I was introduced to social work by my grandmother, with whom I would visit the Mother Teresa orphanage and the blind school. Over there I felt a lot of positive energy. I experienced something similar when I first visited Literacy India. The environment was very welcoming and homely. Surprisingly my teenage self did not feel lost. Before I knew it I started accompanying my father on his weekly visits. In every session, I would speak with my fellow teenagers for some time. Sometimes I would talk about Ikigai and sometimes about my experiences in sports. With this, my bond with Literacy India began to form. I wanted to dedicate more time. I did not know it but this was going to become my happy place. I am in my nurturing phase, getting ready to step into the outside world, which is why one would wonder. What does Siddharth have to offer to the Literacy India community? This is when a unique opportunity presented itself. In one of my trips to foundation, we had visited a community center in a very low-income neighborhood (Gupta colony, Bajghera village, Gurgaon). In that center around 120 children come daily to study various subjects. Upon seeing the neighbourhood a cord struck in my heart. A mid-day meal would help the children a lot. This is how Annapurna project came to light. I along with my family have taken a pledge to raise awareness and funds for this effort. In this process, I get to spend time with the 120-odd kids in the school and I will expand the activities to share birthday celebrations and play football with them. At the back of my mind, I have given myself a silent goal to influence 10 more people like me to adopt such initiatives. As I have begun spending more time with the children I also learn. I learned how one can succeed with minimal resources. The art of perseverance and resilience is another quality that stood out in the children. As I ponder more and more I realize how fortunate I am to be in a family where I can be healthy, buy clothes, and buy food. I would like to stay with this feeling for the rest of my life and keep helping others around me to make a difference in their lives.
Links -
https://literacyindia.org/fundraiser/campaign/a-pledge-for-a-healthier-future-play4changenow-and-the-annapurna-project
Annapurna project
My voluntary work shared on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/play4changenow/ -
Siddharth Gupta
Class 12
Shikshantar School
Gurgaon
