In a crowded country like India with over 1.2 billion people coexisting, life can get a little cramped and stifling to say the least. One problem with a burgeoning population like India’s is that we start running out of place – out of place to live, walk, drive and most importantly, play.
Though India is generously endowed with lakes, mountains, forests, hills and streams galore, we have been unable to carve out more than small pockets of fresh air in our major cities. This is especially unfortunate for young children who love to run around and play out in the sun, enjoying their childhood.
Today most schools are starting to realize how important it is to provide children with the space to be free. Many school principals and teachers advocate planting trees around the school campus to provide the children with a healthy, happy natural environment in which they can play.
For example, G Ranganath, the headmaster of the Government High School, Policy Colony, where The Akshaya Patra Foundation serves its mid-day meal, has made sure that the children have an ideal haven in which they can spend their day. With a large playground, numerous trees and the fresh breeze coming through the school compound, Ranganath has transformed the school into a green zone that the children adore.
The Government Girls’ High School in Adugodi, Bangalore, has a huge open playground, the size of a football field. Here the children are given the freedom to enjoy all the space they may not have access to, at home. The school also teaches the children how important it is to preserve these green zones by involving them in fun activities such as planting saplings.
The Akshaya Patra Foundation is happy to see the children who benefit from the mid-day meal programme enjoying their days at school, comfortable and thriving in such naturally uplifting surroundings.
Follow us: @AkshayaPatra on Twitter | TheAkshayapatraFoundation on Facebook
0 comments:
Post a Comment