Indian summers are usually April to June, but for SMILE, summer camp arrives just before the PGP1 CV freeze. The IIMA community remembers that stretch as one of stress and emotional turmoil. The SMILE kids will remember this one for the poetry, the pitches, and a perfume for smelly shoes.
Between August 3 and 7, nearly 200 first- and second-year PGP students traded their usual spreadsheets for something far more unpredictable: a room full of children with big ideas and zero fear of telling you exactly what they think. For five afternoons, from 2 PM to 5 PM, the volunteers coached, cheered, rehearsed, and occasionally negotiated with young artists who had very firm opinions about their own choreography. It was all built toward the showcase on August 12, held for the first time inside the IIMA campus at the AB2 auditorium. Yes, the kids performed on the same campus that usually only sees case competitions.
The recitation event was a lovely bit of give and take. The IIMA community sent in poems, and the children made them their own, with LSD volunteers coaching them on pacing, projection, and the art of not racing through a stanza as if it owes you money.
Then there was Pushpraj. A 10th grader, he is the kind of student who holds back in class, who knows the answer but keeps it to himself. At the camp, he tried poetry and theatre, and something shifted. At the showcase, he stood on the AB2 stage and recited a poem submitted by a member of the IIMA community, and the boy who hesitated to raise his hand held a whole auditorium’s attention. Somewhere in the audience, a few of his teachers suddenly had something in their eye.
Meanwhile, science got serious. The kids built four projects: an electric bell and a periscope as working models, and the water cycle and seed germination as static ones. The bell rang, the periscope peeked around corners, and a few tiny scientists learned the joy of watching something they built actually work. When the electric bell team hit a snag, Kartavya, a Grade 9 student, stepped up, diagnosed the problem, and suggested the fix.
Then came Mini MBA, which may have been the most entertaining hour of the camp. The children pitched personal care products with the confidence of seasoned founders. The winner was a perfume for shoes, built to fight odour. Anyone who has ever opened a shoe cupboard will tell you the world has been waiting for this.
The camp was also a team sport. Decibel filled the room with singing, Footloose choreographed three dance performances, and IIMActs put together a theatre piece. In the evenings, Finesse took over with Madhubani painting, tote bags, origami and sketching, which meant plenty of children went home with art and a few volunteers went home with paint in places paint should not be. At the showcase, a state-level gymnast from our morning batch performed, reminding everyone in the hall that gravity is more of a suggestion.
And then came the quiet moment that got everyone. The students graduating from 12th grade put together a special performance for their teachers, a thank-you from kids about to leave to the people who spent years getting them ready. Prizes were also given to the students who topped the previous exam.
The AB2 auditorium filled with guests, including faculty and members of the IIMA admin team, and the children owned it, with recitations, songs, dances, a play, and their science models on display.
Nearly 200 PGP1s and PGP2s gave up their afternoons. LSD, Decibel, Footloose, IIMActs and Finesse gave their time and talent. And the SMILE children gave all of it a reason.
