Hence, Sengrik’s family never thought of sending him to school due to his disability. They always felt he was different from others.

Their neighbors who lacked any awareness about disabilities, discouraged their children to play with Sengrik as they thought that they would be influenced by his behavior. In fact, this young boy was isolated within the four walls of his house until the CBRF team identified him and helped him grow up into a strong young boy.

Path towards empowerment

Sengrik was identified by CBRF team when he was four years old in the year 2015. Today, he attends a regular school without facing any problems. From the 9th position in class 1, Sengrik has climbed to the fourth position in class 3 in which he is studying now.

“His teachers do not know sign language. But still, they are all very supportive of him. They want to give him the best. Moreover, as his parents, we are also supportive of all that he wants to do”, says Sengrik’s mother Selitha.

Sengrik is also a great artist. He has bagged various prizes for participating in competitions. This youngster loves to participate in school and community level programs as well.

“I want to become a police officer in the future and help my family and the society”, says Sengrik.

Sengrik is clearly focused on his dreams and ambitions.

Watch in Sign Language

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