Deepalaya - Enabling Self-Reliance

Students of different Schools of Deepalaya celebrated Children’s Day with lots of fun and frolic. Numerous activities on the floor kept them busy and brought a vivid learning experience.

Childhood is about innocence and playfulness. It is about joy and freedom. Children’s Day is celebrated universally on November 20th every year. The day is about giving children the right to enjoy and grow into healthy and educated citizens of the country. In India Children’s Day is celebrated on November 14th every year. On the day falls Pandit Nehru’s birthday which is a celebration of childhood. It is a tribute to Nehruji’s love for children.

Children excitedly thronged their School premises to participate in the numerous activities being organized in the various locations of the Deepalaya Schools.

Some of the interesting one’s are-

BOLLYWOOD FAME RAVEENA MOTIVATES CHILDREN

The launch of the book ‘The Girl Child’ written by the renowned Princess R. Laxman on Children’s Day at New Delhi was an exciting evening for the students of Deepalaya as they interacted with Bollywood star Raveena Tandon who had come to witness the song and dance performance of the girls from Kalkaji School. The audience showed its appreciation of the high level of performances of the girls and joined in by tapping their feet. Princess R. Laxman said that the fact that Deepalaya is genuine immediately made her decide that Deepalaya would be a part of the book launch. Raveena Tandon was much impressed by the cultural performance of the Deepalaya girls and felt that society has to accord more importance to the girls.

NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON CHILD RIGHTS

The newly constituted National Commission for Protection of Child Rights held a National Conference on Child Rights on the 20th November, the International Child Rights Day. The distinguished speakers included Smt Sonia Gandhi, Chairperson, UPA, Smt. Renuka Choudhary, Minister of Women and Child Welfare, Dr. Shanta Sinha, Chairperson of NCPCR and Shri Oscar Fernandes, Minister of Labour and Employment. In the second session the presenters were exclusively children. Deepalaya School, Sanjay Colony staged an English skit ‘Miss Beam’s School’, the only English presentation from the children of the nine NGOs that participated. Also a seminar was held on the theme ‘Children Rights to Survival, Development, Education, Care and Protection’. Speakers included Shri. Muchkund Dubey, Dr. Kiran Bedi, Swami Agnivesh, Shri. Abhijit Sen and Ms. Prema Cariappa. Shri. P Chidambaram, the Finance Minister, in his valedictory address pointed out how the right talent should be chosen for the correct implementation of policies at various levels.

DEEPALAYA’S CHILDREN COME FIRST

As part of its activities in encouraging talented youth, Jamia Milia conducted the Inter School Disability Cultural Competition on its Foundation Day. A painting competition was followed by cultural activities for children with disabilities. Eight hearing-impaired beneficiaries from Deepalaya, South Delhi project presented a play titled ‘To empower differently able people’. Deepalaya children won the first prize from among the ten NGOs that had participated.

STOCKTAKING ON THE RIGHTS OF CHILDREN

The Indian Alliance for Child Rights (IACR) conducted a Child Rights stock taking meeting on the Children’s Day and covered two issues. The first dealt with what the children actually needed. The second looked at the changes that have been brought into children’s lives in the last five years. In the first session the children expressed their actual needs as clean water and environment, continuous supply of electricity, good study materials, safety & security and the like. In the second session, Ms. Razia Ismail, Convener IACR, spoke on Child Rights following which there was an interactive session. 24 children of Deepalaya School, Sanjay Colony actively took part in the discussion and expressed their opinions forcefully.

KIDS CARNIVAL BY MARUTI UDYOG LIMITED

Maruti Udyog celebrated Children’s Day with hundreds of children at Children’s Park. There were children from 45 Schools of Delhi participating in various games and feasts organized by the corporate. Deepalaya children won many prizes in different games and competitions. It was a full day treat for Deepalaya students.

A THOUGHT: Instead of celebrating Children’s Day with pomposity in schools, clubs and hotels, why not bring a difference into the lives of children who are underprivileged. To celebrate the spirit of childhood you can sponsor the education of an underprivileged child or befriend these kids and celebrate some special moments of life with them.

God Bless all KIDS!!