They are as different as they come. But what could a cardiologist, a remote-sensing scientist, an IPS officer, dozens more Group I officers and lower-level officers, advocates and other professionals have in common that made them take a day off to spend time with school students in hostels at what was christened ‘Big Sunday’?
Their alma mater is the same - the Telangana Social Welfare Residential Educational Institutions Society (TSWREIS). The gathering at each of the 134 TSWREIS hostels and 39 Kasturi Bai Balika Vidyalayas across the new State was pretty much the same, a couple of days before the students were to take off on their vacations – from September 23 to October 5.
The day’s message was the one-liner aimed at the parents - “Please send your kids back to school on October 6, the reopening day”. But the endeavour was to drive home the message that education was the answer to poverty and motivate parents. At the Social Welfare Residential Magnet School/Junior College for Girls in Marredpally here, where a whopping 600 students study, the mood was positive among the parents who attended the Big Sunday meet with their wards.
S. Vennela, of Class IX, who belongs to Kummaripalli of Velgaturu mandal in Karimnagar wants to become an IAS officer, while Meghana of Class VIII, of Sistapur, wants to be a playback singer, while not neglecting her studies too. These children and others looked at awe at their alumni Ramdas, a scientist with the National Remote Sensing Agency, and Dr. Karunakar, a practising cardiologist with Apollo Hospitals.
“We wanted to tell the parents that there is no alternative but to educate their children. So on ‘Big Sunday’, we used our own alumni who carved out a niche for themselves, as Brand Ambassadors to cover all our schools and Balika Vidyalayas,” said R.S. Praveen Kumar, TSWREIS Secretary, who had a hectic day touring several districts.
Mr. Kumar said the alumni apart, they were assisted by volunteers from agencies like - Voice For Girls, Karmik Educational Solutions, and My Choice - that works on prevention of domestic violence. He had a special word of appreciation to the dozens of techies from several software companies who invested their time on their day off and their energy to motivate parents to send their wards ‘Back to School’ after the holidays.
