The right to dream

Former IT professional, Reena Chowdhury, talks about her non-profit, A Little Dream

“Every child has the right to dream,” says Reena Chowdhury, the founder of Bangalore-based non-profit, A Little Dream, which celebrated a decade of its existence with a cultural program starring children from orphanages and homes in the city. The program, the culmination of dance and music workshops conducted by professional artists over two months, was an extension of the raison d’etre of A Little Dream: using the arts to allow these children to express themselves.

Unlike children from privileged backgrounds who are given exposure to the arts very early, enriching their lives, Reena points out that these children often do not have access to these softer aspects of life. “I wanted to use art as a medium or tool for talking to these kids,” she says.

While A Little Dream was formally registered in 2013, the story starts much earlier, believes Reena. “We were a family that inculcated empathy,” she says, adding that she began by volunteering at the Mother Theresa home in Kolkata, where she garnered an understanding of how orphanages work. “In any orphanage, basic needs like food, clothing and shelter are taken care of,” she says. “But the soft layer is missing.”

It is what she sought to change when she started the NGO, says Reena, an artist herself. She began by starting art camps for children in homes and orphanages, giving them a medium that they could use to express their dreams. Over time, the NGO branched out into other areas—conducting dental camps, organising toy drives, having conversations with kids in hospital beds, and even organising covid relief during the pandemic. “We have touched over 42 orphanages in Bengaluru and Karnataka so far,” says Reena, who works with volunteers all across the city to organise these initiatives. These volunteers include people from engineering colleges and those working in the IT industry, as well as artists, musicians, storytellers and dancers, who offer these services pro-bono for this cause.

As someone who has worked for nearly 17 years in the IT industry, she believes that her exposure to streamlined processes and systems has been a blessing of sorts. She brings this learning to her work in the development space. “Systems are not in place here,” she says. “But my background has helped,” believes Reena, who hopes to continue enriching the lives of these children and putting smiles on their faces.