Archive for October 26, 2007
The rain within
The Hindu : Auden High School, and his friend P. Srikanth Ranjan, a standard VII student of Apollo Convent, were giving the final touches to the display of various editions of the Sanctuary magazine and its children’s version, the Cub magazine.
Their friends were busy arranging their set of some of the award-winning wildlife photographs painstakingly collected by them.
These children are the members of Kids for Tiger, an environment awareness programme for children run by the Sanctuary magazine across 550 schools in the country. They were setting up their stall at the exhibition organised by the Forest Department as a part of Wildlife week celebrations here earlier in the month.
“We love nature and want to save it for the future,” said Sudershan, a member of the programme for the past two years. One of his photo collection on the forests of the world is featured in the exhibition. Ranjan says, “We are learning more than what we learn from textbooks. We participate in exhibitions and go for nature walks.” Students are made to write letters on issues concerning environment conservation.
Enthusiastic
Another member of Kids for Tigers, Pavan Kumar, explained about the programme. “The tiger is synonymous with conservation. If you preserve our trees, there will be water and an environment for the tiger to survive,” said Kumar, a standard IX student of Vidyaniketan School in Ullal.
Proudly showing off his poster, he said he had developed a fascination for birdwatching after taking part in nature walks.
Usha Ramaiah, Coordinator, said the the programme was to make children realise the importance of conservation.
Young hearts, run free
The Hindu : s, Suresh Govindraj and Swathi Ramesh, had four minutes to make a story into a film. They are from a world where they have to walk for water, carry heavy buckets back and study under a streetlight.
These brave hearts of Christel House India (a non-profit centre for underprivileged children) were in class VIII, last November, when they worked to tell their story through film. And they have been chosen for the Official Competition of the Kids for Kids Festival 2007 (an international film festival for kids) in the Live Action (13 to 16 years old) category in Naples, beginning from the end of this year.
So what happens if they don’t have proper light to read books or study, eat meagre meals, carry rock-heavy buckets of water or join their parents as a construction labourer or plumber?
Good opportunity
Christel House India provides them with the opportunity to study and play. And imagine, with this rare opportunity, they have already made a lovely short film in their own school premises by the age of 14.
It all happened when Adobe Youth Voices held a four-day workshop in their school in November 2006 where they learnt the basic skills of how to hold a camera, shoot and edit.
Then, they decided on a topic. We get a glimpse into what life would have been for them if it wasn’t for this opportunity of education and unique filmmaking workshop.
The film is short and gripping. You go along to Rakshitha’s house where she has to fill water from a common tap outside. She then shows you her bright, colourful school where she loves playing the keyboard in music classes. She knows she can do a lot to change Bangalore. She realises her responsibility as a young citizen.
