They looked like little Goddesses

They looked liked little Goddesses…..

We had our monthly celebration this Friday.  This time it was the turn of the Vocational Class students to perform. Led by their teacher – Mrs. Renu, the children were prepped and set for the performance since morning. The theme of the show was a mélange of Basant Panchami, Valentines Day and Shivji celebrations.

Prashant, one of our many talented students sang a solo song – Tum Hi Ho from the movie Aashiqui. We must say, he was so good, it was like as though we were at a concert.

The students then danced to various songs depicting the 3 themes of the day. Songs like Lungi Dance were played and jived to while the student audience enjoyed every minute of the show.

Have you Met Sneha Jaiswal?

Bet you didn’t know – Donations Made to the Center are Tax Deductible!

Bet you didn't know – Donations Made to the Center are Tax Deductible!

It’s February – the time of the year everyone is busy rushing to pay their premiums with the aim of saving taxes. The Indian financial year ends in March and before its termination, people have to get all their paperwork in order. As everyone rushes to their favourite person of the moment – The Chartered Accountant, the nukkad CA probably feels overwhelmed with all the attention. Or does he?

Here’s a thought relevant to the situation of the moment – every donation made to the Spastics Centre, Kanpur is Tax Deductible under section 80G of the Income Tax Law. Allow us to share an extract from the Indian Income Tax rules for the purpose:

80G

Donations to certain funds,charitable institutions etc.

The various donations specified in Sec.80G are eligible for deduction upto either 100% or 50% with or without restriction as provided in Sec 80G

So, every time you play with the option of perhaps helping a child who has special needs, think about the double benefit you will have. A tax deduction on helping someone – doesn't seem such a bad idea now does it?

P.S

The Friday Disaster

Friday afternoon is usually supposed to be a fun time for students because of the much awaited weekend. Who doesn’t like to have a break from school and just enjoy a couple of days of pure laziness after all?

But for some reason, the Friday turned out to be quite scary for our young ones. The centre has a bus that is used to drop and pick students from various places in the city. Like every other Friday, the bus was filled after school hours and prepped up for the day’s journey of dropping the kids back.

Now, this Friday happened to be a rainy, dull, cold day. Perfect day to sit back and laze. As is common with Indian roads around the country, a little bit of rain translates into potholes and puddles of brown, mucky water.

Lo and behold, as the bus was swerving round a street corner, it happened to pass a puddle full of brown water, spilling most of it on a two wheeler rider on the side. This too is a common scenario in our country. If you try to use an umbrella or jacket to keep the rain at bay, other means will find a way to destroy your aim eventually.

What turned nasty was the way the two wheeler rider reacted to the entire situation. It’s not as if he wasn’t accustomed to this happening all the time!!!

This dude, let’s call him “dude” for the sake of neutrality turned around and flung his helmet on our windshield!!! Yes, the windshield of a bus meant to transport special children to and fro! THIS IS REALITY. This is what happens to the world’s innocent, time and again.

The windshield shattered to bits, it also injured the driver in the bargain. Of course, the only bright side of this story is that none of the children got hurt. Thank God!

While we now spend the weekend getting the windshield fixed so that the children can be picked up on time on Monday, let’s also hope that this NEVER happens again to our little ones.

P.S

Do you Know About Corporate Social Responsibility

My experience while Interning at The Spastics Centre, Kanpur - Diksha Pathak

It all started as a compulsory thing for which I was going to get marks back in my college. But very soon without realizing it, coming to the centre became that part of the day where I experienced a completely different sort of happiness.... happiness that was not about me. For a change it was about doing something which could bring a change for the better in the life of the beautiful kids there. Being a law student and intern, my work was to research on the rights of the differently able and make them and their families aware of it. For this purpose I interacted with them and found that on one side of the road there is this "society" which is so harsh on these kids and on the other side of the road is the centre- "The Spastic Centre" which gives them a beautiful world. Here all we talk about is hope, happiness and smiles…all for the kids. Days when I did not have much work, I just wandered around and realized I was smiling. That was the moment I felt that the centre had such positive vibes. Maybe it was because of the "never say die spirit" of the kids or the "we are there" attitude of the teachers... I don’t know what but certainly something it is. My session with the parents developed a sense of responsibility in me. The trust they showed in me and the interest with which they heard me, made me realize what being human is or rather should be. My centre is now a lifetime school for me too. When I go back back to my college I am going to carry bags of hopes and expectations which I have from myself now. Hope of becoming a better person.. of being thankful for what I have got and becoming a lawyer "for the people". I thank this place for giving me some of the greatest memories and introducing me to such beautiful lives. A special THANK YOU to Madam Paroma Sen-Basu and Madam Noronha for being so loving and supporting. All of you are now a part of my life forever. My message to the kids’ there- "Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplaceable spark in the hopeless swaps of the not quite, the not yet, and the not at all. Do not let the hero in your soul perish in lonely frustration for the life you deserved and have never been able to reach. The world you desire can be won. It exists. It is real. It is possible. It is yours. " Lots of love and respect Diksha Pathak

Wishing Anant Good Luck!

One of our talented, bright students, who came to the Centre as a little child is now ready to take on the Class 10 board exams! He has been busy preparing for it and has been getting all the help he can from the teachers and volunteers at the Centre.

Meet Anant Vaish! And send him your Good Luck Wishes too!