Gagan Kaul Blog

This weekend would have been just like any other one - sleep late and get up even later. I was slightly miffed with the sudden thought of breaking this (ir)regular schedule by being one of the members of our CSR group that was planning to visit a homeless kids shelter at Mira Road. And of course, given the number of activities that I have participated in the recent past, there were bets in office on whether I will be able to make it ;-). But in the end, I knew that I will go, and so I was awake at 6am, getting ready to be there with the kids. We were scheduled to leave at 8.30am.

Vision in Social Arena (VISA), established in 1997 by Mr. John Abraham, is a charitable trust that looks after nearly 43 homeless children. This is not the popular John Abraham (actor) that we know of and who is covered by our dailies every now and then. Mr. John Abraham of VISA, however, is an icon in his own right. His vision of taking homeless children under his wing and taking care of their basic needs sets him apart from the lot, who are often too tied up with their own individualistic desires. It is heartening to see so much good in the world.

Netscribes, as a part of its corporate social responsibility activities, held a drawing competition for these kids and also treated them with gifts and food. The whole set of activities were not only fun but also fulfilling in their own way for each one of us. It was very different from what I thought it would be. And the kids were amazing - full of energy and fun. There were song and dance performances; and our cheerful gang of Netscribians indulged as well. Needless to say, this was a very humbling experience. It will be very satisfying to see these kids grow up and hold their own in the society. And I am sure, under the able guidance of Mr. Abraham, THEY WILL !!

Email that went out to all Netscribians:

Industrialization, migration from rural areas, poverty, dearth of opportunities for education, broken families, cruelty and abuse, neglect, natural calamities and so on have escalated the number of children running away from their homes or being left to fend for themselves on the streets of a glamorous metropolis like Mumbai.

Vision In Social Arena, run by Mr John Abraham, is truly a VISA for the children without root or roof, towards a better life! It is a home for about forty three children. Medical aid, personal hygiene, formal and informal education, counseling and so on aids the children to be responsible citizens of the society.

The weekend spent with these children was worth treasuring in our hearts. Our hour-long journey to Mira Road started from the office premises along the dusty highway and scorching summer heat. The exhaustion of our journey instantly vanished seeing the happy little faces with a glitter in their eyes. We spent over an hour with the children at the school, drawing, coloring, singing and enjoying to our heart’s content.

We went to the VISA home after the drawing competition and shared a sumptuous meal with the children. This was followed by the prize distribution ceremony. The children were categorized in age groups from 6-8, 9-13 and 14-21 for the competition. Zuber won the first prize and Bharati second in the age group 6-8 years. While Pooja and Ammu emerged winners in the 9-13 age category; Bhuvana and Deepa bagged the first and second prizes respectively in the 14-21 age category. They were highly elated as each child was recognized by name and a photograph taken with their art work displayed. They were more than thankful for the happy moments we spent with them and not to forget the gifts we carried for each one of them.

We were glad that we could give our mite to the society we live in. To put in his words, Mr Abraham does not dream of his children becoming Abdul Kalam, instead desires that each one of his children supports at least one individual as he does for his forty three.