A social initiative by NGO Upkriti gives a facelift for two Government Schools at H.D. Kote

By M.T. Yogesh Kumar

Government Schools in H.D. Kote are getting a facelift, thanks to a Bengaluru-based NGO Upkriti whose volunteers have already painted two of them and have given them a new look. What has been ignored by the Government and the Education Department has been accomplished by a group of youth from their own funding.

H.D. Kote is one of the backward taluks in Karnataka with a good population of tribals and backward communities and lacks good infrastructure as most of the area comes under green cover.

Upkriti works on tribal community welfare projects and first, it took up the painting of Government Higher Primary School (GHPS), Gandhinagar in H.D. Kote and painted it on Feb. 5 and Feb. 6. On May 21 and May 22, they took up the painting of GHPS Gende Gowdara (GG) Colony and have completed this task too.

Both the schools had not seen a fresh coat of paint for decades and the painting task was taken up with the assistance and participation of the villagers. This way they have contributed to a better learning environment. Over 25 volunteers from Upkriti chipped in for painting the entire school in two days.

The volunteers include professionals like artists, automation engineers and operations analysts engineering students, advocates and software engineers and they beautified the schools with colourful drawings, landscapes and pictures of animals and birds. This was primarily done to attract students towards learning and enthuse them instead of being closeted in colourless and bland walls.

Complete makeover

The makeover included water-proof painting of walls, colouring the ‘Nali Kali’ classroom and donation of computers. The messages painted on the walls spread awareness about a girl child’s education and also there are messages about social issues and morals.

Images of cartoon characters, freedom fighters, eminent personalities and animals like tigers and elephants were drawn on the walls of the classrooms and on the outside walls with social messages. The walls were coated in waterproof paint, after which volunteers created colourful murals.

“We have painted messages on child marriage, child labour and child rights. Child cartoon characters find a place on the walls of the classrooms so that a conducive learning atmosphere is created. The professional volunteers spare weekends and lend their service in painting and giving a facelift to the schools. Moreover, they do not expect money in return,” said N. Chandan, Founder and President of NGO Upkriti.

In fact, when the Gandhinagar school was being painted, seeing the transformation, the GG Colony School Head Mistress Usha Kumari met the NGO members and requested them to give her school a facelift too.

The school has around 670 students from the first standard to the seventh standard. The school was constructed in 1982 and has five rooms. Along with the NGO, the villagers too contributed                        Rs. 25,000 to buy paints. After one coating of painting was done, the design and artwork were done by the NGO.

While philanthropists Balasubrahmanyan and Sawarnalatha sponsored the beautification work at both schools, volunteers Manasa, Darshan, Vikesh, Prakruthi, Kiran, Amrutha, Sashank, Varsha, Sharanya, Anu, Prarthana, Prateeksha, Shivam, Madhura, Haripriya, Ananya, Deepti, Tasmiya, Dhanusha, Suhas, Siddesh, Sayeema, Ashish and others pitched in their service.