Deepalaya - Enabling Self-Reliance

Recently 72 boys and 35 girls of the Transit Home, Gusbethi were taken on a picnic to Akshardham Mandir and Indraprastha Park on 28th June, 2008. For the children it was a welcome break from the regular summer activities. After a cup of tea and biscuits, the children left Gusbethi at 7:30 am and reached Akshardam Mandir after two hours. A quick breakfast later, they entered the temple and began admiring the architecture and the marvellous creations. The carvings were quite graphic with many animals and human beings, narrating various stories from our religious legends. A special lunch consisting of poori, vegetable curry, raitha and soft drinks was provided by Ms.Bimla Mehra, the sponsor of Master Sunil. Next, the children were taken to Indraprastha Park and they had a whale of time playing in the swings, slides and seesaws.

The day’s experience was quite memorable for the children. There were quite a few words of appreciation by children. Jitender, a 13 year old, exclaimed: ”Oh! What a gigantic temple! And so many stories depicted on stone.” Ravi, a student of Class VIII expressed himself thus: “Amazing! The temple is simply beautiful”. Pooja, a student of Class VIII said, “It is due to Deepalaya that I got the opportunity to see the Akshardam Mandir which is so famous.” On the trip back the children found the fancy buildings a source of wonder. In all, it was an immensely satisfying trip for them. Many of them said so and expressed their desire to have more such outings.

From our experience, we know that it is not the lack of material things but rather the emotional deprivation and lack of love and affection that withers away the young child. And if the child is from a deprived background and has had a traumatic life, one needs to be all the more sensitive to the child. Trips like the above mean much to our children. Apart from the boarding and lodging facilities that we provide, the children at Transit Home need a lot of encouragement and opportunities for enjoyable learning to sustain themselves. We could provide the children with the above experience as some individuals and corporates had generously contributed. We invite more of you to come forward and give these children memorable occasions to cherish.