XII Arts Outreach Programme

On the 16 th of November, the students of Class XII Arts of Sophia High School went on an outreach programme to the Bangalore Friends in Need Society’s Home for the elderly.

It was a beautiful bright Saturday morning and we set out on our journey towards the Friends in Need Society’s Home. We were all filled with enthusiasm and excitement as this was our last outreach programme as students of Sophia High School. We had been preparing for the visit to the Home for many days, planning activities and arranging for gifts for the elderly people who we were so eager to meet. A short twenty-minute bus ride brought us to our destination. As we entered through the gates, we were mesmerised by the simple beauty of the premises. We were greeted by Ms. Sharmila Miranda, and were introduced to the President and the Secretary of the Society.

We entered the hall and interacted with the residents of the Home. We gave all the residents cupcakes and cookies which were prepared by our fellow students. It was an absolute delight to talk to the elderly people, who were exceedingly kind, insightful and jovial. We had planned to play a game of Tambola with them, so we set everything up and distributed the playing cards. We assisted all the residents throughout the game, and this was a very enriching experience for us. The residents thoroughly enjoyed the game. We had brought various gifts, like coffee mugs, shawls and other items, and these were given away as prizes which made the game even more fun and exciting. After a round of Tambola, we sang a number of songs for them, from Dancing Queen to O Holy Night and many other songs and hymns as was requested by our wonderful audience. Their appreciation and encouraging smiles filled our hearts with joy.

We were truly inspired by how the people we met at the Home were so full of life and compassion.

It was touching to see how happy the elderly residents were to have our company.

The conversations we had were extremely meaningful and precious. Our experience at the Friends in Need Society’s Home was really fulfilling and we felt privileged to have been afforded this opportunity to spend valuable quality time with the wonderful residents of the Home. All of us surely left with many important life lessons. Our last outreach programme was one that all the students of Class XII Arts will cherish forever. -

Anushka Ghatak
XII Arts