Perspectives from ISB

The potential possibilities of any child are the most intriguing and stimulating in all creation.  — RAY L. WILBUR

 

Now that you realize how carefree and innocent that age was, how would you feel if someone could take back some twenty years of your age? Young and gay? Would you want to make the most out of it? This Independence Day the students at ISB Mohali campus had exactly that experience by gifting themselves an absolutely joyous ride and that feeling of a childhood bond

The Bandhan committee in coordination with the Net Impact Club at campus invited some 300 kids from the NGOs Hamaro Kaksha and JVNM for a day full of shared fun, frolic and activities. Through the sack races they were reminded of their own sports day fun at School. The beads the kids strung together as bracelets felt like the kids and the ISBians together. Oh Yeah! If you are wondering, together they did make some noise. The innocent chortle in the children’s voices, on seeing the other kids deliver fun theatrical performances echoed the joy in being alive. The kites the kids flew, represented our desires and dreams. It was hard to tell who was a kid and who wasn’t in the ‘Ice Gola’ queue.

The entire campus swarmed with activity. Everyone had their tasks cut out. With the sincerity of participating in a full-time enterprise, people took charge of operations, dance, drama, singing, story-telling, sports and art & crafts departments. All this, a culmination of many a sleepless night, weeks of arrangements and months of planning. And boy were the plans were perfect, their implementation even more so. All social clubs on the campus put their hearts together to coordinate these events all through the day.

The icing on the cake was the presence of the differently abled individuals from Chandigarh Spinal Rehab Centre. These young guns shared their inspiring stories of overcoming all odds to set world records. We realized an ISBian’s life is not the toughest thing in the world after all. Some of them showed us ‘how it’s done’ through their amazing dance steps. A little girl sang Bollywood numbers beautifully, her wheel chair as colorful as her being. Some others did wheelies on their chair. Such swag that they would put professionals to shame. The event concluded with the Standup comedy and the Singing and Dance clubs at ISB delivering special performances.

The kids and ISBians looked lost dancing and singing together. I could hear one of the kids telling one of my batchmates, ‘Thank you Didi, for having us here today. It was so much fun!’ She smiled back saying, “We’ll come to visit you folks again soon”. Bonds were being formed. #bondsatbandhan

By Prabir Banerjee

PGP Co ’19 Mohali Campus