A scene shows a little girl Saraswathi, who narrates how she bought food for her mother from the money she got from begging.
Another girl explains how she and her drunk mother would be beaten by people when they lived on railway stations; Tarakesh narrates his tale of being hit by police and others.
The scenes that follow introduce Nagaraja who runs Ashritha, a centre for street children in the city and his efforts to bring changes in their lives. In just three minutes, the short film makes a big impact.
Narrating this realistic tale are two teenagers Manvi Teki and Sagarika Omkara of Pallavi Model School in Alwal. With only the experience of working on a film made as a farewell for class X students, the duo attended the Harvard Model United Nations and as part of this international conclave, they took part in a video making competition titled ‘Unsung Heroes’. Their video on Ashritha and Nagaraja struggling to provide a home for street children also won an award at the conclave.
On a warm Monday afternoon, the mood at Ashritha is celebratory. Manvi and Sagarika walk in with a smile; they have come to meet their friends at the centre alongwith their geography teacher and a group of boys and girls from the school who have come with provisions. As the boisterous students talk, they share jokes and have fun.
Although the youngsters are bubbling with enthusiasm to share their tryst with video making, they recall how their first visit to the centre left them unhappy.
“When we spoke to the children, they told us about what happened in their lives. Their stories left us heartbroken; our problems seem petty in front of theirs.
We are lucky and privileged that we have everything and they are struggling for even two square meals a day,” they point out.
A unique facet of the video is that these two young girls did everything on their own - from framing questions to shooting.
“It was a one-day shoot and Aniruddh bhaiyya helped us with editing,” says Manvi, who has also given voice overs. Manvi’s father Vishy Teki, an independent filmmaker explains how the two girls were inspired after meeting the children. “Manvi was upset that she cribs for everything but there is so much energy in these children even though they don’t have anything,” he says and continues, “The only thing I told her is to see that ‘the focus should always be on the subject and not you.
Also, connect; if you are not able to connect, bringing the essence is difficult.’ He believes this initiative will motivate others too. “When children highlight issues on children, a lot of children can be influenced,” he observes.
The video by the two youngsters has also brought in a fresh lease of life to Ashritha centre which has been struggling to make both ends meet, states Nagaraja .
“The response for the video has been encouraging. I have met many people during my journey. But Manvi and Sagarika have filled me with hope and courage to face the challenges,” he states.
