Food and fun
To mark the 'World Food Day' 25 children from Preet Mandir, a voluntary childcare and adoption organisation, wqere invited to the Royal Orchid Centre where the staff members welcomed them and ensured a memorable time for them. The kids were entertained with a series of shows. A Tom & Jerry cartoon movie was screened, followed by an entertaining magic show. And then after the entertainment package came the package apt for the on the occasion of World food Day. The kids were offered a sumptuous meal which they relished and are not likely to forget in ahurry. An admirable gesture indeed.

Diwali display
A mega NGO sale, at the Sharda Centre office on October 16 and 17 had 18 NGOs displaying their art and craft for diwali. The NGOs showcased a wide range decorative product. The exhibition had on display handmade items like lamps, candles, handicrafts, lampshades, stationary, handmade wall clocks, cushions, artificial jewellery, hand bags etc. The event was an initiative by Josh team which was organised and sponsored by Tech Mahindra for the welfare of the NGOs. Diyas, Sewa Sahyog, SAVALI, kite creations, Umang were some of the NGOs that participated in the two-day long fair.

The real visionaries
The White Cane Day was a day to not just reach out to the visually-impaired but also recognise the steel will that most of them have cultivated.A case in point being the members of the Poona Blind Men's Association (PBMA), who are a happy and a confident bunch, as amply evident on the White Cane Day function held last week. Lalita Pawar, 25, is from Thane and was born without sight. She has been staying at the institute for the past seven months. "I had not thought about education, but now that I am here I want to graduate so I can get a job as a telephone operator," she beams.Her best friend Parveen Pir Mohammed Sayed says, "I want to study the Naturopathy course that the Institute offers and work or start my own business on those lines."
These girls are vivacious, articulate and ambitious. With the aid of special equipment, computer software and their own Braille Press the Institute has instilled a sense of self-sufficiency in these people, which was evident as they enthusiastically participated in the festivities and felicitations.
Ask them of the most precious gift they feel thankful for and they chorus unanimously, " Our friends! Initially it is a little difficult for us to adjust but now we cannot imagine life without each other."