At the end of the day, it was difficult to decide who enjoyed themselves more: the adult Arvalians or the kids of the NGO Magic Bus on this fun trip to Karjat…

But let’s start at the beginning. On May 1, 2010, Arvalians from Mumbai bussed into Karjat in the Western Ghats of Maharashtra, to spend a day with the young members of the Magic Bus Centre and make it an eventful and memorable day for as many as 170 children as well as themselves. So began a day of fun, games, feasting… and above all, learning!

The children, bursting with excitement at the opportunity to spend a day with visitors, reached the centre from various remote villages of Karjat in a ‘Magic Bus’, having thoroughly enjoyed the picturesque sights and sounds en route. At the Magic Bus Centre, a colourful sports event was planned for them and they were happy to show off their talent on the sports field and in other energetic activities.

One of them said, “The memories of this day will stay forever in our minds. We loved all the games organised for us and played like never before.” Others, equally excited, said though many of them lived in the same village, they had never talked so much to each other before or made as many friends as they did on this day.

And, after the electric maze activity, the children’s feeling was that, “We learned the lessons of concentration here… if we could have the same kind of concentration in our studies, we’d surely score high marks.”

The Arvalians too had an opportunity to show off their skills as leaders and facilitators as they interacted with the children.

The Karjat trip was part of Arval’s Corporate & Social Responsibility (CSR) program. Supporting poor and disabled children is very much part of the Company’s CSR Initiative, the strategy here being to fund and support associations working with disabled individuals, or schools catering to children with disabilities.

But why ‘Magic Bus’? Magic Bus is a non-profit organization working with children from less privileged sections of society. Their strategy is to take the children on a ‘magic bus’ journey – whether to a mountain top or a level playing field – and expose them to new, exciting experiences and learnings. The aim is to empower children and young people to discover and develop themselves through sport and build their self-confidence – so that they learn to become aware of the society they live in and, as they grow, contribute positively to its progress and success.
 
In addition to aiding needy children, Arval has taken up other CSR projects. For instance, since the Company is conscious of how vehicles impact the environment, all CO2 emissions of the Arval company car fleet are fully offset in conjunction with Action Carbonne. Another project in which Arvalians took an active part in is tree plantation drives.

But to come back to our question: Who had the greater fun, the adults or the kids? Well, the adult Arvalians certainly enjoyed themselves thoroughly, as you can conclude from these sample reactions:
“We were lucky to have this opportunity to observe the children and to discover their hidden talents.”

“The interaction with the kids was outstanding.”

“So glad that we could be part of the exceptional work Magic Bus is doing for children.”

The prize comment however was: “We loved the day spent with the children. It was amazing to remember how much we have forgotten in the process of growing up!”

Who were the teachers then… and who the learners?