The House Of Hope. #VatsalyaDham

The year 2014 for us, the Team at @LifeInSurat, ended with an opportunity to profile and document this great act of love and compassion - Vatsalya Dham. And we are happy that the year 2015 for the blog is starting with this post.

We felt privileged to be able to spend a day at this noble institution which is a sincere effort to make Surat a better place and are happy to be able to share it with you today via the medium that this blog is.

Vatsalya Dham is a social service initiative, funded by Smt. S. H. Gajera Charitable Trust, and is dedicated to providing a stable and loving atmosphere to abandoned or neglected children of Surat. The ashram orphanage which started in 2006 with 35 kids, today cares for 700 children giving them a chance at better and balanced tomorrows.

This ashram styled orphanage not only provides food, clothing and shelter for these kids, it also makes sure each of them get proper schooling and education. The daily life of these kids is a full and well balanced routine, teaching them both responsibility and discipline.

The day for these kids begins with an early morning prayer and yoga session.

The orphanage farm grows fresh produce for their staple diet. The ashram cows provide fresh milk for the children and staff. And the kids help the kitchen staff produce three nutritious meals daily.

Vatsalya Dham focuses on a well-rounded upbringing of these kids and education forms an important part of the lives of these kids. And facilities here are at par with most other private schools of the city.

The facilities also include a Science Lab, a Computer Lab, the Theater Room and well equipped play areas for the all round development of these kids.

It is also worth noting here that all of this has been built and is being maintained by the Smt. S. H. Gajera Charitable Trust without any donations.

We spent a whole day at this House of Hope, talking to children, listening to their stories, their dreams. Some dream of becoming a doctor, some dream of becoming a scientist, some even want to become photographers and writers and travel the world. And we could not help but appreciate the sincere efforts of Gajera Family and people behind the Trust which funds such initiatives helping these children dream these dreams and become contributing members of Indian society.

2015 for the blog could not have started on a better note :)

@LifeInSurat Team.

Because Every Smile Matters #AISEC

This Christmas AISEC turned into Santa for Under Privileged kids and organized a drawing competition - 'Balkalakar' for them. The winners were also offered Scholarships and Team Life In Surat was there to document the fun and frolic they had at this event.

VR Surat turned out to be a perfect platform and teamed up with AISEC and the Balkalakar Team to make the kids feel really special.

VR Surat was really buzzing with activity on the day and kids who turned up to participate were really excited about the whole set of activites AISEC had planned for the evening.

A stage was set up right in the center of VR and kids were given a chance to showcase their talents. Some of them sang, some danced, but more importantly they shed their inhibitions and had too much fun!

The Balkalakar Team also gave away small token of appreciation to kids who came up on stage and to see the joy on their innocent faces on receiving these gifts was a heart warming experience.

And since it was Christmas... Santa had to be there!

The kids were really excited to see Santa with his bell and his bag full of chocolates which he distributed among these kids adding to their delight.

Not just the goodies, Santa offered kids burgers from McDonalds as well! Kids really enjoyed this rare meal to their hearts content.

Three Cheers! for Team Balkalakar, who had big smiles on their faces, for this super initiative and for doing so much for these kids. Small gestures like these go a long way for betterment of society at large. Its nice to know that this youth organization is being so thoughtful with its activities.

The activity ended with happy faces all around. And a big 'Thank-You' to Team Balkalakar and Team VR for letting us witness and document such an unblemished act of love and kindness.

LifeInSurat Team.