Snapshots of joy on a wall of hope

From the 10th to 12th of January, The Akshaya Patra Foundation hosted a photography exhibit titled ‘The Wall of Hope and Joy’ at the ‘Vismaya’ Rangoli Art Gallery, Metro Station, MG Road, Bangalore. Showcasing myriad photographs of children laughing, smiling, playing and positively bursting with exuberance, this photo exhibit was almost like the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel.

The exhibition was showcased based on themes. ‘A Belly full of Fun’ captured moments of the children enjoying their delicious, nutritious mid-day meals, and cherishing their joyous moments surrounded by friends, ‘As You Like It’ captured the various, candid moods and expressions of the children – sometimes definable and sometimes enigmatic, ‘ Chasing Dreams’ highlighted moments of children absorbed in their quest for knowledge, ‘Moments Under a Hopeful Sky’ caught wonderful times of children playing out in the open, and enjoying their lives, while ‘Feeding 1.3 Million Children. Every Day’ showcased the day to day operations of the Akshaya Patra kitchens. The exhibition also showcased the top 40 photographs from the recently conclude ‘Click a Smile’ contest which brought in over 700 entries from around the world.

As I walked through the gallery, emotions from every photograph leapt out at me. Such a display of the sheer joy, innocence and optimism of youth is enough to make your heart leap with joy. In a world where trials and tribulations are aplenty, these children, from these four walls were enough to remind us all that is hope, there is joy and there is still laughter in this world.

And these faces caught the eye of many a passerby. The young, the old, the Indian and the international, they all walked through the doors as the days wore on, over a thousand of them in total. And they were all moved. As people heard the story of The Akshaya Patra Foundation and the work it does, as they looked into those healthy faces, and shining eyes on the walls, I saw them begin to care.

And I realized as the days wore on, that I cared too. Not just about the children and their future, but about all our futures as well. I cared about where we are going, what we are doing and what we can do to make our country’s journey better. And I realized that through my association with The Akshaya Patra Foundation, I had taken my first step to contributing to the answer.

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