The 8th edition of Junoon, a two-day pre-BOSM event conducted by National Service Society (NSS), was held on the 7th and 8th of this month. Junoon is a sports and recreational activities event conducted for specially-abled children from various NGOs across the country. The event is the brainchild of the Sports Council of 2012, who felt that there was a need for sports to be promoted among the differently-abled. When asked about the objectives of Junoon, Chinmay, the NSS coordinator, said, ‘Even though they have to maybe put a little more effort for the actions they perform, they still have a smile on their faces. We want to give them a platform so that they can show that they are no less than others.’ Girish Sharma, a gold medal-winning para-athlete badminton player, was invited to be the Chief Guest. Virali Modi, a disability rights activist, was the Guest of Honour. She is also a model, having recently been part of Salman Khan’s “Being Human” advertisement campaign. She was also featured in “100 Women”, a BBC series examining the role of women in the 21st century.

The inauguration consisted of the introduction of the NGOs, lighting of the lamp, and addresses by the Director, Chief Guest, and NSS President. The Chief Guest and Guest of Honor talked about their journeys and struggles to attain success. For Girish Sharma, that was winning the gold medal at the Paralympic Asian Games; for Virali Modi, it was winning Miss Wheelchair India. The inauguration was a private affair, consisting of around a dozen Professors, the children from the NGOs, NSS members, the Chief Guest, and the Director. It was followed by a Recreational Activities session for the children. Loud and cheerful music blared through SAC while the children played board games like carrom and ludo. A few rounds of kho-kho were also played. The excitement and joy at SAC Hall were quite palpable. The corridor leading to the SAC Amphitheater was decorated with panels of various cartoon characters from much loved animated movies. A photo booth where the children could take pictures with their favourite characters was also set up in the corridor. While the children were being shown around the panels, Girish Sharma played a few badminton rounds with some of the Professors, and he made short work of his opponents. By the end of the nearly ninety minute-long session, most of those present at SAC Hall were dancing freely to the music. After the session, the children and the NGO volunteers were treated to a grub organized with the aid of SSMS.

The sports events were held in GymG early the next morning. The track events included 50m, 100m, and relay races. There were also events like shot put, long jump, standing long jump, and the Italian lawn bowling game bocce. Despite the sweltering heat, all the children powered through their respective events, their determination evident on their faces. Girish Sharma was present throughout the sporting events, going around and meeting some of the participants, questioning the mentors on the participants’ practice schedules, and acting as a starter for some of the races. The events ended by noon, after which everyone went for lunch and then headed to the NAB for the movie screening. The cool air blasting out of the air conditioners at the NAB audi was a pleasant surprise and a welcome relief for the children after their hours under the hot Pilani sun. Virali Modi joined the children as they watched Tom and Jerry: Blast Off to Mars.   

After the movie ended, the children hastily left for the Audi in order to practise for Junoon Nite—the most anticipated part of the two-day event. The Nite consists of performances by the children and various other clubs. It commenced with a speech by the coordinator, Chinmay, followed by one from Girish Sharma, who praised NSS for their initiative and commended them for working hard throughout the course of the two days. Music Club had a short gig in between whereas Poetry Club had two inspiring poem recitals, both on perseverance. Between the performances, there was a Felicitation Ceremony where the winners from each NGO were awarded trophies by Virali Modi. Near the end of the Nite, there was also a talk by the differently-abled Director of the NGO Asha Seva Sansthan. He talked about empowering the differently-abled by providing them with opportunities to become self-reliant. By the end of the Nite, all involved were exhausted but visibly proud of what they did—for the children, it was taking part in a sports competition and performing their bit for the Nite well. For the NSS, it was successfully conducting the events and bringing a smile to everyone’s faces.