A person dressed as a joker serves food to children at Bal Mela in Patna on Tuesday. Picture by Neshat Ahmad

Patna, Nov. 8: Magic show, games and innumerable gifts brought smiles to around 300 slum children who gathered at Lady Stephenson Hall today. The occasion was Bal Mela organised by several city-based clubs.

Several children came to the venue dressed as joker, Mickey Mouse and other cartoon characters. The outfits were provided by the organisers — members of organisations like Inner Wheel Club of Patna Central, Bihar Council of Women, Lions Club of Patna Central, Marwari Mahila Manch, Marwari Maheshwari Samaj and others. They served ice cream and gave away gifts like drawing books and chocolates, lighting up the children’s faces.

Chief guest at the mela, Nisha Jha, the chairperson of Bihar State Child Rights Protection Commission, hailed the efforts of the club members. “A woman can do anything and you (the organisers) have proved this today. I appreciate your efforts for organising this mela for the slum children.”

A bhajan recital by students of a blind school made everybody emotional at the inauguration. “The performance was inspiring and full of devotion,” said 14-year-old Priyanka Kumari.

The event also saw a performance by magician Mahanand.

“The magician showed some nice tricks, including creating chocolates and laddoos from an empty container. I really enjoyed the show,” said eight-year-old Rahul Kumar.