Private Screening of Margarita With A Straw
Directed by Shonali Bose, Margarita with a straw focuses on a girl child affected by “Cerebral Palsy”. This movie talks about the struggle Laila (played by Kalki Koechlin) faces with normal activities in her life. The film made its world premiere on 8 September 2014 as part of the Contemporary World Cinema Programme at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). It went on to be screened at Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival in Estonia, BFI London Film Festival, Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), the Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) and Istanbul Film Festival. It was released in India on 17 April 2015.
Chetak’s Value Addition
The directors of Chetak partnered with Satya Special School and the Rotary Club to help screen the film in front of an elite audience. At first, Vikram booked a hall with a seating capacity of 300, following which he organized the logistics for the entire event. Next, he took up the challenging job of raising funds, which would be used for aiding children suffering from Cerebral Palsy. During the Rotary Club meeting, Vikram sold five tickets (valued at INR 300 each) to every Rotarian. To get the ball rolling, Vikram was the first Rotarian to purchase 10 tickets himself. In addition, he also ensured that many of Chetak’s clients participated in this event. In a matter of three days, all tickets were sold and a large amount of money was raised. Moreover, a large corporate house volunteered to sponsor the dinner (funding that wasn’t initially planned), which in turn increased the total funds raised. Through this private screening, Chetak helped raise funds for Satya Special School. Cherry on the cake: Ms. Kalki Koechlin was there in person during the screening of her movie, which provided added glamour to the event.
Funding Raised
USD 1,100
Chetak Travels & Satya Special School
Chetak has been associated with Satya Special School since 2010. Over the past years, Chetak has worked with various organizations/clients to promote the welfare of handicapped children. Chetak’s philosophy towards its clients is more than just providing travel services: we facilitate/help our travellers invest in meaningful projects that benefit society at large. At Chetak, we are proud to have helped in various such projects to date.
About Satya Special School
The Satya Special School helps any person with intellectual disabilities, irrespective of the degree or kind of disability, socio-economic condition, age or gender. The objective of the school is to eradicate the stigma associated with disabilities, especially intellectual ones. By empowering children, making them confident and self-reliant, the school helps improve their quality of life through better health care and individualized rehabilitation programmes. Today, with the help of 106 staff members, Satya Special School is pioneering a number of unique initiatives in the Union Territory of Pondicherry. Currently, the school caters to over 764 children with special needs through various services. The organization functions from four urban and three rural centres.
Read more about the school: http://www.satyaspecialschool.org