New Year spirit grips Bhopal’s kids and elderly

BHOPAL: Citizens of the state capital welcomed the New Year with great enthusiasm. While some spent it in the comfort of their homes, others were busy partying.
Residents of Apna Ghar old-age home kickstarted their weeklong New Year celebrations with fun cultural activities and various cuisines. Poetry and music competitions were organized as part of their celebrations in which all the inmates participated with great enthusiasm.
Madhuri Mishra, the founder of Apna Ghar, said, “On every occasion, our aim is to make them feel at home through a sense of shared culture and entertaining activities.We hope that the younger generation is more compassionate when it comes to older members of the society.”
To encourage traditional values and culture in young kids, an interactive session on the importance of kindness towards the elderly and everyone else was organized. This is a tradition for kids of ‘Baal Chaupal’ which is organised to imbibe them with good values. A letter writing session was also organised where children penned down their greetings for the new year.
In the poetry session, 78-year-old Anjali Shrivastava recited, ‘Ped hamari jadein’, which highlighted the urgent climatic concern all over the world and the importance of leading an eco-friendly life.
Another poet recited, ‘Aao baatein kare mere sheher se’, in which he reminisced about the childhood memories of his home and the tales of his youth about him and his friends roaming around the city for hours.
New Year is a time when the focus of celebrations is on trying to teach children through life experiences. Children were also taught how to make numerous food items from different states of the country, and thus the diversity of traditions.
Chingari Trust members also held New Year celebrations. The trust celebrated New Year’s Eve with congenitally disabled children born in the families affected by Bhopal Gas Tragedy and subsequent water contamination. Kids participated in various activities such as fancy dress, interactive games and songs.