Children from Cathedral and John Connon School organise fundraiser for the needy.
Big things begin small. An idea that started out as just a backyard project by class 7 students in the city, on Friday turned out to be a house-full fundraiser for the Salaam Bombay Foundation.
Over 20 students from Cathedral and John Connon School, Fort, came together to do their bit for society through a two-hour fund- raising performance.
“Earlier this year, we had formed a group of artistes for the 150th year celebration of our school. Then, I thought we could make use of our talent and began convincing my classmates to perform for charity. They readily agreed and so I thought we could do it in my garden,” said 12-year-old Mrinalini Somani who was singing at the show.
As the students began practising in September, the idea grew bigger and the students organised a show, including Jazz, Rock performances and various other entertaining acts at Bluefrog, Lower Parel.
Salaam Bombay has been working with children from slums and schools run by the municipal corporation to help them make the correct choices in terms of health, education and livelihood.
The students included an equal number of children enrolled with the Salaam Bombay Foundation for the performance to ensure that they too can be a positive influence on the children.
“We had interaction sessions with the kids from the foundation and we realised that we are all the same and I could have easily been in their place. We can’t stop them from doing what they do, but we can at least be a positive influence,” said Arya Singh.
The proceeds from the sale of each ticket will fund a child for a year at Salaam Bombay Foundation’s academy of art. “Like these students are doing this show to ensure that we can continue learning at the academy, we are also excited about participating in the show so more kids like us can benefit,” said 13-year-old Devendra Shakya of Jogeshwari municipal school who has been learning dance at the academy since the past three years.
However, the students are keen not to let this be a one-time thing. “Seeing the overwhelming response to our first attempt, we hope we can organise one more very soon. These things not only help us raise funds for the needy but also give us a chance to display our talent,” said Singh.
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