I Sold Hand-Made Book-Marks to Help the Needy

Helping the underprivileged wihout taking the help of her parents. That is what Pranjal experinence is all about. We present her story that spreads the message of Vedanta's Khushi initiative towards `Care for the Under-privileged Children'.

I Sold Hand-Made Book-Marks to Help the Needy
This incident is when I was in my fifth grade in Tagore International School in New Delhi, when my classmate’s mother gave us a presentation on her NGO which was helping the deaf and dumb children. I was a very enthusiastic student. I was the first one to jump-up when the teacher asked who would like to contribute to this cause. The teacher smiled and that made me even more confident to contribute something, but yet in a different way.

I wasn’t thinking about asking my parents for money ….. I had something else going on in my head. I decided, I would like to earn money myself and would give it to the NGO.  First I thought of collecting money from my colony by promoting the NGO project, but I thought of the other kids, who would laugh at me, since I were suppose to go door-to-door and ask for the same.  Many thoughts came into my mind, but finally I made up my mind to make something  on my own and sell it in the school during the upcoming event itself.  I felt proud within, but now the question was “What to sell?”

I began thinking what would my classmates prefer to buy, something in handmade? Paper bags, boxes, pen stand, book-marks etc. was all I could think of.  The idea that struck was to make book-marks with catchy quotes on them, decorate them with ribbons, stars, sparkles and many more things. I made 40-45 bookmarks on my own with no help from my parents or friends.

Deciding the price was another issue. Being a kid I honestly had decided to at least keep some amount of money with myself as I wanted to experience the feeling of spending the money earned by myself.

The event day came.  My stall was an instant hit. Not only my fellow class-mates but parents of children also bought them.  I was too small to give complete finishing like book-marks available in the market, but I felt, more then my book-marks, people appreciated my thought behind.

I was accompanied by my senior teachers and they helped me throughout the selling. I earned Rs. 620 in exact figures and very honestly kept half of the money with me and donated rest to the NGO.

What a feeling it was… after so many years…. Now I am in eleventh.. I still smile remembering the day.  My ex-classmate and her mother surprisingly remember me even today.  “Khushi” has given me a platform to write my experience, and more than this, I feel like doing some thing more again.

One needs a heart for giving… and that is why the feeling of satisfaction and contentment also lasts long.

I strongly support “Khushi” and proud to be a “Partner in Creating Happiness”.

Pranjal, Udaipur