Karnataka - Bangalore

Little Preeti and her precious bags of goodies

Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy.

Caring: Actor Shivraj Kumar with children during ‘Bala Mela-2008’, in Bangalore on Sunday. —

Bangalore: Preeti, Sonia and Valli were a happy threesome at Bala Mela, a cultural festival celebrated on Sunday for underprivileged children by child rights NGOs. Preeti rode piggyback on Sonia, as Valli watched over the three precious plastic bags in which the organisers of the Mela had given them a few eatables and a bottle of mineral water. Preeti and her friends had been brought to the Mela in Lingarajapuram from a slum in Seva Nagar.

“I have been playing and they even checked my teeth to see if something is wrong,” smiled Preeti, pointing to the mobile medical van which was offering a free dental check up to the children. There were a series of cultural programmes including short plays, dances and songs, lined up in which children participated with excitement. There were also several game stalls, where small gifts were being given away liberally.

Despite the presence of about 500 volunteers, the situation was chaotic at the Mela venue, but none of the children seemed to mind. The lone watchman at the gate was desperately trying to prevent children from going out of the venue, who had been brought in thousands by NGOs.

But why was Preeti, whose parents are rag pickers, not eating the goodies given to her?

“Because I want to take it home and eat it with others,” she said, tightening the grip around the bag.

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