There is no greater pleasure than to bring a smile on the face of a child. With this objective, students of International Management Institute [IMI], New Delhi spent the Children’s Day with the children at two of Smile Foundation projects. They chose two projects namely Nai Disha Free Education Society in NOIDA and Action for Autism, New Delhi.

The project with Nai Disha caters to around 500 under-privileged children with educational and health care support. The other project with Action for Autism works for children with Autism, a rare disorder.

The students narrate their experience in their own way for each of the projects –

Nai Disha – New Path for Under-privileged Children through Education

It all started with an introductory interaction with the students. Teams of four student volunteers went to each of the classes and familiarized themselves with the students. Various activities like singing and dancing, caricature and other games were organized independently in the classes. Then students were taken outside to participate in various games specially designed keeping in mind their age and the class in which they study.

In the mean period we also distributed gifts among the students which included-:

1) Five Star chocolates

2) Sketch pens

After the outdoor activities we all assembled at one place to end the day with a musical performance. The performance was highly acknowledged by the students and was the perfect ending to the day.

When we were about to leave the place, it was emotions that was flowing everywhere around. We shared our contact numbers with those children and left the place with an assurance to them that we will soon get back to meet them once again.

This experience was first of its kind to all of us and it indeed was a memorable one. Since the time we entered the project site to the time we left it we were all spellbound by the amount of happiness we could bring to those smart, intelligent and extremely naughty children. Some of their toothless smiles were priceless.

1) Richa Saraswat
2) Yashi Srivastava
3) Tarunpreet Singh
4) Urwashi Priyadarshini
5) Mohit Sharma
6) Amit Barui
7) Rakesh Sureka
8) Medha Bahl
9) Richa Thakur
10) Karan Makhania
11) Shashank Tyagi
12) Isha Goel
13) Ananta Baheti
14) Megha Nagpal
15) Varun
16) Shilpa Gogia
17) Gauran
18) Sharad Johari
21) Raghwendra Singh

Action for Special Children with Autism

Fourteenth of November, 2006, Children’s Day, will be etched in the memory of the select group of students of PGPHR, IMI, who were privileged enough to get the opportunity to visit OPEN DOOR, abode to the unsung angels of society, a school for taking care and grooming Autistic children.

Autism is a mental disability in which the person has impairment in the social uses of language, social understanding and imagination. It is often mistaken as mental retardation but an autistic person is like a normal human being with the aforementioned symptoms. In India, one in every 250 people has certain degree of autism, but the awareness about it is abysmally low. Action for Autism, under the aegis of which Open Door is being run, is an initiative taken to spread awareness about autism, apart from carrying out research into deciphering the psychology of the autistic, and running pedagogical programs to train the prospective faculty for the grooming of the autistic.

The select group of students included Jasmine Aulakh, Manas Adhar, Medha Behl, Sidharth Vashisht, Tanuja Parashar and Tanvi Aggarwal. In the sprawling lawns of the school, we performed a diverse mix of songs, tempting the audience to tap their foot and sing along. It was a pleasing sight to watch the children charging on to us, in sheer innocence, trying to pluck a string or two of the guitar and snatching the mike to sing in their own unbeatable way. After the performance, we got to interact with the faculty and the children, which was quite a knowledgeable experience.

The atmosphere was simply electric and we savored every moment of it, watching the kids running around, playing pranks on each other, brimming with innocence. Their feelings, expressions and smiles were well captured by Anjali Sinha, IMI’s media coordinator, in her camera, who was also present there. With the serving of snacks, the function came to a close. We were gifted items crafted by the unsung angels as we were leaving, but more than that, we think, they gifted us their love and warmth, making us realize that there are some things in life which hold more worth than anything else, and this is the least we could do to try to live up to that worth. We left the boundary of Open Door with a desire to associate ourselves with the kids in whatever way we can, and we look forward to visit them often. Indeed, it’s an honor for us.

“There was singing, dancing, caricature and other games like musical chair were organized independently in the different classes. We have organised an antakshri and asked the kids to sing. Some of them really sing well. It was the wonderful experience,” says Megha Nagpal, one of the IMI students.

After a session of entertainment, children were explained about the significance of the Occasion in the form of discussion. After class communication, children were taken outside to participate in various games specially designed by Management students, keeping in mind their age and the class in which they study.

“We also danced with the children. It was the rollicking time. I enjoyed a lot,” says Manas Adhar. After the outdoor activities all of them assembled at one place and the IMI band performed on different film songs. The whole environment became musical and the children acknowledged the performance the students were disappointed when we were about to leave and their affection was overwhelming. At the end, chocolates and sketch pens were distributed among the children.

“It was the experience of its kind for us and it indeed was a memorable day for every one,” Says Deepak Agarwal, student of IMI.

“Since the time we entered the school building to the time we left it we were all spellbound by the amount of happiness we could bring to those smart, intelligent and extremely naughty children,” says Raghvendra Singh, another student.