First off, WELL DONE Awareness Team! What a fabulous performance. The Concessions Mela was an unbelievable show of organization, dedication, festivity and accomplishment. Nearly ninety children and adults came, with their parents and brothers and sisters, to apply for their disability certificates in another “One Stop Shop” approach to what is normally a painful and lengthy procedure, often taking weeks of repeated visits to obtain. Staff were everywhere at the event, answering questions, helping parents fill out forms, shepherding people to the right counters and playing with the children who were fed up from waiting in lines.

For the children, it was a combination of a holiday with friends and a chance to be with their parents on a school day. In familiar, friendly surroundings, they seemed to enjoy the excitement and the chaos. Toys were inside Latika Vihar for anyone who felt like playing, there was plenty of water available and an endless carnival of activity to observe and be part of. 

By the end of it all, we had a lot of sleepy children, ready to go home . . . and a lot of happy and relieved parents with certificates in hand at last!