Dance and painting spread cheer in girls home

ALLAHABAD: `Left leg aage-aage, right leg peeche-peeche aaja yaara let's start the dance', sang the girls. And they did start the dance. The girls of Rajkiya Bal Griha-balika (State Children Home for girls) at Mumfordganj here were delighted with the inauguration of a workshop on dance, painting and personal grooming.
The workshop organised under the aegis of District Aakansha Samiti was inaugurated by Rashmi Saran, principal, Springdales School in the presence of many officers from district administration.Girls were delighted to know that they would be trained in various streams, that too within their homes.
Surprise and awe was evident on their faces which changed into wide smiles as soon as they realised that their classes begin from today onwards itself! President of Aakansha Samiti informed that dance classes would be taken by Sweety Walia while painting would be taught by Samveg group.
Excitement was evident in the eyes of Vimla who has passed class 10 recently when she was asked to follow the dance steps. Shama studying in 8th class could not conceal the thrill of holding colours, brushes and sheets. "I am really enjoying the spread of colours," she remarked. Asha and Ekta wanted to learn steps on the song `crazy kiya re' and they were taught steps on the same. Mona, a class II student uttered, `Mujhe bahut accha lag raha hai'.
Vijay Kumar Tripathi from Samveg informed that they plan to teach traditional art-forms like Worli, clay modelling, pencil sketching and play of colours to the girls here. Art forms like Worli are going to help these girls throughout their lives, he added. "In personal grooming they would be taught about personal hygiene, making hairstyles, applying mehendi and basic etiquettes. In dance we plan to teach them traditional folk dance and a dance on film songs. We will also teach them few basic steps that they can infuse into any kind of song," said Sweety.
Poonam Pal, superintendent, Rajkiya Bal Griha-balika at Mumfordganj informed TOI that all the girls were extremely happy. Girls are delighted with the trainings imparted to them. "It is the first time ever that such an initiative has been taken up," said Ila Pant, district probationary officer (DPO), Allahabad. Rashmi Saran appreciated the efforts by Aakansha Samiti and said, "Such trainings add immensely to the confidence of children. I am sure that girls would gain immensely from this workshop and hope such initiatives would be taken up again and again."