Tuesday, November 24, 2009

nAble event at nVidia, 21st Nov'09

Really wat a fabulous day it was!!
nVidia has this group called nAble which takes initiatives for noble causes. This time it was about donating substantial money to Jagriti Blind School of girls so that they can build a 'vocational training center' at their institute.
But a more innovative idea from nAble was not just to donate this money but also to invite those girls to nVidia to spend a day here!!


I initially thought not a big deal to invite them here. But when I actually interacted with them I came to know its a biiiig deal. Most of them were completely visually impared For them just to know that they were at the 12th floor of a building and to know that whole Pune's view can be seen from there, was one Wonder.I really appreciate nVidia for having something called nAble which most other software companies lack. I got the chance to perform here at the event and I'm glad that I performed here. It was one of the memorable performances. Wanted to keep this on my blog So Pasting down a mail which was circulated today in nVidia.

Hello All,
Nov 21 was not one of those Saturdays, which came and went just like that. It was the day, which is now considered as one of the most treasured day in the lives of ~30 odd NVidians and their families. That’s the day we spent with 46 students of The “Jagriti School for Blind Girls”.

It was a result of 3-4 days of continuous meetings and sync ups at various levels, including our invaluable facility and support team. The entire “planned” event went off without a hitch. A day of perfect team work and dedication for the cause!! Be it preparations, or arranging arrival for them – which meant arranging bus/receiving children/bringing them in lift to the venue, or to welcome them with drink-gazra-attar-gulab, or equally participating with them for various musical items or show, or to encourage them to win maximum chocolates during quiz time, or serving lunch, or helping them find a surprise star stuck in chair for a surprise gift, or just spending some time with them explaining musical instruments used or just singing with them => we had full enthusiasm visible all across. The performances were no doubt exceptional from the students side. Our NVidians also matched it with equal claps from the audience. Dhiraj kept the atmosphere light with his witty comments and quizzing time. Neeraj playing drum set (with all the energy and style) was so effective, that the children couldn’t keep their hands off the drum set during free time. No doubt the performers Akash and Neeraj struck a perfect cord, to become their “favorite” bhaiya by end of day.

Post lunch, the girls had started to open up. Antakshari being a favorite across all levels, we formed 5 groups (with names!!), NV volunteers joined one group each – and we started with a round of songs, laughter and call outs. Amol’s “Identify songs from the music” round won loads of “oh no, it was simple” remark. We followed it up with a round of musical chair and passing the parcel – being played simultaneously. Girls showed their competitive spirit and made sure they tried hard to win. Two of the winners in each game, got a token prize. Many NVidians then got hold of places opposite some of chess players we had amongst the girls!! The special chess boards they brought (on special request) was a curiosity for all of us.

The students’ performances in the 1st half was judged by 3 of the NV volunteers. They chose 3 most talented ones from the lot, who were given prizes by end of the event. We also gave 5 encouragement prizes to some students. We also gave away the 5 surprise gifts, in exchange of the surprise stars. Last, but not the least, Jagriti Blind School was presented with a total (employees contribution and NV-Foundation match) funds of Rs. ********/-, which they would be using to build a vocational training centre classroom in their under-construction new model school building.

We parted with them after some snacks and few group photos, with a promise to ourselves to continue doing these little things for the society around us – which gives us great satisfaction and adds meaning to our lives.

I would like a special mention of the great care and help available from the facility and support team. They were there even before someone called for them. They were finished with the job, even before someone could think of it. They are a wonderful lot under Ravi, dedication and energy levels are extremely high – incomparable!!

Great way to take out some time off our busy schedules, and do our bit of responsibility for the community.
Thanks for the continued support.

Regards,
nAble Team

5 comments:

Nikhil said...

good work dude ... keep it up !

Aaaaaakash said...

Ohh Thanks man!!!
The satisfaction at the end of the day cant be put into words

Unknown said...

good yaar..
Keep it up!!
Kudos nVidians.

Aaaaaakash said...

@ anshul
Thanks buddy

Aaaaaakash said...

(Catch the Videos at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9adQEv72FAU
and
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVWgHGa5cNA)