Sri Mohan Rao of Vivekananda Kendra, Mysore & Rotary Mid-Town will be the guests of honour.
All the patrons, well-wishers & volunteers of Divyadeepa Family are cordially invited to participate in the celebrations.
A number of people who bought our shirts were already wearing it during the fest and were proudly flaunting it . Even now when i spot people wearing those shirts I always beam with joy and satisfaction . Each of us this way are being the ambassadors of good will . Cheers to the everyone !!! .





We have put up stalls at different corporates like HCL, Wipro, Juniper, SPI, Excel-Soft etc, where we sell T-Shirts with inspirational quotes.Revolution. This word has so much in it. It has led to catastrophes and also has led to a chain of positive developments. I would like to quote an example of a revolution, which has given me (and a whole lot), a new lease of life.
February 2006
We (Me and a good friend of mine) attended a website launch function. We happened to meet a humble person who spoke about a school named Kaliyuva Mane, imparting education for rural kids. We felt a deep sense of satisfaction after hearing to the founder. We simply loved the concept! Our heart skipped! We thought of visiting the school and exploring more about this wonderful place. This simple thought of visiting the school has brought out so many changes.
There were no rows of buildings or lush green lawns to boast off, but the school premises was filled of laughter of lovely kids. There was a sparkle in every kid’s eyes. It reflected the philosophy of Kaliyuva Mane.
After bidding adieu, we came back home with zillion thoughts churning in our minds. It was very sad to hear the obstacles which were hampering the growth of children and school. Erratic power supply, lack of quality teachers, Infrastructure etc were the rampant challenges. I saw a role model in the founder who had stood strong against all the odds. We felt the dire need of joining hands with this super cool place.
We started spreading the good word with our dear buddies. In no time we were a team of 3 with a single motive of making an impact for Kaliyuva Mane. Technology helped us to get in more people for our volunteer family. Most of the family members were studying pre-final year engineering in SJCE. They used to visit the school in weekends, play with children. Some of them used to teach, some wondered what to do. One thing is sure all those who have visited Kaliyuva Mane share brotherhood/sisterhood with our children.
Some of the haunting memories that I can recollect from these 3 years
* We spent a good amount of time in naming our group.
* Sometime in May 2006, we set up stall at ACEthethic(Computer Science Department festival of NIE,
* We held periodic meetings to discuss about what all we can do.
* Divya Deepa website – http;//divyadeepatrust.org has undergone various changes from plain HTML pages to CMS based.
* The darker days of Mysooru Unplugged 2007 when things didn’t worked out. We worked our asses off to make sure our dream baby takes a good form. The one spirit making it happen finally made this fund raiser a stellar show. We learnt a whole lot of things – How media works, How companies make use of events for brand promotion, How a dedicated team can make wonders, How challenging it is to deal with police, How challenging it is to dream big without a pie in hand, How to keep the team as a family when egos are prevalent. In one line I would say this was a true answer for the haunting question “What does a group of mad, patriotic youngsters can do in a short span of 25 days?”. Now we are dreaming of a much bigger extravaganza – India Unplugged :)
* A volunteer meet was held post MU to thank the volunteers. It was one of the most memorable days! Still remember that evening when some of us discussed about things we did, the pains we under went. Those nostalgic moments’ makes my eyes wet anytime, any day.
* The sleepless nights spent by fellow volunteers for completion of souvenir which we brought out post MU. The Souvenir release ceremony which was held in Institute of engineers is worth mentioning. One of our family members volunteered for this function. She had exams just 2 days after the function. This shows the deep rooted connection which we have with Kaliyuva Mane.
* The idea of customized T-shirts which emerged during MU. This simple idea has got a great potential. We wish to capitalize on this idea and use it as one of the strong ways for raising operational expenses.
* Teaching subjects, crafts, dance etc. I would like to applaud the efforts of volunteers who taught craft, dance, subjects and music to our children.
* Planting trees which we procured from forest department.
* We kept stalls at Infosys, Sasken, Juniper, DELL, Wipro, Excel Soft and other corporate houses with an aim to promote the good word.
* Design discussions of learning area. It was an eye opener for all us.
* Design of our newsletter. We still have a long way to go in this.
* Discussions about Solar, Paper Empower
* Bondage that we have developed with children. It’s a priceless gift that we have got form almighty :)
This list goes on… :)
In Kaliyuva Mane, Kids are given ample time, opportunity and freedom to learn, explore things. Here the children learn life skills, self reliance, arts, computers, subjects, sports etc. The best part is the freedom. If children does mistake, they are given opportunities to succeed.
Today we can see learning areas, Kids bank, laboratories, a small play area, hot water facility, volunteer block etc. All this is because of endurance and hardships of our beloved founder, children, staff, patrons and volunteers.
More than anything, the evolution of children. Children who used to drop out of schools are now happily studying. Their broken dreams have gained wings. They have started dreaming to become self reliant. I have seen few children transforming from pranksters to disciplined and sweetest children. The very reason is the love, care, warmth, freedom, values inculcated in this temple of wisdom called Kaliyuva Mane.
Many volunteers have been a part of our volunteer family. Most of them have stayed for a shorter span, very few are staying from a long time. The milestones what we have achieved are minuscule examples to convey the immense potential of youth.
Kaliyuva Mane is a word which means home for learning. We are deeply attached with children and the school. It’s not only a school, but a holy place, a second home for all the fellow family members who are committed to realize the dreams of Future India.
WE HOPE. WE CAN. WE SHOULD. WE WILL.

In order advocate this year’s motto “Giving Back in the Spirit of the Season” of Juniper Networks, Inc., Bangalore office provided an opportunity to the employees to volunteer for one of the non-government, non-profit organizations within the vicinity of Bangalore.
20 employees from various departments – IPG, EPBG, HR, and Finance – chose to travel to Kaliyuva Mane (“Home for learning” in the local language), an alternative school run by Divyadeepa Charitable Trust, Mysore to facilitate schooling for opportunity deprived children from villages nearby. Located in a village called Kenchala gudu, about 13 km from Mysore, the school has been “Home” for about 21 children and a learning place for another 20 children.
The 20 Juniperites met in “The Incredibles” on Dec 16th to discuss the agenda for Dec 18th, the day earmarked for the visit to Kaliyuva Mane. Enthused participants collated the ideas and activities to associate themselves with the children, not knowing what was in store for themselves, yet. Hygiene, art, talent, and long-term association were the main focus of the activities which showed the intent of responsibility by the team. Smaller teams owned up the task of procuring the required items, including pleasantries, gifts and prizes for the event-winners.
Come Dec 18th, enthused team, late-nighters and early-risers alike, shrugged off the December winter to gather at the office promises at 6.30am. Setting off at 7.10am, as against 7 am, was “on-time” by any Indian Standards. Picking up few on the way, the journey was pleasant with many regular activities in the bus. Caught a quick breakfast en-route and few habitual shoppers curbed their instincts in the wake of reaching the site at the earliest, however not less than 4 hours of travelling.
The school – children, teachers and the staff- greeted Juniper Team with fresh and wide smiles, leaving the Team so mesmerized that the articles were forgotten lying in the bus. A tour around the place was guided by none other than Mr. Ananth Kumar, the brain and hands behind the project. A bank, a store, pseudo-currencies, gift cheques, and other regular transactional models were implemented for the children to experience the real world of capitalism. Small portions (4ftx4ft) of lands are allocated to seniors among the children to maintain and cultivate crops/plants of their choice. Classrooms were open-air, under the shades of trees; every visitor’s exclamation was common “Wish we had such classrooms then!”.
In the due course, quite a few children befriended the dynamic ones from Juniper, sharing their experiences in Kaliyuva Mane and before. Few had learnt dance, singing, and other forms of fine-arts, from the volunteers who were regular to Kaliyuva Mane. There was glow in their eyes as a result of their achievements in Kaliyuva Mane.
Lunch was quick, providing a forum for further bonding. Drawing competition, soccer, and cricket started simultaneously. Children taught us few local games that many of us were not familiar with. Interaction was in English with those who couldn’t speak the local language, which left many in our team with pleasant surprise. The common question was “How are these children inferior to any other who got regular opportunities?”. After 2 hours, everyone gathered to witness the display of talents – group-dance, songs and extempore- by the children. Every Juniperite was now one with the group of children. Distribution of pleasantries followed the performances. Few senior children, appointed as leads, were enrolled for a class on hygiene and well-being. These senior children have pledged to guide their fellow-mates to follow the guidelines of hygiene. Handy checklists and pictorial depiction of everyday activities were handed over to them for reference. The session concluded with few Juniperites associating themselves with these children for an ongoing activity of progress review and feedback. While resident students stayed back, day-scholars started heading home.
Time to leave by 4.30pm, it was a mission accomplished for our team. There was a serious bonding. Minds started thinking of a new horizon for ideas to support these children. Bidding farewell to the resident students and Mr. Ananth Kumar, journey started back home, reaching Bangalore by 10pm. All the while, there was no dearth for thoughts of how fulfilling their day had been and how one can keep the momentum up. It was a day of not “Giving back”, but “Taking something” – a bonding and a fond memory, learning a new facet of the society.
Few quotes from the feedbacks from participants (my collegues from Juniper):
“I am really happy and pleased that I took part in this event. It was really a great experience. I have pledged to continue my support for this school.” – Anil K. Maruvada
"I had really great time with all. Talents of the kids really attracted me. Definitely my support will continue for this school" – Shivaleela
"It was a great learning experience in the true sense of the name ....I am sure everybody would agree that we learnt a lot from the kids!! We are thankful to Juniper for providing an opportunity to visit the children". – Shriranjani
"It felt really good to see those kids and their talents, keeping in mind the circumstances in which they are. My support will always be there for the institution. And I am in too for supporting to build up their library. :) - Neha
It was such amazing thing to notice about their thought process, how differently they think and react to some situations ...Totally a different and nice experience" – Krithi
"Kids are very talented and they have so much energy, enthusiasm and creativity. They need opportunity and support to develop the ability"
- Mallikarjun
"It was a delight to be with the children. It also was an eye opener to the fact that they gave me hope and gave me joy and all they did was give. All of it with so much enthusiasm and energy fueled by hope, and I thought I was the one going there to give." – S Hemraj
Juniper and Kaliyuva Mane formed a new relation on Dec 18, 2008. Kaliyuva Mane’s dream of enrolling 250 children by 2015 is not unachievable with such a support. Activities have just begun.