Holi Beyond Colours: How Pehchaan The Street School Celebrated Inclusion Across Its Centres
Holi Hai Bhai Holi hai, Bura na Maano Holi Hai!
This article is one you can consider a refresher for this slogan, for how much you are going to hear it in the coming few days from people of all ages and sizes. You can also consider this as a reminder of just how happy this day makes us. This slogan also speaks of just how much joy the festival of Holi brings in the life of the millions of Indians living both in the country and abroad. After all, it is the one day people can go crazy, you can get your clothes dirty and no one says anything, and as long as you play nice and respect general boundaries, you can go bonkers.
Holi is a festival for all, to be celebrated with the community in all its chaotic beauty. Everyone deserves to be able to celebrate it with colours, community and joy.
It was with this spirit that Pehchaan The Street School launched its Holi Campaign “Pehchaan Ki Holi: School Chale Kit” in January, so that all of the 1600+ children across the centres in Delhi-NCR are able to celebrate this day with the full force of their energy and gusto.
With the collective efforts of the on-ground volunteers and the online teams, Pehchaan The Street School was able to gather resources for the children that promised a day full of happiness, energy and colours.
The campaign was kickstarted with a bang a few days before Holi across all 10 centres of Pehchaan The Street School, with the celebrations at the centres near Kamla Nagar and Dilshad Garden on 21st February, where the enthusiasm of the children had been through the roof, and the centres near Rohini, GTB Nagar and Mukherjee Nagar on 22nd February.
This colourful canvas of a weekend was followed by another colourful weekend as the Noida and Sunder Nursery centres celebrated this day on 28th February and the Indraprastha metro station centre celebrated it on 1st March.
The campaign was thoroughly and carefully planned to make sure that the children have a day where they not only have fun, but also learn the value of community behaviour and inclusivity in festivals, because the spirit of belonging is rarely ever stronger than it is on Holi.
The volunteers put in their best efforts to decorate the centres so that they reflected the joyous spirit of Holi, and they made sure that everyone who joined the celebrations from the students to the other people, irrespective of their social strata, economic circumstances or educational qualifications, got to celebrate this beautifully chaotic and colourful event without any blocks.
Many known personalities and influencers were invited to join the celebrations at the centres of their choice, during which they not only delighted the children through their interactions, but also made them feel comfortable.
Along with that, Pehchaan The Street School collaborated with many groups to thoughtfully craft the kits that were given to the children. They included stationary kits, Holi colours and pichkaris of various shapes and sizes which made the children immensely happy. They also learned how to share and exchange their gifts so that everyone can enjoy all the colours of the rainbow.
Through collaborations, meals were also provided to the children which not only fulfilled their nutritional needs, but also brought a colourful change in their diet.
The celebrations were further punctuated with the cutting of the cakes across all the centres which made the celebrations even sweeter, figurative and literally.
These days became a literal blast as the children and volunteers both danced their hearts out to the music that flowed from the speakers that had been brought for this event, their minds going with the flow of the rhythms and their limbs following suit.
These celebrations not only were fun events, but they also held moments of implicit learning. The children learnt the significance of inclusivity, proper community conduct. They learnt that festivals are not just occasions of fun and joy, but also of kindness, love and community.
It strengthened their bonds with the volunteers who put in their best efforts to make the day as memorable as possible, and who also found themselves deep into that endless feeling. The one that keeps the goofy smile on our faces and the colours constantly in our hands, and which continues to make us feel gooey and giddy inside long after the colours have faded for this year.
So, if you are someone who got intrigued while reading this and would like to contribute your own share of colours towards these children, you might want to check out Pehchaan The Street School. You might just find a place that’s your calm, despite the beautiful chaos.