Hyderabadis to cheer the poor this Diwali

Hyderabad: Bursting and burning crackers in Hyderabad is passe and with the Supreme Court banning polluting firecrackers, residents of the city are ensuring that the spirit of Diwali is continued in other ways.

One such is what VVM Trust is doing. It has started collecting unused or old items from houses in Sainikpuri, A. S. Rao Nagar and surrounding areas. “We collect these unused or old items and hand them over to destitute children who live or scamper around the railway station near Neredmet," said Seeta Agarwal, a member of the trust.

Deepa Shailender, a resident of Sainikpuri, is also finding joy in sharing the light of Diwali with underprivileged children. “Earlier, we used to have a mela of sorts for these children. But over the years, we have begun to give them crackers and sweets on an individual basis,” she said.

Similarly, in western parts of the city, like Balapur and Meerpet, Bongurla Narsing Rao of Wonder on Wheels Foundation is going around on his wheelchair handing out gifts and sweets to deprived children.

“There are many children who miss out on the joy of Diwali, like how I miss out on walking. Even this year, we gave a organised gifts—comprising sweets, crackers and clothes—for these children. I have made it my aim to spread smiles among children,” said Narsing Rao, who has been confined to his wheelchair for the last 23 years.

Even the cyber world has crowd-funding campaigns for making Diwali a more inclusive festival. Saying many children are denied the opportunity to celebrate, groups like Youngistaan Foundation are contacting people of the city to come forward and assist in making someone’s life brighter.