Mysuru: Start-ups, entrepreneurship and skill development are the buzz words today. Kautilya Vidyalaya had organised a special programme ‘Vanijya Vihar’ in order to introduce these concepts.

The students underwent training regarding production of items and marketing them. Out of the profits thus earned, they shared it with another school for the benefit of those students and thus displayed their sense of giving and sharing.

The students of Kautilya Vidyalaya are not only exposed to classroom teaching but also to the real world by organising ‘Vanijya Vihar’ every year. In this exercise, five students from each class of seven to ten are selected. They will be taught about investment, partnership, balance sheet preparation, production, marketing and other skills.

They will also be taught how to invest and earn profits out of it. Every year an exhibition is also organised to sell the products they have produced. In this exhibition, a percentage of the profits they earn are earmarked to the needy students of a school. The students are thus encouraged not only to learn how to earn profits but also to share the extra money earned with the lesser privileged members of the society.

The students had invested their money in various products and earned Rs. 2.10 lakh by selling them at ‘Vanijya Vihar’ organised recently at the school premises. They decided to share about Rs.75,000 of the money thus earned with the students of another school. The students themselves identified Sri Rama Vidyakula, a school in Yelwal with a strength of 650 rural students.

They contacted the Head Master and found that the school required a drinking water unit, water tank, science laboratory, books for the library and other equipment. Kautilya students provided all this to the Yelwal school.

Kautilya Principal Dr. L. Savitha said that the main purpose of holding such exhibitions is to identify the leadership qualities of the students and guide them to choose the right path in their future. “Exhibitions like these will help the students develop entrepreneurial skills, apart from giving them ideas for Start-ups on their own. This is the main aim of ‘Vanijya Vihar,’” she said.

More joy in giving

Student Committee representative S. Deeksha of tenth standard, sharing her experience, said that there was more joy in giving than receiving and this is what participating in ‘Vanijya Vihar’ has taught them.

Another 10th std. student A.S. Dakshit said that God had given two hands so that one can be used for hard work and the other for giving; this is what was understood from the event, he added.