Theatre is a remarkable medium of communication and has been an integral part of our human culture and society for decades. The recent years have seen a commendable growth in theatre. Creative thinking and innovation are abundant in today’s youth. Theatre, today, is not just a mode of expression, or a means of entertainment. It is a highly evolved form of art which ensures ‘learning through fun’.

‘Qadir Ali Baig Theatre Foundation’ based in Hyderabad, is a familiar a name to reckon with, the people of the city are exposed to finer nuances of theatre. Youngsters in the city actively participate in prominent theatre festivals like ‘Samahaara’ and ‘Saarang’, to name a few. A number of theatre groups have emerged in the city owing to the excess talent in the field. Shoelace Dramatics, D-Fir, Ingenium Dramatics, Dramanon, Jeunesse and Clockwork Dramatics are names of some of the eminent youth theatre groups in the city. “Having many theatre groups is the best thing that can happen. Each group has carved a niche for itself. They have each set their unique standards and don’t need to compare with each other,” says Mr. Vijay Marur, founder member of the Little Theatre Hyderabad, the Secunderabad Club Amateur Dramatics Society and the Torn Curtains.

'Alexander- Rising of the Great'. Credits : Pens Eve

Ingenium Dramatics, presented its second spectacular staging of ‘Alexander- Rising of the Great’ on Tuesday, February 2, 2010 at Ravindra Bharathi. The proceeds from the show were contributed to The Institute of Rural Health Studies (IRHS). The organization works towards the development of women and children living in the rural parts of India. The institution is headed by Ms. Pat Bidinger, who says, “I loved the play. It’s very impressive that young people are doing something out of the ordinary. A big ‘Thank You’ to Team Ingenium. IRHS is very grateful.”

Ingenium, in Italian stands for ‘talent’ and the group’s motto ‘Equipaggio Teatro’ means Team Theatre. This group of young theatre enthusiasts firmly believes in the importance of team work for the success of the show. Founded on July 4, 2008, by Natasha Chandra, Ingenium Dramatics has provided a unique platform for the city’s youth to explore their talents and present them for all to see.

Ingenium Dramatics has been delivering great performances since its inception. Its first splendid production, ‘Simba – The Lion King’ (August 2008) was followed by ‘Take Two- The Word Play and the Medley Musical’ (December 2008). ‘Alexander- Rising of the Great’ was staged for the first time in December 2009. The response was phenomenal, that Ingenium decided to present the second staging.

Young Alexander with his father, King Philip. Credits : Pens Eve

“Alexander was a challenging and fresh script. I say ‘fresh’ because no theatre group in Hyderabad has presented something like this. The experience during both its productions has been unique and special, as most of the cast and crew were different people”, says Amit Dasani, the Sound Director of Ingenium Dramatics.

The play traces the juvenile years of the life of Alexander, son of King Philip of Macedonia, Greece, who goes on to become the greatest conqueror, the world has known. Surrounded by deceit and hate, torn between his mother and father, Alexander learns that “Fortune Favours the Bold”. Alexander’s fate of greatness is sealed as he learns philosophy, history and geography from the Great Aristotle and the art of warfare from Master Maximus. The company of his loyal and devoted pals, Hephaistion and Ptolemy nourishes his personality. The assassination of King Philip paves the way to the throne for ‘Alexander the Great’.

Ingenium’s portrayal of the formative years of the life of Alexander is incredible. The play is written, directed and conceptualized by Natasha Chandra, a student of Film and Theatre from Queen Mary’s University of London. The cast and crew consists of about 40 youngsters, who fall under the age group of 9-25 years. The creative heads behind the success of the show were Assistant Director, Vichitra Chandra; Music Diretors Amit Dasani and Suhit Chirutapudi, Stage Managers Zainab Rangoonwala and Anurag Prasad, Light Coordinator Sankeerth Saradhi and Sound Coordinator Amit Dasani. Anurag Prasad had also taken care of the Art Work for Publicity. The show was sponsored by Concept Cosmetic Surgery Clinic, Flytech.

Alexander's 'tiff' with his mother, Queen Olympias. Credits : Pens Eve

“Alexander is an original script, written by Natasha Chandra. The response to the play has been very good, as Ingenium Dramatics is getting popular”, says Mr. K P Chandra, one of Ingenium’s patrons. Ingenium’s ‘Alexander- Rising of the Great’ has set standards for theatrical innovation in more ways than one. The actors portrayed their characters remarkably. “It matters not if someone is a good or a bad actor. If he is able to keep his inhibitions aside and come on-stage, it’s a great step”, feels Mr. Vijay Marur. Some theatre critics feel that the personalities of both, the protagonist as well as the antagonist are crucial in defining the audience’s reception of the play. The character of Alexander was played by three actors – Tanav Kesava, Anirudh Srinivas and Lalit Devraj, who did justice to their respective parts. The antagonist or the “villain” was Attalus, played by Radheshyam Pai, who poisons the King’s mind by flattery against his own son. The powerful characters of King Philip and Queen Olympias were played by Jerin Cherian and Neha Poddar respectively and acted their parts in earnest. They helped bring out the dilemma of Alexander, who is torn between his parents.

Background scores emphasize the tragedy or the joy of a scene. Keeping this in mind, the background scores for this play have been originally composed and designed by Suhit Chirutapudi, a qualified musician and Amit Dasani, a newly qualified sound engineering student. The background music during the soothsayer’s scene, when Queen Olympias is informed by the Soothsayer that her son Alexander will be remembered and loved by all, was successful in evoking anticipation among the audience. Dancers Sneha Shukla and Suhasini were very graceful and thrilled the audience with their performance.

Team Ingenium at practice. Credits : Pens Eve

The battle-scenes were well-choreographed with royal costumes, authentic jewellery and appropriate props. The back-stage crew did an efficient job during scene transition and the play went on smoothly. “As part of Ingenium Dramatics, we hope to take theatre to a new and professional level with this show producing colossal set designs, extravagant costumes, original music scores and of course cultivating and presenting the depth of talent that the youth of Hyderabad possess”, says Natasha Chandra.

“It was put forth in a nice manner and everyone did a wonderful job. However, either the background music was too loud or the actors too soft, some of the dialogues were unclear. Otherwise, it was very well presented,” feels Vrinda Mohan, a viewer.

“I haven’t been to events of this kind before and this is the first time for my son is performing”, says a proud Ms. Deepa, whose son was a soldier in the play. “It was a very good show and I’m happy that he’s used his time productively”, she adds.

“With remarkable team work and co-ordination, everyone did a brilliant job. The show was magnificent. But there’s always scope for improvement,” opines Ambika Sashittal, another viewer.

'Alexander- Rising of the Great' : Behind the scenes. Credits : Pens Eve

The young team of Ingenium Dramatics worked with a high degree of efficiency, making the show a grand success. The enthusiastic youngsters balanced academia with play practice, so as to put up a memorable show. They turned up for practice even during the days of Telangana agitation, with numerous bandhs and chaos in the city. Posters for publicity were put up in eminent public places such as Sangeet Sagar in Imax; Odyssey at Banjara Hills and Jubilee Hills; Almond House Banjara Hills and Landmark, Banjara Hills. There has been active online publicity done through social networking sites such as facebook, myspace and orkut. Event hosting sites such as fullhyd.com have been used to set up event listing for the play. A video clip serving as the trailer to the production has been uploaded on Youtube and is quite popular.

To create awareness about the play in the city, important characters of the play such as King Philip, Queen Olympias and her maids, Alexander and his friends – Hephaistion, Ptolemy and Kearchus and the royal guards interacted with the people at Hyderabad Central. Fully equipped with their costumes and weapons, they made a lasting impact on the people, with the result that the final show was enjoyed by all.

To know more about Ingenium Dramatics, log on to http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=21612108009&ref=

To know more about IRHS, log on to www.worldhealthindia.org

Music has always been something that has inspired millions and millions of people and the youth, today, seem to be the most “inspired” lot. Their mindsets are going through what we could call a transition period. More and more of them are picking up a musical instrument, much to the surprise of the people around who always anticipated that they would rather go for a cricket bat or a tennis racquet.

A group of four similar musically inclined youngsters, Tarun [Guitarist], Clarence[On Bass Guitar], Pratheek [On Rhythm Guitar and the Lead Vocalist] and Rohit[On Drums], from Loyola Academy, decided to form a band [Named Plug-In] after their success last November. Tarun says “Last year, Royal Challenge organized a musical competition where bands from all over the twin cities got to audition from their respective colleges. We got selected in that audition and got to play at Durgamcheruvu in front of huge crowds. That is probably when the thought of forming a proper band struck to us and we went ahead and did it.”

Plug-In- The Band. Credit: Inverted Frequency

Tarun-The Guitarist Credit: Inverted Frequency

Pratheek On Vocals And Rhythm Guitar Credit :Inverted Frequency

The summer of 2009 is when Plug-In got started by playing for an NGO called Just Change. As the year progressed they entered various competitions in different colleges like Vasavi and MVSR where they came first and second respectively and thus, began getting noticed by huge music loving crowds. Prateek, their lead vocalist and on Rhythm guitar, says “We play for the love and the passion we have for the music and it’s incredibly satisfying to see crowds backing us up every time we perform. Eventually, it’s the crowd and their response that keeps us going.”

What else keeps them going is their hardwork, dedication and the effort they put in to perfect every nuisance of rock music. Tarun says “We are all into a lot of rock music and my favourite rock band would be the Indian rock band, Junkyard Grove.” Ask the rest of the band members to pick one favourite rock band, and the reply is, “That’s as tough as taking a drop of water out of a huge ocean. We love them all.”

Rohit On Drums. Credit : Inverted Frequency

Clarence On Bass Guitar Credit:Inverted Frequency

Pratheek On Vocals And Rhythm Guitar Credit : Inverted Frequency

Came August 28^th, 2009, and Plug-In was all set to perform to a decent sized crowds in the classy interiors of Café Latte at Tirumalgiri. They performed for two hours and had the crowds on their feet throughout the performance. The evening saw youngsters from various colleges and areas flock to watch Plug-In perform as good as ever. Thanks to this show being a huge success, they came back to café latte on 18^th December to performance again, yet again to huge crowds who backed them up on every single song. Both these performances saw a few romantic numbers, a lot of rock and our very own desi rock in the form of two songs from Rock On. They performed Joker and the Thief by Wolf Mother, Take my life by Jeremy camp, Take cover by Mr. Big, Zombie by Cranberries, Open Car by Porcupine Tree, Leaving On A Jet Plane by John Denver, Killing In The Name Of by Rage Against The Machine, Alive by Pearl Jam, Rock On and Socha hai from Rock On, Alive by Pearl Jam, American Idiot by Green Day and A toute Le Monde by Megadeth. They also played Beat It by Micheal Jackson as a tribute to the legend. “It was great to see them pay a tribute to MJ. I loved their overall performance and the tribute was like a cherry on the cake .I also thought their Bass Guitarist, Clarence and their drummer, Rohit were really good. Plug-In as a band, have surely earned a fan in me.” says Prakash. Another fan, Pavan, says “I loved their style and the way they played music. I really loved the solo by Tarun and Joker and The Thief. I felt they were really amazing.” Sushmita says “For being band who have just started up, I thought they were really awesome. Their guitarist, Tarun, was really very good.”

They have shown great promise being one of the ‘upcoming bands’ and their passion for music will help them stay focused for many more electrifying performances. With the emerging rock scene at Hyderabad, Plug-In, with its huge success and the consequent unflinching crowd support, seem to be a band to watch out for. As for their next performance, catch them at Xtreme

Sports Bar on 23^rd December from 7 p.m. onwards playing alongside many more bands from across the twin cities.

“AIESEC is an organization that has been present since 1948. At AIESEC we work around socio-economic issues. Balakalakaar is an event which we do around the issue of child rights. And people who are studying and doing their under-graduation join and work for AIESEC” says Akhil Reddy, the president of AIESEC Hyderabad. Balakalakaar is one project that AIESEC Hyderabad has been doing since the year 2005. Here, children from different N.G.Os in and around Hyderabad are brought to the workshop. Balakalakaar 2009, held on 19^th December, conducted the workshop for over 2000 children.

The Artist within. Credit: Immortal Impressionist

The event began at 10:30 am with cultural programs by the children like dance performances where the children danced on a wide variety of songs – from classical south Indian to hit bollywood numbers. Besides the cultural performances there were entertainment programs like a magic/stunt show and a mimicry show too.

The president of the organizing committee for balakalakaar, Harshita Tallam says, “This year’s event is the most different compared to the last four years. All four years it has been just a painting workshop but this year we had juggling and mimicry and dances. It was really good to see the kids enjoy so much”.

And different it definitely was because the kids got to showcase more than just one form of art. One of the performances was actually a pyramid formation that was done by the children of Pudami Schools, supported by Dr. Reddy’s foundation.

Most importantly, the cultural programs helped the children unwind so that when the time came for drawing and painting they could let their imagination soar!

Their dancing ain't little. Credit: Immortal Impressionist

The most important thing is that this wasn’t the usual painting competition

where the winners would be given just a certificate and some random object as a prize. Kids bagging the first 25 positions would be professionally trained in the field of art by ‘Global Arts’ which is one of the sponsors of balakalakaar. The event was also sponsored by other big names like ‘Sujana’ and ‘APTDC’ with ‘Radio Mirchi’ as the radio partner.

Interestingly, balkalakaar got postponed this year due to all the agitation in the city. Bringing so many children to the venue which is set in one of the most sensitive locations in the city is definitely a matter of concern and because of all the disturbances even on the 19^th things got a little bit delayed, the program that was supposed to begin at 9:00 began at around 10:00 because of the transportation problems. But then where is the fun in organizing anything if there aren’t a few problems to solve?

But it was all for the kids and they definitely had fun. Anusha from MV Foundation says “ikadiki ochi chala baagundi. Program chusi maaku kuda dance cheyali anipinchindi. Ikada maaku ichina food kuda chalaa baagundi. Memu andaram drawing kuda baaga vesam”.

AIESEC Hyderabad. Credit: Immortal Impressionist

Another girl named Madhavi from CAP Foundation says “Dance super chesinru.ikada villu andaru baaga chuskunnaru. Malli vaste memu kuda dance chestam. Ivalanta ikkada chaala enjoy chesam”.

And its not just the children who appreciated the effort. Madhusree Vemuru, head partnerships and communications, Dr.Reddy’s foundation says “balkalakaar was very well organized. It clearly shows the strength of planning and execution among the AIESEC volunteers. We look forward to a long and varied association with AIESEC”.

The small things that we do add up to something major one day. The bags in which the children were given the stationary were made out of paper and not plastic. This way yet another message was passed on to the children.

All in all the entire event turned out to be a massive success and AIESEC Hyderabad showed what its capable of once it sets its goals.

Music and dance have always been appreciated to a much greater extent in India than painting or sketching. But lately painting has been drawing a lot of attention from the Indian people. It has slowly started achieving acclaim throughout our country and not just because of it being trendy. It is because of the intense emotion and originality that constitutes every painting. This is how painting becomes a terrific mode of expression.

Dancing girls. Credit: Immortal Impressionist

And this art can often be nurtured. There are a few painting institutes in Hyderabad that encourage painters of every age group. Siri Institute of Drawing and Painting at Himayathnagar run by the well known artist Shri Swamy is one of them. His unique style of painting and use of color has made him an icon and inspiration for many budding artists in Hyderabad.

Miss Jaya, one of the art instructors at Siri says, “Art is all about creativity and imagination. Lately I’ve seen that people are somehow being drawn to it. Even at the art exhibitions that are held by us, we see a very good response from the people and they really appreciate our work. The response of people from Hyderabad especially has been very good. But if considered as a profession, then nothing is guaranteed in the field of art. A person may be extremely talented but without the required financial back-up he may never get the name that he deserves”.  When asked what her favorite style of painting is she says, “I like paintings of the realistic (as it is) and abstract (simple) kind. Raja Ravi Varma is my favorite painter”.

“Art is emotion portrayed through colors. It is the outcome of emotion and it helps us connect to our inner-self”, says Nikita Shah a student at Siri. “I’ve seen people of Hyderabad enjoy the art exhibitions held here. But painting something requires a lot of patience and a person’s painting talks about his character”, she says. “My favorite painter is Jaya ma’am. I jus’ love the finishing that she gives to every painting of hers”, she adds.

Painting of a lady dreaming. Credit: Immortal Impressionist

Another student at Siri, Vijay Singh (name changed) says, “I love painting. It’s my passion. Education is definitely important but so is passion. Actually I think everything else is boring. I’ve seen that not many people are keen about painting. Though I’ve been to only one art exhibition in Hyderabad , I have not seen many people there. My favorite painters are Leonardo Da Vinci and Michelangelo”, says Vijay.

For those, who want to learn painting but don’t know where to go, here is the address:

Siri Painting Institute
Opposite Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanam
Liberty Road
Himayathnagar
Hyderabad
Phone Number – 919849419642

Scenic painting. Credit: Immortal Impressionist

Branch address:
Siri Painting Institute
Near Lotus Pond
Road No. 12, M.L.A Colony Banjara Hills
Hyderabad
Phone Number – 919949887211

Courses offered:
Oil painting – Seniors (above 20) Rs. 6000 per course
Oil painting – Juniors (20 and below) Rs. 5000 per course
Drawing – Above 5 yrs Rs. 2500 – Rs. 3000

Though painting has still not achieved as much glory and appreciation as it is destined to, it definitely has started leaving footprints for people to follow. And may we all live to see the day when it is universally acclaimed.

Theatre seems to be the new found expression of today’s youth. The enthralled audiences all around provide an easy evidence of this. One of the actors of the much acclaimed play, ‘Alexander – Rising of the Great’ expresses her passion with content. “Theatre to me is a platform for people to openly express themselves in any role or character possible and the stage is a place, where one experiments with different emotions even though he/she may not experience them personally”, opines Sana, who graduated from Villa Marie after completing her course in Mass communication and Journalism.

Apparently, the concept of commercial theatre started off five years back with ‘Magic of Creations’, of which the well-known theatre group Samahaara is a part. During the course of time, various workshops were conducted on the basis of a non-profit medium to expression and activity. Rathna Shekar Reddy, the director of Samahaara reveals, “The journey so far has been a captivating experience for everyone from the actors to the organizing members. When we though about it in the beginning, we focused to instill this art among the younger lot as they are the ones splurging with creativity and interest. When these kids come in, their friends and family would follow up as the audience. Thus, an entire society is here. If atleast one of them is serious about performing theatre and taking it up on full-time basis, it’s a great thing for us and our job is done”.

Finestra. Credit: Screed Hauteur

Breaking the norms of the society through the nerve of teenage grit can be easy to depict various social issues bothering the society. The ‘30 days of September’ was based on child molestation and the message came out clearly through the actors’ expression. More recently, AIESEC conducted the play, Finestra – Your Window to the WORLD, which was based on global warming. Seemingly, this forms a powerful medium of communication to convey a message to people. Silky Agarwal, a student of Loyola Academy, who acted in the ‘30 days of September’ says, “I joined Samahaara with a passion for acting. It tells you about your inner self and also through this, your message to the people is conveyed”.

Stage fear isn’t uncommon. Some prefer to work backstage and overcome this. But slowly, one tends to come out of it and set his/her heels for stage activity. Anupama Nayak, who has acted in the play, discloses that all her fears disappeared through her acting stint.

Amateur artists also strike a chord with the professionalism of the fast-growing theatre clubs. The youngest of the lot begin from high school to various graduation colleges. Nikita Garg, a second year student of Loyola Academy talks about her 11 month journey through the world of theatre. She being one of the core members, directed the 30 days of September. “It all started in February; we spoke to numerous theatre personalities and took advices on how to go about it. Although, some glitches crept in, we worked our way through it. Shalini Rao, a student of Samahaara, who is yet showcase her talent on stage gives out, “I think Alexander was an amazing play, considering that most of them were amateurs, everything from the performance, acoustics, stage settings were perfect”.

Also, it’s an easy platform to meet a whole lot of interesting people. Most of them look forward to the amount of diversity one is exposed to. “I learnt so much and the best part was that I met so many new people with varying personalities”, says Farina, who acted in Alexander.

Entering into this arena was easy for most of them as the workshops conducted were free and splurged of intense passion for the art. While most of them got into it through their friends, the auditions were always there. Faiz Rai, who played Aristotle, a final year student of Deccan engineering college affirms, “I got into it through my friends and for me, it’s a break from the studies and college”.

Anupama Nayak and Silky Agarwal. Credit: Screed Hauteur

Acting comes naturally to these youngsters. Credit: Screed Hauteur

The final accolades with everyone on the stage. Credit: Screed Hauteur

“Theatre is very much going to stay. Here it’s more about talent than physical attraction. Enough of bollywood, its high time we watch real action”, adds Suhas.

The rehearsals, the actors, the stage settings and presentation would leave a lasting impression in the eyes of the audience. If a play is realistic, involves emotional and interesting situations and conveys its message easily, then appreciating its various aspects would automatically follow up. “We will continue to conduct workshops and teach the essence of theatre to people”, adds Rathna Kumar Reddy. He envisions a day when people wouldn’t mind spending to watch a play rather than wait for a free pass. When an actor gets onto the stage, whatever happens there becomes a part of him/her. Role-playing makes one understand different personalities. It becomes a venture to provide a common platform for all the directors, actors, organizers and other members to meet, exchange views and interact with each other. Life flows through a legion across the stage, where all the actors are real and their feelings become the life of a play.

If interested, please visit: http://www.samahaara.com

“Child labour is a very alarming issue. Andhra Pradesh has the highest number of child labour cases in the southern part of India. After having interned here for a month, we don’t know if poverty is causing child labour or if lack of education sense amongst literates like us, is causing it. But yeah, one thing is evident that this organization has worked really hard to get close. The percentage of child labour has decreased by nearly 31%. That’s better, not good”, says Shalini Shravanthi, who interned with MVF for a month. MVF is located in a serene place, away from the sound and pollution of the city. RBC (resource bridge course) camp is what actually makes this one stand out in comparison to all the other NGOs working for the same cause. These RBC camps are for boys and girls, who hail from a background of being pushed into child labour, which is of about 14 kinds. In the early stages of their lives, where they were deprived of their rights – the right to get the education and the right to freedom of speech. These unfortunate kids are granted all these rights here. They are so well trained here that they sometimes even outperform the people they have envied working. This place was a blessing.

Children of section "A"; Credit: Shailaja

Another branch, in Nagole, is only for Boys. Here the children of all ages, who are victims of this evil because of their respective families. Most of the people in this camp are getting ready to progress in their life. To prove that they are not deprived of anything, that they are glad they are not living a half life. They don’t stay here as a regular hostlers but they are provided with the basic education, but again not like the regular school students, who have the threat of corporal punishments and home works. They are given their part of freedom. There has been a considerable amount of increase in the number students every year. Providing the right sense of education most of it done in the local language -Telugu. They are enlightened about the importance that education holds in life for a reasonable earning some years down the line. Here, children are from the age group of 7-16years. They are segregated on the basis of:

1. Age

2. Ability to learn

3. Dexterity.

There are basically two sections: “A” and “B”.

“I love it here. I am not afraid now. I know that I will become an army official sometime in 10 years”, smiles Vijay Kumar from of Turkapalli, A.P.

Mr. Saileshwar and his students; Credit: Shailaja

They have their daily sessions of classes, then a bit of games, followed by a bit of entertainment. A child, who is a part of the camp is very reluctant to go back to his ‘work’. Again, struggles have tested them a lot but now they don’t fear. They’ve taken the Gandhi giri path of enlightening people from the rural areas; most of them illiterates. “I’ve been with them for 12 years now. I came here as a child labour too. I am from a rural area. My association with this organization has changed my view on life and later I became a teacher here. Many people say things, its easy. but practically you’ll have to get down to this level of the students to know what it is to be one.  We are ready to face the truth and we expect the same from the others”, says Saileshwar, the Nagole camp in-charge and the teacher.

The visit is a bitter-sweet experience. While one is glad that these children are streamlined with proper training, one cant help feeling sad for them. Thus, LIFE is what one is blessed with, forget the dark past for a bright future lies ahead and just make the right choice by joining hands in fighting this social evil. If one finds this social evil, child labour being practiced, one should not hesitate to call 1098 or MVF-27700290/27801320. Cheers to life!

It was started by the vision of three students, who had a dream since their childhood to establish an organization, which can help the poor and the needy. They began with their mission invoking innocent smiles and established an organization under the title ‘New Life’ and managed to make a lot of members through the social networking site, Orkut. Currently, there are about 318 members in the community, out of which around 50 members are active, who help in every possible way they can by their donations. “We have provided 57 units of blood in emergency to the poor people. Thanks to all the donors for donating blood. Doctors always prefer fresh blood for easy survival, because blood cells are more active in fresh blood than in stored blood. Serving people is the only satisfaction to the human existence”, opines one of the moderators of the foundation.

“The main objectives of this wing are to help the students in their education, to provide nutritious food for the poor, to provide blood in emergency and to help physically handicapped people.  The members think that ‘If the poor cannot come for education, then education must reach them’. Education creates that thinking power in man, which brings a revolution in our society. It helps a lot to know our basic rights & duties and also it helps us in building an open mind. But it is reaching only to the rich and middle class people, where as the poor people are working as a child labors and begging on streets. Education should also reach to the poor people to lead there life better. So, NLF came to educate poor people by providing them quality of education”, says Vijay (name changed), one of the moderators of the organization. Blood donation and hunger are also the major aspects on which this organization focuses on. Hunger is a feeling experienced when one has a desire to eat. Hunger is the most extreme form of poverty. Several people die every day due to hunger or hunger-related causes.

The events that are conducted by the NLF foundation are helping all the orphanages, schools in various possible ways. The team started spreading its roots to the various centers in the city including the oldage homes with successfully completing total of  six events. The first event took place at Sri Sai Children’s Orphanage (Dwarakamayee Seva Samithi), where it shelters 45 children. The team  had provided dinner to all the children. The second event was on the New Year day at the Yamini foundation, a school for physically handicapped children, where the team members distributed chocolates and biscuits to the students and spent some time with them. “We were satisfied a lot by doing so”, says one of the members of the team. And the next event was conducted at care and love welfare society. “We have donated rice bags, oil, domestic goods, First Aid kits and some eatables”, says Adarsh (name changed). The next event was held in the month of July at the Sahaya’s home for orphans consisting of 16 children where they have celebrated the birthday of one of the volunteers of the organization. They donated clothes, food and games to the orphans.

The major event took place on 2nd of August, 2009 at Amanvedika Rainbow Home, an orphanage at Secunderabad, which shelters around 70 children, where the NLF team donated food (Annadhanam) to children. This event was conducted in the memory of Late Rama Laxmi (who expired on 22^nd July) and also on  the occasion  of  Friendship Day  &  Raksha Bandhan. Every one assembled at Jamai Osmania MMTS Railway Station by 11am and from there they went to the orphanage. Children at the home are cute and very innocent. They received the members, welcoming them by  singing songs. Later singing and dancing competitions were conducted to bring out their talent. Later the Annadanam program started with a lot of items and the team members tied Friendship Bands and Rakhis to all the children on the occasion of Friendship Day and Raksha Bandhan.The program ended with the distribution of chocolates and gifts to the winners. “The total atmosphere was full of Joy and happiness, we spent around 7 hours at the orphanage”, chirps Raja (name changed). The program was attended by Praveen, a close friend of Late Rama Laxmi.

Children at Dwarkamayee Seva Samiti. Credit: Vigilant Knight

Ramya (name changed),  a  BE student says, “I like to voluntarily work in a NGO because I feel along with making a career I do  have a responsibility towards the society too. If there is anyway in which I can make somebody’s life a little better, it would be a pleasure for me to do so. Every individual should come forward to help various such centers and let us together make it grow”. “In my life it has never been about what the NGO had… its just that intense feeling you get when you interact with the kids and as a adult you get a sense to life. I certainly cannot describe it, you got to feel it”, adds Vasanth Benjamin.

“Poverty is the root cause of all social evils and also restricts promising students to get education. We through this organization help to educate poor children, the government cannot bear the responsibility of educating numerous illiterate children and hence we help the poor children, who are close to poverty line or below poverty line”, admits one of the volunteers of the foundation. “Every month we collect a minimum amount from each of our members or through campaigning so that we can get funds to help several help age centers in the city”, adds Geeta (name changed). The details about the above foundation can be obtained from the website www.newlifefoundation.co.in

“Life’s most urgent question is:  what are you doing for others?” —Martin Luther King, Jr.

There are millions of children in India, who do not go to schools and many people across the country suffering from hunger or several other diseases, hence it is the duty of every individual to realize the responsibility towards the society and put the efforts to make such foundations successfully grow.

Initially, when Sadhana and Bharath put forward the idea of ’social service’ to their friends and classmates, they met with a mixed bag of reactions, none being very supportive. But their closest pals Harish, Pruthvi and Anil showed immense interest in the idea and encouraged them to seek the faculty’s advice. They approached Miss Prasanna Lakshmi of the English department, Mr.Ravinder Reddy and Mr.E.M Raju, professors of the Maths and Physics departments respectively. The lecturers welcomed the idea but also warned the students that the path was indeed a difficult one. The Secretary Mr.P.Purushottam Reddy and the Principal Mr. Uma Thankur appreciated the idea and assured them of any help at any moment.

Team Teaching 6th class Credits:DayDreamer

Bharath met the Mandal Education Officer (MEO) of Moinabad, who helped by giving them the list of schools in that mandal. After going through all the schools and the facilites they have, the Avashah team zeroed in on Venkatapur Zilla Parishad High School (ZPHS) which is 15 km away from college. The main aim was to take Personality Development Classes at this school and do it every Saturday.

With the permission of respective branch HOD’s they spread the information through out the college. This time around, the response was much better and in a short span Avashah had volunteers from all the branches. As the teaching staff wasn’t sufficient in the school, on the advice of Head Mistress, the team took classes in English, Maths, Physics and the other subjects rather than the personality development classes which they’d originally planned to take. Team Avashah had their first teaching session in December 2008 when they took classes from the 6^th standard to the 10^th in Telugu as the medium of instruction. From then, 5 to 6 volunteers go to school every week to take classes on a rotation basis.

Team sharing food with children at V.E.S Credits:DayDreamer

After two months, with the teaching wing working successfully, Avashah decided to extend the services to funding. Calling for a class representative’s meet in the college, the team announced the idea of ‘A Rupee a Day’ which would involve collecting a minimum of Rs 30 every month from each student. They donate the money thus collected to orphanages, blind schools and old age homes depending on the requirements of these places.

Effective campaigning on the funding program in the college by the Avashah team led to collection of more then Rs. 8,000 at the end of the first month, a strong gesture of support and appreciation from the students of VJIT. The team spent the amount on buying 100 kgs of Rice, 50 kgs of Dal, large size cooking utensils and ceiling fans for the Vagdevi Educational Society run by Mr. Yogeshwar in Yapral. The orphanage shelters around 40 students.

Official Inaguration of Avashah on 23rd March 2009 Credits:DayDreamer

Avashah was officially inaugurated on 23^rd March, 2009. Observing the excellent work done by Avashah (which is now registered) the Secretary of VJIT, Mr.Purushottam Reddy donated Rs.20, 000 to the organization as a token of encouragement. He wished that in ten years, Avashah would grow like a tree, spreading its branches over other schools and orphanages in the locality. The handing over the college level duties by the out going batch to the enthusiastic members of 4th years for its smooth functioning is just the step that Avashah needed to take to reach the vision that they have set for themselves.