-(In Dubai's Burj Khalifa- Tallest Building in the World)	“Deepalaya is one such organization that guides the needy from darkness to light,” said the 24 year old Pradeep Kumar who felt like god’s favorite child after his trip all the way to Dubai last week. This was the first time in fourteen years that he was meeting his sponsor parent.
With the glint in his eyes, Pradeep described his trip sponsored by his sponsor parent without a break.

-(Pradeep with his Sponsor parent in Dubai)	He was fascinated by the tall buildings, cleanliness and beauty of the place, but the thing that touched him to the core was the art and creativity that he witnessed in Dubai. “It was a city of Dreams and I have come back with a lot of new ideas which
I will experiment here in India,” said the future graphic designer who is pursuing a course in Animation from Picasso Animation College supported by Deepalaya.

- (During his Schooling at Deepalaya)

Life was not that easy and fun-filled for him as it seems. With a family of six which didn’t have money to let the children learn even the basic rhymes forget about the laws of Newton; Pradeep, once a shy guy started opening up at an early age when he started distributing newspapers in the 9th standard to join hands with his father who was the single earning member.

The family’s heart beat almost stopped when his father met with an accident and till date is struggling to walk. But this incident did not let him break his dreams. He said, “I just want to concentrate on my art and I know fame and money will follow. But yes, with my father bed-ridden I would be doing a part- time job and as soon as my animation course completes, I would go ahead with my dreams.” The organization continued to support him even after his schooling got over at Deepalaya.

He had been a topper thrice during his schooling at Deepalaya School, Sanjay Colony and was awarded the Best Player in Sports too. Sketching and painting were one his latent talents which were explored by Deepalaya and he is thankful to the organization for doing that. “One day I will too sponsor a child from Deepalaya because this organization works hard to help the underprivileged,” said the emotional yet confident Pradeep.

Send Feedback to pooja@deepalaya.org
By- Pooja Sikka, Officer- Communications

“Nothing can stop you from playing your part; As long as you dare to believe;
too many people hold themselves back
when they should be reaching out”
A group of Deepalaya students attending the English Access Micro- Scholarship program sponsored by the American Embassy sung this song during the talent show at Deepalaya School, Kalkaji Extension last month with brimming zeal and enthusiasm which touched many hearts. The song became even more powerful when the music teacher joined the students on the stage.
The day had the children showcasing their latent talents. It was a completely different experience for Anil Singh, a father who after witnessing his son’s dance performance with full confidence said, “I am proud of my son and till date I wasn’t aware that he had this talent in him.”
The songs and the dances had a tinge of unity in diversity present in the school, with the students coming from across India. “Hum Bengali… hum Punjabi… gujrati…madrasi…lekin sabse pehle hum bharatwasi” was the song that a group of tiny-tots echoed.
Not just colorful dance performances, melodious songs, informative and entertaining skits, but there was also a presentation of the art and crafts outside the School’s auditorium made by the students during the summer camp. “It was indeed a learning cum enjoyable experience during the summer camp,” said one of the students at the program.
Addressing the parents on the D-day and talking about the importance of latent talent, Rtn T.K. Mathew said “the children have tried their level best today to bring out their latent talents. We believe in identifying the hidden talent among the children and bringing it out.” He said that, “it is not necessary that every child would be good in studies, rather he or she can be an excellent dancer or a singer or a good sports person; the idea is to identify his or her strength and bringing it out. Looking at the presentations I hope every parent is proud of their child today.” The principal, Ms. Anita Sawhney added that, “the children are the future of the country and we need the support of their parents to bring out their overall development. The parents should help the child to devise time between their studies and extra- curricular.”
In spite of the scorching heat, there was a glimpse of happiness and satisfaction on the faces of the parents who had taken out time to witness and encourage their child.
Send feedback to pooja@deepalaya.org
By-Pooja Sikka, Officer- Communications