BHUBANESWAR: n So Am I Foundation Trust organised a workshop for children aged between six and 13 at a hotel here Wednesday.
“The idea behind conducting a workshop for a mixed group of children (the elite as well as the deprived) is to provide a platform to learn about life at a young age. Another workshop was conducted in June 2013 at Hotel Suryansh in association with the Sampurna Foundation and Art of Living,” said founder Pinaki Mohanty.
Around 43 children from Tati Slums near Sishubhawan Square, 50 children from Jeevan Jyoti Orphanage, Khandagiri, and 12 children from Sai International, DAV CSPUR, Loyola and Xavier International Schools attended the workshop.
“The aim is to give them an opportunity to experience an atmosphere where they can not only interact with children from different backgrounds, but also explore their own talents and share their best practices giving every child a chance to learn something new from each other,” said trustee Chidatmika Khatua.
Advisor Rina Routray said, “It helps the child to develop respect for others. Simple breathing techniques like the ‘Sudarshan Kriya’ help children to overcome negative emotions like fear, nervousness, anxiety, frustration, envy etc easily.”
The children were provided breakfast, lunch and snacks, workshop kits and new dresses by the Red Cross Society, treasurer Arvind Agarwal said. The children enjoyed participating in the workshop and also shared their happiness with one another.
Kalpana Das, secretary, Red Cross Society of Odisha, Ajay Nayak, additional secretary, Skill Development Department, plastic surgeon Akhaya Rout, Sanjay Biswal, RTO of Chhatrapur, Juvenile Board Justice Jayashree Mohapatra and Dillip Samantaray of Doordarshan attended the valedictory function. The workshop was conducted by trustee Jyoshnamayee Parida, Swapnajit Nayak and Art of Living faculty Jyotirmayi Rath.