‘Let's Talk,’ is an original Jukebox Musical with popular songs set in a new context. The show explores mental health whilst following an American Therapist who has been practising in India, as she gets ready to move back to the States. Centering around many modern-day issues plaguing urban India, the show aims to raise awareness about the importance of therapy.

As patients stream into the therapist’s office on an afternoon, we immediately see the stereotypes: the bully and the bullied, the outcast, the alcoholic, the cheating partner etc. But we soon learn that each of them deals with some form of pressure that compromises their mental wellbeing: be it an abusive home, societal pressure to conform or even the compulsion to oppress others stemming from borderline emotional abuse. Let’s Talk explores that space in between those who appear to be “just fine” and those on the brink of collapse — something many people can relate to. The show wants to establish that the work never stops, especially when it’s on yourself.

The show was performer LIVE in the front of the audience, the band, the singing and of course the theatre and ran over two evenings this week at the National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA) in Mumbai on August 16 and 17, 2023. Proceeds from the show were donated to Salaam Bombay Foundation.

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In a first of its kind initiative, NGO Salaam Bombay Foundation launched ‘Dolphin Tanki’ under its Entrepreneurship Incubator for grassroots adolescent entrepreneurs from the slums of Mumbai. Following the tagline of 'Nurturing Grassroot Adolescent Entrepreneurs’, the Dolphin Tanki initiative offered funding support to top four selected business plans during an event organised in partnership with SBM, NMIMS on March 16, 2022.

The students under the Dolphin Tanki initiative were invited to pitch their business ideas to a panel of judges that included: Aditi Shrikam, CFO, Malabar Bay, Dr. Priti Shenai, Founder – Skinworks, Priya Kaur, Owner – Nirvair Jewellers, Darshan Kanani, Owner, Darshan Electricals & Engineering and Amit Gupta, CEO, Funfirst Global Skillers, Mumbai.

The Dolphin Tanki initiative is a way to embolden the lesser-privileged aspiring grassroots adolescent entrepreneurs who possess talent but fall short on resources. Under the incubator programme, 50 vocationally skilled students got entrepreneurial guidance from industry experts, policy makers and domain specialists.

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Fitness Matters 2.0, Salaam Bombay Foundation's Annual Corporate Fitness Challenge proved to be a roaring success. Representatives from over nine corporate houses went up against student trainers from Salaam Bombay Foundation in a fun and fast paced Fitness Challenge. Thanks to the participants wholehearted support, resource-lacking adolescents from the slums of Mumbai can now continue to stay committed to not just their fitness goals but their career goals as well!

Our Robotics team charged to the semi-finals of the First Tech Challenge. The competition saw the participation of 41 schools – most of which were international institutions.

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Students from Salaam Bombay Foundation's (SBF) Academy of Arts got an opportunity of a lifetime to learn the craft of theatre and camera acting in a special workshop conducted by Anupam Kher's Actor Prepares, India’s premire acting institute that has trained popular actors such as Deepika Padukone, Kiara Advani, Varun Dhawan, Ananya Pandey and many others. The special workshop took take place on May 7 at the institutes’ premises in Andheri west, Mumbai.

The institute founded by international actor Anupam Kher, also offered scholarships to select exceptionally talented students from municipal run schools in an attempt to help these resource challenged acting aspirants build a career as actors and performers. Most of these students hail from humble background and yet have achieved a remarkable feat in the art of acting. The workshop was organised with a motive to teach them the finer aspects of the performing art, improve their skills and guide them on their path to pursue acting professionally.

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Vaidehi Somani and Salaam Bombay Foundation presented an experimental pop-up dance production supporting Arts Education for underprivileged adolescents from the urban slums of Mumbai. With dance performances choreographed by the exceptionally talented Norden Sherpa, ‘Mannsafar’ promised to be an evening to remember - combining riveting dance and theatrical performances. The hour-long show gave a glimpse into the lives of four urban youngsters as they navigate the many challenges adulting presents. The story revolved around strangers who hop onto a train compartment and, as fate would have it, end up connecting the dots to the missing pieces within themselves through each other.

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Five young students - Rohit Sathe, Pritam Thopate, Sumit Yadav, Paras Pawade and Nikhat Khan (all between the ages of 14 and 17) trained under the expert guidance of The Innovation Story competed against different nations with their robot at the FIRST Global Challenge – the Olympics of the Robotics World. This competition took place in Geneva, Switzerland from 13th to 16th October 2022. The students, of which four boys were part of the team, were hand-picked from Salaam Bombay Foundation’s skills@school programme and belong to India’s urban slums.

It is the first time that underprivileged adolescents from India’s urban slums have been given this unique opportunity at the FIRST Global Challenge. After a series of aptitude tests and personal interviews, they were selected for an advanced training program by The Innovation Story at no additional cost. Here they received the opportunity to train under some of the best minds in robotics at their specialized centers. The team consisting of 5 members, has been carefully selected by the STEM Education Trust following a stringent selection process and competing against highly experienced robotics student teams from across the country. And it was truly a life-changing experience for each one of these students! Their hard work and dedication paid off as they bagged gold for the Sophia Kovalevskaya Award for International Journey.

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On Children’s Day, students of Salaam Bombay Foundation’s Media Academy curated a special photography exhibition. The theme for the exhibition was the 'Multiverse of Mumbai' – an experimental showcase of the microcosms of contradictions and opportunities that define Maximum City, through the lens of adolescents living in the urban slums of Mumbai. The annual photography exhibition was put together by the Media Academy and was an ode to the outstanding talent of our students. Mentored by stalwarts, Girish and Hridgandha Mistry of The Shari Academy, the theme of the exhibition reflected our student's exploratory journey inward, as they tried to capture the nuances of economic, social, and even emotional contradictions that surround them.

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The Zonals 2022 event saw students from our Preventive Health Programme come together and participate in an inter-school competition to present their take on Community Health through song, poem, rangoli design, and drama.

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Salaam Bombay Foundation’s 17th National Balparishad highlighted preventive health measures - tobacco use, nutrition, and mental well-being - raised by adolescents from India’s urban slums. Over 380 govt. and govt.-aided school students who are already a part of SBF’s Preventive Health Programme, came together to have a discussion and voice their concerns about their schools and communities to relevant stakeholders and suggest on-ground solutions.

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Salaam Bombay Foundation’s Media Academy presented a virtual walk-through exhibition titled Education Beyond Books - Practising New Age Media Literacy on January 24, 2022.

Salaam Bombay Foundation (SBF) empowers resource challenged urban adolescents with life and vocational skills, ensuring they develop aspirations for their future, see value in staying in school and complete their education. At SBF, we understand that Media has the power to inform and educate. The Salaam Bombay Foundation’s Media Academy has actively woven these vital facets of the Media into curriculum designs across training programmes in journalism, photography, print production and design. Working towards equipping students with two important tools - a platform and a voice – the Academy nurtures these young adolescents, enabling them to become Social Change Agents. Armed with this unique worldview at an early stage of life, these dynamic adolescents, do not remain mere consumers of media but also begin absorbing, analysing, and taking responsibility for distributing factually correct information within their communities. This experience transforms our fledgling social change agents into critical thinkers and thought leaders of tomorrow, driving advocacy and civic literacy as technology rapidly changes the platforms and modes of information assimilation, curation, and distribution. They are no longer learners but become the ‘educators’. These students dispel misinformation and facilitate prudent discussions, awakening a new era of unbiased and objective information exchange at the community level.

The Media Academy reached out to over 225 students from 16 schools who were involved with the event. The event was a huge success witnessing an overall footfall of 5,000 global visitors, eliciting the participation of a host of industry stalwarts and professionals from across media, education, government and corporates.

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Recognising the power of art, Mumbai-based Salaam Bombay Foundation organised a virtual event on February 13 titled The Future is Creative on www.futureiscreative.in. The event curated by The Academy of Arts saw an insightful panel discussion on ‘How ART helps develop INTUITIVE THINKING in children, which formal education seems to overlook.’

Salaam Bombay Foundation believes that it is through the Arts that it equips underprivileged adolescents with life-necessary skills that go beyond the purview of the formal education system, enabling them to thrive despite their difficult circumstances. This thought experiment is the Foundation’s endeavour to capture ground level realities and everyday challenges of its students and share relevant insights with our patrons and supporters, helping develop the right perspective towards Art.

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Salaam Bombay Foundation’s 16th Bal Parishad - Children’s Health Assembly was held virtually on February 4 on World Cancer Day by the Preventive Health Programme (PHP) team. The event, created on the lines of the Model United Nations, had the tagline ‘Taking Charge for A Healthy Generation’.

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This World Photography Day, we have dedicated to those frontline warriors we call photojournalists, for their service to the world during these Covid times. The occasion also emphasized the potential of photojournalism as a vocation through an exhibition, a webinar and a masterclass.

Five eminent photojournalists as mentors from esteemed dailies like The Economic Times, Hindustan Times, Associated Press, Lokmat and Mathrubhumi conducted a series of workshops on the technical aspects of capturing the right image and creating a photo essay of the same. The outcome of 30 photo essays, clicked and created on the students’ mobiles, were physically displayed at the Education Department, Triveni Sangam BMC School Building, Curry Road. The event titled ‘Exposed: Newstories Thru’ A lens', was attended by chief guests Mr. Raja Tadvi, Education Officer, BMC Education Department and Ms. Sandhya Doshi, Chairperson, Education Committee, BMC. Also appreciating the students’ talent was Mr. Dinkar Pawar, Principal, Art Department, BMC Education Department. The webinar on 19th August featured keynote speaker Mr. Dinkar Pawar, Principal, Art Department, BMC Education Department. A panel discussion focusing on photojournalism as a career for resource-challenged youth was the focus among panelists including renowned photographer Mr. Ritesh Uttamchandani, Ms. Jeroo Mullah, Visiting Faculty of Sophia Polytechnic, Mumbai, and documentary photographer Mr. Indrajit Khambe, each one contributing from personal and professional experience. The webinar was followed by a masterclass by renowned Mid-Day photographer Mr. Ashish Rane.

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On the occasion of World Youth Skills Day 2021 (15th July), Salaam Bombay Foundation launched ‘The Entrepreneurship Incubator for Grassroot Adolescents’ in an attempt to support budding adolescent entrepreneurs aged 16-20 years.

An entrepreneurship training module such as this would empower alumni to still earn part time even in the time of an emergency like COVID-19 or a market recession, besides encouraging them to become self-starters, while also opening their minds up to a world filled with innovation, income generation opportunities and self-dependence.

The initiative was launched in the presence of Chintan Bakshi, Partner-Incubation at CIIE.CO, IIM-A (Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad), Harshal Shah, CEO AIC-NMIMS Incubation Centre, Sobins Kuriakose, Head, State Government & Citizen Engagement (South) at National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), Sijo Varghese, Manager- Innovation & Start-up, MSInS, Department of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Government of Maharashtra, Preeti Telang, Former CEO, Swadhaar FinAccess, currently Consultant to Suryoday Foundation, CSR to Suryoday Small Finance Bank.

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Salaam Mumbai Foundation, Narotam Sekhsaria Foundation and LifeFirst conducted a National Webinar ahead of World No-Tobacco Day on May 31. Titled ‘Tobacco Cessation in India: Policies, Practices and Challenges’, the webinar highlighted the importance of tobacco cessation policies in the country and looked at different modalities of cessation being practised along with the challenges faced.

The panel constituted of eminent speakers such as Dr. L. Swasticharan from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Dr. Prakash C. Gupta from Healis Sekhsaria Institute of Public Health, Dr. Pratima Murthy from the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIIMHANS) Bengaluru, Dr. Upendra Bhojani from the Institute of Public Health, Bengaluru, Dr. Vikrant Mohanty from Maulana Azad Institute of Dental Sciences and Ms. Manisha Khairkar from Ambuja Cement Ltd Magdalla (Surat).

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Young innovators from from our Vocational Skill Development Programme have developed ingenious ‘Model School solutions’ to minimize risk of COVID-19 virus transmission, ahead of National Science Day. They were trained by Funfirst Global Skillers and presented cost-effective and scalable technology prototypes that can be replicated in schools.

Their innovations were presented through an exhibition titled ‘Grassroot Technovation for Resource-Challenged Youth’ at Kher Nagar Municipal Secondary School, Bandra from February 24 to 26.

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The COVID-19 pandemic has forced the world’s population to alter their daily routines, including exercise habits. This unusual situation has physical, psychological, and behavioral consequences on all students, elite and recreational athletes.

A corporate level fitness challenge was introduced this year to incorporate & promote healthy living in daily routine and emphasize the inter-dependence of healthy minds & healthy bodies. Through this challenge, we have presented Corporate as role models to our students who through their actions have encouraged our students to improve health, fitness and quality of life through physical activity.

The event brought together the five best athlete from ten corporate organisations to compete on fixed exercises like Squats, Push-ups, Sit-ups, Jumping Jacks, and Plank Shoulder Taps, monitored and evaluated by our fitness partner Gold’s Gym.

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Salaam Bombay Foundation’s ambitious 15th Student Health Assembly was held virtually and on a national scale for the first time. , 20,000 student beneficiaries of our Preventive Health Programme participated while 434 Student ‘Health Monitors’ from Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru and Jaipur raised their voices for a healthier, brighter future on the occasion of World Cancer Day, February 04, 2021. The Assembly created on the lines of the Model United Nations (MUN) in private schools, was held virtually and on a national scale for the first time. A unique platform, the Assembly provided student leaders from SBF’s advocacy and leadership forums (Bal Parishad and Bal Panchayat) the opportunity to directly ask policy makers and stakeholders crucial questions pertaining to health, nutrition and mental well-being with a special focus on the ongoing pandemic.

The event was attended by a panel of eminent dignitaries including Dr. Krishna Methekar - Deputy Director, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India FSSAI, Govt. of India; Mr. Pravin Patil - (I.P.S.) DCP, Maharashtra Police Department; Ms. Sanghmitra Tribhuvan - Deputy Director, Education Department, Maharashtra; Dr. Padmaja Jogewar - Joint Director, Nodal Officer, Public Health Dept. Maharashtra and Ms. Manasi Gokhale - Manager, Outreach & Content, MpowerMinds.

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Apropos to the International Day of Education on January 24, 2021, our Media Academy has organized a unique virtual exhibition titled #Education Beyond Books, in association with the Mass Media Department of St Xavier’s College. Since the pandemic has necessitated a shift to digitization of learning and teaching pedagogy, we were inspired to take the exhibition online with the theme ‘E-learning – A Catalytic Transition’. The initiative, which began last year, was designed to be an interactive learning experience helping students from across private and government schools to understand the power of media and be inspired to make informed career choices.

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Embracing the festive spirit, despite countless “pandemic” challenges, 33 students of our Academy of the Arts presented an exciting and thought provoking online musical adaptation of India’s greatest epic, the ‘Ramayan’. Credit for Lighting and Cinematography goes to our alumni students from the Arts Academy. During production of the play, all necessary protocols ensuring the safety and security of our students have been observed.

A Salaam Bombay production, the play has been adapted from celebrated theatre personality Raell Padamsee’s Ace Productions ‘Rediscover the Epic’.

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With a continuation of focus on the importance of making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits during the current pandemic, we have organised a webinar titled – ‘Role of Nutrition on Immunity Boosting During COVID 19 and Looking At Nutrition & Health Through the Lens of School & Community Nutrition Gardening’ on the occasion of National Nutrition Month. In accord with the guidelines outlined by Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), the webinar also highlighted the importance of School & Community Nutrition Gardening.

The guest of honour on the occasion was Dr. Krishna Methekar, Deputy Director, FSSAI, Western Region of India who spoke about – ‘Role of Nutrition in immunity boosting during COVID 19 pandemic’. The other guest speakers at the webinar were Mrs. Gene Gomes - Principal, Michael High School who spoke on the topic – ‘Kitchen gardening in school premises- Experiences’ and Mrs. Preeti Patil - Founder, Urban Leaves, India who spoke on the topic - ‘Kitchen gardening and composting at home using waste material and innovative techniques’.

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This year’s Bal Parishad centred around the theme ‘Collaboration for A Healthier Generation’. It saw 250 selected students from 350 schools across the city coming together to interact with government officials on issues like general nutrition, tobacco-free school policy, COTPA, food and health policies, tobacco-free public places, prohibition on direct and indirect advertisements related to tobacco, etc. The event was attended by eminent dignitaries like Mr. Rajendra Dabade, DCP, Crime Branch and Enforcement Department Mumbai Police, Mr. Sailesh Adhav, Joint Commissioner, FDA, Maharashtra, Dr. Krishna Methekar, Deputy Director, WR, FSSAI India, Mr. Rajendra Ahire, Deputy Director, Education Department, Maharashtra, Mr. Sharad Bande, Superintendent, BMC license Department, Dr. Padmaja Keskar, Chief Health Executive MCGM, Dr. Rahul Sonavne, Nodal office, NTCP Maharashtra and Mr. Mahesh Mhatre, Editor, News 18 Lokmat.

A unique feature of this year’s Bal Parishad was an exciting Food Festival that was all about healthy recipes created at a very low cost. Poor nutrition results in poor outcomes that have an impact on future well-being. This initiative is the result of awareness sessions held among the adolescents who in turn educated their parents about the importance of healthy and nutritious food. The delectable recipes were curated jointly by mothers and their children using ingredients commonly found on kitchen shelves.

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We celebrated the 15th edition of Little Master’s Challenge on January 31st 2020. Establishing itself as one of the largest inter- school cricket tournament in Mumbai, Little Master’s Challenge this year crossed its own benchmark at the historic pitch of Brabourne stadium. With 2,500 young students cheering for their peers, LMC reached to more than 1,050 students (boys and girls) from across 42 schools of Mumbai.

The Sharadashram High School took home the prestigious Achrekar trophy for winning the under 17 girls category. The Salaam Bombay Sports Academy was the runner up for the tournament. The under 17 boys category was won by IES High School,Vashi and Salaam Bombay Sports Academy was the runner up for the tournament. Post winning the “Ticket to Brabourne’’, TeamGlobal played the finals of Corporate Change Maker with the Salaam Bombay Sports Academy Alumni. Our alumni team couldn’t have made us any prouder as they won the match.

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To celebrate International Day of Education, we partnered with the BMM students of St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai, to set up an exhibition, Education Beyond Books, to encourage young minds to explore careers and vocations in media on January 22 and 23, 2020 at the college auditorium. It aimed to be an interactive learning experience to help them understand and acknowledge the power of media and make informed career choices.

More importantly, Education Beyond Books intended to reach out not just to students but other stakeholders as well -- schools and teachers in particular. It looked at creating awareness among them about the opportunities in media studies and encouraging them to introduce the subject as part of regular curriculum. Another highlight of the exhibition was the collaboration between students of the Salaam Bombay Media Academy and St. Xavier’s College students who displayed their works together. As many as 80 students from the Salaam Bombay Media Academy and 45 students from St. Xavier’s College managed to bring the world of media alive through installations on print, electronic and digital forms.

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A robot made by young adolescents of our Vocational Skill Development Programme steals the show at the 16th Mumbai marathon on January 19, 2020. Youngsters, who are part of our Foundation’s skills@school programme, co-created a unique robot Armaan.

The youngsters were delighted because their creation held pride of place at the Salaam Bombay Foundation cheering zone near Churchgate station. Armaan – the robot the adolescents helped co-create – raised his bionic arm in an exuberant welcome. The bionic arm is what the young group created with some guidance from robotics experts.

Armaan’s creation is a perfect example of how youngsters from resource-poor backgrounds, can shine when provided with access to the right kind of knowledge and opportunity. It also shows that in today’s technology-driven world, it is crucial to prepare students – especially those from lesser privileged backgrounds -- for the future with appropriate 21st century skills.

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‘Pathways to Healthy Living’, a city-wide inter-school zonal competition, brought together as many as 500 adolescents from 268 government schools across Mumbai, at the Damodar Auditorium in Lower Parel on Thursday January 9, 2020. The youngsters gathered at the city-wide inter-school zonal competition organised by us, to communicate pathways to healthy living to the country’s future generations. Using art as a medium, the youngsters conveyed messages through skits, music, and posters on the positive outcomes associated with healthy behaviours in adolescents. Thursday was the finale of the event that had earlier seen over 17,000 adolescents performing in elimination rounds.

More importantly, the initiative was supported by the Education Department and Health Department, Government of Maharashtra, that also vowed to play a seminal role in offering a healthy environment to adolescents in the city. The event was attended by eminent dignitaries including Mrs. Mamata Rao, Deputy Education Officer, BMC Mumbai, Mrs. Ranjana Rao, Assistant Education Officer, Mumbai, Dr. Neelam Kadam, Assistant Health Officer, School Health Program, Health Department, Mumbai, Mr. Dinkar Pawar - Professor, Art Department, BMC, Mrs. Suvarnagouri Ghaisas - Professor, Music and Art Department BMC.

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This year the Corporate Change Maker Tournament saw as many as 120 employees from 10 corporates including Tata Realty, Trent Ltd, IndoStar, CLP India, Team Global, Monk Media, Kaya Clinic, NSFO, Investec and ELP, coming together to play league format cricket matches on December 6 and 13, 2019. The aid gathered through the tournament aids the training of students from our Sports Academy. The Academy empowers the city’s underprivileged children by providing them experiential platforms of learning through high-class training and performance opportunities. It is run by eminent professionals in their respective fields with a team of assistant coaches.

The event resembled a sporting carnival that was managed by 15 alumni of the Sports Academy. It brought together different people from varied backgrounds on one platform to celebrate sportsmanship. Some of the highlights of the tournament included the warm interactions between the corporate players and our Sports Academy students along with health and nutritional-related fun activities in association with the sporting partner Gold’s Gym.

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On Thursday, the playground at St. Stanislaus School in Bandra, bustled with great activity. While some shot a few penalty kicks, others shot a basketball! The day was special as were the activities and the participants.

The activities were a part of a special event organised by us with support from the BMC on the occasion of National Sports Day on August 29. The event was arranged specially for 100 female students of our Sports Academy and their parents. The girls are all students of BMC secondary schools and belong to lesser privileged backgrounds. The activities mostly revolved around cricket, football and hockey – the three sports that are taught in the Sports Academy. Cheering the participants on were Indian sports stalwarts Suma Shirur, Former Rifle Shooter who represented India at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Suraj Karkera, Indian field hockey player and Chaitrali Gawade, Khelo India Player. Mr. Rameshwar Lohe, Head of BMC Physical Education Department, was also present during the occasion.

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From a little child peeking out of a blue window to a statuesque vintage car, from a sepia tinted labyrinth of stairs to an electric blue winding stairway, these images depict a city that is larger than life. These and several other pictures were featured prominently in an exhibition at the Mumbai-based Shari Academy of Professional Photography from August 21 to 23.

While each image brilliantly captures the Maximum City with its poverty and affluence, old and new, glitzy and ramshackle jostling for space, the photographs are special for more reasons than one. They have all been captured by youngsters who are residents of Mumbai’s slums and studying in BMC secondary schools. Surrounded by multiple challenges, they lack the support – skill training and financial - to pursue passions like photography. This group of 30 boys and girls, aged 12 – 17, are students of our Media Academy and are currently training under expert photographers from Shari Academy of Professional Photography.

This group of 30 youngsters have been walking around the city, capturing their world in a photo frame. For most of them now, photography has become a real lifeline. It has provided them with a platform of expression, offered a career option, and given them a new-found confidence as they have embarked on their creative journey.

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On the occasion of World Photography Day, August 19, 2019, the students of our Media Academy have put up an exhibition of photographs, narrating the sad story of our oceans at the Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus.

The photographs were clicked by the students our Media Academy, most of whom live in the slums of Mumbai and are hardly privy to financial or logistical support in pursuing hobbies like photography. Yet, the haunting photographs clicked through the lens of each of these youngsters -- were an unprecedented testament of the problems caused by the immense plastic waste that finds its way into our oceans every year. Municipal Commissioner Shri. Praveen Pardeshi was the chief guest at the exhibition.

The photographs were also a strong reflection of how important it is to nurture and encourage vocational training among adolescents regardless of their backgrounds.

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India has a huge demographic potential that offers its economy an unprecedented edge. By 2020, the country will become the youngest workforce in the world with 64 per cent of its population belonging to the working-age bracket of 15-64. However, this is possible only if youth are provided with the right kind of skills and education to enhance their employability.

To enhance their work readiness, there is a pressing need for a model that integrates secondary education, skills training and industry internships. This will enable the country to reap the demographic dividends associated with highly aspirational, job-ready youth. On this World Youth Skills Day, July 15, the DreamLab initiative was officially launched in the presence of dignitaries such as Ms. Tejaswini Adhikari, Chief Insights Officer at Future Ideas - Future group, Dr. Ramesh Bhat, Dean - School of Business Management, NMIMS, Mr. Vinod Kulkarni - Head CSR at Tata Motors Ltd, Mr.Sandeep Sinha, Co-founder and Managing Partner, Lumis Partners, Ms. Padmini Somani - Founder & Director, Salaam Bombay Foundation and Ms. Nandina Ramchandran, CEO, Salaam Bombay Foundation. Based on its learning and experience over the last five years of integrating skills with secondary education, Salaam Bombay Foundation also released an insightful White Paper titled ‘Enhancement of Employability for Adolescents through a Continuum model that integrates Secondary Education, Skills Training and Internships’.

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E-cigarettes, that so many people consider safer than traditional cigarettes, are in reality just pathways to tobacco addiction. This was revealed by a study conducted by us in the aegis of World Health Organization South East Asia Regional Office at the YB Chavan Centre on May 29, to mark World No Tobacco Day, observed on May 31.

While most people believe that e-cigarettes are safer than other products, it’s a hazardous misconception. Our study (conducted under the aegis of WHO’s South East Asia Regional office) revealed that they can be extremely addictive and dangerous. Because of their packaging and enticing flavours, they attract those who don’t typically use tobacco products – especially kids and young adults. 73% of the youth we surveyed were exposed to them, and 80% of e-cigarette users had never used any tobacco product before. So far, e-cigarettes are banned in only five Indian states. We hope our study will drive home just how harmful they can be.

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Mumbai witnessed a special event on the eve of World Theatre Day, on March 27– honouring the performing arts. The event titled Circle of Love was a beautiful collaboration between Stanford Talisman -- a student a cappella group at the iconic Stanford University and the adolescents of our Academy of the Arts.

The two groups performed live at the NCPA. The concert was a mesmerising canvas with Stanford Talisman presenting its mellifluous compositions interspersed with a mime production of Bertolt Brecht’s The Caucasian Chalk Circle by our adolescents.

The concert was indeed a perfect example of what a great leveller music is. This cross-cultural musical connecting two communities from across the world combines a capella and mime, in a joint mission to learn, grow, and share. The opportunity to collaborate gave the privileged adolescents from a world famous university and youth growing up in Mumbai slums having world class theatre training, a common experiential platform bound by their love for the performing arts.

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This Women’s Day, it’s all about empowering young girls to achieve gender balance.A woman multitasks every single day playing a mother, a wife, a daughter, a professional, a homemaker and legion more roles -- each with equal poise and grace. Her strength and indomitable spirit to excel in every profile that she lives deserves a big salute. This year, the day’s campaign theme is #BalanceforBetter which is a call-to-action for driving gender balance around the world.

On March 7, on the eve of Women’s Day, we felicitated young girls who have excelled at the training programs organised by the NGO in the fields of beauty and wellness and bakery in 2018. These trainings were a part of vocational skill development program that aims to equip underprivileged adolescents with life skills that make them more employable, giving them a proper chance at getting real jobs and breaking their cycle of poverty.

The 14+ year-old girls hail from lesser-privileged homes and have already started supplementing their families with additional income through the skills they acquired. We boosted their morale by presenting them with starter kits, pressure cookers and bakery moulds through the hands of a few women entrepreneurs, had them engage with them and get motivated by the stellar work they do.

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February 1 saw the final of our annual sporting event that has been successfully encouraging competitive sport among adolescents from different strata of the society since the past 14 years. 994 cricketeers from 71 secondary schools across Mumbai, met each other in a league format. The U17 girls finals was played out between Salaam Bombay Foundation and St. Columba High School ; U17 boys saw a face-off between Salaam Bombay Foundation and Anjuman-I-Islam English Medium School.

This year’s Little Masters Challenge created history of sorts in inter-school cricket by having 15 all girls teams playing in the tournament for the very first time.

The event began with a two-minute silent tribute to Dronacharya awardee cricket coach Ramakant Achrekar who passed away on January 2. The winners' trophy for U17 boys and girls as well as the Corporate Change Maker trophy was named after him and presented by his daughter Kalpana Murkar.

Indian Cricketer Aditya Tare, Ms. Surekha Bhandari, Former Selector, MCA, Ms. Sulakshana Naik, Former Indian Women’s Cricketer, Shri. Mahesh Palkar, Education Officer, BMC secondary schools and Shri. Rameshwar Lohe, Head, Physical Education, BMC secondary schools, Mumbai, graced the finale with their presence.

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On January 29, the NM Joshi School in Lower Parel was dotted with an array of different stalls. Each stall was manned by a youngster accompanied by his or her mother. The informative stalls were a part of the impressive Bal Parishad, the annual Student Health Assembly by our young leaders, organised ahead of World Cancer Day that is observed on February 4.

This year’s Bal Parishad had a unique edition. With the tag line Hum bacchoka ek hi nara, swasthapurna jeevan hamara, the focus was on "Collaboration for a healthier environment. The idea for focusing on general nutrition in this year’s Bal Parishad came up after our research showed that as most students from municipal secondary schools belong to resource poor backgrounds, there is a tendency towards malnutrition. Health monitors trained in the Nutrition Awareness Programme participated along with their mothers in the Food Festival in which 12 healthy and nutritious food recipes were exhibited at the stalls.

The event included the felicitation of Balpanchayat leaders followed by a question-answer session and a panel discussion on tobacco free secondary schools. The event was attended by dignitaries like Dr Pallavi Darade, Commissioner, Food & Drugs Department, Mr. Rajendra Dabhade, DCP, Mumbai Police, Dr Neelam Kadam, Asst. Health Officer, Public Health Dept. MCGM, Ms Mamta Rao, Deputy Education Officer, MCGM and Mr Sharad Bande, Superintendent, License Dept, MCGM.

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On Saturday, 25th August, Mumbai’s iconic Royal Opera House witnessed a beautiful concert that stood out for the difference it made to the lives of hundreds. Young artistes from as many as 17 of the city’s finest secondary schools including a UK-based school converged on stage to perform at the sixth edition of the hit charity music concert WE. The show enthralled audiences and proved once again that music can transcend boundaries. WE Concert is a platform where students from the finest secondary schools of Mumbai perform and raise funds to support underprivileged adolescents from the city’s slums trained by the Salaam Bombay Foundation’s Academy of the Arts.

The first edition saw only 25 private school students from one school alongside Salaam Bombay students. Six years later, 62 students from Mumbai’s finest private secondary schools facilitated the training of more than 600 talented underprivileged adolescents.

Celebrities from the world of entertainment such as actor Diana Penty, film producer Siddharth Roy Kapur, singer Shaan and other eminent personalities were present to cheer the youngsters as they built bridges, form new friendships and recommitted themselves to the cause of a brighter future for all.

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India’s skilling programme was set up with the motive of ensuring that the millions, who enter the job market untrained, receive formal skill-building opportunities. Although the robust initiative is meeting its objectives, there is still scope for more in the area. The biggest requirement, currently, is a strong programme that integrates vocational training with education, rather than looking at each in isolation.

Our organisation is working towards setting up such vocational programmes that aim to empower underprivileged youth with employability skills, at the same time enabling them to complete formal education. On Thursday, July 12, a special press meet was held that saw a report being released on how timely intervention can provide a better future to youngsters who want to continue with education, but are often forced to drop out. The meet was conducted by the alumni of our Vocational Skill Development Programme, who have been benefitted directly from the programme, at Prabhadevi Municipal School.

The media had an opportunity to interact with the youth themselves and hear them speak about what they have gained from it.

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In accordance with World No Tobacco Day that falls on May 31, the Maharashtra government joined hands with us to organise a three-day event at Mantralaya, Maharashtra’s premier seat of power that encompassed different activities – each one taking another step forward in making the state tobacco-free. The event began on May 29 with a public exhibition, covered pictures and photographs from our projects. Posters spoke of the ill-effects of tobacco and interactive games and activities formed a part of the display.

The event was graced by Shri. Devendra Fadnavis, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Maharashtra State and Dr. Deepak Sawant, Hon'ble Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Maharashtra State who was also a part of the tobacco-free Maharashtra oath-taking ceremony. Shri.Rajkumar Badole, Hon'ble Minister of Social Justice, Maharashtra, Shri. Mahesh Zagde, Principal Secretary, CMO, Maharashtra, Dr. Pallavi Darade, FDA Commissioner, Maharashtra were among the other dignitaries present.

The government has also shown praiseworthy commitment in taking strict action against the violators of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA). The event saw a major move in the direction when a toll-free helpline was launched to report any kind of violations of the Act. The general public has been appealed to call the number 1800222365 in order to report any kind of COTPA violations that come to their notice.

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At Mumbai Marathon, Salaam Bombay Foundation adolescents dress up to represent its unique programmes

On February 2, 2018, a group of youngsters gathered at the Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Municipal School in Lower Parel with the power to bring about a seminal change in the society. Close to 150 students from 309 BMC secondary schools came together to participate in our advocacy workshop called Bal Parishad, the school councils based on the model of the Zilla Parishad.

This year’s Bal Parishad was based on the theme ‘Tobacco Free Next Generation’ – a topic closely associated with the future of the youth. The participating students interacted with a panel of government officials that included Mr.Chandrasheker Salunkle -- Joint Commissioner, FDA of Maharashtra, Shri. Pravin Kumar Patil (IPS), DCP, Maharashtra, Vidhan Bhavan, , Mr Rajendra Dabade - Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mumbai, Dr. Padmaja Keskar -- Chief health Executive office, MCGM, Mr. Govind Kulkarni -- Deputy Education Officer, MCGM, Mr. Sharad Bande -- Superintendent of License Dept. MCGM, Mr.Prasad Kathe -- Editor, News18 Lokmat, Mr. R.A. Jalke -- Representative of Principal Association among others.

They presented the officials with a charter of their demands like a mandatory tobacco-free school policy for every school, all public places to be made tobacco free, banning the sale of loose cigarette and electronic cigarette in Maharashtra and sensitization of all teachers and principals of secondary schools in the state about tobacco ill effects and tobacco control law. The previous achievements of the Bal Parishad had already set some inspiring precedents, which prompted officials to accept the recommendations this time and send them to the respective departments for further action.

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On February 9, 2018, the iconic Brabourne stadium resonated with the voice of over 1,000 adolescents who cheered with all their might for their fellow mates participating in one of Mumbai’s largest inter-school cricket tournaments -- the Little Masters Challenge.

The annual sporting event that is into its 13thyear is our landmark event which has been encouraging competitive sport among youngsters from secondary schools across the city. In the over two-hour riveting final match of the tournament, the audience witnessed some exhilarating moments as Salaam Bombay Fighters U-17 and Balmohan Burners U-17 locked horns in an epic battle. The occasion was graced by renowned cricketing stalwarts including Sunetra Paranjpe, Seema Pujare, Sulakshana Naik and Sangita ‘Jonty’ Kamath who rooted for the budding players. Adding to the festivities was a flash mob by 100 dancers from the Salaam Bombay Academy of the Arts and a March Past by the players of the U-14 and U-17 teams.

A unique feature of this year’s Little Masters Challenge is a 10 over face – off between Concordia International & Salaam Bombay Cricket Academy alumni. Concordia International, a diverse, international specialty pharmaceutical company, is a supporter of the Cricket Academy and encourages the participation of underprivileged youth in sports.

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On International Women’s Day, we gifted professional kits to 40 very promising girls. The kits included everything they would need to work part-time as beauticians or electronic repair experts. The girls were part of 400 who attended our skills programme. The kits are replete with all the necessary paraphernalia for the girls to operate on their own.

While the Indian government offers skills training, it focuses on older women. Our mission, on the other hand, is to ensure that teenagers have the skills to work part-time, so that they can support their education and their families without dropping out of school.

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At Mumbai Marathon, Salaam Bombay Foundation adolescents dress up to represent its unique programmes

A child sporting the cutout of a mobile phone, some wearing masks representing the symbol of theatre, some carrying a dhol, some wearing chef hats -- all this and more is how adolescents of the NGOSalaam Bombay Foundation came dressed when they participated in the Mumbai Marathon on Sunday, January 21. The innovative costumes of the adolescents – all of whom belong to underprivileged families living in Mumbai’s slums -- were a fascinating visual representation of the NGO’s programmes. Each of the outfits represented particular skills that Salaam Bombay Foundation teaches through its modules to the adolescents to empower them for a brighter and robust future. The mobile phone was a mark of the organisation’s mobile repairing course, the masks depicted its Theatre Academy, the dhol projected the Arts Academy while the chef’s hat represented its Bakery courses. Many other creative costumes made for more fascinating sights and spoke about the NGO’s unique programmes.

Through it's skills initiative, Salaam Bombay Foundation aims to equip the underprivileged adolescents with skills necessary for improved employment upon completion of school. While government programmes focus on the primary or above 18 age group, Salaam Bombay Foundation is one of the few NGOs that works for adolescents in the age group of 11 to 17 when they are at their most vulnerable. This is the time when many of them are forced to drop out of school and are more susceptibleto serious issues like substance abuse -- especially tobacco. Skill development in school motivates students to stay in school. The skills developed lead to apprenticeships that enable students to contribute to fluctuating family incomes without dropping out, and/or contribute towards their own education. Alumni of these programmes are better placed compared to their peers to explore careers they otherwise did not know existed or be gainfully employed upon graduation. This year, more than 100 adolescents from Salaam Bombay Foundation participated in the Mumbai Marathon-- the largest of its kind in Asia. The Foundation believes that a child in school has a future.

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When the curtains went up at Mumbai’s iconic Royal Opera House on Sunday, the audience watched with bated breath as 72 young artists from 23 of Mumbai's best secondary schools and colleges took to the stage. For the fifth consecutive year, WE – the hit charity music concert -- lived up to the audiences’ expectations and proved once again that music and art can make a difference to the lives of so many.

This year, the concert was even grander than before with a higher influx of talent as students from prestigious city secondary schools like Bombay International School, Cathedral & John Connon School, Aditya Birla World Academy, Jamnabai Narsee School, Navy adolescents School, Dhirubhai Ambani International School, B.D. Somani International School and DSB International School took part. Performing alongside were the adolescents from Salaam Bombay Foundation. From rock to pop to jazz western pieces and the very popular Bollywood section, WE spread magic as adolescents from two very different worlds came together on a common stage for a common cause.

Celebrities from the world of entertainment such as Diana Penty, Bollywood Singer Shaan Mukherjee, Nikita Gandhi, Siddharth Roy Kapur and other eminent personalities were present in large numbers to cheer the adolescents as they recommitted themselves to the cause of underprivileged kids growing up in the city’s slums.

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Mumbai’s iconic Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus that sees more than three million people rush through its portals every day, witnessed a different sort of enthusiasm on May 30, 2017. Salaam Bombay Foundation in association with Rotary Club of Bombay joined hands to celebrate World No Tobacco Day in the heritage railway terminus. On this day, a series of multifarious events were organized that included activities like rangoli competition, poster exhibition, mock-up TV quiz show and street play.

The venue was adorned with beautiful rangolis carrying effective anti-tobacco messages by the students of Salaam Bombay Foundation's Preventive Health Programme Programme. A street play on the health hazards of tobacco halted the audience in their tracks. The adolescents made the event extremely interactive by choosing a medium that everyone loves – an entertaining quiz show where correct answers were rewarded with a silver coin. Impressive posters bearing strong communication on the theme made by our students added colour to the event.

The World Health Organization celebrates May 31 each year as World No Tobacco Day and it is marked worldwide with a series of marches, exhibitions and awareness activities. Each year, the WHO selects a theme for the day and this year’s theme was ‘Tobacco – a threat to development’.

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adolescents learn best while at play and therefore the power of the playground is tapped by the Salaam Bombay Cricket Academy to teach life skills such as teamwork, discipline, and leadership amongst others. Simultaneously, the Academy supports the technical training of underprivileged adolescents. Additional training is provided in ancillary areas of the game such as umpiring, score-keeping, ground maintenance and coaching. This opens up part-time vocational opportunities that are otherwise unavailable to them. The money they get is used to pay their school fees, tuition fees or support their families thus preventing their dropout from school. Thus the Academy empowers adolescents with life skills and when combined with vocational empowerment, these adolescents grow up to be positive contributors to society. Every year the Salaam Bombay Cricket Academy organizes its annual event The Little Masters Challenge. Begun in 2005, the LMC provides a level playing ground to school cricket teams across Mumbai. Inter-school teams compete fiercely for the title of “Little Masters,” first at the zonal level and then at the finals of the tournament played at the historic Brabourne Stadium. The LMC gives adolescents a new hope, boosts confidence and enables them to think of sports as a career. It also creates role models among these adolescents who motivate their peers to excel and achieve their dreams. The 2017 edition of LMC was the 12th overall when 620 talented youngsters from 40 school teams vied for a place in the finals. Salaam Bombay Warriors lifted the U-14 title defeating their opponents, St. Mary's. The U-17 title went to Balmohan Burners. The occasion was graced by Chairman of Selectors at the Mumbai Cricket Association Mr. Milind Rege, Hon. Jt. Secretary of the MCA, Dr. P V Shetty.

What made this edition of Little Masters Challenge special was the involvement of some very special guests who were present to not only encourage Mumbai’s future stars but also to play an actual match with them. The Everest Industries Ltd. Cricket team which has competed in some of the best known corporate cricket tournaments around the country formed a mixed team consisting of the Everest players and students of the Salaam Bombay Cricket Academy to face-off in a friendly tie.

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Most adolescents from underprivileged homes drop out of school to provide for their families. This inevitably perpetuates the cycle of poverty and often leads to tobacco abuse. The Salaam Bombay Foundation was founded to work with these adolescents, to empower them to make the right decisions for their health and education. We’ve made it our mission to guard the next generation. adolescents who we found were most vulnerable to tobacco and pressure from parents and peers to leave school. It’s our goal to ensure that they have a promising future, by intervening at the right time.

Salaam Bombay in partnership with the Khan Foundation has been short listed for a MacArthur Foundation grant. The grant will help develop an analytical engine to map educational inputs to desired learning outputs, allowing educational therapies to be tailored to each learner. Harnessing the power of big data analytics and machine learning will allow us to identify and address the individual needs of students, parents, teachers, and secondary schools, and to do so at scale. Using these insights, we will build an informed marketplace platform, where all actors in the educational space can be matched with the shared resources needed to achieve their full potential, transforming education across the and machine learning will help identify and address the individual needs of students, parents, teachers, and secondary schools, and to do so at scale. These insights will build an informed marketplace platform, where all actors in the educational space can be matched with the shared resources needed to achieve their full potential, transforming education across the globe.

Youtube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAtP_e-KQ1w

There are regular comedy genre films and then, there is Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi. A rollercoaster comedy ride, a riotous laughter saga, an inimitable cult classic – the 1958 film Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi captured hearts faster than the speed of the car it featured and went on to become an iconic production in the history of Indian cinema.

The movie that brought together the maverick Ganguly brothers Kishore, Ashok and Anoop, with the legendary beauty Madhubala tickled the funny bone of an entire generation and continues to do so even today. Who can forget the lilting melodies of all time hits, Ek Ladki Bhigi Bhaagi Si, Babu Samjho Ishare, Paanch Rupaiyya Bara Aana.

Six decades later, Salaam Bombay presented the movie in a new avatar -- one that caught eyeballs and made instant connect with the young generation. Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi – a grand theatrical adaptation. A modern-day version of the jaunty film, the stage production recreated the original magic by weaving together retro dance moves to the foot-stomping music, modern production values and young generation "lingo".

Directed by Chittaranjan Tripathi (Taj Mahal Ka Tender) and adapted for stage by Ashok Mishra (Welcome to Sajjanpur), the production capitalised on spectacular sets by Jayant Deshmukh (Maqbool, Rajneeti). The mellifluous voices of Shaan and Neeti Mohan brought back memories of the yesteryear classic

Premiered on 4th November and having completed 11 shows in all, Salaam Bombay Foundation’s production featured the talent of students and alumni of the Salaam Bombay Theatre Academy who continue to be associated with Salaam Bombay Foundation in professional theatre. The unique fundraising initiative also gave these youngsters the golden opportunity to showcase their talent under the guidance of stalwarts from theatre as well as cinema. Mr. Amit Kumar, son of the legendary Kishore Kumar said it all when he said, "Wherever my father is, he would be very proud of you and his blessings will always be with you."

The shows held at the prestigious Y. B. Chavan Center and Rangasharda Auditorium, were attended by Bollywood stalwarts like Vidya Balan, Shaan, Neeti Mohan and Diana Penty amongst others.

In the words of Mr. Shyam Shroff, owner of Shringar Films who share the rights of the film, “I felt as if I was watching Ashok Kumar, Kishore Kumar, Anoop Kumar and Madhubala on stage. These adolescents brought them back to life.”

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CHALTI KA NAAM GAADI in the press

‘Udaan…wings to change’ culminated into an elegant evening with impressive performances by the students of the Salaam Bombay Academy of Arts in what was a noble initiative undertaken by 17-year-old Ashna Joshi to raise funds for the adolescents of Salaam Bombay. At such a young age, Ashana has already found her calling in serving the society through the welfare of the adolescents who live in the city’s slums. While working with them, Ashana realized that these adolescents have immense potential and talent but lack opportunity. That is how she came up with the idea of teaching adolescents conversational English in the form of art through theatre. Using theatre, she also tries to cultivate creativity and build confidence amongst the adolescents. The play was an interesting journey into the challenging past of various characters and the dreams that they have nurtured. It traversed through various events in peoples’ lives, revealing issues that are more common to us all than we think. The venue brimmed with theatre enthusiasts who made a beeline to support the young student from B D Somani International School. Amongst the audience were acclaimed actresses Suchitra Krishnamurti and Madhoo Shah who were left mesmerised by the professional performance put up by the adolescents.

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It was a perfect evening of grace and elegance as 17-year- old Aanya and 18-year-old Anoushka seamlessly wove together their artistic skills, propelled with what they considered their duty to give back to society. ‘Prerna’ was a mesmerising show put together by these talented danseuses along with the adolescents of Salaam Bombay Dance Academy. The show was a noble attempt to raise funds for underprivileged adolescents, like those performing with Aanya and Anoushka, to get access to world class dance training. The performance was an exotic melting pot of different styles and artists from different socio-economic backgrounds, all with one unifying goal who spoke the language of dance with an ardent fervour. It was an outcome of the passion and zeal of the girls and the adolescents of Salaam Bombay Foundation together.

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“Shoot to Kill Tobacco: Make an AV contest” is the city’s largest Bachelor of Mass Media only initiative launched by the Salaam Bombay Foundation, involving young media students who scratched their heads to create innovative audio-visuals, aimed at changing the pace of anti-tobacco awareness in the city. As part of the contest, students from Mumbai’s top BMM colleges were required to produce a three to four-minute- long audio-visual which could be a docu-film, an advertisement, a news package or any other that fit the AV format and focused on addressing the issues of tobacco usage in India. The winner was shortlisted by a grand jury comprising of some of the most renowned names from the industry including musician Salim Merchant, ace photographer Atul Kasbekar, Sonal Dabral, Chairman & CCO, DDB Mudra and Nikhil Taneja, Head of Content & Development, Y-Films and noted Bollywood screenplay and script writer Rekha Nigam. Students from some of the most prestigious colleges in the city including, K L Raheja, MD, Thakur, Sathye, Patkar amongst others, participated in the contest. Each college had two teams representing it. What made the contest even more distinctive was the fact that the winning team received the propitious opportunity to pursue a one-month internship with the Mudra Group. Sathaye College emerged as the winners of the inaugural title.

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The Western Railways in collaboration with Salaam Bombay Foundation carried out a unique joint anti tobacco awareness initiative. While Salaam Bombay Foundation helped all Western Railways employees at the Mumbai division headquarters get a free oral check up, adolescents of the Salaam Bombay Academy of Arts performed energizing skits at the Churchgate and Mumbai Central (Outstation) railways stations, reaching out to thousands of commuters at peak travel hours.

But the crown jewel of this joint awareness initiative was the Internal Announcement System in Mumbai’s suburban locals, which were used for the very first time to broadcast anti-tobacco awareness initiatives. Bollywood stars Govinda, Juhi Chawla, Shraddha Kapoor, Sharman Joshi and ace playback singer Shaan graciously lent their voices to reach out to over 35 lakh suburban commuters, who were pleasantly surprised to hear their favorite stars over the system. These messages were also played at major western suburban junctions throughout the day on World No Tobacco Day and on premier outstation trains like the Rajdhani Express, Shatabdi Express and the Ferozepur Express.

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42 students of the Cathedral and John Connon School along with 24 adolescents from the Salaam Bombay Academy of Arts recreated their melodious magic at Blue Frog in Lower Parel which witnessed a power packed musical show, albeit one with a difference, that swept the audience off their feet and left them asking for more! Bringing the house down with their rocking performances the adolescents presented the fourth edition of their hit charity music concert WE. The concert was first held in 2013 to raise funds for the adolescents studying in the Arts Academy – most of whom come from underprivileged backgrounds.

This year, the two-hour show that brought together different genres of music including jazz, pop and contemporary, was a testimony of the adolescents recommitting themselves to the cause of underprivileged kids growing up in Mumbai’s slums. It also aptly showcased the role that art plays in the development and overall growth of adolescents. Present at Blue Frog to support and cheer the adolescents as they set about their melodious odyssey was the crème-de-la-crème of the city. The concept raised close to Rs. 20 lakhs supporting the training of over 350 talented deserving underprivileged adolescents from the Salaam Bombay Academy of Arts presenting them with an opportunity to receive advanced training in their chosen vocation, bringing them one step closer to their dream.

It all started in December 2013, when 25 students of Cathedral School studying in Class 7 formed a group called WE. The brainchild of then seventh grader Mrinalini Somani, the idea was born out of a volunteering experience with Salaam Bombay Foundation that left her with a conscience-stirring epiphany. An inspired Mrinalini mooted the idea to her batch-mates who instantly got on board. The rest, as they say, is proverbial history.

This year, providing unmatched training to the students of Cathedral was Mumbai’s premier music school, the True School of Music. After several rounds of auditions, True School of Music shortlisted the participants and trained them to master select songs.

The audience surely seemed touched as they roared and cheered aloud after each performance.

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Bajaj Electricals and Salaam Bombay Foundation have a long history of association on World No Tobacco Day (WNTD). From lectures at the IMC to the Dabbaawala activity last year, both organizations have championed the cause of a smoke-free environment. In 2015, WHO had chosen Illicit Tobacco Trade Practices and its Effects as the theme for WNTD. 1 out of every 10 cigarettes can be accounted for by illicit trade. Illicit tobacco products hook young people into tobacco experimentation and use because they are more affordable. Illicit trade takes tax revenue away from the Government, which could have otherwise been spent on the provision of public services.

The BEST in Mumbai has been a keen supporter of Salaam Bombay Foundation’s efforts to create a tobacco-free future generation. We had organized an awareness campaign for both the BEST staff (drivers, conductors, technical staff) and general public. Present on the occasion were Hon. Transport Minister, Govt. of Maharashtra Shri. Diwakar Ratwe, Hon. Chairman, BEST Shri. Arvind Dudhwadkar, Hon. General Manager, BEST Shri. Jagdish Patil and CSR Head for Bajaj Electricals Smt. Madhura Talegaonkar. BEST also ferried special buses carrying Salaam Bombay Foundation’s anti-tobacco message across different parts of the city. The objective of this whole exercise was to create awareness of the harmful effects of tobacco and to increase visibility of tobacco control laws.

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Former England cricket captain and batting legend Kevin Pietersen is known for his passion for the game and developing talent at the grassroots level. In December 2015, KP 24 Foundation, promoted by Kevin Pietersen, partnered with the Salaam Bombay Cricket Academy to form a 12-member contingent of the Indian team, to train and participate in an international tournament with world clad training and playing facilities. Our boys were coached by handpicked trainers and life skill teachers by Pietersen himself. The aim of these sessions was to help adolescents come back to India and train their peers and be the right role models. They were given access to international training facilities like bowling machines, indoor net sessions, fitness training and experiencing the game on an international turf, something the boys had never experienced.

A 7-day intensive training camp was undertaken for the boys, which included fitness sessions, net practice, training to play under flood lights and a lot more. India lost to Kenya in the semi-final, but it was much more than just a match. The opportunity created in the players a belief in themselves, increased their self-esteem and earned them immense respect in their communities. These 12 players are role models for countless others who aspire to be like them.

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Salaam Bombay Foundation participated in the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon for the fifth time. The event was held on 17th Jan, 2016 and as always, Salaam Bombay made its presence felt effectively. Our objective: to raise money or our Sports, Arts and Media academy students, to provide them with advanced vocational training in their chosen field so that they can become vocationally and economically empowered.

We received tremendous support from one of India’s leading Communications and Advertising agency, Saatchi and Saatchi, who participated in the Marathon with a 40-team strong contingent. Thanks also to Asian Paints, a loyal supporter of Salaam Bombay, for having participated with their contingent of 30.

This year the Marathon encouraged school adolescents to get involved in social causes thus sowing the seeds of social responsibility early in life. Under this initiative, 4 students helped raise Rs. 2, 22,320 for their lesser privileged peers.

We thank all those who helped us raise Rs. 14, 92,478 towards the empowerment of under privileged adolescents.

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Salaam Bombay Foundation continued it’s association with the esteemed Kala Ghoda Arts Festival this year. The festival attracts thousands of visitors every day and the experience of performing in front of such a large audience boosts the adolescents’s confidence and strengthens their motivation to do better in their chosen field.

This year adolescents from the Salaam Bombay Theatre Academy performed an award winning mime act, “Ghera”, which won the Best Production Award at the NCPA adolescents Theatre Festival earlier this year. A second group put together an exciting “Ganesh Vandana” dance routine receiving a standing ovation from those present. Our sincere thanks to Ms. Juuhi Babbar-Sonii, Curator, KGAF 16, Theatre and Ankur Parekh, Assistant Curator.

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The 11th edition of the Little Masters Challenge saw the participation of 30 secondary schools from around Mumbai. It was fiercely contested with teams toughing it out, first at the zonal level and then in the finals which were held at the historic Brabourne Stadium. Our thanks to the Cricket Club of India. The Salaam Bombay Cricket Academy team won in the U-17 category while the U-14 team ended runners-up. A host of new young talent was on display and was keenly watched by distinguished guests, including the Hon. Joint Secretary of the Mumbai Cricket Association, Shri. P.V Shetty.

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The 3rd National Conference on Tobacco or Health (NCTOH) will be hosted by Salaam Bombay Foundation, Action Council against Tobacco, Healis - Sekhsaria institute for Public Health and Tata Memorial Hospital. This Conference is proposed to be held at Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai on 15th & 16th December 2014.

Like earlier NCTOHs, the mission of this congress is also to advance the tobacco control movement in India. Tobacco control giants in India and abroad will converge in Mumbai to engage and empower the participants to collectively work towards eradication of this worst manmade disaster. The Conference will also bring the participants to speed with the best practices of tobacco control, advances in advocacy, latest researches and ongoing efforts with regards to tobacco control. Important topics such as awareness, public policy, addiction, cessation, secondhand smoke, taxation, smokeless tobacco etc will be covered in the Conference. Collaborative opportunities with other colleagues / institutions is expected to be a major activity in the Conference. Needless to say that our collective voices will make a profound impact on the media, drawing attention of the policy makers to the staggering public health menace.

All individuals and organizations engaged in tobacco control are cordially invited to participate in this stimulating conference. Please mark your calendar and watch for further developments.

We look forward to seeing you at the Conference.

Contact Secretariat:
5/6 Rewa Chambers, 31 New Marine Lines,Mumbai 400020
Tel: (91-22) 22034808/66391500, Fax: (91-22) 2203 4809
Website: www.tobaccocontrolindia.org
Email: secretariat@tobaccocontrolindia.org

Sounds of Hope was a memorable concert of India inspired jazz for the benefit of Salaam Bombay adolescents’s Fund held at the New York Society for Ethical Culture on 14th November 2014, and featured some of the world's most renowned musicians like Larry Correl, Kai Eckhardt, Osam Ezzeldin & Aditya Kalyanpur. Larry Coryell is a pioneer of jazz-rock and his eclectic sounds and brilliant technique has shaped the genre while Kai Eckhardt, a former bassist with the John Mclaughlin Trio has shared the limelight with jazz greats across the world. Osam Ezzeldin is one of the brightest stars on piano and keyboard on the world music scene today and Aditya Kalyanpur, the tabla maestro has worked with a galaxy of stars including Keith Richards, A. R. Rahman and Katy Perry. The concert drew full attendance and was a huge success for the musicians and the audiences alike. Proceeds from the concert has enabled underprivileged adolescents from India's slums to stay in school. A truly noble cause indeed!

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Devanshi Kejriwal, a high school student from BD Somani International School in Mumbai, was inspired by Salaam Bombay Foundation’s belief that a child that stays in school has a bright future. Devanshi had volunteered with the Salaam Bombay to teach students from Mumbai’s slum communities, in particular, English conversation skills to the adolescents in the Salaam Bombay Media Academy. Devanshi started her volunteering with Salaam Bombay in the 9th grade. She intensively volunteered over four years, all through her 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th grades. She taught grade 7 and grade 8 students conversational English in 3 resource poor slum secondary schools where English was a third language....Dixit Road Municipal School, Byculla West Municipal School and Tardeo Municipal School. Devanshi was inspired to do more. “I wanted to find a way to amalgamate my hobby painting with my desire to help the community. I came up with the idea of creating art works for an exhibit and raising funds for the cause.” In October 2014 Devanshi fulfilled her commitment. Aptly titled “Introspection – My Experiences Splashed On Canvas” – the art exhibition was held on October 7th 2014 at The Village, World Trade Centre, Mumbai. Surrounded by family and friends and inspirational words by her school principal, Mr. Don Gardener, Devanshi’s show was a sell out. Devanshi’s efforts on canvas raised close to Rs. 13 lakhs for the adolescents of the Salaam Bombay Academy of the Arts.
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For the adolescents, by the adolescents, to the adolescents, Voices provided 7th standard adolescents with an opportunity for creative self-expression through original performances in the form of one-act plays, songs and posters. It also served to engage tomorrow’s generation in discussions through arts on socially relevant issues and to sow the seeds of social responsibility early on in life.
150 adolescents.
More than 20 secondary schools.
Themes: The Many Moods of Bombay Being A Teen In Mumbai Advocates Against Tobacco
Brainbox of the Year: A quiz conducted by quiz master Dyu D’Cunha
Best School: G.D. Somani

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Salaam Bombay Foundation participated for the third time in the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon. The event was held on Jan 19, 2014 and as always, SBF maximized its presence by ensuring that we had representation in all categories. Our objective was to raise money for our Sports, Arts and Media academy students – we want to provide the talented and deserving students from within these academies advanced vocational training in their chosen field so that they can become vocationally and economically empowered.

315 Individuals supported us across all categories of the event. Noted dancer and choreographer Salman Y Khan joined us this year (his first marathon experience) and completed the entire Dream Run with the contingent. The presence of RJ Archana (Radio City, 91.1 FM) added cheer to the contingent. A total of Rs 34.91 Lakhs was raised through this event, another 340 dreams fulfilled!

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