The Joy of Coming Out and Playing- Sports Session organized at East Delhi PAG
SPORTS. It is, that aspect of life which some
of us take for granted, some are reluctant to embrace it or worse, some stay
ignorant of its miracles. However, some children in our society do not have the
luxury to strike off or add sports to their bucket list. Unfortunate as it
sounds, to them the idea of coming out and playing in the open is so alien that
when some of our volunteers approached them regarding the same, they were
apprehensive and mostly unwilling. As our team of dedicated volunteers
persisted gently, they were eventually successful in convincing the children to
come out and experience something different from the day to day activities of
their lives.
17th of June 2018, at around
9:30 am in the morning our group of volunteers of CRY East Delhi PAG assembled
in a vast expanse of barren field, with a number of intrigued little innocent faces,
eagerly waiting for the big “surprise”, that was thoughtfully planned out for
them, to unfold. The workshop, in collaboration with Sports Bunny, was the
brainchild of Mr. Anurag Tyagi (co-founder of Sports Bunny). As Mr. Tyagi very
aptly puts it, “Every child has a right to play, basic health and well-being,
irrespective of his/her socio-economic status”. Hence, the inception of this
sports event, which aimed at fostering good health, both mental and physical,
of the underprivileged children of our society.
The event kicked off with a game of
hurdles. A path was created and the children were instructed to follow the path
as they ran and jumped over the hurdles. Excitement was glistening in their
eyes and what was of significance was that, for the first time they were
playing a game that was constructed in a way that required mind and body
coordination. Thus, it set forth a good example of mental and physical exercise,
which was not only physiologically beneficial, but intriguing and enjoyable to
the children as well. The second activity was a simple kicking of football into
the goalpost, a classic favourite of most children. The next activity added to
the previous a challenge in the form of hurdles, which the children would have
to jump over before scoring a “goal”. The event was wrapped up with a unique
game that goes by the amusing name of “A dog in the pond”. In this activity,
the volunteers formed a circle around the children and then threw footballs
which the children had to dodge. It was a delightful scene where the volunteers
were playing and interacting with the children thus, establishing a bond of
trust and love in between them.
With so much exuberance and happiness in
the air, the workshop came to a close, much to the dismay of the children as
they wanted to stay longer. This only goes ahead to prove that the workshop was
a grand success. The children enjoyed the day to the fullest and were thrilled
to know that this was just the beginning of a year long journey of learning
through play.
Playing any kind of sports always has a
positive outcome. This very fact was reflected in the way how productively the
children spent their morning. They learnt to socialise with each other and the
volunteers. Such healthy interactions and activities go a long way in making a
child evolve, against all odds, into a balanced individual. In a single day, we
saw children blossom from being reluctant and apprehensive to confident and
motivated. Abiding by the rules of the games subtly instilled a sense of
discipline and structured focus in them. Thus, we can safely say, the hard work
of every one behind putting this event together had paid off.
“They say God resides in every child and
that bringing a smile on their faces is greater than any virtuous deed. We got
to do exactly that in collaboration with CRY”, says Mr. Tyagi. We, at CRY, are
more than thankful for the immense support that has been provided by Sports
Bunny and hope to pursue our collective vision for the greater good of children.
CRY Volunteer
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