MY STORY BEHIND PROJECT NEEHARIKA
Since I was a child, music has been close to my heart. My dad’s huge interest in music always filled our home with melodies. I grew up singing alongside him, learning to play instruments, and discovering my own love for music.
My mom is a humanitarian worker. She has dedicated her life to social work. Since I was five years old, she traveled abroad for months at a time. I remember holding onto her, crying, to stop her from going. But, she would always comfort me saying, “Be strong Neeharika! Be proud that your mom is going to help children who have no one else. If I do not go, they will suffer.”
When she returned home, she would bring back the stories of the children she met and share with me. The stories about the children who had been separated from their families, who lacked basic necessities, and faced unimaginable hardships. Her stories always touched my heart and I started understanding her determination, dedication, and feelings of inner happiness in serving others.
When I was in grade 5, I received exam results that I wasn’t proud of, and I was too afraid to show it to my parents. I hid the report card, but the guilt and worry kept me awake at night. At 2 AM, I finally woke my mom and confessed. She told me not to worry and that we would talk about it in the morning.
The next day, my parents sat me down and gave me some advice that changed my perspective. They told me that success isn’t just about grades or results, it’s about what you learn from all your studies and use that knowledge to become a good human being. They encouraged me, saying that they always saw me focused on studies and working hard to achieve good results. Apart from studies, learning extra activities like sports, music or reading books, etc is also important in life, and for that one must come out of their comfort zone to manage extra time. That conversation was fruitful to me and I started being more concerned about learning every day for growing knowledge rather than for exams or grades.
I started learning to play violin at school and started liking it a lot. One lesson a week was too little for my growing interest in the instrument so I started learning from the internet, where I found an amazing child violinist named Karolina Protsenko. I was truly inspired by the way she played violin in the streets to entertain people. Greta Thunberg, a young child activist working against climate change was my source of inspiration too who made me realize that there is so much we can do for society from a young age. My desire and determination to become like them started getting stronger every day.
I went to school every day by bus. I always took a window seat so that I didn’t miss the opportunity to enjoy looking at the hustle and bustle of the city while the bus kept moving. That particular day, I still remember, while the bus stopped at the traffic signal, I noticed some small children, about 7-8, all dressed in dirty torn rags and walking barefoot were talking to people waiting in the bus stand asking as if begging for something to eat through their gestures. Some gave them a few coins, some ignored and some rudely asked them to just move away. I noticed many more kids, even much smaller before the bus started moving. That day, after school, I shared about the children I saw in the streets with my parents and how badly they were treated by people. The empty stomach, the torn thin clothes, the barefoot, and the winter; all stayed in my mind and heart so deeply. Every day I started seeing the same sights of children on the streets while going to school.
Christmas had arrived, and I wanted to give gifts to the children I saw every day on my way to school. But how? I wondered. Then, an idea struck me – what if I played the violin on the street to raise money, just like Karolina? I could use the earnings to buy presents and donate them to those children. Excited, I shared my plan with my parents. They were surprised but supportive and suggested performing in a crowded public place. So, with my violin and a sign, I headed to a famous mall and played in public for the very first time. I was surprised to see so many kindhearted people supporting me. This made me believe that I was capable of doing this and that I should continue to reach and support many more children in need. That is how ‘Project Neeharika’ started.
The Asha Project 