Being in the city for two years, there were times I would really wonder where my kind of people were. The cliché that college is the time you find your friends for life never really worked for me. Apart from the three of my best friends and my roomies who tolerated me, I really wished that I could get a bunch of people who genuinely have something in common with me. Then I joined Bhumi. On 15 August, we were invited to Bhumi Blast, a get-together to celebrate India’s Independence Day and Bhumi’s birthday (this year being our fourth, yay!). Walking into Youth Hostel, I was like – Whoa . . . Is this going to be one more crowd I wouldn’t fit into again? And man, these guys proved me wrong!!

First thing I did was search for people I knew . . . Uma? Aruna? Where are you guys? Yet everywhere I turned, I saw a friendly smile. Almost saying Hey, you made it! Awesome! Something I needed to get used to… Meanwhile, the entertainment had already begun. People were singing popular tracks of the era, out of which I knew only a few I wasn’t the least bothered whether or not I knew the song or that I sang in a horribly accented Tamil but I joined in

Games followed through splitting us into groups. Vaishnavi, Uma and Nandini tried to get us to introduce ourselves to each other. Playing catch that dragon’s tail, pick that coin blindfolded to a simple game of chain tag to finally a dance-athon, the atmosphere went back to when we were a bunch of 4-year olds

Next moment, we were settling down for the award ceremony (fancy, right!). “While each and every volunteer strives to make a change, these people were the most outstanding Changemakers and Torchbearers who made us the proudest” as Prahalathan aka Doc put it. It was an odd realisation that people went all out of their way travelling long hours putting their heart and souls into Bhumi to actually materialise our vision Change Today . . .Change Tomorrow. Seeing that pretty crystal trophy in their hands I am pretty sure a mental note was made in all those minds in that audience to be the next Changemaker or the Torchbearer

Through the fun, emotional and inspirational thank-you speeches, someone started yelling, “When’s lunch?” Coping with the restless crowd, paper plates were handed over in all directions. Serving of a really delicious spread of lunch began. And it was obvious that the smile percentage of the crowd, which was already a 100% increased by another 30%. Slowly small groups started forming interactions between the new, the old and the in-between (based on how long they have been in the organisation, not age folks! ), teasing, laughing and chatting like peas in a pod. And oh, the delicious chocolate truffle from Winners Bakery lit us up a lot more!

Bhumi had its blast in every way possible. I’d like to mention here the congratulation bumps given to all the awardees – a blast it was! For those who missed it, you have some catching up to do!! Till the next time, don’t stop believing…

By the way, I am Madonna, your blogaddict.

PS: In case I missed anything (I am pretty close to being certified as a candidate of amnesia) or if you want to mention your side of the story, fill those comment boxes.

More pictures at:

In September 2009, one of my friends informed me about the Teach India campaign by the Times of India which gave an opportunity for socially conscious minds to join various NGOs. Given many options, I decided to enroll myself as a volunteer of Bhumi.

At Bhumi’s orientation, I chose to volunteer for the Little Einsteins project. However, I was still looking for a centre near Anna Nagar to teach as I found it difficult to go to Karpagavalli Vidyalaya at Mylapore.  It was then I noticed Naveen’s request for volunteers to teach Classes X and XII children who were set to take their board exams in March 2009. I pinged him immediately to grab the opportunity, and that’s how it all started

The next day I went to Indian Council for Child Welfare at Shenoy Nagar. It struck me then, that most of us do not realise that there are many people in this world who need help!

It was a windy evening, when I got introduced to the children as a new volunteer from Bhumi. Thirumalai, Sabapathy, Muni, Dheepan Raj and others were happy that they had a new person to teach them their subjects. I realised the huge responsibility given to me once I had a chat with them.  I came to know that the coaching these children received in their respective schools was not up to the mark. Naveen had stressed that the coaching given by the volunteers is much more important than what they get at school. At that point, I decided to put in my best to help these children clear their board exams. Although, I found it difficult to manage some of them in the early stages, we all got together as the clock ticked.

Muni from the 12th grade had always impressed me with his questions and his performance in the surprise tests I conducted for them. Our relationship got stronger with time. With the exams nearing, I promised to take my children to an IPL match if they scored well in their model and board exams. Even though the IPL visit never happened, we always had fun during the sessions. I wanted all of them to pass their exams, as some of them were scoring just above the pass mark in their model exams. Once their exams were over, when I asked Muni about his further plans, he told me that he wanted to become a mechanical engineer. Frankly, I was so surprised at his confidence. My prayers were answered with all of them clearing the exams!! After the results were declared, some of them kept in touch with me; enquiring about engineering and polytechnic college admissions.

Sitting together the day before his engineering counselling, I gave him some suggestions on the colleges he could opt during the counselling session. I thank the almighty again for providing this child with an admission into one of his preferred colleges and stream. Four years from now, 2014 – you can expect a focused and meticulous mechanical engineer graduating from Anna University. I feel so happy for Muni, and I am extremely proud of his accomplishments.

But more importantly, I feel that the time has come for all of us TO GIVE BACK and change lives in our own way!!!

- Madanish Kanna

On a Saturday morning, Mallieswaran, Prakash and I landed up at Manjakollai, a calm and beautiful village near Nagapattinam, 350 kms away from Chennai. It was not a weekend getaway trip to escape our mundane city-life routines. We were there to teach computers to a highly excited bunch of children at Kumaran High School. When we entered the classroom, we were warmly greeted by around 25 children, their eyes expressing the eagerness to learn. But then we were a little shocked to see six or seven teachers including the headmaster of the school sitting behind the children and getting ready for our class.

We divided the children into teams of five each and asked them to present a few points about things they had learned in the past. We were amazed to see the points they recollected. Soon, the fun started. The atmosphere changed from a typical classroom setup to a lively and cheerful one. Benches were pushed to the corners and the perplexed-looking teachers joined the children to have a nice time playing the games we conducted.

After the fun, we went on to teach MS Word as planned for the day using two desktops and two laptops. We completely enjoyed the teaching experience because the children were grasping everything they heard, despite it being their first session with us. We gave the children small tasks on each topic we taught and ensured each child was able to perform them individually on the computer. We mixed some game sessions in between, and we were able to see the children enjoying the class.

To our astonishment, the children were not even ready to go for lunch. The interest shown by the children was at its peak in the post-lunch session when we taught them how to format the documents they created. Finally, we decided to wind up the class around 4 pm. By the time, the children were in a position to edit and format documents comfortably. At the end of the day, we felt exhausted but had no words to explain the happiness and satisfaction we gained. The children and teachers were saying that this was undoubtedly the best Kanini class taken there.

Those who are wondering why Kaninians were suddenly seen teaching at Nagapatinam, there is a small background story you need to know. Viruthachalam aka Rajesh of Manjakollai village, now working in Chennai, has been instrumental in bringing computer education to children of his school and village. He and his father are managing the government-aided Kumaran High School. Like us, he firmly believes that computer education can change the lives of children like this. After coming to know about Bhumi’s Kanini, he contacted our team to get computer education started at his school. As Bhumi doesn’t have volunteers there at present, Kanini team promised full backend support by sharing the syllabus and the materials. As per Virutha’s request, we visited the school and took a model class of Kanini to give the teachers and few volunteers there an idea of how they can go about taking Kanini classes in the future. Due to the lack of local volunteers, few of Virutha’s colleagues and friends are going from Chennai and taking classes in the weekends at this school. Hats off to their efforts!

Every Bhumian is a changemaker, on Bhumi’s fourth birthday, 15 August ’10 we recognised the most outstanding changemakers for 2009-2010. Every Bhumian is a Torchbearer too, but, there are an exceptional few who make every Bhumians extremely proud – those who have and continue to take the Bhumi flame higher and higher, Bhumi’s torchbearers of 2009 – 2010.

1. Joined Bhumi in 2008 at our very first orientation
2. An incredible teacher who is envied for her class control, and admired for her weekly lesson plans
3. A helpful mentor who shares great inputs with her team
4. Has also been playing an extensive role in bringing in new volunteers from colleges and companies across the city
5. Through her contribution for the Information Desk team at Siragugal 2009 and 2010, her skills and efficiency to handle tense situations and fire fight unexpected issues were made evident
6. An ideal MAD volunteer and team player. Ensures pre and post class interaction with her counterpart, and ends every class spending time at CCD, Pallavakkam with her team!

Coffee addict, Aruna Muthusamy – You’re amazing! We salute the teacher in you. We salute your spirit to do more, despite busy schedules at work. We wish you the very best for your future endeavours – which includes marriage too!!

1. Even though she joined Bhumi in 2009, she has been working from behind the scenes right from 2007.
2. Incredibly versatile, her experiences in teaching have added great value and inputs to MAD this year, as both a mentor and a trainer.
3. The rapport she shares with her counterpart from the other batch MUST be every volunteer’s take away this year.
4. A supercalifragilisticexpialidocious designer; She has contributed IMMENSELY to Bhumi’s kitty.
5. Her work in Siragugal 2009 and 2010 as an event coordinator, and an information desk manager were par excellence.
6. Her thoughtful ideas for games at orientations and gatherings have helped us tremendously.

Jabber mouth, Meenakshi Nandhini – We are blessed to have you!! We salute your patience, passion and involvement towards Bhumi and its operations. We aren’t ready to lose you to France, and sincerely pray that you go places, but. . . Within India!!

1. Laziness is a word that doesn’t exist in his dictionary
2. Dynamic and enchanting. MAD is supremely blessed to have him!!
3. Coordinating operations across five centres, never has he complained about the volume of work entrusted on him.
4. Shopping at T.Nagar till 10 PM. Late nights with heavy boxes and big parcels. His passion was deeply reflected during Joy to the World 2009.
5. He sparkled at Siragugal 2009 as an event coordinator, and dazzled at Siragugal 2010 as a logistics coordinator.

From L to R: Aruna M, Nandhini M, Anantha Padmanaban B, Bhargav C, Sriram P

We draw inspiration from many. Anantha Padmanaban, you’re one of those. Bhumi is extremely proud to have you and we hope you go a long way

1. Joined Bhumi in 2008 at the very first orientation
2. Shares an excellent rapport with his children, and was an active volunteer of MAD last academic year.
3. Was a pillar of strength for Siragugal 2009, Siragugal 2010 and every turning point of Bhumi in the last year.
4. Tried to initiate a Musical Concert as an annual fund-raising activity.
5. Now a very valuable part of the Dronacharya and Ekalavya programme, his colourful personality and abilities are valuable to cement the vision of the project

Mr. Marketing, Bhargav Chandrababu. We’re extremely glad that Syntel didn’t smuggle you off to Pune!!

1. Personification of peace! You actually don’t want to disturb him too often!
2. His patience in handling tasks is the true ingredient to successful implementation of whatever he does.
3. Played a major role in the logistics of Siragugal 2009 and 2010
4. As a key member of Kanini, he currently leads the Course Design team.
5. Also an active volunteer of Dronacharya and Ekalavya, helps in mentoring children.

Mr. Mokkachamy, Sriram Ponnuswamy. Even though you now reside in Bangalore, we have never felt your absence.

• Sriram Sampath, Little Einsteins
  He moulds games that they play every day into classroom activities with great ease and children love him. Actively contributes in formulating the syllabus, preparing worksheets and assessment tests. His contribution for Siragugal’s Science Exhibition was priceless, his idea of the Reuse Zone was an instant hit with the children

• Rajagopal aka Bharath, Little Einsteins
  For him, distance is secondary to the time he spends with the children. Every week he travels for about four hours to and fro to teach.. Not just regular, he prepares, and actively translates technical Tamil terms for the team. At Siragugal’s Science Exhibition, the green classroom was his brainchild

• Karthik Nallamuthu, DnE and Think Green
  A regular and consistent volunteer of the Dronacharya and Ekalavya programme; Currently coordinating activities at Ramakrishna Students’ Home with great interest and zest. He stole hearts with his transport management at Siragugal 2010. Actively volunteered for Think Green at the PWD park too
• Anirudhra Boganadam, Think Green and DnE
  He is Think Green’s MOST dedicated volunteer. Promptly present at every activity, be it the Park or a Free the Tree Campaign, he would participate with great energy and enthusiasm. Had a “never say die” attitude during Siragugal ’10, and his effort as part of logistics team was considerable. Is currently part of the Dronacharya and Ekalavya programme and has been very dedicated and consistent with his performance
• Rukmanipriya Srinivasan, DnE
  She is the most outstanding mentor of 2009 – 2010. An ideal example of how to thoroughly guide and motivate children and ensure their long lasting wellness. She consistently supported the students as a mentor and guided them through their placements in various colleges and is still guiding further
• Preethi Shankaran, Make a Difference
  She is the most IDEAL centre head the Make A Difference programme has. With accurate planning and execution, she brought together both her batches, and created an inseparable bond. Her contribution at Siragugal 2009 and 2010 were commendable

Row 1 - Raakesh T, Rajkumar N, Kaavya R, Anirudhra B, Abdul Khadeer, Rukmanipriya S; Row 2 - Sriram S, Priya P, Karthik N

• Kaavya Ramachandran, Make a Difference and Designing
  A MAD volunteer who never failed to prepare, children loved playing the games she comes up with. From Joy to the World 2009 to certificates and much more for Siragugal 2009, her designs were much appreciated by all
• Abdul Khadeer, DnE and Think Green
  Actively volunteered with Think Green at the PWD Park, with no worries of getting baked under the Sun; A great asset at Siragugal 2010, his contribution through the Logistics team was par excellence. Currently a part of the Dronacharya and Ekalavya program, he’s focussed, passionate and dedicated about every task he takes up
• Priya Parthasarthy, Kanini
  Key volunteer of the Kanini programme, and an organised centre head. Rocked Siragugal raffle ticket sales in both 2009 and 2010. In addition, conducted events too
• Yasser Arafath, Kanini
  He meticulously handled issues at his centre last year. He is the most IDEAL centre head of Kanini. His contribution towards Siragugal this year was noteworthy. He played a strong role in bringing together his company Merrill Lynch to support Bhumi
• Raakesh Thangaraj, Kanini
  He led the technical team at Kanini and ensured as much of the computers given by Satyam were made usable. Continues to contribute towards the Kanini Syllabus and Website
• Lokesh Rekapali, Kanini
  Any task to be completed in Kanini and he is always there. He played a major role in organising Kanini’s Annual “K-Meet”. Managed transport effectively in Siragugal 2009 & 2010. His involvement in leading Kanini’s Technical team is highly appreciable
• Rajkumar Nagarajan, Kanini
  Acted as a bridge to create a strong bond between the volunteers and the children and eventually made Kanini @ PVR centre more efficient and effective. Played a crucial role in helping these children with their academics too. A key resource of the programme

Hearty congratulations, guys

Happiness gathered its most vibrant colours to form a rainbow which connected Adyar and Kilpauk. The girls at Avvai Home, Adyar and the boys at Christian Mission Service Children’s Home (CMS) Kilpauk were a bundle of joy waiting to be unravelled. And when it was, oh my god, we were all spellbound by the beauty of the scene.

This year after phenomenal success of science exhibition at Siragugal, we at Little Einsteins (LE) felt more confident and passionate. Hence we decided that we can and we will expand. After a round of phone calls and meetings we decided to freeze Avvai Home and CMS, two extremely different centres with very similar needs.

Our team broke the ice at these centres on July 24^th and 31^st respectively. Volunteers planned a lot of games for the kids but wow, planning never works with children They were unmanageable when they started playing with balls and balloons and volunteers readily joined them.

The icebreakers started off with a round of introductions, after which what followed can’t be articulated. We were playing, jumping, dancing and singing heartily with the children. It was irresistible and it would not be wrong to say that we became children too.

The icebreaker was followed by an assessment test. It comprised of 30 multiple choice questions which were to assess the children. This clearly defined the areas from which we had to start our lessons.

We look forward to a great year with these children, and challenge ourselves to make a significant difference in their lives – both academic and personal

More photos here:

Tata Jagriti Yatra is an ambitious train journey of discovery and transformation that takes hundreds of India’s highly motivated youth on an 18 days national journey. During the journey of more than 9,000 kms and 13 destinations across the country, they are exposed and inspired by entrepreneurs – both social as well as economic – who are shaping India in new ways. The aim is to awaken the spirit of entrepreneurship. The vision of Jagriti is to inspire young Indians living on Rs 40 – Rs 120 per day to lead development by taking to enterprise. By doing so, they can turn from job seekers to job creators.

Bhumian Supriya Balaji who undertook Tata Jagriti Yatra – 2009 answers some common questions from everyone regarding the Yatra.
What were your expectations from the Yatra?
I had three major expectations:
A) Find out what people of my age around the country are up to
B) Know about Social Entrepreneurship in the field of education
C) Better my best and eliminate my worst, in terms of attitude

Would you describe the Yatra as a fun filled tour or, an inspirational journey?
Gaining inspiration= fun. I don’t understand why many think fun is some kind of a guilty indulgence. It was healthy fun and lots of learning.

What are the take backs from the yatra?
As soon as I returned from the Yatra, I was still wondering, what have I brought home? It took me really long to realize that something had really, honestly changed in my way of life. So what I gained from the yatra:
A) Friends and contacts for life.
B) Knowledge of the operations of prominent social enterprises in India.
C) A good idea of what it takes to “start up”.
D) Dynamic change in perspective. Post Tata Jagriti Yatra, I have started noticing certain things around me of which I was previously oblivious.
E) Exposure to young entrepreneurs and competent people on board who were about the same age as me.

Have you had any major realisations?
Yes. I saw a bit of me in every person I interacted with on the train. We are all common in many ways. It is the unique quality which you have that sets you apart from others. If you want to be someone, you’d better have some special skill/characteristic/principle that you hang on to. I also realised that people really respect each other for what they are.

Are you going to be an entrepreneur? If yes, what field are you going to be dealing with?
Yes but not right away, but, education, definitely.

What did you do after you got back from the yatra?
After the hangover of the first few days, I relished the uneasiness of separation. Then on, I started to research on all the social entrepreneurs we had met during the journey. My knowledge is more rounded now

Who should apply for the TJY 2010?

These are three of the kinds of people who would usually apply.
1) People with little or no idea about entrepreneurship but would like to learn something
2) People with a vague idea of what entrepreneurship is about and would like to learn something.
3) Entrepreneurs or even people with vague business ideas who would like to learn something more.
I guess you got the point!! Willingness to learn is the bottom line.
PS: If you have a job, make sure your boss won’t fire you after your 20 day hiatus.

Is it worth joining the TJY without sponsorship?
Yes and No!! Totally depends on your level of motivation and financial strength.

What should I do to get into the TJY?
Fill in the application form given on the website. Be honest and crisp.
If you are genuinely passionate, it will reflect in your essay. Do not disrespect the system by copy pasting from the internet

Do we get to look around the cities we visit?

No. This yatra is purely schemed for the purpose of learning. Don’t’ dream of sightseeing or shopping!!

All said and done, you do get wonderful opportunities to drink in the beauty of nature and shop at some remarkable places and this experience is more fulfilling in many ways!!

Applications now open till the end of September for the TJY 2010, if you are between 20-25 years of age you can apply as a participant, visit www.jagritiyatra.com for details.

In March 2006, when we, a few passionate young people, wanting to do our part in changing society met up and discussed ways to do it, we decided the surest way was through education. So, we approached Bala Mandir children’s home to start a teaching programme and were promptly given the go-ahead. Our plans were vague, but our approach was steady. We would meet half an hour before every class and decide what was to be taught. We started off with a bang; there were just a few of us with a little over 50 children. From English, Arts and Craft, to Science and games, we managed to bring in a pool of educational activities. Enthralled by the response, we started a ‘community development’ programme for slum dwellers in Pudupettai with some support from a local NGO. Our plan was to reach out to older people and ‘change’ their mindset by first gaining the confidence of their children (We thought it was an easy task!).

As the country turned 59, the seeds of thought to form a non-profit organisation were sown, which finally led to a few of us penning down the objectives of the organisation on October 2, 2006. We decided to call ourselves ‘Bhumi’.

Though at the core, both Bala Mandir and Pudupettai projects were meant to teach children English, the lack of objectivity on what we wanted to do reflected in our classes. Except for a few, people kept walking in and out, but things progressed smoothly, at least to our satisfaction.

A small break was created due to exams and vacation. When we approached the Secretary of Bala Mandir orphanage to restart the classes, we were asked to submit a report about how the children benefitted from our classes. This was an eye opener; we didn’t have an answer, and hence we were unable to resume our classes there. About the same time, the Pudupettai NGO refused to share their premises for our classes. It was these experiences that spurred us to turn an informal group into an organisation with a scalable model of measuring the progress of children.

2007 dawned; we were still a bunch of young people wanting to do ‘something,’ yet having done nothing. Our interaction with the children enlightened us on the glaring deficiencies in the system and the wants of these children. Most children wanted to learn better English and master the computer, something they hadn’t ever touched before. Science and Mathematics came a close second in their wish-list.

Driven to do our bit, we continued to meet at least once a month at Gandhi Mandapam to discuss our work. The numbers started dwindling and one such meeting stretched into a garage conversation between Ayyanar, Hari Shankar and myself. Amazingly we realised that by putting together unused resources lying at each others’ homes, we had one working computer! Thus ‘Kanini’ was born.

The wisdom from our past experiences made us wait until we had a complete plan before we even sought permission at Anbu Karangal to start ‘Kanini’ in March 2007. After sometime, Vivek pitched in and gave us his only computer and soon we had three computers to teach the children at Anbu Karangal. By August 2007, Vaishnavi joined Bhumi and started Kanini at our second centre, SOS Village, Tambaram, along with Purnendu. In January 2008, we began the Career Counseling programme (now Dronacharya & Ekalvya), with Prakash and Mallieswaran helping us consolidate as we got into quite a few things quickly. At the same time, Lakshmi, Mini and a few others began teaching English at Anbu Karangal. After a few classes we realised that without a proper syllabus and goals, we would only end up repeating our mistakes. In our pursuit for a scalable fun model of teaching English, we partnered with Make A Difference (MAD), Cochin, in March 2008.

In June 2008, when over 200 new members joined us, we expanded our programmes to 6 centres. We considered it the greatest confirmation of our methods when, in August 2008, we were welcomed back into Bala Mandir after having sought their consent to start Kanini and later MAD.

In December 2008, we initiated ‘Joy to the World’ connecting children with employees of several MNCs, fulfilling their simple wishes. In February 2009, we began ‘Little Einsteins’ to improve their conceptual understanding of Mathematics and Science. We added 500 members to our roster in 2008, our initiatives benefiting 759 children from 10 centres that year.

The need to provide an opportunity for children at orphanages to exhibit their talents led to an idea in March 2009, blossoming into Siragugal in Novemeber 2009. The second edition of Siragugal was held in July 2010. 100+ volunteers working day and night with monetary contribution from over 2,000 donors resulted in a memorable science, art and cultural talent carnival for 915 children from 37 children’s homes. We added 720 members to our roster in 2009, our initiatives benefiting over 1500 children.

And thus, small stumbling steps turned into giant leaps. Numerous people have helped us and continue to guide us along the way. We would like to specifically thank

• Soundarya Srinivasan – for walking our first steps with us.
• Mrs. Maya Gaitonde, Secretary of Bala Mandir – for making us understand that we cannot waste the time of these children by doing ‘something’ just because we were volunteering.
• Anurag Shrivatsava – for giving us a purpose
• Ch. Gyanaranjan Samal – for shaping our ideology
• Jithin C Nedumala and the MAD, Cochin team – for pushing us to think beyond

Now Bhumi is four years old, having 1,800 members with over 290 volunteers actively contributing at 15 centres working with over 1,000 children, keeping the Bhumi flame ablaze. We understand that there’s much more work to be done and there’s a long way to go, changing today to change tomorrow…

It was just like any other day in Chennai – a hot, sweaty afternoon with the mercury levels outdoors threatening to touch the sweltering thirties. It would have been just a normal lacklustre Saturday for the kids at Dr. PV Rao School but for a group of spirited and enthusiastic professionals from Dassault Systemes who decided to give up their holiday and brave the sun just to make a difference in the lives of these children.

And so the fun started! The kind Akkas and Annas came armed with box-loads of materials and well-practised Origami skills. They had pored over instructions on this fun and creative Japanese art of paper folding and were ready to share their knowledge with the children. On their part, the students learnt how to have a ‘maja’ time – the Indian art of having fun! Snip snip went the scissors, click click went the stapler – the students were unstoppable!

The pairs of scissors in their hands became just an extension of their fingers and the paper folding was quite exquisite. The final artistic products revealed a wealth of talent and imagination. The students had the creative urge in them all along; what was lacking were the means and an opportunity to exhibit them. Once given a chance to do so, out it came like a torrential river under heavy floods! We were deeply touched to know that the team from Dassault had spent time practising Origami during work hours, just to ensure that accurate instructions were delivered, and that sheets of paper transformed into beautiful rabbits, wolves, swans, and dogs for these children. One of the children who had accompanied his dad sure caught our attention with his meticulous act of making pianos and boxes with just a couple of folds.

Next came the painting session where the brushes brought the colours alive. The intensity with which the students were working coupled with their quiet modesty was really touching. One child, for example, had drawn a beautiful picture of the sun and the moon merged in harmony. When his work was showered with wondrous appreciation, all he did was smile. Another child patiently sketched one of the Bhumi volunteers and in the end presented the sketch as a gift to the volunteer himself!

Well, all good things must come to an end, and so too did this workshop, after two solid hours of learning and bonding through the expansive medium of art. Watching students hold their cherished artwork – big and small – closely to their chests was indeed moving and this by itself made the whole exercise worthwhile.

Kudos to the patient and affectionate Akkas and Annas for making such a fun workshop possible. Our heartfelt appreciation for the financial contribution towards Bhumi, and we look forward to this long-term association with Dassault Systemes. We also thank MyKartavya for providing us and our children with this wonderful opportunity to meet and interact with this exuberant group.

- Anish Shenai and Meenakshi Nandhini

More pictures at http://picasaweb.google.com/BhumiChennai/CSRActivities2010#

The date was finalised. The venue was frozen. Bhumians got into teams of their preferences, and started planning two months in advance. Meetings, conference calls, long threads of emails, one-to-one discussions – the package was complete with laughter, screams, arguments and words of wisdom! At many an occasion, the adrenaline rush got many of us high. Siragugal is Bhumi’s annual inter-orphanage art, literary, cultural and science talent carnival. The second edition of Siragugal was on 11 July 2010 at Bhavan’s Rajaji Vidyashram, Kilpauk. 915 children from 37 homes across Chennai, Thiruvallur and Kancheepurm districts participated in 17 competitions and the Science Exhibition. The weather Gods were kind and blessed us with a nice sunny morning that certainly got brighter as the day progressed. Can’t help but recall last year, when it poured donkeys and monkeys.

Children from far away locations were ushered to the auditorium. In some time, murmurs, and mumbles filled the room. And we knew the chief guests had arrived!! Vice Chancellor Mr. Mannar Jawahar, playback singer Ms. Srilekha Parthasarathy, Kalaka poavathu yaaru fame Mr. Siva Karthikeyan, and SMS actress Ms. Anuya – each of them had nice thoughts to share. The excitement rose in every child when the guests performed. While Siva’s mimicry of Superstar Rajnikanth, Ajith, Vijay and a few more tickled their bones, Srilekha’s singing got them tapping their feet, and swaying their bodies to her beats. To add more colour, Nithyashree of Airtel Super Singer Junior fame celebrated her birthday with an enthralling performances!

Following an entertainment packed inaugural, the children were directed to their respective event venues. Not knowing what to expect from their peers, every child was deeply involved in recollecting their dance moves, lyrics, and ideas. The art events – clay modelling, pot painting, face painting, and flower arrangement – had mind blowing final products, and revealed the creativity hidden in these children who otherwise have very little exposure.

A child’s model of the human respiratory system made jaws drop. On the sides, he had a message to share – “No Smoking” – Innocent, but definitely not ignorant. Skit and literary events like elocution, essay writing and thirukural recitation might not have brought in many participants, but definitely helped in surfacing the deep thoughts, values, and imagination of these children. Stars from Airtel Super Singers Ravi, Renu, Ranjani, and Raginisri added a lot of excitement, and glitter to the solo song event. Solo Dance had the maximum number of registrants, and filtering the best was the judges’ biggest challenge.

On-stage events were way beyond expectations. The teams were well-equipped with props, costumes to suit the theme, and instruments to play the background music. As promised, Siragugal was peppered with ample entertainment and fun. Performances by a professional mimicry artiste and a mime group, and play stalls added more flavours to the already scrumptious meal.

The science exhibition had simple but innovative models on display. The ingenious Snakes and Ladders game which had messages on how to preserve environment was everyone’s favourite. Children on their toes throwing the dice as big as their head and scampering around excitedly made every hour put in worthy. A lot more happened at the Exhibition. Click here to read.

The valedictory was in no way less-vibrant than our inaugural. Mr. Sibiraj (actor) and Mr. Shiva (RJ / actor) made the evening memorable for the children. An electrifying performance by Ms. Maya Sricharan (playback singer) got the audience on their feet. The prize distribution followed and the auditorium reverberated, with every winning child thoroughly enjoying the much deserved applause and attention. While Siragu Home, Vyasarpadi swept the Siragugal Rolling Trophy for 2010, Ramakrishna Mission Students’ Home, Mylapore bagged the Best Participating Children’s Home award.

Ask a Bhumian, and he/she would definitely title the goodbye on the red carpet THE BEST part of Siragugal. With crackers lighting up the dark skies, we bid adieu to every child and guardian for making our day priceless, and our efforts pains free. Thank you, See you soon, Congratulations, were some of the many words exchanged in such a brief moment.

The children had worked hard and delivered their best with passion. Neither did they have a seasoned choreographer to sequence steps nor a voice coach to train them. But their effort and energy certainly made us stop and take notice of what they were doing on-stage. As Bhumians, we were extremely happy to share our happiness with them. We were there to cheer them on and give them the spotlight they deserved. And they were there for us, with their smiles. We are certainly looking forward to a bigger and better Siragugal 2011

Siragugal 2010 was supported by: Elite Distilleries, NDTV Hindu, Radio Mirchi, Sathyabama University, ISS Catering, HCL, CTS – Outreach, Keane - Karishma, SBI, Steria, Plintron, Galla, Infosys – Sneham and the employees of L&T, Mphasis, Scope e-knowledge, RR Towers (Guindy), Orchid Pharmaceuticals, UST Global, SICAGEN, and Ascendas IT Park including over 3,000 individual donors. We thank you wholeheartedly for helping us bring 915 smiles through this grand event.

Bhumians thoroughly enjoyed the company of the NCC Cadets from College of Engineering, Guindy, Sneham and the students team from Bhavan’s Rajaji Vidyasharam School, each of us strongly believe that Siragugal wouldn’t have been possible without their dedicated efforts, and passion to serve. The1th standard students were forthcoming in handling tasks assigned, working with the Bhumi team, and assisting our esteemed guests – the children. Thank You, we look forward to more such occasions.

Download the Siragugal 2010 Wallpaper

More pictures at http://picasaweb.google.com/BhumiChennai/Siragugal2010#