Dream A Dream - A NGO in Bangalore

Dream A Dream is a NGO (Non Government Organization) which is onto the field of enabling underprivileged children to lead a successful life. On last Sunday that is on 7th December 2008, I went for a induction session basically to understand what is dream-a-dream and its workings and how I will be able to join and volunteer with them. I was been invited by Anju Lavina of dream-a-dream for attending this session through email.

I came to know about this organization through my colleague and friend Nitin Guru. I should have joined as a volunteer with dream-a-dream at least one month before, when we both had got an appointment for the induction session. But due to my other engagements I could not visit. But this time when I got the email, the moment I have decided not to miss this next opportunity. I had already blocked my calendars for the same.

At this point of time, when I do not know much about this NGO, I strongly recommend my readers to visit their website http://www.dreamadream.org/. 

I was there on time (10:30 to 11:30 am) on Sunday 7th December at Audugodi where the NGO is located. It was a cake walk for me to find the location, in two ways. First one I knew the place, second one the instructions on the email which Anju has sent. This is their address:

Dream A Dream
No. 73, 1st Floor, Lashker, Hosur Road, Adugodi, Bangalore 560 030
Tel: +91-80-2224 7745 / 6534 9980

Instructions to reach

If I forgot to tell you where in earth this place is located, you can find it out from the above mentioned address, which is in Bangalore, India. For those who would love to contribute to this NGO as a volunteer and spend their time wisely on weekends, please follow these instructions (but make a call to dream-a-dream before that). If you are familiar about Bangalore then you might be very well knowing Forum Mall, in Hosur Main Road. From Forum Mall through Hosur Main road go straight and pass Audugodi Signal and straight. If you are coming by any vehicle you are sure to miss the landmark which I am going to tell. Slow your vehicle and in your left-hand side search for "Church of South India". Just after that you will notice a green-painted building and in that you can see the small nameplate of Dream-a-dream. It is in the first floor (above ground floor). 

If you just happen to see this page, and could not join this NGO, please donate some money for the sake of children. You can donate online through the following link. It is quite safe this way. 

http://www.giveindia.org/give/pledgepage/InvisbleChildren

If you are in Bangalore I plead to visit this organization (if not join) and understand what they do, or if you are not in Bangalore and would like to know about the organization please call up and talk to Anju or any Dream A Dream staff or volunteer. If you are not in either of these please, please try to donate what you can in the above mentioned link.

There are more than 700 volunteers working for dream-a-dream as of today and imbibing their good work to the underprivileged society.

Social animal

I am not an individual. I am part of a society. I believe in people coming together as one of the virtues of humankind, than in any other animal societies.

I don't know whether elephants can make friends, dogs can make friends, goats can make friends, dinosaurs can make friends, snakes can make friends, butterflies can make friends, polar bears can make friends. But I am sure that humans can make friends. That is our strength, which we take for granted.

We sometimes only treat our house as clean, only our friends house for cleanliness. But often forget the whole society which enables us to survive. Imagine one day when hotels close, malls close, departmental stores close, auto-rickshaw's stop running, taxis stop running, buses stop running. They are not directly related to us. But is part of a larger society which we do not think about.

We are so selfish that we do not care the problems (even silly problems) of passersby. This is well evident within a city of type Bangalore, where no one has time for others nearby.

I have took some really heart-felt snaps which make me really think. I personally feel that I can do something towards helping the real wanted. I get really annoyed by bikers honking over footpath behind walking commuters, people throwing waste in the roads, people cutting trees, people blocking roads for their selfish purposes.

I really speak to those concerned if I was present. I initially was really annoyed with these kinds of people who do not take law for their protection but for a policemen.

The first picture I portray here is that of a trailer truck blocking a public road. This trailer has been brought by the construction party of a house in the road. I talked to the concerned person and he laughed out my concern saying fly above the trailer. I was deeply shocked by the comments, but had to laugh to maintain not an annoying face.

The second and third pictures voice my concern over people cutting trees for any purpose. I simply cannot agree any reason for cutting down a tree for removing an obstruction. What if the trees where like humans and want to cut down humans from their obstructive path. Simply tears my dear trees. :(

Atlast the fourth and fifth pictures voice my concern against people throwing garbage (whatever they feel not worth of carrying) onto roads. We cannot blame the municipality authorities to police us and find out where we throw waste and pick it up to make the city clean. It is me, you, each individual who must bring about the change. Educate the ones near you.

Who cares for their healthy life

We pay a lot for being clean. We pay more for clean water than ordinary water, we pay more for being provided with clean food, etc and almost we leave out on somewhere else.

I am talking about smoking as a habit. I don't want to talk about those who does not know the health issues associated with smoking, but those who smokes even by knowing the ill effects. I sincerely do not want anyone smoking around me. It annoys me first and then makes way to some kind of advice.

Those who read this, and those who do not know the ill effects of smoking a small piece of advice:
PLEASE QUIT SMOKING! ! !

Those who read this, and those who know the ill effects of smoking I do not have a advice, but a request:
PLEASE QUIT SMOKING! ! !
PLEASE CONSIDER OTHERS HEALTH ALSO! ! !

If you are reading this, and you do not smoke. No problem. Think of some friends of yours who smoke. Stop him/her from this act.
PLEASE HELP SOMEONE QUIT SMOKING! ! !

I sincerely think that making a law to stop smoking is really unfortunate, people who care for their health should stop smoking rather than wait for a law to be enforced preventing smoking...

Who cares for the smoking ban in India, I took some snaps of people freely smoking...

Begging Bangalore way

Begging in the streets of Bangalore is in rise. There are no scarcity of traffic signals in Bangalore and there are no scarcity of beggars in these signals.

I personally think that by giving a little what I can to these beggars are not going to help them reconsider begging for a living. But it should be a collective attempt from fellow citizens/friends/organizations to provide some means of living of their own that will reconsider them from begging.

I personally therefore do not encourage begging by giving a little or more I can afford to give as charity.

Some snaps from streets of Bangalore are below:

This time its Hotel Vinitha

This time I noticed child labour in another hotel very nearby Shivaji Nagar Bus Stand, Bangalore. You will never miss these boys working there...

Here are some clips which I took. I could not bear this small boys working there...





Did you notice the children working (as cleaners) in this hotel?



Look how innocent they are, not discussing the problems of work but some childish talk...



Can anyone do something against this???



I require help from like-minded persons.... to carry on my mission..... Please help...

Stop this please

I was alerted by my friend on the hotel which employs child labour. It astonished me as this was just opposite the commissioners office in Bangalore. All the policemen come here for breakfast/lunch/dinner/snacks. Yet no one raised their voice to stop this brutal act!

They just not only employ child labour but also brutally beat them for finishing up their work fast and brisk enough. You can witness this in its closing hours.

This happens only in India. I had a long conversation with my friend on this topic, who had boycotted the hotel by now.

This is the image I took of my cell camera. The resolution may not be good, but who cares if it reaches wider reach of people. Those who read this, if you feel the same please do something in your own view against this act.

Drive with common rules in mind

Driving in indian roads? Are you fearful? If you are an indian then read through.

Generally Indians are not used to disciplined drivers or pedestrians. They follow what is in their mind at the time. This leads to the "chaos" as termed by outsiders. Are we really causing this chaos? Let me try to go deeper into the issue and try to analyze the situation.

For understanding the root cause we may have to delve deeper into understanding how we (indians) react to situations. For instance take religion. Normally we follow what our parents follow, without understanding what a religion is supposed to be in his/her life. But the newer educated generations are slowly getting out of this blindness. But if we put the same way of thought onto following traffic rules or obeying some basic driving courtesy is alien to this country. This nature simply gets on passed from generations and there is almost no conscious attempts to change the said chaotic behaviour.

I personally think that it is the responsibility of the older generations to revive their younger generations on how they behave, on how they react to situations, on how they live after their time.

I am planting a conscious behaviour in me to change such habits and make the world we drive more peaceful. As part of that effort i initially choose not to curse any one while driving, show a smiling face to co drivers etc. Of course i am starting to follow this and not mastered it. But how long it will take me to master this?

Why this change is required?
At an average i drive/travel for about 400kms of city ride and 1000kms of outside city travel a month. For an approximate calculation i will assume about 1 minute per km travelled, then it comes to around 1400 minutes. Do your math on how long you are in this environment which increases your stress levels? Think and find your priority to change your driving habits.

To my dear indians

Many a times i have thought about my homeland, India. India is very rich in its tradition, diverse in its faith, worlds second largest human resource source, highly talented workforce, etc.
But has anyone thought about what have you done for our motherland? Well what normally we does is to criticize anything as though we know everything. But those who knows something will rather choose to act than to talk. Most of us are talkative than active. If there is a common problem we first blame the authorities or government. For example if the municipality is not collecting garbage, we will blame them and put the garbage in the same place. The second day also the same thing happens with the same reaction. This happens all days without any change. Nobody will take the responsibility to talk to the municipality concerned to get the problem rectified.
This is the problem we face. If there is something to change in our country this should be the first thing to change, the way in which we react to situations.