Here’s good news for all Parsi parents with special kids. The Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP), the biggest Parsi trust in the city, plans to setup a special residential facility for the kids.

By Ashutosh Shukla / DNA India

The facility will primarily be a shelter for those kids who outlive their parents and it will also act as a guidance centre for parents with special kids.

The facility will come up once the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) conducts a study and survey, which will highlight the needs and demands of the parents.

“We have found out that some parents are wary about the future of their kids, once they are not around. We have schemes where the underprivileged families in the community are provided with education and medication expenses for their children. It’s for the first time that we taken up the issue of special kids,” said Armaity Tirandaz, trustee of BPP and one of the members of the core group working on the project.

The Punchayet has already conducted one meeting at Rustom Baug in Byculla to discuss the issue of special kids and around 50 forms have already been filled. “Some parents are hesitant and they do not want to come out in the open, as they fear the social impact,” said Dr Aban Mirza, another community member. The next meeting is likely to be held at Bharucha Baug in Andheri.

To ensure that people from the community come out in large numbers and be part of the second meeting, the Punchayet plans to put up notices, banners, and advertise in community magazines and news papers. “TISS will be roped in for a survey, where they will interact with parents who have already filled the forms. They will interact with parents to know the kind of difficulties they face, the kind of help and attention they require,” said Tirandaz.

On questioned how just 50 forms would help the BPP decide if there is a need to have special residential facility, Tirandaz said, “We can’t have a census as people won’t be willing do to that. So, now we will begin with forms that are already collected and then more people can join us. Depending on the need, we may go for a new building or an alternative plan.” Expenses for the programme will be known once the TISS study is conducted by year-end.