Orphaned Irshalwadi children to celebrate Diwali in Pune

Under this initiative, children from Irshalwadi have been brought to Pune to celebrate Diwali from November 9 to 11

On the night of July 19, a landslide wiped out the entire village of Irshalwadi, leaving a trail of death and destruction in its wake. Now, 20 children who lost both their parents in the tragedy have been brought to Pune by city-based organisations and Ganpati mandals so as to help them celebrate Diwali for the next three days with various activities that have been planned for them. The initiative called ‘Anand Mela 2023’ has been organised on the occasion of Diwali by Rashtrapratham Trust, Vande Mataram Sangathana, Dashrath Bhangire Trust, Yuva Vadya Pathak Trust and Jai Ganesh Vyaspeeth among other Pune-based organisations.

Along with the children from Irshalwadi, children from some other institutions in Pune city, too, will participate in the activities. (HT PHOTO)

Vaibhav Wagh, one of the organisers of the initiative, said, “More than three months ago, several villagers in Irshalwadi lost their lives following a landslide which swallowed the entire village. Their world was destroyed. In some houses, not even a single person was left alive. Around 20 children lost both their parents in this tragedy. It’s been more than three months since the mishap and the state government is providing all possible help, trying to rebuild the village and help the people overcome their sorrow. That’s why these efforts have been taken to give some happiness to the children of the village, on behalf of all the Punekars.”

“Under this initiative, children from Irshalwadi have been brought to Pune to celebrate Diwali from November 9 to 11. A whole lot of activities have been organised for them like Diwali shopping, fort building, snacks and entertainment, visits to the cinema and mall, and a chat with experts from different fields. Along with the children from Irshalwadi, children from some other institutions in Pune city, too, will participate in the activities. On the way, we intend to provide sports and educational material for these children as well as Diwali faral (eats) kits for every family in Irshalwadi,” Wagh said.