Anatha Shishu Nivasa at Basavanagudi, an NGO that cares for orphans in Bangalore, India, has partnered with Asha Jeevan at Huli Mavu, also in Bangalore, an old age home, to bring kids and seniors together in a seemingly improbable project.



The idea was the brainchild of Nagendra K.S., who was taking a personal developmement course by Landmark Education that required him to take on a community project. In the course, Nagendra decided that he was going to be a source of innovation, leadership and happiness in his community. Inspired by the happiness he was going to be creating, he named his project Ullasa, which means ?joy? in English.

What he intended to accomplish with Ulasa was to bring senior citizens and orphaned children together in way that benefitted both groups. It was clear to him that the values and experiences of old people could be of great use to the orphans, particularly since they were not connected to grandparents or other elders in the community. And the joy and spontaneity that the children bring would be a huge contribution to the old people.

And so on May 11 Nagendra and some of his friends from work set out to make this event in reality. They rented vans to pick up the children and bring them to the old age home for a day they would never forget.

All in attendance were moved and inspired by what happened from the moment the children arrived. The seniors greeted the arrival of the children with joy and celebration. Most of the day was spent in a variety of planned activities that brought people together. The seniors told the children a variety of stories, sharing their experiences. Both kids and adults sang songs of devotion, many of which were extremely moving, such as one 10 year old orphan singing about his mother.

A height of joy was reached during a balloon popping event?Everyone blew up over a hundred different balloons, and when a signal was given they were all popped, much to everyone's delight. Finally, the adults and children made drawings for each other to keep. A wide variety of delicious desserts and drinks were served.

When it was finally time to go home, Nagendra and his friends drove the children back to the orphanage. Everyone involved was delighted by the day and looked forward to doing it again, including Nagendra and his team of volunteers. They are looking to recreate the event, and many more besides?Nagendra is talking to 15 old age homes and 15 orphanages to have the possibility of ?Ullasa? live on a grand scale.

The project also attracted the attention of the local media. A local newspaper, Vijay Karnataka, ran a story on May 24 about the event that acknowledged its success in creating fun and joy in the lives of everyone.