DON'T MISS: Tiny tots get in the groove

Rotaract Club of Usha Pravin Gandhi College of Management in Mumbai organised a day out for underprivileged children. Sheetal Ninne shares with us select moments on Rediff iShare and Rediff MyPage.

Childhood is such a memorable part of our lives. We miss those innocent, carefree days, when all that ever bothered us was crayons breaking or toys not working.

But for some children, life isn't that simple. There are some, who don't go to fancy playschools, have all the toys at their disposal or even have the luxury of expressing their talent in front of an audience that cares. Mauj-E-Manch, an event by the Rotaract Club of Usha Pravin Gandhi College of Management, made an attempt and a very much successful one at that to bring these joys to the under privileged children of our society.

Orphans, street kids and differently-abled children were made a part of this event. An attempt to give them a very different educational experience was made through various events. There were performing art events: Mr and Miss Mauj-E-Manch, where children shed their inhibitions and walked the ramp, danced, sang and even answered questions in front of abled judges at Santokba hall, and there was Aa Dekhe Zara, a talent contest for children, held at Jasodha Ranghamandir Hall in Mumbai. The children were given a great platform to showcase their talents.

The fine arts events included 'Sea through my eyes', where children were supposed to create their image of the sea in a shoebox given to them. They were provided with various articles like sand, shells, gelatine papers etc. Their imagination showed us such pretty colours of the sea. There was also a colouring event -- Big Picture, where groups of children were given a small image to colour and all their images were combined to give a 'Big Picture'.

Kya aapk panchvi paas se tez hain was an interesting event under literary events. A 10 year old child was coupled with a 15 year old, and the 15 year old had to answer questions within the time span the 10 year old finished the task given to him.

The children were also shown a 3D documentary on marine life. There was also a workshop on music with junk instruments.

The informal section had the children asking for more. From hair-braiding and colouring, to playing games, the children had a gala time. Tattoos were a major attraction for the children, especially the boys. Toy Bank brought in various toys and games for the children to play.

What encouraged these young Rotaractors and kept them going was the smile on the faces of these little ones. It was great to see a piece of our childhood in the lives of these children. How often it is that we take what we have for granted, when for children like these even simple joys of life are hard to get. We at RCUPG, were delighted to organise and be a part of Mauj-E-Manch.

It began with Sa Re Ga Ma but ended with Kolaveri Di! In tune with the festival's theme, this workshop featured the expert, Mr Siddesh, making music with water. It had the audience rapt in attention and why wouldn't it be, as he played the nation's favourite song that had the little ones singing along. Supermama ready?