“Highlight of the Caravan this time was Heera, so talented and creative. He just came and sat next to me. He asked if he could do the craft stuff which everyone were doing. He ended up doing such great work. He was a very silent kid, but as soon as he was appreciated for the work he did he was so elated and the smile he have made my day. All the kids there if not everyone but at least a few have many problems but they don’t show it out. I’m very sure if I was in their place I wouldn’t have even had half their energy and enthusiasm for Life. These kids are amazing they don’t show all that our and just try and make us happy who are just going to spend like 3 hours with them.”
At the Caravan every ‘Akka’ and every ‘Anna” is special and so are the kids. The joys that these interactions may bring are intangible. Recalling her experience an intern says “I was overwhelmed at this Caravan session as the girl who was teaching me how to make a flower asked me whether I was going to take the flower home or was I going to throw it away. The moment I said I’m going to take it home she felt really happy and she enjoyed making it even more and that act of hers made me feel really really happy and so special.”
Tackle Caravan is not only a place where the interaction with the children, helps us understand them, but also a place where one is accepted just the way he/she is. One is given the freedom to engage in activities that heal the soul. “When I walked in through that gate most of the kids just left what they were doing. They ran towards me and hugged me and welcomed me. It was just so beautiful and heart-warming. I was completely overwhelmed. I’m completely in love with the Caravan. The whole idea of playing and being with the kids is absolutely lovely. I’m someone who loves dancing but has no time for it and here in the Caravan I literally dance at a stretch. Though I may get exhausted the energy and the enthusiasm from the kids keeps me going.”
Tackle Caravan is all about the Unconditional love and acceptance. It’s about about the bond we share. “The kids all remembered me by my name, which isn’t easy to pronounce. They ran towards me and made me feel included in all their activities, though I wasn’t particularly good at any of the games.” As one of our intern recalls her experience and we are surprised at the size of the hearts of these children. – Spruha K Reddy
As one looks at the underlying meaning of life, one may ponder on thought of purpose of life. As one of our interns describes her experience she says Tackle Caravan is all about “Taking a break from life by doing something for someone who is not related to you, without any selfish desire.” It is probably one of the deeds where we think of the other before the self. -Preethi Prasanna
One of the interns was overwhemled by the response of the children, expressing her happiness she said, “The kids were so welcoming even though we were complete strangers.The energy the kids had was just contagious!:)” – Natasha Joel
The impact of play and its importance was also experienced through the activities at the Caravan. “It taught me that play as a powerful tool can break any barrier that arises in terms of age, gender, language etc… it helps us to bring in the child like behavior hidden in us…..waiting for next caravan.” – Priyanka.S.
The whole session is a stress buster in itself and our volunteers also swear by it. As one of the interns says “Blithesome and cheerful faces of kids and playful environment in the school made me forget my muddiness.” – Simran Agrawal
Sharing her experience one of the intern was completely awestruck by the talents of the children. She said “The highlight according to me was the music the children created from the empty water tank and table. It was amazing to see such talent. In fact I was really awed by the mastery and synchrony among the children.” – Prathistha Raj.
Language is often one of the greatest worries of the interns. Another intern also expressed how the child there played an important role in her interactions at the Caravan, she says, “I met one boy he was very sweet and little shy. I did colouring with him and we became friends. The best part was that he was my Kannada translator. He was explaining to me what other children were saying in Kannada, it was fun.
