Clowns cheer up young patients at Bangalore hospital

BANGALORE - A group of four persons including a doctor spare their free time and dress themselves up as clowns to visit the children’s ward at different hospitals in Bangalore.

Named Doctor Clown Group, these volunteers led by Dr, Mili Jelan, a physician, have taken up this ‘assignment’ of amusing the tiny patients on a serious note with an aim to divert attention of the young ones from their illness.

By turns they have been making rounds of various hospitals and literally ‘de-stressing’ the in-patient children to a great extent as normally children dread doctors, detest medicines and above all endure the pains of sickness.

Dr. Mili Jelan has termed this as distraction therapy and says it ushers a good amount of relief to the child.

“It’s like a distraction therapy where we change the mood in the ward for a little while. It takes the children, their parents and even those who are attending to the patients….it take their mind off the illness for a little while,” said Dr. Jelan.

Parents are elated to see their children forget the pain and illness with a hearty chuckle and say this initiative of the four-member laughing brigade deserves all encouragement.

“I think it’s a good concept of making the kids to forget their pain and also make them very happy. It seems they have been coming every week. I am very happy for them to come every week here and make the kids happy,” said Geeta, mother of a patient.

The concept of Doctor Clown was started in France in year 2004. Incidentally, one of the members of that group came to Bangalore and started workshops for the same.

The clowns are not professionals but volunteers from different fields and they have learnt the art of making the world laugh, courtesy the workshop conducted by one of the Doctor Clowns in Bangalore. (ANI)