Unending rows of petite school shoes with tired sets of socks peeking out of them and half-open umbrellas leaning against the walls greeted the visitor to the Mahesh Memorial ward, the paediatric ward of the Cancer Institute, on the last day of Daanutsav, the Joy of Giving Week. Clearly, a large group had made a whirlwind of an entrance into the ward.
An excited chatter travelled from the inside to confirm the presence of these umbrella-socks owners, an enthusiastic group of children from around 13 private schools in the city. They had come to sing and perform for the little patients of the ward.
The experience was heart-warming, to say the least. Before the performance, they spent time chatting with the patients. Then, arranging themselves in a single line, they began singing. Trained by Sudha Raja and Anil Srinivasan as part of the Rhapsody Children's Choir, they sang songs such as ‘'Giridhara Gopala Bala’ and ‘Yennamma Thozhi Bomaiyya Kanom.’
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The courtyard of the premises echoed with their innocent voices. While some sang boisterously, there were others who were a little shy.
Parents stood eagerly around the performers, sometimes even nudging and coaxing the ones shy of singing out loud.
There was no dearth of enthusiasm or initiative on the part of the children. The ward wore a calm look as the patients listened to their new friends sing.
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Sudha Raja said, “Anil Srinivasan suggested that we come perform for the patients of the paediatric ward. We decided to rope in parents too and asked them to come along with their children to the ward. I think the highlight for me, after this performance, was when the children asked me when the next performance was. They said ‘We will come whenever you want. Just call us and we will be there’.”