Energetic volunteers, enthusiastic kids and an array of art, literary and sporting events; the MCC School premises came alive this weekend with Bhumi's Siragugal 2011, an inter-orphanage cultural fest. Bhumi, an NGO that works for the education of orphaned kids, had over 1,300 children participating from around 40 orphanages across Chennai, Tiruvallur and Kancheepuram in the third edition of Siragugal.
Fun and frolic
Day one saw children taking part in various sporting events, like relay races, volley ball and shot put. Little Hemamalini who, after securing a place in the 100m finals, hastily made her way to the kho-kho match, like many other kids who eagerly participated in more than one event. Those who did not take part in athletics were entertained with fun games and activities.
Volunteers like Janani and Sharanya were in action, this being their first year with Bhumi. Janani, who has just completed her under graduation, joining Bhumi fulfilled her aspiration of doing social service while Sharanya feels she has become a more responsible person after working with the organisation.
Day two kickstarted with Alaap Raju's scintillating numbers that had the crowd in raptures. The day promised to be great fun with events like mimicry, pot painting, ad-zap being part of the agenda.
Young artists
Creativity in all forms and colours was on display, be it the village carnival depicted with clay models or the tiger stripes on one of the young participants' face. In the ‘Mr. and Miss Siragugal' event, the participants displayed their skills in the arts. They brought out their elocution skills in the finals.
Be it the extremely adorable moves of the tiny tots for ‘Adada Mazhada' or the well-choreographed Karagattam performance, the group dance event was a delight to the eyes! Apart from the various competitions, a science exhibition and workshops on story-telling and pot-making were also conducted.
Judges A.R.Raihanah and singer Kaushik had the little fists thumping and tiny feet tapping when they rendered Jai-ho. Their faces lit up when cricketer Lakshmipathy Balaji and singer Karthik walked in for the valedictory function. Karthik's mellifluous ‘Usure Poguthey' and ‘Anjala' captivated the audience.
Balaji bowled over the audience with his inspirational speech. “Children are the future of the country. So you must contribute something towards its development.” He also inaugurated a web portal (www.bringsmiles.org), which would help people make their contribution towards the organisation.
Bhargav, who has been with Bhumi for four years now, says, “It is so refreshing to organise the whole fest. I remember, when a kid came and thanked me after the event, I was truly elated. The feeling is inexpressible.”
Swetha Ramachandran, III Year, B.Sc Advanced Zoology and Biotechnology, Ethiraj College for Women.
