December 16 was a special day for children at Future Hope, as they joined hands to put together the 2023 edition of their Annual Mela at Rowland Road. The theme for this year was ‘Care’, and the kids embedded messages of care and compassion in the decor – from the paper-lanterns to the colourful bricks – each crafted by hand
Photos: Soumyajit DeyThe children designed several fun games to keep everyone engaged, including Make the Pyramid, (top) Jumbled Words, and (middle) an elaborate indoor golf course! Upon winning, participants were eligible to enrol for the Jackpot (bottom), which had a host of attractive prizes
Kids from Future Hope also prepared delectable dishes, and the food counters were packed throughout the evening. (Top) Chilli Chicken and (middle) Cauliflower Samosas were some of the items on the menu. Future Hope also set up a mini bakery (bottom), where, if people could guess the weight of a chocolate cake, they could win it!
People took a breather between games at the mocktail counter, which offered sweet lemon soda and mixed fruit juice
Students from Alfrink College, the Netherlands, culminated their Kolkata visit with a completely desi performance to ‘Sauda Khara Khara’, with their friends from Jungle Crows and Future Hope
The happy group commemorated the performance with a celebratory groupfie. “Over the 10 days that we have spent in Kolkata, we have gotten to learn so much through our cultural differences. There is a lot of joy in the city, and people are very welcoming,” said Mirza Hasanbegovic, one of the students
We caught Jungle Crows founder Paul Walsh, Decathlon North India head Alpesh Patel, and Decathlon East India head Bruno Araujo enjoying a laugh together
“The Annual Mela is a display of the creativity of our children, and their love. The kids did a great job in executing this year’s theme of ‘Care’, which is one of our core values,” said Sujata Sen, CEO of Future Hope