By Diksha Dwivedi
It goes without saying - poverty is an issue the nation has been tackling for as long as we can remember. With poverty comes lack of nutrition and education, with kids from poor families having to actively work as sole bread winners, or to contribute to family incomes. As far as education for them is concerned, the few that do manage to attend school do not get any time for recreational activities; they don't get time to just behave their age and enjoy the perks of childhood. Having identified this often ignored facet of underprivileged children, Shreya Soni founded Picture Wala - a non-profit organization and an entertainment company for street kids in India.
Picture Wala was born in the capital as a moving circus that travels to different parts of the city to entertain children on the streets, using mediums like cinema, art, music, comedy etc. to engage, entertain and inspire.
Picture Wala works hard to buy two hours of these children's time from their parents. In those two hours, the kids can celebrate their free time by enjoying a movie, a play, music, and/or other cultural events and activities. With every passing day, Picture Wala is trying to make put a smile on one more face on the streets, home to over 80000 children.
Get Involved
Picture Wala is constantly on the move, and ends up having to deal with street children in reasonably large numbers. They could use some help on most occasions, and are calling out to you! They have a string of activities they use for entertainment; whatever your strength, be it singing, dancing, art, film, music or basic story-telling, it'll all go a long way in contributing towards the endeavour.
Their next event is in New Delhi and it involves theatre activities. If you’re a drama enthusiast, or theatre professional, here's a chance to use your skills for a cause. For updates on how you can help , follow their facebook page. To share any ideas or for any additional information, you can email them at thepicturewala@gmail.com.