22.06.2016, Bengaluru: It was their first visit and they struck the right chord with Bengaluru. Driven by a motto -- just giving -- the 16-member undergraduate students from De Montfort University, Leicester, United Kingdom, made their two-week stay memorable by raising 8,000 pounds (approximately Rs 7.92 lakh) for the Sheila Kothavala Institute for the Deaf on Old Airport Road.
The team made an artistic impression too -- they painted the assembly hall of the school and adorned it with artworks. The India Immersion programme was organized by the Bharat Welfare Trust (BWT), UK, a British charity organization.
The fund was raised through JustGiving online forum. For 19-year-old Dushal Limbani, learning basic sign language to interact with nearly 155 schoolchildren and serving them mid-day meals was an exhilarating experience.
"Some of us carried toys from h ome for the children.We could watch how midmay meals are prepared on a large scale and served to hundreds of children," Jessica Sanghani, 21, said.
For 21-year-old Roshni Savani, the temple visit was memorable. "We don't have such huge temples in the UK and I have only seen them on the internet. In the beginning, it was a challenge to communicate with hearing impaired children, however I managed to learn the language from them," said Roshni Savani.
"BWT India Aid is a British-registered charity that raises funds in the UK for poor communities in India. The objective is to eradicate poverty through education. This programme has enabled BWT to combine fundraising and getting British University students directly involved in working with underprivileged children," said Priti Kotecha, director, Overseas Operations.
The students, who voluteered at the school in the morning hours, ventured out in the noon to explore the city. They fed cows at a gaushala (cow sanctuary) and visited the Akshaya Patra kitchens of Iskcon. They returned to the United Kingdom on Friday.
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