Kalaa Manjiri, an after-school activity centre in Venus Colony Alwarpet, is running full-house this summer. This justifies Jayashree Chinne’s decision to start the centre four years ago.
Since 2009, Kalaa Manjiri has been offering activities such as global art, drawing and colouring, English handwriting, Tamil handwriting, Hindi tuition, chess and western dance.
When Jayashree’s children were younger, they had to shuttle between classes in different locations to hone their extra curricular skills.
“I always thought of having a place, an activity centre, where all the classes are conducted under one roof. Luck was on my side. A friend of mine called me and said she had to urgently vacate the place from where she was conducting classes for children. I decided to utilise it to turn my dream into reality. My first class was on global art in 2009,” says Jayashree, wife of popular actor Chinni Jayanth.
She says she has something new to learn every day. “From decorating the place and choosing the classes to publicising the centre and hiring teachers, I had to manage everything on my own. I was clear that I had to provide a space where children would come after school. I ensured that the teachers were friendly and understood the needs of the children,” says Jayashree.
Apart from the activity centre which also functions as a play school, she is into event and celebrity management. She also runs a production company.
“I may be juggling various hats during the week, but my weekends are dedicated to Kalaa Manjiri, as it is packed on Saturdays and Sundays,” she says.
She sees Kalaa Manjiri as a huge responsibility.
“Since we deal with young children, I have to make sure everything is in place and I am always around when needed. Like before, I can’t just take off for a holiday as the centre might need me,” says Jayashree.
She however enjoys her job and is happy she is able to hone young minds.
