Through such socially conscientious events and initiatives SPJIMR, the nation’s premier management institute continues to be dedicated towards reaching out and helping the mentally and physically challenged people achieve their potential. It is a tribute to their perseverance, determination and spirit. SPJIMR believes that physically challenged persons are assets of the nation and needs to be protected and nurtured to grow and prosper. The nation’s premier business school deems that management education must play a crucial role in fulfilling the expectations of the society with great sensitivity and responsiveness.
Ehsaas had two components, a fun fair and a cultural night. The fun fair- designed, organized and manned by the SPJIMR participants, had dozens of games and activities in which the participants and the differently-abled children from various NGOs like Punarvas, Fellowship of Physically Handicapped (FPH), Parents of Downs Syndrome (PODS) etc took part together. The funfair also had displays of FPH products and paintings of the Mouth and Foot Painting Artists association (MFPA). As the artists from MFPA gave live demo of foot painting one thing became absolutely clear that one doesn’t need hands to be a meaningful artist. All you need is a sense of purpose, creativity and passion for art.
The funfair was followed by a dazzling night of dance and music, which was a collaboration of the participants and our special guests. The children danced and swayed as the participants sang “Dam maro Dam” and numerous other numbers. The differently abled children from DEEDS, PODS, Punarvas, FPH and others performed many dances and instrumentals for the participants. Their enthusiasm was so infectious that we couldn’t stop tapping our feet and every performance was followed by encore requests and standing applauses. These performances were interspersed with singing and dancing performances by the SPJIMR participants especially prepared for our special guests.
The evening had a certain magic to it and the grit, determination and innocence of those lovely children captured our hearts. The purpose of the night was to sensitize the participants towards the societal issue of disability and to make the special children feel that they are also a loved and wanted part of the society, but I think Ehsaas was successful in accomplishing much more than that.