Cricket classes, movies for juvenile home kids

Cricket coaching classes are a hit at a juvenile home in Lajpat Nagar, where young inmates are enjoying their month-long summer camp. The facility called Children Home for Boys houses 70 children aged between 13 and 18 years.

With help from NGOs, the Delhi government-run institution is offering inmates recreational and extracurricular activities such as training in cricket, yoga, martial arts, music, dance, computers and English language skills.

On Thursday, 60 children were taken to PVR 3Cs Cinema in Lajpat Nagar for the morning show of ‘Tanu Weds Manu Returns’, a romantic comedy-drama starring Kangna Ranaut and R Madhavan. During the interval, the children were served cold drinks and popcorn.

“These children being teenagers are at a sensitive stage of development having a lot of energy which makes it important to keep them engaged in physical activities on day-to-day basis.

Sports and other extracurricular activities provide an excellent opportunity for channelising their energies in a constructive manner in addition to improving health and nurturing talent,” a statement issued by the government said.

Thrice a week, children wake up early in the morning, participate in warm-up exercises, stamina-building exercises and cricket. Currently, the young inmates are also looking forward to a cricket match planned this month with children from an NGO.

The English speaking classes, also held thrice a week, focus on grammar, diction, vocabulary and body language. Computer classes sponsored by HCL Foundation are also going on in the facility since December 2014.

Inmates are learning to dance on popular Bollywood numbers too.
“These sessions will continue beyond summer vacations and are expected to help children in improving English language and acquiring life skills,” the government said.

The facility at Lajpat Nagar is being run by the Department of Women and Child Development for protection and rehabilitation of children in need of care and protection under the Juvenile Justice Act, 2000.