whose lives were far removed from
classical music, could be trained to
play with expertise and enthusiasm.
Encouraged by the achievements of
Buskaid and El Sistema, Dias began
to explore the possibility of starting
a similar effort for disadvantaged
children in India.
Among others, Dias approached
David Juritz, a South African violinist,
who started Musequality, a foundation
that promotes music education for
children in developing countries. With
the organization’s support, Dias’s plans
began to take concrete shape. In 2008,
he and his wife, Chryselle, decided to
give up their comfortable life in the UK
and return to their home in Panjim,
Goa, to try and realize what many
thought was an impossible dream. In
just one year, the duo founded their
charity Child’s Play India Foundation.
The name was carefully chosen for
its dual meaning, as was their raison
d’etre: Every child is noteworthy.
Realizing that setting up the pro-
ject and teaching music would be a
full-time endeavour, Dias abandoned
his medical career, swapping the life
of a successful physician for that of a
poorly paid music teacher—a move
some would consider foolhardy. A
quiet, unassuming man of medium
height, dark-haired and bespectacled,
Dias is transformed when describing
the power of music, the depth of
his commitment shining through.
“Music touches the soul of a person
like nothing else,” he says with a smile.To those who wonder why he didn’t
continue with his medical career, he
replies, “There are many who can
provide medical care, but few who
teach western classical music in India. I
know what I’m doing now is what I was
put on earth to do,” he responds.
Yet, as he explains, it was not easy
getting such an ambitious enterprise off
the ground. With Chryselle managing
the administrative side, Dias began
to build the foundations for Child’s
Play. Aside from getting the necessary
funds, it was important to find a place
that would safely house the children,
teachers and equipment. They
eventually found the perfect partner
in Mangala Wagle, the powerhouse
woman behind Hamara School, a
shelter for disadvantaged children in
Panjim. Their collaboration started
in 2009 and classes began with
12 children and one teacher in the
shelter’s dusty front yard, next to a
noisy street, bustling with traffic.
From these humble beginnings,
Child’s Play gradually grew in spite
of being solely dependent on private
funding. Instruction is now offered
to about 120 children. True to their
motto, no child is turned away, for
Dias firmly believes that all children
have the innate capacity to play music.
A core group of five or six faculty
members hold it together, instructing
the children in violin, viola, cello,
flute, piano and choir. “We’d love to
introduce more instruments if we only
had the teachers,” he says regretfully.26 august 2019
Reader’s Digest