Orphan girls show they are no less than others

Hyderabad: In the age where daughters are shunned and people consider them as liability, Public Relations Council of India (PRCI), Hyderabad Chapter in association with Lodge Keys 297 (a primary unit of Freemasonry) organised a novel initiative 'Girls are pearls' to bring smiles on the faces of the less fortunate orphan girls Cherish Foundation Orphanage in Medipally on Sunday.

The 'Girls are Pearls' initiative had the 27 orphan girls of Cherish Foundation for day filled with excitement and surprises. Starting the day with Luxury Joyride, the girls from age 7 to 25 were treated royally and taken on a joyride in five luxury cars such as BMW 5 Series, Mercedes Benz (S-Class), Audi Q7 provided by Dr Mani Pavitra, Jay Vellanki (a student, he himself drove the girls for the Joy Ride); Kaushik, an architect and interior designer and other cars were hired.

They went around the city for two hours. Anjali, one of the inmates of Cherish, said that she used to say to her friends that she will study hard and one day travel in big cars like Mercedes one day. It is a very special day today, I will remember it all my life. Today my dream has been fulfilled, an elated Anjali said.

Seven Orphan Girls including Shailaja, Sudha, Radha, Susheela, Ester, Lily Pushpa, Mamatha secured jobs in prestigious IT companies and schools in spite of several odds they faced. PRCI presented Justin Vogue watches and felicitated them with shawls for being inspiration to their peers.

Shailaja, a B Com Graduate is pursuing PG and is aiming for Civils. She works as a Process Associate at Genpact. Sudha, a graduate pursuing PG is working as a Nursery Teacher at Delhi World Public School. He aims to clear Civils. Radha, a B.Com graduate aims to be a Company Secretary.

Currently she is working as a Teacher at Delhi World Public School. Esther is a graduate pursuing PG and working as an English Teacher at Srujana High School, Uppal. Lily Pushpa, a B.Tech Final Year student is working as a Front Office Executive at St. Paul's High School. Mamata, a graduate is working as a Teacher at Srujana High School.

Susheela, a B.Tech who is working as a Teacher at St. Peter's School. Following that kids had 'Speak to Glory', a small session on public speaking by D. Ramchandram, a Public Relations professional and trainer to help them achieve life skills. The kids learned the basics of speaking in public and how to organize their thoughts, communicate clearly and convincingly and say what they wanted to say.

A unique, fun and frolic Biscuit Craft Competition saw the girls divided into five teams. It brought out the imagination and creativity in the girls who made some interesting structures using different biscuits. The biscuits were arranged generously by Dukes India, a Hyderabad-based manufactures of biscuits, cookies, wafers and confectionery.

The girls were divided into five teams, each comprising 5-6 members. Team 1 comprising of Lily, Ruth, Monika, Shalini and Ratna made different structures for their home consisting Park, Tower, Well, House and even a play area with a see-saw. Team 2 comprising of Radha, Mounika, Mamata, Vani, Anusha and Mamata came out with a theme called 'Girl Construction'.

Their structure comprised of a Stadium, Flood Lights, Sitting area and Recreational facility. Team 3 with Jhansi, Anjali, Priya, Divya, Ambika and Avila as members came out with a House interiors structure showcasing Living Room, Dining hall, Bedroom along with night lamps, flower pots, smileys, etc.

Krupa, Nitya, Sailaja, Angel, Hepsibha of Team 4 came up with Cherish Girls House structure depicting House, Well, Dining Table, Street Lamps, etc made with biscuits. Team 5 comprising of Esther, Bhagya, Sudha, Susheela and Shweta depicted a Railway Station, making a train, railway station, trees, seating area, etc. with biscuits.

The teams used cherries, gems and polo mints to decorate their biscuit crafts. Team 1 was declared as Runner-up. Team 2 which came up with the 'Girls Construction' concept were adjudged as winners by the judges panel comprising of PR professionals Ms. Geetha, Mr. Devraj Solanki and Mr. Ashok of Lodge Keys 297.

The participating girls opined that through the biscuit craft competition they learnt that coordination and team work are very important. David Subrahmanyam, Founder, Cherish Foundation was felicitated with Shawl, Silver Bowl and Bouquet in recognition to the great service he has been extending by running Cherish Foundation and giving a life to the Orphan Girls. He is even planning to perform the marriages of the grown up girls very soon.

PRCI Members TVS Narayana, Aparna, Geeta, Prakash Jain; Freemasons Ashok Kumar, B. Nagaraju, P. Veerabhadrudu, Praful Sahgal, Seshu Kumar, PR professionals Devraj Solanki, Ritesh Burla, Kalpana, and others helped organize this unique program.

QuriosEaty, a daily meal food chain offered a star quality working lunch in a neatly packed boxes. The food was prepared in consultation with nutritionists and cooked by professional chefs for the orphans. Subba Raju, Dr. Suresh, Srinivas helped in arranging the food. Ms. N. MeghaYamini, a NRI who lives out of India too contributed towards the food for whole for the inmates of Cherish Foundation. Eha soft drinks were arragned by B. Nagaraju.

Entertainment and Music programme held by renowned ghazal singer Khan Ali Khan who treated the kids to melodious hindi songs like Gulabi ankhen jo teri dekhi, Sasoon ki jaroorat hai jaise, Yeh mera dil pyar ka deewana, Khaike pan beneraswala, etc.

Few girls too showcased the singing prowess. Krupa sang Ai mere watan ke logon while Jhansi play keyboard. The girls danced to various songs and enjoyed thoroughly. Being an orphan is hard, especially for a girl. When we take care of our daughters so much in regards to their needs, safety, etc., why these unfortunate orphans should be deprived of love, caring and sharing.

This thought drove members of PRCI Hyderabad Chapter to come together and celebrate girls, celebrate daughters through the 'Girls are Pearls' initiative, informed D.Ramchandram of PRCI Hyderabad Chapter. The 'Girls are Pearls' was initiative aimed to bring smiles on the faces of girls who do not have parents and give them some love and care.