Joyfest is a nationwide movement aimed at spending time with the underprivileged
and raising funds for them. The Joy of Giving Week was
held this year from September 26 to October 2 during which the occasion
of Gandhi Jayanthi' falls. This is the first time such a major
event was being held all over the country. JOYFEST brings together
the youth of India as a part of the Joy of Giving Week. The Joy of
Giving Week has been conceptualized by GiveIndia, an NGO, India's
largest philanthropy exchange, in order to bring together, people
from all walks of life to help the poor and the underprivileged. Mainly,
it involves the aspects of giving to the less fortunate and sharing
a part of our lives with them. It is a festival of philanthropy'
to show our concern to the lesser privileged lot.
Joyfest
was observed by 300 colleges, youth clubs and rotract clubs throughout
India. The colleges could participate in Joyfest by donating books,
clothes, stationery, bicycles, shoes, toys etc. They could also
invite the underprivileged to their institution to sing, dance and
play with them.
The Social Endeavour Group of TAPMI believes that the youth of India
should take the initiative to sensitize people on the issues/problems
faced by the underprivileged. The basic idea was to involve the
management students of TAPMI in teaching orphan children dance,
music, arts and craft in campus and finally organize an event showcasing
their talent on Oct 2, 2010.
The
Social Endeavour Group worked in close association with the cultural
committees such as ChoreoCom, MusicCom and Arts Committee. A total
of 21 volunteers had shown interest in teaching the children dance,
music, arts and craft. The volunteers were divided into three groups,
4 for singing, 7 for painting and 10 for dancing.
After getting permission from Balniketan for bringing the children
to TAPMI campus, two buses were arranged for the transportation
of the forty children and two of their representatives through TAPMI
administration and Mr. Nayak. Snacks and a milk drink were arranged
for the children and Balniketan representatives. Tea/Coffee and
snacks was arranged for the volunteers.
The
children from Shri Krishna Balniketan were brought to the campus
and were taught painting, craft, dancing and singing by the volunteers.
The children were brought in for 4 days starting from 27th September
2010 from 6 PM to 8 PM. The first day was spent in building a rapport
and understanding the capabilities and the potential of the children.
The enthusiasm displayed by the volunteers of TAPMI in teaching
the children was commendable. The objective of spreading joy among
the lesser privileged was served very well as the children showed
great enthusiasm to learn dance, music and painting.
Language didn't seem to be a barrier as the children were able to
emulate and follow the instructions via gestures. Further, there
were some Kannada/ Tulu speaking volunteers who helped with the
translation. By the end of the first day, a great bonding had been
formed between the mentor and his/her wards and the kids ended the
day with snacks and watching cartoons at TAPMI cafeteria. For the
TAPMI students, this was another chance to relive their childhood
as the children brought so much of vibrancy, freshness and happiness
to TAPMI campus. After 4 days of practice, a final rehearsal with
costumes and props was done on October 1st at the MIT auditorium.
The
media release in newspapers such as The Hindu, Deccan Herald and
on some websites and facebook was taken care of by TAPMI's PR agency,
K2 Communications and by the Media and Industry Relations Committee
(MIRC) of TAPMI. Collection boxes for raising funds, was placed
at 10 collection centres (mostly restaurants) in Manipal.
The
grand finale of JoyFest Week 2010' was held in the MIT Auditorium
on 2nd October. The children from Shri Krishna Balniketan, who had
brought so much life into the TAPMI campus the entire week, showcased
their talent that day. The beautiful paintings, craft work and flowers
made by the kids were displayed on the notice board outside the
auditorium.
The
event began with the Chief Guest, Mr. G. Shankar addressing the
gathering, and thanking the students of TAPMI for taking their time
out to enjoy the company of the kids. What followed was a fabulous
display of talent and enthusiasm from the kids, each of whom were
personally mentored by the students of TAPMI. Be it the scintillating
dance performance by the children of Balniketan, or the awe-inspiring
dances by the aurally challenged children or the music performance,
managed to catch the attention of the spectators. The audience was
completely moved by the performance of the orphan children and by
the children from Vagjyoti School for deaf, dumb and mentally challenged.
The
evening ended with Mr. G.Shankar donating Rs. 10000 to Sri Krishna
Balniketan orphanage. It was one day where we all sat down and thought
about all the blessings that God has given us, and how a small act
of kindness can bring about a festival of joy and happiness to so
many people who are deprived of it.
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