The Rotary Club of Bombay's (RCB) Bhavishya Yaan (vehicle to the future) was set up ten years ago as a student enrichment project. The aim of this programme was to provide specialised skills to underprivileged children in Municipal schools.
RCB, President, Preeti Mehta, said, "This project is very close to our heart. It is really heart-warming to see it grow from 40 children in one school to 1,600 children in six Municipal schools. More so, the fact that our children have become Engineers, Chartered Accountants and have entered areas like hospitality and travel, all the while attributing their success to Bhavishya Yaan makes the whole effort so meaningful.
In fact many years ago I was Chairman of this Bhavshya Yaan Committee and I can honestly say it was a defining moment in my life. I felt we were doing something that came straight from the heart and changed the lives of these children."
Alok Sekhsaria, who steered the project thought its fledgling years, said, "We were committed to remove the underprivileged tag from these students. And in doing so have become privileged ourselves. Our students learn spoken English, computer skills, life skills and soft skills. Our computer labs are built and equipped to be aspirational."
Jamshed Vakharia, Chairman, Bhavishya Yaan (BY) Committee, added, "We started 10 years ago by teaching students from the sixth to the tenth standard because we wanted to lower the alarming dropout rate in these Municipal schools. Now we have begun what we call as 'Junior BY' where we teach students from first to the fourth standard.
This was implemented to ensure we catch the kids at a younger age and instill the right learnings and values in them. It is a matter of pride that the program is actively monitored by the wives of Rotarians in all the six schools."
The Annual Day function held at the ISME auditoriaum on recently saw cinestar Tara Sutaria acknowledging the efforts of the children.
