'AASHAYEIN' - Spreading Hope..

Aashayein is an event organized by Team Antar (CSR committee of FSM), in association with Salaam Baalak Trust. 12 members of Team Antar, along with a 40+ volunteers from our college visited DMRC Shelter Home near Tis Hazari Metro station on 21^st October 2012. In a daylong event, they interacted with the kids, organized competitions, dined together and had a memorable time.

“It didn’t take much time to wash off the paint from our faces after the face painting competition, but a happy tinge will always be there…,” one of the volunteers said after getting back from Salaam Baalak Trust.

Volunteers from FORE with the young kids after Face Painting Competition

How much does a smile cost? Just another smile. This idea is epitomized in a day, and this is the idea Aashayein is based upon- to make one day in a child’s life special. The students took a day out for the kids and every minute of it was made worthwhile as they witnessed the hidden talents and the creative streak the kids had. They not only did just good; they excelled in the all the competitions- painting, face painting, balloon competition, paper dance, interactive quiz, Tambola and of course, cricket. Face painting made the thought of putting on make-up before a Saturday night-out bland and dull. In Painting competition, the kids showed how to apply thoughts instead of colours and during the quiz, one could easily have spotted 2 or 3 Derek O’Briens among them. In a nutshell, the games everyone played were not competitive, they were spirited.

Kids share smiles with the volunteers

Afterwards, everyone had lunch together. Lunch was served by the Team members and the volunteers. The kids interacted with everyone, told them little anecdotes from their eventful lives, stories so frivolously told yet so deeply and beautiful. Then, a documentary was shown to the kids to make them understand the importance of education and its role in their future lives, how it will shape the days to come and how it will be the only power they can wield to show the world that it is not the luck but the will of a person which takes one ahead in the race.