Evolved from the love and affection of ISB’s AIKYA families, Bandhan has become an annual celebration of Independence and gratitude. Our PGP’s Net Impact Club takes the responsibility of organising events for children who visit our campuses during the four-weekends of Bandhan.
 
The Net Impact Club at ISB acts on its objective throughout the year via various activities and events - one such event is Bandhan.
 
The foundation of Bandhan lies in the belief that every child is special. And this belief has driven the two-fold purpose of creating a meaningful impact in the life of every child and of bridging the gap in access, exposure and learning. Year-on-year, Bandhan is held across four weekends leading up to the momentous final day – August 15.
 
This year Bandhan’s vision was ‘Leaders of Tomorrow’, with a special emphasis on helping the kids develop core 21st-century leadership skills. These skills will enable them to avail opportunities for growth and success. What started as a vision soon turned into reality as children began pouring in the campus during the first weekend. Each weekend since then has been an eventful occasion.
 
Over 300 students between class 5 and 10 from different schools were grouped, which gave them a chance to make some new friends and share their stories. We had various fun and learning sessions from mid-July till August 15, in collaboration with multiple partner NGOs aimed at their holistic education. On the one hand, Bandhan brings some learnings and new world views to students through art, theatre, sports, dance and music, and on the other hand, it gives our students a chance to come together to interact with these children and gain varied perspectives.
 
Every weekend began with a quick energiser after which the kids were split into groups so they could prepare for the cultural show, which was the main attraction of the final day. Workshops on building stronger motor skills, dance, storytelling, arts, etc. helped the children become more confident and gain a fun-filled learning experience. Other sessions included sketching images that reflected their life – like a river and a flower, a gender sensitivity workshop that introduced students to the concept of gender equality and a communication workshop that taught them to work in a team.
 

The umbrella sessions held every week have been designed with the end goal to enable the children to choose their desired path in the future. The sessions such as design for change, goal setting and financial Independence were designed to encourage maximum interaction, learning and fun.
 
Professional and social clubs came together to make these weekends unique for the students. In an incredibly busy one-year programme, it is a wonder to see the PGP students carve out time from their schedules to serve the society in any way they can. The lessons taught at ISB extend far beyond the classroom, and Bandhan is a testimony to the same.

Bandhan 2019 filled our campuses with vibrancy and innocent chatter alike! We look forward to enabling children to choose education as their medium of growth, over and over.