Of Dreams and Cotton Candy

                 St Patricks volunteers had a sleepless Saturday night this week. The jitters of organising the biggest MAD carnival Bangalore had ever seen were getting to them! Would it rain? Would people turn up? Would the children have fun? These questions plagued the mind of the organisers and all those involved. They should have been worried, because the events that unfolded the next day took even the staunchest believers by surprise!

                MADsters filtered into St Patricks on a bright Sunday morning, hesitantly, expecting to see a small collection of stalls, and maybe even a few games. They were greeted by the sight of balloons, streamers and bright bits decoration. It was an explosion of colour! They also saw grinning volunteers, confident that the day would be a resounding success!

                It would be an exercise in futility to enumerate the various activities that were conducted at the Carnival. The sheer numbers of games and activities took everyone by surprise. Beat boxing, singing, dancing, glass painting and fashion shows; just a few among the many activities.

                The life size snake and ladders set was the centre of attraction, but by no means the only one. Instead of the traditional stalls, the organisers decided to create workshops. Thus participants could participate and get trained in whichever aspect they chose.

                Also popular with volunteers and children alike was the screening of animated movies in a classroom. The volunteers had taken extra pains to modify the classroom so that it felt like an actual theatre. All that was missing was the popcorn and soft drinks, but that was more than compensated by the excited gathering.

                Towards the end of the day, all the participants put on a show on what they had learnt from the workshop. Budding singers, beat boxers and artists took to the stage, proudly showing off their skills.

All of a sudden, the day was over. People drifted away to their homes and hostels, albeit reluctantly. The Carnival had been a resounding success. What was more important however the fact that the kids had fun, and learnt something that was both new and useful. It was a day of dreams, cotton candy and much much more!

Welcome To MAD

There can be no greater joy than watching Martin Lewis try to cheat on his exams. His head casually lolls forward and his eyes dart from side to side in guilty pleasure. He suddenly sits up, back straight as a rod, eyes furrowed in concentration. Miraculously, the answer comes to him! He sits back with a contented sigh, hands locked behind his head, whistling adroitly.

                For Martin, there is no home to return to. Being one of the many orphans in St Mary’s Orphanage, Cox Town, he has only his friends as family. His, cheating is thus not a mere ploy for a higher score but shows a genuine desire to achieve, by hook or crook. Under normal circumstances, Martin would have studied in a Kannada medium school till his tenth standard, if he was lucky. When he passes out he will suddenly be faced in a world full of opportunity and no means to exploit these opportunities. This is where MAD comes in.

                Make A Difference, is a non-profit organisation that aims to provide individuals like Martin with the tools to achieve in modern India. English, being the path for a brighter future, is taught by MAD volunteers. This volunteer base comprises of individuals from both the professional and academic world. Devoting two hours a week, each volunteer teaches a class of seven to ten kids. A ratio even international schools cannot boast of!

                MAD is located in eleven districts in India and has a volunteer base of 800 individuals. Every week over 2500 students are taught by MADsters. With its impressive organisational structure MAD can accommodate every type of volunteer.

                There are thousands of Martins yearning for instruction. Contributing two hours a week, you can make a difference in a child’s life. Maybe it’s time you went MAD.