Mangaluru: A speech- and hearing-impaired student from SDM Mangala Jyothi Integrated School created a heart-warming and joyous moment at Aloy Quiz-Whiz 2026 by flawlessly enacting Shah Rukh Khan’s iconic ‘open arms’ pose during the Charades round. The gesture drew spontaneous cheers from the audience, who were delighted by the student’s confidence and expressiveness.The moment turned truly celebratory as the student’s teammates instantly identified the clue, making it a perfect example of communication beyond words. The quiz held on Sunday celebrated diversity, with each 10-member team comprising a visually impaired student, a speech-or hearing-impaired student, one govt school student and two from private schools. The rounds were inclusively designed, featuring Charades for gestures, Braille challenges for the visually impaired, and Kannada quizzes to honour local roots.Other cues included Rani of Jhansi and footballer Cristiano Ronaldo’s iconic ‘Siiuuu’ celebration pose. Following the Charades round, a Kannada quiz was held to engage students from govt schools. Organisers said team members who knew Kannada translated the questions for others, encouraging teamwork and coordination. This was followed by a Braille quiz.Neil Rodrigues, event coordinator, said a total of 62 children participated, comprising 10 teams. Three teams from each of the two semi-finals qualified for the final. “In the final, we earlier announced five rounds but kept the sixth round as a suspense one. The suspense round is unique, with clues presented in both Charades and Braille formats, requiring participants to guess the answer,” he added.Rodrigues said the quiz stood out for its inclusive approach, bringing together specially-abled children and others as equal participants. Unlike conventional quizzes that focus only on knowledge, this event emphasised inclusivity and teamwork, encouraging children to overcome natural barriers and work together. He said the twin objectives were to highlight the capabilities of specially-abled children, demonstrating that they are on par with others in an inclusive setting, and to sensitise young participants to differences, helping them interact confidently and without hesitation with differently abled people in the future.Winners: Arya, Roman and Catherine Lobo School; U Ameena Nidha, SDM Mangalajyothi Integrated School; Avika Joshi, St Aloysius Gonzaga School; Vishnu Dev Panday, St Aloysius Gonzaga School; and Dilip LD – DKZPHP School, Kapikad.
