When the fledgling Don Bosco Dance Club (Egmore) collaborated with John Britto's Dance Company for a ticketed dance show, it was looking beyond its own needs. The proceeds of the event — called “DOBODA: friends in need” — went into improving the lot of a Don Bosco school that does not have a significant address. A nondescript village school, the Don Bosco at Sagayathottam in Vellore district lacks a good laboratory, and it is also conspicuous for having a huge number of economically weak children on its rolls.
Multiple goals
In addition to a well-equipped lab, DOBODA has helped establish a scholarship for underprivileged, deserving students at the Sagayathottam school. “The gains from the event can't be easily quantified. The entire exercise has served multiple goals: the dance club was instituted to encourage physical activity among our students; the charity dance show was aimed at instilling in them compassion for the unfortunate; and the overall event was meant to encourage team work.
Talking about team work, the show brought the students, the parents and the teachers together.
S. Jeffery Bennet, a parent, narrates how the rector suggested that parents team up and run a food court on the sidelines of the event.
“We approached corporates and requested them to put up stalls. The goal behind the event attracted them and, at the end, there were 25 stalls,” says Vinod Kumar, another parent.
Teachers Nesamani Shashikumar and Raji Leo, who are among the group that was instrumental in starting the dance club, say: “By starting with a charity show, the members of the club have put their best foot forward.”
