AASRA - Because They Need Us

One of the most celebrated days in India, 26 January, happens to have an added importance for all Aasrites. Reason being, it is the foundation day of AASRA.            As is the norm, Aasra celebrated its foundation day in the NIT premises. Attended by 201 children from the workplaces, all Aasrites, several dignitaries and alumni, it was a grand success. Events and Happenings:     The children were brought into the campus by 7:45 via buses. Waiting for them at CC were full plates of Upma and curry and some gentle rain. They were then escorted to the BBA for the main event.     The event witnessed its sunrise as the chief guests Prof. S.K.Patel (Registar), Prof. S.K.Das , Prof.R.K.Biswal , Prof.S.Jayanthu, Prof.Saurav Chatterjee, Prof.S.N.Alam, Prof.Thirugnanam, Mrs.Sukhanti Maharana, Mr.K.C.Maharana, Mr. Suman Upadhyay (senior counsellor, SOS Village) and our alumnus Anup Agarwal (2012 batch) lighted the diya. All the guests were presented with a glass painting and a bo

If you’ve ever visited AASRA’s Sector 21 workplace (formerly Leprosy Colony) on a Wednesday afternoon, you would probably have witnessed people resting peacefully in their huts, children coming back from school for a short afternoon snooze before their evening shenanigans. But the Wednesday of 13th March 2019 wasn’t like its average Wednesday. You could see people of all ages, from babies of the age of three to old people in their seventies, running to the entrance of the colony. Many men and women of the Naya Bazaar area immediately shut their shops to rush to the colony. People of the nearby apartments and offices flocked to their balconies to catch a glimpse of what was happening. Homemakers hurriedly closed the doors to their houses and gathered to witness something they never had. RITVIC, the cultural club of NIT Rourkela under Manthan, India’s largest street play festival had decided to perform a street play (Nukkad Natak) in AASRA’s sector 21. Here’s how it went down. The eveni