In The Spirit Of GeneroCity

On a sunny day at the St. Joseph’s Indian High School grounds, preparation was in full swing as the city was all set to celebrate GeneroCity-2013, an event organized by United Way of Bengaluru. As the volunteers of the Dream School Foundation marched in with banner-spanner, coaster and poster in hand, our mission ahead was clear--- spread awareness. 

A multitude of stalls set up by a number of NGOs that varied in work from education to street children rescue, dotted the entire field; all in the hope of championing their endeavor. Right in the middle stood five wish-trees; NGOs pinned up their little wish-cards in anticipation of making their dreams and wants come true.

Our intention being telling the world what we do, we distributed mentor brochures, handy bookmarks and doled out information about our various programs. A quick quiz on education and all things related saw very few takers as some of them even scampered away seeing the word ‘quiz’ on a placard. For the general inquirer who sought information, bookmarks were given as a token of thanks for showing interest in our work. As the day progressed, on the main stage there were sprightly performances, complete with music and dance. 

As the event came to a close and the prize distribution was about to commence, volunteers and students of the Dream School Foundation prepared to spring a surprise on all those present. A small announcement by the Emcee had the audience turn their gaze to the centre of the venue. A flash mob! Lead by Supriya, the spirited performance had everybody’s undivided attention. Placards that read ‘Our Right to Education is Non-Negotiable’, ‘Every Child has a Right to Education’ etc spoke of the importance of education and was the underpinning of our mission at DSF. As the entire audience formed a semi-circle and cheered the enthusiastic dancers, a number of cameras captured the performance and the mood of the crowd. The show can be summed up as one that was energetic and lively.   

All in all, as we returned to our homes, we felt content for having told even if it were just a few more people, that the Right to Education is non-negotiable!

--Karun Gopinath