A Lohri with a difference for orphans, destitute children of Bal Niketan, Jammu (J&K)

For Tashi, 5, a small girl hailing from far flung inaccessible Ladakh region, it was perhaps a dream come true. Far away from her native place, in her new home at Jammu where she has been living with another 91 children for the past three years, she would have perhaps never imagined that she would be given the honour of cutting the cake on the occasion of festival of Lohri.

As the NSS Coordinator Professor Jasbir Singh, University of Jammu asked the young girl to come forward to cut the cake as part of the celebrations for the festival of Lohri, Tashi’s eyes shone and dreams came alive along with the other inmates of Bal Niketan in Jammu, Amphalla where the office of  NSS Coordinator celebrated Lohri here this evening. All the children of Bal Niketan, many of whom are orphans who have become the victims of mindless violence in Jammu and Kashmir, had fun as they celebrated the festival, lit the fire, sang, danced and rejoiced. The children presented cultural items including Gidda, Group song and Saraswati vandana.

Present at the occasion were Captain Pushottam Sharma, Ved Mandir, Amphalla, Dr Anupama Vohra, NSS Programme Officer, Dr Sandeep Tandon, Dr Kavita Suri, University of Jammu and Dr.Geetajanli Rajput from Government Degree College Samba besides dozens of NSS volunteers from colleges of Jammu city.

Speaking at the occasion, Prof Jasbir Singh, University of Jammu said that the office of NSS has adopted Bal Niketan and they come here on every festive occasion to be with the children and celebrate these with them.

"Our endeavor always is to spread happiness and sunshine among these children who have suffered on various accounts, be it violence, poverty or some other reason," he said assuring the children of the Bal Niketan that they shall be coming to celebrate every festival with these children so that they should not feel away from their near and dear ones and from the mainstream of the society. He said the NSS has been associated with the Bal Niketan, Ved Madir for a long time and has been coming here for the past few years to celebrate festivals.

Captain Purshottam Sharma, Secretary of the Ved Mandir and Bal Niketan, Amphalla, Jammu, while welcoming the NSS volunteers, NSS Coordinator, University of Jammu Professor Jasbir Singh, NSS Programme Officers and University teachers, thanked them for sparing their time and celebrating this festival with the children.

He said he was very happy over the fact that the NSS was a regular visitor to them. He added that the children forget everything while celebrating these festivals. He said by this gesture, the children feel close to the society and know that they are well taken care of and feel wanted by the people. The NSS volunteers bring so much of happiness in the lives of these small kids through their gesture of celebrating festivals like Lohri with them.Other who were present at the occasion also included staff of Bal Niketan.