Minister Ganesh Kumar inaugurates Up Cafe managed by the differently-abled at Different Art Centre

Minister also offers a bus from the Transport Department to run Up Cafe

Thiruvananthapuram : Up Cafe, a cafeteria to be managed and operated by differently-abled persons, began functioning at the Different Art Centre on Thursday. Inaugurating the cafeteria, KB Ganesh Kumar, Minister of Transport, said the Different Art Centre has been carrying out activities that empower differently-abled people and it is amazing to see that things are organised at international standards at this proud project of Kerala.

The minister also said that a CNG bus from the Transport Department will be provided to support further activities of Up Cafe. He suggested that the activities of Up Cafe should not be limited to the DAC campus, but should also reach the outside world.

DAC Executive Director Gopinath Muthukad said that the Up Café project has been a dream venture, and the idea was inspired by his visit to Japan. Kadakampally Surendran MLA, presided over the function.  Gopinath Muthukad, Manager Sunilraj CK, Intervention Director Anil Nair and others participated.

Tea, coffee and snacks will be made available according to the needs of the visitors who arrive at the Up Café. The café, which has been created from a converted old bus, is open daily from 3.30 pm to 4.30 pm. DAC has imparted all the proper training to children on how to behave, manage and carry out the tasks needed in a cafeteria. From inviting visitors to serving food to cleaning the table and seats, all the tasks will be done by differently-abled persons themselves.

Tony Cyril, Kannan V, Thushara Stalin, Jayalakshmi TG, Sreedhin PV, Aravind SS, Ren Karthik, Bineesh SB and Agneesh V. Nath are currently receiving vocational training from the centre. Children affected by Down Syndrome will also be trained. The training is undertaken to ensure employment opportunities for differently-abled children in cafeterias of similar nature.

In a first, Minister hands over memorandum to Muthukad

Thiruvananthapuram: Minister K B Ganesh Kumar literally surprised DAC Executive Director Gopinath Muthukad on Thursday when he handed over a memorandum requesting him to return to the world of magic. Audience who assembled for the inauguration of the Up Cafe, started by the differently-abled people of Different Art Centre, were in awe of the gesture.

The memorandum prepared on the Minister’s official letter pad said that it is not right for the popular magician who had experimented with immense possibilities in the world of magic to stay away from magic. Stating that a memorandum is usually given to the Minister, K B Ganesh Kumar said this is perhaps the first time that a Minister is handing over a memorandum to an artiste. So the demand should be considered. It is only when an artiste is in the lime light that the art and the public would benefit from it. Philanthropic activities and art can go together. Gopinath Muthukad is to magic like Sambasivan is to Kathaprasangam. Such an irreplaceable artist should not leave the world of magic, the Minister said.

In November 2021, Gopinath Muthukad had bid farewell to the magic scene, in order to focus on efforts to bring differently-abled people into the mainstream of the society and to be active in the activities of the Different Art Centre, which he started in Kazhakootam, Thiruvananthapuram.