“Lal Kado…Lal Kado…Ek aur lal kado milto, to ye set poora
hoi jabo” – the little girl said, as she
kept rummaging through the bangles spread before her to complete to the pattern
laid out for the game. Watching her all
the while, I was enjoying her performance so intently that I forgot to stop the
timer. And when she finished, her happiness knew no bounds after winning a nail
paint of her favorite color… and this is just one of the plenty joyous moments
the Utsaha team of IIMI gets to experience.
Utsaha is a two day mela (festival) conducted by IIMI at
Janapav Kuti – a village near Rau (Indore). Though the intent of the event is to
conduct a disguised rural marketing research for FMCG companies, it is much more
than data collection. It gives happiness – where we laugh with the kids as they
hit the bull’s eye in a dart game.
It excites – when we roll a dice which will
decide who among the six players will be the winner. It rejuvenates – when we
play hoopla with the kids in open space. It brings a smile – when, in a game, a
timid woman with a kid puts the bindi at the right place on the poster and wins.
It gives energy – where we organize arm wrestling for men and find an ultimate
champion who takes away the mega prize.
It leaves us amazed – as we see the
magician performs his tricks, and we try to figure it out. It shows team spirit
– when our entire team organizes rounds of musical chair for over 100 kids
together… and it makes our day – when a villager comes and tells us that he
loved playing all the games we had.
Yes, a lot of preparation goes into organizing the event. It starts months before Kartik Poornima (the day we organize the event) where we plan out the event budget details, design projects & games, prepare materials, buy gift and decorate the stalls. The villagers don’t pay to play the games: profit is not our objective. But the entire toil is worth the learnings we get through the feedbacks from the audience, along with the sense of being close to our very own rural folks. It is an IIMI’s way of giving back a bit to the society, allowing its students an exposure to their grassroots, and giving memories to cherish forever.
Kudos to Team Utsaha for the grand success of the event this
year! I will miss this next year ! :)
