Not everyone’s Holi is as colorful and joyous as ours. ‘To add colors to the otherwise colorless world of those who do not have families,’ few local youths will visit various orphanages being run by different NGOs, to play Holi there.
“I feel sad for those who do not have a family. My friends and I have decided to enjoy the day with kids at NGOs,’ says Aprajita Sharma, a student of University of Rajasthan.
NGOs have made several attempts to infuse joy into the lives of kids this Holi.
‘We already have a number of students coming to celebrate Holi with kids here. Sometimes they go out in the park with them and play with colors,’ said Smriti Singh, Founder of Faith NGO. The youth seems to know their way to hearts of the young.
According to director of Parvah, Jaipur initiative, Meenakshi Bhanjdeo, ‘Youngsters are getting sensitive towards others more than ever before.”
Alka Yadav, an MBA student has already purchased colors and pichkaris as a gift for these kids. “I think we should take out sometime on festivals for the less fortunate ones. It’s a pleasure to see a child smiling,” she says.
The National Federation of Indian Women also wants to make a significant difference this Holi. ‘We do not encourage colors on Holi, we play music and sing instead. Presence of youngsters makes it more enjoyable,” says Nidhi Sidhu of NFIW.
While many actors were gearing up for Holi, celebrations at their luxuriant residences last year, Salman Khan chose to visit the orphans living in the ashram. It is a well known fact that the Bollywood actor is famous for his mighty heart and kind deeds. Salman can be seen donning his ‘on-shoot’ attire while having a candid chat with his tiny fans.
Asharan, an orphanage in Delhi, has been a home to 486 children since its establishment in 1998. The name ‘Asharan’ means ‘refuge of hope’. Asharan engages these kids in games and sports, handicrafts and musical events. They also organize celebrations during national events and festivals like the Republic Day, World Day for Disabled, Diwali, Children’s Day, Holi and Christmas.