BIS #1736 REPUBLIC FIESTA


MUMBAI, JANUARY 28, 2010: Four hundred children from the bastis of the K-East Ward of Mumbai gathered in the hall at Dominic Savio, Andheri, on Republic Day to culminate a fortnight of activities that were initiated in seventeen schools in the neighborhood.

Children need opportunities to express themselves in a variety of ways. Balprafulta initiated a program in various municipal and private schools in the K-East Ward through which thousands of children got the opportunity to give went to their feelings in creative ways. Some wrote essays, others gave speeches, some others expressed their ideas through skits and a few others used their artistic talents in preparing meaningful posters. The best of these were presented on the stage at Dominic Savio’s at the Republic Day celebrations organized for the children.

A study report on Child Rights was also released on the occasion. The study report was compiled from the data collated from 13,556 children who took part in a campaign entitled “Hamari Suraksha, Hamara Adhikar”. The study revealed that children hardly had a say in decisions made on their behalf, opportunities for quality education and healthy recreation was badly lacking and some children were put to work in order to augment the income of their family.
Republic Day celebrates the freedom we enjoy because our constitutions guarantee us our fundamental rights. Unfortunately, for many, these rights are still a distant dream!