On 27th and 28th September 2009, Bangalore Cares, a non profit that acts as a bridge between the voluntary sector and the rest of society, is presenting "Sneha Sante" – an event that combines a charity bazaar and a programme of cultural events. With nearly 30 Bengaluru Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) participating, as well as local artistes lending their support, the first edition of Sneha Sante promises to be a colorful and fun event!

The charity bazaar will have NGOs exhibiting a wide range of hand-crafted products: chocolates, cookies, toys, art works, embroidery, jewellery, apparel, books, diyas, cards, gift items and more. Other attractions include pups for adoption, clowns to enchant children and food counters to tickle your taste buds!

Cultural programmes by NGOs showcase "Ability in Disability" (see schedule). There are also programmes by popular artistes:
•    On Sunday, WeMove Foundation for the Performing Arts presents a Kannada play, ‘Nannavala Kagada’ (My Wife’s Letter) in association with ImagineIndia Foundation.
•    On Monday, there is a Fusion music performance by the Xprescions Band.

Through Sneha Sante, Bangalore Cares hopes to provide a platform for local NGOs to showcase the services they provide, their capabilities and talents, as well as raise awareness of their activities, thereby expanding their volunteer and patron base.

Bangalore Cares was the official charity partner in the Sunfeast World 10K Bangalore held earlier this year, where nearly a hundred NGOs participated. During the run-up to the event, at the Kanteerava Stadium Expo, several NGOs felt they would have liked to host stalls at the expo, to showcase the products they make or spread awareness of the issues they deal with; however, it was logistically difficult for most of them.

Bangalore Cares then began considering a community event during the festive season, to provide a platform for NGOs to take centre stage. At the same time, by fortuitous coincidence, Give India announced the “Joy of Giving” week, between September 27th to October 3rd 2009, as part of which events would be launched across multiple cities, bringing together NGOs, corporates, individuals, and institutions to be involved in giving to those less privileged. Bangalore Cares decided that ‘Sneha Sante’, as the event was christened, would be their way of showing support for this concept in Bangalore.

This first edition of Sneha Sante is on a modest scale; Bangalore Cares is hopeful that Bangaloreans will respond as whole-heartedly as they did for the World 10K, and next year’s event can involve many times more NGOs!

Venue:
H N Kalakshetra
National College
36th B Cross, 7th Block, Jayanagar

Cultural Program Schedule
Entertainment Shows by NGOs (All are welcome!)

27th Sept 2009, 3:00 to 7:15PM
•    ‘Hope for the flowers’ – A tale about life and revelation, unfolds as a puppet show presented by Ananya Trust
•    ‘Nritya Kusuma Manjiri’ – Dances from across India by the schoolchildren of Ashwini Charitable Trust
•    ‘Sapta Swara’ – A musical program by children with special needs, from Spastics Society of Karnataka
•    Musical ensemble by the popular IDL Blind Band

28th Sept 2009, 3:00 to 7:15PM
•    Lecture-Demo – Pranic Healing Foundation of Karnataka gives an introduction to this ancient practice of healing.
•    Dance Performance – from Association for the Mentally Challenged
•    Dance Performance – by Shiamak Davar’s Victory Arts Foundation
•    Dance Performance – by Shree Ramana Maharishi Academy for the Blind
•    ‘Punya Koti’ – an exclusive dance drama,  Yakshagana style, by 3-4 year olds from Amara Sathvika Social and Education Trust

Fund-Raising Shows
27th Sept 2009, 7:30 to 8:30 PM: ‘Nannavala Kagada’ (My Wife’s Letter) – a play by WeMove Foundation for the Performing Arts in association with ImagineIndia Foundation.
28th Sept 2009, 7:30 to 8:30 PM: usion music performance by the Xprescions Band

For Donor Passes contact: Bangalore cares at 9845294096 / 9845372705 / 9449026494, or buy online at Indian Stage or BuzzInTown.

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