It will be difficult for over 25 students of Sarkari Hiriya Prathamika Shale of Kairangala village on the Karnataka-Kerala border to recognise their 134-year-old school building when they return from the summer vacation.
This government-run Kannada medium school, which featured in the super-hit Kannada film, Sarkari Hiriya Prathamika Shale, Kasaragod, Koduge Ramanna Rai (SHPSKKRR), now has freshly painted walls showcasing the culture of coastal Karnataka, and a new tiled roof with iron beams and new tiles. From this year, the children will have spoken English classes too and access to computers. All this is thanks to the director-producer of SHPSKKRR, Rishab Shetty. This film, which has one of the longest film titles in Kannada, centred around a Kannada school on the verge of closure. While the film has received critical appreciation as well as box office success, the film-maker wanted to spend a part of his earnings for refurbishing the school.
“My film opens and ends with the reopening of the Kannada-medium school in Kasaragod after summer vacation. I wanted the children of the real school also to smile when they return after the holidays,” said Mr. Shetty.
The school, which once had over 500 students, has only 25 now. “In fact, when we shot the film there were 44 students. It is a humble attempt to bring back children to this Kannada-medium school,” said the director. He posted a series of pictures on Instagram of his team tidying up and painting the school.He said the changes were not just cosmetic. “We are planning to introduce English-speaking classes and computer education for the students to create a level playing field for Kannada-medium students to compete with the students who study in private educational institutions,” he said.
