ND Studios Magic!

After culminating our memorable journey in Karjat, we said our goodbyes and jumped on a bus towards our next destination, Bombay. Many folks compare Bombay to the LA of India - bustling, diverse, and home to all the film stars of the Bollywood film industry. It would have been a shame to skip out on a tour to get a glimpse of how it all went down in Bollywood town...So the kids had an opportunity to see just that.

ND Studios is an artist-run multimedia production company where many big box films are shot ever year. For any Bollywood buff (me included!), it was like being a child in a candy store when you ran across the set of Jodha Akbhar and the row of elephants that definitely played a part on the last war movie you watched.

Music and performance have been a part of the children's lives long before our Ekatva tour had begun, but their interest in spreading a beautiful message through art has only gotten stronger as each performance has allowed them the opportunity to really feel and see the difference their talent makes. Though the productions via Bollywood/Hollywood often have varying messages, they serve as a form of art that has touched lives of millions around the world. Their hard work and dedication to spreading messages was apparent just by seeing the elaborate details that went into each of their sets.

Though we did not unfortunately spot Aamir Khan or Priyanka Chopra in action, the kids enjoyed their day there as they re-enacted the Chandalika scene at a nearby well (take a peak at the video below!). I also caught some great shots of them behind bars and climbing royal elephants. Seeing their fantastic smiles as they experience these new places quickly made every hardworking late night worth doing ten times over again!