Children who once picked rags take the stage

On the evening of Sunday, 28 May 2017, the hall of the Indian Medical Association in Bareilly filled for the second annual function of Indradhanush. The programme opened with flowers before portraits of Bharat Mata and Maharana Pratap, and then the children took over.

Girls from the Kudesiya settlement performed the Saraswati Vandana. Boys who, not long before, had spent their days picking through rubbish on the city's streets performed Surya Namaskar and yoga asanas. Children from Delapeer sang, and girls from Transport Nagar danced. When the year's results were read out — several Indradhanush children had come first in their class — the hall broke into applause, as the next day's newspaper reported.

The evening also honoured the eight teachers who tutor the children and the donors who pay for their schooling. The guests included Smt. Vrinda Desai, Additional Director of Income Tax, Agra, who praised the work and its supporters. At the time, doctors, traders and other supporters of the Foundation were together paying for the schooling of about 125 children, with a goal of 200.