Flames of Change

The festive season is here. Across India, homes are glowing with diyas, temples are ringing with chants, and streets are alive with the colours of Durga Puja and Ramlila. This year, the season of joy carries something even more unusual. Two days of profound meaning falling together! On October 2nd, we celebrate both Gandhi Jayanti and Dussehra (Vijayadashami).

On one hand, Dussehra reminds us of the eternal victory of good over evil, symbolised by Lord Ram’s triumph over Ravana. On the other, Gandhi Jayanti honours the father of our nation, whose life stood as a testament to non-violence, truth, and compassionate action.

While the country is celebrating in its myriad ways, let us take you to a small corner of Rajasthan, where these two occasions converge in the most extraordinary manner—Bal Ashram, our long-term rehabilitation center.

Bal Ashram is no ordinary place. It is a sanctuary where children rescued from child labour, trafficking, and exploitation find a new life. It is where identities are rebuilt, where freedom is first tasted, and where dignity is restored. For many children, stepping into Bal Ashram is the first time they begin their education and experience childhood.

The Celebration at Bal Ashram

This year, as the country readies itself for festivities, the kids at Bal Ashram have been preparing for their own celebration—a month-long journey of rehearsals, laughter, and anticipation leading up to their grand Ramlila.

The courtyard is buzzing today. Costumes are neatly arranged. Handmade crowns glisten with sequins. The effigy of Ravana stands tall, built with bamboo frames and carefully decorated with coloured paper, cloth, and paint—every detail lovingly crafted by the kids themselves. The stage is ready, and so are the children! For some, this is their very first stage performance; for others, their first audience. What binds them together is the joy of belonging—of being brothers, of being safe, of being free.

The villages around Bal Ashram have already heard the ‘munadi’—the public announcement that invites everyone to witness the children’s Ramlila. For the community, it is more than a performance; it is a celebration of resilience, courage, and rebirth.

But here lies the uniqueness of Bal Ashram’s Dussehra: the children do not see Ravana as merely a historical figure from a 5,000-year-old Indian epic. For them, Ravana represents the evils they have battled in real life and observed in society. Through weeks of discussion and reflection, they created ten symbolic heads of Ravana—each one representing a modern-day social evil (something they do every year!).

When the effigy of Ravana burns at Bal Ashram, it is not only a ritual. It is a pledge. The children and the villagers gather around, taking an oath to defeat these evils—within themselves, within their society, and within the world they are shaping. Afterall, as Kailash Satyarthi ji (our founder and Nobel Peace Laureate 2014) rightly says, “ Can we defeat the external Ravanas (evils in the world) without confronting our inner Ravanas? I believe one must fight two battles simultaneously—inside and outside—and neither can be won without the other. These battles strengthen each other. The faces of the inner Ravana could be arrogance, fear, hatred, lust, selfishness, or obsession, while the faces of the external Ravana may be injustice, discrimination, inequality, poverty, hunger, polarization, conflict, war, and violence.”

Igniting the Spark of Compassion

The ‘charkha’ (spinning wheel) of Gandhi never stopped spinning, just as the dharma chakra (Wheel of Dharma) of Lord Ram never ceased to turn. This year’s symbolic union of Dussehra and Gandhi Jayanti reminds us that the wheel of humanity can only move forward when compassion fuels it. Festivals, after all, are not only about rituals, but about re-learning the truths that keep us human.

So as you light lamps this festive season, as you watch the effigies burn, pause for a moment and ask yourself: What are the Ravanas around me that I can defeat? What is the flame of compassion I can ignite within myself?

The children of Bal Ashram, once voiceless and invisible, have already answered these questions in their own way. They remind us that Dussehra is not just about celebrating the victory of good, and Gandhi Jayanti is not just about remembering a leader. Together, they are a call to action—a call to live with courage, compassion, and conviction.

Because what you do makes a difference.

And today, more than ever, it is time to decide what kind of difference you want to make.