In this commercial age, the adage, “There is no such thing as free lunch”, holds true for most establishments, including the lucrative summer camp business. However, bucking the trend are individuals and organisations in the city who not only provide free lunch but also throw in education and skill-training in the package.
Srivatsa Chakravarthy (72), who has been holding a free summer camp under his organisation Chakravarthy Prathishtana for the past 15 years, operates mostly out of his residence in Basavanagudi. Focussing on personality development, Sanskrit coaching, and the teaching of history and geography, among others, the camp continues the long legacy of his father Chakravarthy Gopalachar.
Mr. Gopalachar, a centenarian who was a Sanskrit, Kannada and Hindi scholar under the patronage of the erstwhile Mysore kings. He had a passion for teaching and didn't believe in putting a price tag on knowledge, said Mr. Chakravarthy. The cost for the classes, including daily lunch and subsidised trips out of the city, comes from the Chakravarthy Trust, a family-owned trust honouring Mr. Gopalachar.
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Attracting over 200 people per camp, which also includes a sizeable number of those above the age of 40, the camp has grown in popularity, with many coming forward to deliver lectures during the sessions, conducted between April 6 and May 13 without a break.
‘Sharing knowledge'
Similarly, conducting classes that combine arts and crafts, basic English, Kannada and Hindi coaching, computer-science graduate Deepa Subramanium (30) holds month-long summer camps at her residence in J.P. Nagar VII Phase that are completely free. “I have been running these classes for the last four years. It is just to share knowledge and help children who aren't even taught basics in school,” she said.
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Science camps
For government school children in the State, Agastya International Foundation will hold week-long summer camps where science education is taught free.
According to Suresh T.S., Karnataka in-charge of the organisation, the emphasis was on conceptual learning through experimentation and expedition training, and working with environmentalists and activists.
Similarly, Bangalore Association of Science Education will hold summer programmes encompassing computer-training, science education, astronomy, among others.Chakravarthy Prathishtana can be contacted on Ph: 9901572212 and Deepa Subramanium on 26852709, the contact number of Agastya International Foundation is 22340651, while BASE can be reached on Ph: 22379725.