A hundred smiles, mono-acts, skits, singing, dancing and a whole lot of fun! That was how the day worked out at the Government Higher Primary School, Banjarapalya near Kanakapura Road, Bangalore. A group of six enthusiastic bloggers, along with representatives from The Akshaya Patra Foundation, came together to participate in a meet titled ‘Click it Write’ and spent a day with the students of this school. Throughout the day, they interacted with the children and participated in their recreational activities.

The Banjarapalya Government Higher Primary School is a place where ‘blackboards’ take the shape of elephants, walls become a canvas of art, and windows an assortment of dried leaves. This is a house of knowledge in its true sense. The atmosphere here is an exquisite amalgamation of art and education which instills an eagerness to learn new things in the young minds. Alphabets from different languages, birds flying free in the sky, phrases of strength and life clad the walls and floors of this school and the children love to flaunt these to their visitors. All this is complemented by a dedicated Head Master of the school, Mr Parameshwar who is known for his unique method of teaching Mathematics with the help of match sticks! Loved by all his students, he plays a pivotal role in their lives and also takes care in preserving the artwork in the school.

The participants of the ‘Click it Write’ initiative were given complete creative freedom to explore the school and involve with the children at their own pace. Since it was a first-time school visit for most of them, they experienced the ground reality of what the children require in terms of education and nutrition. While some of the members were stung by the shutterbug, mesmerised by the beauty of the place and the smiles spread all over, some others scribbled away in their notes about the things that caught their attention. They also got an insight into the lives of some children, after meeting their parents.

The school activity was followed by a visit to the Akshaya Patra kitchen at VK Hill near Kanakapura Road. The participants were taken on a guided tour by the kitchen staff. At every step, they were explained the various equipment and their functions carried out in this food factory daily.

The bloggers appreciated the efforts of the Akshaya Patra Foundation to support children by providing them with mid-day meals every day. Some of the bloggers expressed their interest to volunteer for the organisation in backing the children with education.

At the end of the meet, the participants collated material that will be transformed into blogs and photo essays. These will be published to create awareness and spread the cause that The Akshaya Patra Foundation is working towards. With more such initiatives by the organisation in the pipeline, this has been a great start.