The Times of India – 28th November 2000

`Bal Kalotsav 2000’ fascinates them all at CASP

CASP-PLAN Pune, in collaboration with PLAN International, organized a three-day `Bal Kalotsav’ ( a children’s festival) at village Rajewadi in Maval Taluka recently. V. Radha, chief executive officer of Pune Zilla Parishad, inaugurated the festival.

This was a festive occasion for the thousand odd children who had gathered there. These children have all been sponsored by CASP and CASP-PLAN and belong to that unfortunate section of society which is hampered by economic crises in their families. They are given educational aids through sponsors to enable them to pursue their education smoothly.

CASP (Community Aid & Sponsorship Programme) and CASP-PLAN have been working in this field for the past 25 years, and have reached out to nearly one lakh children to date. Today a large number of them are well settled as engineers, doctors, architects and have become financially independent.

`Bal Kalotsav 2000’ was meant as a display of the numerous talents and skills of these children. There was a wide variety of cultural programs presented by the children themselves. `Deepastambha’, the association of past CASP students, had displayed some of the products of their creative talent such as sketches and painting et cetera.

The NSS girls’ unit of the SNDT College, Pune also participated by setting up stalls for fun games and creative activities for the children gathered there. Stalls testing linguistic, mental and physical skills of the children through games and creative activities had been set up. Puppet shows, creative drawing classes, pottery-making, flower-making were some of the skills taught to children.

The colourful dances, melodious songs, dance-dramas, folk dances, and mimicry presented by the children were immensely successful and appreciated by one and all.

Nearly 1,100 children from the states of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and come together under the aegis of CASP-PLAN Pune. The Maval Vikas Mandal and villagers from the surrounding areas had put in a great effort to stage the show.