4th August, 2011 1. 2. 3. 4.

Report on Activity Venue Activity Date Activity Details Introductory Visit Deepalaya Schools Sanjay Colony & Goll Kuan Wednesday, 3rd August, 2011

Nothing compares with the simple pleasure of a bike ride!

Our first day at Deepalaya (the NGO with whom we are associated for a year) was an eye-opener experience. We took the well-knit Delhi-Metro to a place midway, from where we fetched an auto ride to a point where we got lost looking for the school we had to reach. The auto in-a-way dumped us in a slum area and we got to know that we had to walk all the way to the school through clumsywet-muddy-garbaged-congested-street > yes, a big percentage of Delhites lives or rather continues to survive in a place like that. We managed to locate the Deepalaya school, having passed through an area captured well in the photograph below:

We were welcomed well by the Executive Director (Ms. Sudha) at the school and we were linked with our Deepalaya Coordinator (Ms. Ambika). Ambika took us around the institution & gave us an induction session about Deepalaya's functions & operations and the achievements they accomplished since its establishment. Post which they invited us to attend a function at the venue. The South African High Commission donated 100 bicycles to students of Deepalaya in this ceremony. The cycles were donated as part of a commitment of the High Commission to promote the teachings of Nelson Mandela as well as to promote an environment friendly healthy way of living among the children of Deepalaya. The function was graced by High Commissioner, Minister Counselor and other dignitaries (founder of Deepalaya Mr. Mathew).

The ceremony was a fun filled one with various dance and singing performances by the students. The High Commissioner and Minister Counselor were so impressed by the performances of the kids that they too joined the young ones and tapped their feet on the melodious lines of Mera Naam Chinchin choo song. The dignitaries were also captivated by the atmosphere of the school and the enthusiasm of the children. Having attended the session we travelled to another school established by Deepalaya, which was even deeper inside in an under-developed area - Goll Kuan. A photograph of the same:

We would like to mention the fact that faculty at both the schools welcomed us really well and appreciated what Deepalaya as an NGO was doing and has done for the society. After visiting the 2 locations we returned and were lost wondering how much work still needs to be done to start calling India a developing country. We eagerly looked forward for our next visit to Deepalaya - as our associate NGO & as a chapter holding a turning point of our life, lifestyle & thought process. 5. Learnings from Activity a. Where our real India lived. b. How NGOs operate. c. The way Deepalaya works and had established itself in the society. d. Different initiatives & on-going projects and a brief history of the organization. 6. Ending Notes(if any) - The project was not decided then; and we had proposed a rough estimate of how we would want drive this program (i.e. to put 30% of our time in Community Service, 35% each in 2 projects.)