Lighting up Lives

“Find out where the joy resides and give it a voice far beyond singing. For to miss joy is to miss all.” With the onset of Diwali, the memories of previous years’ celebrations bloom afresh. Bringing joy to people, helping them and cheering them up, is what we as members of Enactus believe in.

Some team members share their most cherished experiences!

Two years back I, along with my friends visited an orphanage and took a few crackers with us to help the young children celebrate Diwali. To our amazement they refused to burst crackers. Even such young children knew the true essence of Diwali. The next year we went to the same orphanage and this time, took new clothes and food for them. We went and celebrated a prosperous and pollution free Diwali with the children. The smile on their faces was enough to make my Diwali a prosperous one.

-     
   -  Mridul Bansal

Fresh winds marking the end of summer, marketplaces enclosed in bright hues, the streets buzzing with life and light! Every year the essence of Diwali makes this time for me, the best part of the year.

-   
     -  Twinkle Malhan

Following the Nepalese Culture of asking for food, money and blessings on the eve of Diwali, one such group of children who had no home or anyone to look after them came. We fed them and gifted them new colourful dresses. The happiness on their faces defined Diwali in its true spirit – The Festival Of Happiness.

-       
 - -  Abhishek Naulakha
_

An old couple stays in my neighbourhood, and their children are settled abroad. They rarely move out of their home and do not interact with anyone. Last year on Diwali, I went to them with some sweets and chatted for an hour. The smiles on their faces sweetened up my Diwali like never before!

-          
    -  Sarthak Agarwal
_

“If you light a lamp for someone else, it will also brighten your path.” A festival of lights with no light - such was Diwali for the visually challenged students of The Blind School in Delhi. A simple donation in the form of books in Braille and a conversation with them lit up their world. Diwali last year, was indeed special.

-         
     -  Parth Luthra
_

Diwali for me is the festival to make time for everyone I adore. Last year on Diwali, my entire extended family, from all parts of the country and the world came down to Bhubaneshwar to celebrate together. We met each other after years. It’s always going to be the most special Diwali.

-         
     - Vishal Sahoo
_

With Buildings illuminated with diyas, candle-sticks and electric bulbs, let’s light up the lives of other people too, since true happiness lies in giving joy to others. Let’s hope that this Diwali is an occasion of joy, thrill and excitement for everyone. Enactus SRCC wishes everyone a Happy Diwali.

-          Compiled by Rai Sengupta and Parth Luthra                                                                                         

Kathputli Colony: The First Time

 “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”

Our journey with Enactus has just begun and we look forward to a sea of opportunities, wrought with challenges and abound with new experiences and learning. The first step we took to begin our promising new journey was visiting Project Kayakalp's community of puppeteers in Kathputli Colony, Shadipur Depot. Guiding us into the world of social entrepreneurship was the most fun loving senior, Kanupriya, which definitely added to our excitement. 

We got off the metro, crossed the congested road and reached Kathputli Colony. Our excitement grew incredibly as we inched closer to our destination. With its open drains, narrow lanes and shanties, the colony resembled the thousands of slums that India harbors. Initially a bit wary of our surroundings, we trailed on, realizing that there is something unique about this dwelling and its residents. 

As soon as we entered the room where the puppeteers were practising, we were greeted with broad smiles and pleasantries that immediately put us at ease. . We were welcomed with such warmth and happiness that all our initial apprehensions vanished into thin air. The puppeteers enthusiastically introduced themselves and were more than willing to know about us that was the beginning of a bond with our community that we hope will only get stronger with time. 

The grey-walled room seemed unusually bright. It was a treat watching the puppeteers get on with their task. Doing, un-doing and then re-doing each step they worked with boundless patience, keeping in mind every single detail. Their zeal for perfection is truly inspiring. 

We had to sit for two hours, just supervising the happenings but we never came across a dull moment. Such was the energy in that room. The training session for the day soon ended, much to our disappointment. 
Kanupriya then requested one of the puppeteers to take us around the colony. Infused with new excitement, we began our tour. What followed next is difficult to put into words.

The children played around happily, lighting up those dingy lanes with their bright smiles. Grown-ups went about their daily chores busily. We walked through a series of interconnected narrow lanes that permitted only one person at a time.  Dogs, hens, gutters, mud stoves (for cooking rice) over the gutters- all fit perfectly in those metre-wide gullies-we have no idea how!. It was a maze, which only the inhabitants of the colony could crack.  It was a world that we would never have been able to fathom before joining Enactus. 

- Ria and Samhita