Alcheringa, the cultural fest of IIT Guwahati and also one of the largest fests in Northeastern India, is around the corner. While this annual fest brings enthusiasm and joyous moments to thousands witnessing the carnival, it will involve a special initiative taken by IITG students for upliftment of the unprivileged children of society.
Udaan- a social initiative of the students of IITG, aims at bringing a ray of
hope to the underprivileged children who are deprived of basic needs in life.
Started in 2011 under the name ‘Bachpan’, Udaan has now managed to
reach out to over 5000 children in 52 cities across India.
During the winter breaks in December, students from
IIT Guwahati and several other colleges conduct Udaan where they
reach out to underprivileged children from various orphanages, villages and
slums in their locality and spare a weekend to give flights to their hopes. “In the 2-day initiative, we engage children in various activities like
drawing competitions, educational workshops, games, etc. We also show them
motivational videos and science experiments to develop their interest towards
education,” said Rohit Tayal, the coordinator for Udaan at Alcheringa
2016.
Udaan has also have tied-up with Snehalaya, a childcare centre having 15 branches in Guwahati,
to make as many underprivileged children a part of Udaan as possible. “Aspiring
to bring a sustainable change in the lives of these
children, Udaan has now started a programme called “Prayas”, where we
have taken up the responsibility of educating 30 underprivileged children near
IIT Guwahati in association with Snehalaya,” Rohit added.
When PaGaLGuY asked Rohit about the functioning of Udaan, he said, “Udaan has
achieved a new milestone this year by having more than 100
volunteers. Although the college authorities do not sponsor any activity
undertaken during Udaan, they do a remarkable job in getting us volunteers
for the campaign. Every volunteer receives a certificate for being
the Udaan representative of his city for conducting the 2-day
campaign.”
The team of Alcheringa is anticipating a staggering footfall of 70,000 in the
fest to be held from January 28 to January 31 this year. Udaan plans to bring
children from local orphanages for a day to Alcheringa and make them a part of
their celebration. By promoting Udaan during Alcheringa, IITG
students are leaving no stone unturned to nurture the underprivileged students
for a better future.