Rotary Club of Pune Central organized its 18th Christmas party for differently abled children this year on 18th December at the Ladies Club, Camp. As in the past, PP Munir Chinoy, PP Manjulla Viswanathan and Rtn. Anil Bora arranged this fun-filled evening with active support from the Inner Wheel Club. A large number of organizations sent their children for the party. There were mentally challenged children and adults from "Navshitij", Hearing and Speech impaired children from the Bharari and Hadapsar Schools, Cancer Patients from the 'Sofosh Society' of KEM Hospital, Visually impaired students and Orphans from Eklavya Foundation. Music, Dancing, Tattoo Artist, Balloon Circus, Magic Show and Puppet show kept the children entertained. Ms. Parinaz Vaz, daughter of Cawas and Hutokshi Pundole had set up a stall for food craft and art. Cookies and biscuits were painted with food colours and distributed to the children. The event manager, Tina Yadav did a great job of keeping the participants engaged in dances, games and singing. The highlight was a photo-frame corner where every child and adult was invited to get himself/herself photographed in fancy headgear and a copy of the printed photograph being handed over instantly. The entry of Santa Claus (aka Rtn. Shashi Talwar) added to the fun and excitement as he distributed sweets and cookies to all the children and became the 'Social Integrator' for the evening, binding all ages and backgrounds with a common bond, i.e. The Spirit of Giving! Due to a missing beard, Santa's assistant (Rtn. Jayant Luthra) decided to play the role in civilian attire. The duo was helped by Jayant's daughter - Meher and her two cousins. A team of 3 IYE students from Brazil provided the international collaborative factor, thereby enhancing the joy, happiness and satisfaction that pervaded the whole atmosphere. The evening ended with a sumptuous spread of food consisting of Pav Bhaji, Noodles, Fried Rice and Veg Manchurian for the main course and Gulab Jamuns with Boondi Laddoos for desert. The children left the venue, each bearing a gift handed over by the R'Ann Asha Naik, President Inner Wheel Club and her team. RCPC Members who volunteered and attended - Pres. Ravi and R'Ann Jyoti, PP Manjulla, Rtns. Anil Bora, Shashi Talwar, Jayant Luthra, Bhushan Thakur, Pravin Nadkarni, Oni Kakajiwla, Vanita Bajaj, R'Anns Fatima Chinoy, Mangal Bora, Jasma Asher, Rooma Dubey, Suchi Bhargava, Asha Naik, Savita Dharmadhikari, Arti Thakur, Monica Nadkarni, Nafisa Kakajiwala, Neena Talwar and Hutokshi Pundole. Rtn. Prabha Brustner (Ex RCPC) and now member of RC Gottenburg City Sweden was also present. Rtn. Shashi Talwar’s son, daughter-in-law and grand-daughter also attended. Our heartfelt thanks to all the people who contributed, aided and supported in making this annual endeavour a great success. Special thanks to: • The Management of the Ladies Club for generously allowing the use of their large hall free of cost. • Mr. Bharda, Manager of Ladies Club for all the arrangements and facilities in the hall. • The caterer - Mr. Satish Shetty for sponsoring the food for the 14th year in a row. • Ms. Tina Yadav, for her enthusiasm in making the children fully involved and for choreographing the evening. • Members of the Inner Wheel Club for gifts to the children and for their presence in large numbers to show their support. • R’Ann Jyoti Kapoor, Rtns. Pravin Nadkarni and Jitendra Sandu for their large-hearted contributions in funding the party. • Rtn. Anil Bora, PP Munir and PP Manjulla for their meticulous attention to detail. • All members and R'Anns from RCPC who devoted their afternoon and evening for the program. • Gajanan and Hari from RCPC Office. Not only was this a special day for the children but their smiles and happy faces made it a special day for each one of us. Follow the links below for complete coverage of this program….. • http://www.bytesofindia.com/Details/?NewsId=4632838972112311101 • http://www.bytesofindia.com/Details/?NewsId=5588138800404358610 • http://www.punekarnews.in/christmas-party-held-for-special-kidslittle-patients-and-orphans/ A few newspapers have also reported this event.