Bringing sparkle and purpose into lives of underprivileged

CHANDIGARH: With festival of lights round the corner, many youth groups and non-government organizations of this city have chipped in with an initiative to educate people to shun crackers, and add light in the gloomy lives of many under-privileged slum children.
Volunteers of "Youth United", a Panjab University (PU) based NGO, have taken an initiative and trained slum children in making designer earthen lamps (diyas)."We have trained over 50 children, in the age group of 6 to 16 years, in making designer diyas. We had held workshops in painting and decorating diyas and now 500 pieces are ready with us. We would sell them in city colleges and various MNCs. The money collected from the sale will be spent on the welfare of these under-privileged children," Abhimanyu Bansal, one of the volunteer, told TOI.
In another enterprising effort, children of Bapu Dham slum colony are planning to convince people of their locality to shun crackers thorough their monthly newspaper "Jugnu". "The children living in our locality are reporters of Jugnu. This month's issue is based on adverse affects of crackers on the environment and human health. For the same, special stories have been done on the toxic gases and chemicals that these crackers release in the atmosphere," Jyoti Kumari, 14, resident of Bapu Dham and member of an NGO Yuvsatta, said.
Akash, 13, a student reporter of Jugnu, said, besides circulating copy of Jugnu in Bapu Dham we would also distribute it in other parts of the city.
For those who want to decorate their house with colourful candles, churned out of the hands of special children, then Vatika School for Deaf and Dumb in Sector 19 is the place for you.
Here you will find an assortment of decorative gel, floating and perfumed candles and diyas to add that extra sparkle to your Diwali. "Students from classes IV to X were involved in making candles. They have worked very hard, for the last two months, to prepare these select pieces. Our students are also pressing the cause of cracker-free Diwali," Veena Sharma, a speech therapist for deaf and dumb students.