Toys for Joy
Come Diwali, every child will have toys to play, courtesy, beautiful toys from their friends and group of children collectively known as Toy Joy.
Toy Joy is an initiative to distribute Toys to the less privileged children started by 14 years old Aryamaan Lakhotia along with his cousin Anoushka and her friend Rashi.
The idea that started 6 months back took the shape of a movement by collecting more than 2000 toys and distributed them to children.
While speaking to Youthens News, Aryamaan said “the idea was born one evening in Jaipur earlier this year in May when three of us (My cousin Anoushka Saboo, her friend Rashi Chaudharyandmyself ) were returning from a Anoushka’s birthday party. Anoushka, Rashi and I were in a car, when we stopped at a traffic light, a beggar boy knocked on the car window. He was eyeing all the gifts on the seat. We sped off as soon as the light turned green. Later that night we thought about it and then itself Toy Joy was born”.
They began the journey on May 11 with full support from their family. First they set up a Facebook page with the address and contacts details on it and within two days, they had started getting queries asking where and how should they contribute. Their first contribution came all the way from Ahmadabad with 15 toys and board games.
As the works too is progressing and being student,is the good work came as hindrance, when asked Aryamaan said, “I’m managing both pretty effectively. In my last exams I scored 92 % and topped my class. I set aside a few hours daily for Toy Joy and manage to cope up with my studies as well”.
What makes these teenagers different is their spirit to work for society and the fellow feelings for children of their age and below their age bybringing happiness into their lives.
They could have spent their holidays in any way with families and friends but they chose to spread happiness. This Diwali too they are planning to spread joy and happiness among the children by distributing toys in Tata Cancer Hospital and other parts of the city. They have already started their work and have distributed toys to many schools this festive season.
The support and guidance of elders also plays a very important role in motivating the younger generation to take up noble causes and think for the society, they live. As in this initiative too the parents are with these teenagers always inspiring and motivating as Aryamaan says,“my parents and family members fully support Toy Joy and always motivate me to do better. They are always ready to help whenever it is needed. My grandmother, Asha Lakhotia, is always there to help me, be it in packaging or distributing the toys”.
How they do the work is also interesting, they never distribute toys, which are in bad shape. Team Toy Joy first collects the toys and then they select from the toys the best ones and then they wrap them in color papers and then distribute them through NGO’s and Schools. Other than toys, they also collect story books and comics and give it to the organizations that works for children.
The response so far has been very positive and they have been receiving a lot of messages on their Facebook page for contribution, which has more than 1000 followers and now they are not just limited to Kolkata and Jaipur but have expanded far beyond and the work is going on in others cities of the country including Mumbai, Bangalore, Jaipur, Ahmedabad and also outside the country in Singapore.
The story of these teenagers is quite interesting and inspirational. On being asked they says “we will keep on collecting and distributing toys and try to spread joy among the underprivileged children not only in Kolkata, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Mumbai or Singapore, but also in every big and small cities withinIndia and will extent even beyond India”. The spirit that works through this young boys and girls speaks volumes and gives hopes that the future of the country lies in safe hands.