We are an elite group, those who make it to the university. Once here, it is all too easy to forget that there are others out in our community who are not as fortunate as us: people with disabilities, children from broken homes, delinquents deprived of a chance of enjoying what we sometimes take for granted and so many more. We cannot do much, but what little we can do, will make a difference. Having this in mind, the Indian Cultural Society of NUS decided to extend a helping hand out to others out in our society. This was the basis of our venture into the Ramakrishna Mission for Boys , on the 30th of May 1998.

On the stipulated date, a Saturday, we gathered forces in the Ramakrishna Mission. The agenda for the day can be summarized in one word - FUN ! The boys had a friendly game of soccer in the morning. Our own boys, Kanna and gang, joined in the games and were thoroughly amazed at the energy of the younger boys. Should we attribute it to youth? Well, boys will be boys, and we shall leave it at that.

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After lunch, we went for a touch of culture. The boys were divided into groups with two or three NUS students as I/Cs. Each group then came up with an advertisement for a particular product. We had a 'Marvelous' Milo man jumping out to save a fellow friend, and a concerned husband buying jewelry from GMT Jewelers for his wife, amongst others. The boys enjoyed themselves, reveling in their own creativeness and acting talents. They got to show off themselves at their best, with some help from our own talented lot. The 'best' group got rewarded with prizes at the end of the day.

To provide some light entertainment we had our NUS talents performing. The boys were captivated by the two dance items put up by Lubna and her friends, and by Meena, Padmini and Jeyanthi. The boys just stopped short of joining the ladies in their dance items! We also had melodious songs by Sreekanth, Kalpana and Ramya. All in all it was a pleasant day with an exchange of songs, dances and drama.

We knew the day was a success when the boys refused to leave the auditorium even after we gave away the prizes. They stayed to talk to us and play with us. Most of us happily obliged. It was a sad parting on both sides at the end of the day.

We found this project very fulfilling. It was a gesture on our part to show that we had not forgotten the less fortunate in society. The response we got from the boys only strengthened our resolve to continue such charity projects in the future. We look forward to more of such in the future, with the appeal that all those who can, will join us in lighting up the lives of others, even if it is only for a day.

Meenakshi
Arts & Social Science (II)