He is 14, doesn’t think coding is nerdy, and believes that other kids his age should have access to practical computer training.
Krish Samtani may be a cool young adolescent with an accent to boot, but he has some big ideas for this world.
Today his initiative 0Gravity takes off -- a free coding club for kids aged 10 to 14, with a system of volunteers, host IT company, and mentors from the industry in place.
The first community-driven course in Bengaluru will be underway at the Saggezza office in Domlur, where, even as you read this, 25 children (including some from an orphanage) will begin to take baby steps in the world of HTML, website design, CSS, and more. Every four children will be assigned to one mentor, during this three-month course, to be held every Saturday. They have a tie up with CoderDojo, an open source, volunteer led, global movement of free coding clubs for young people.
They hope that later, at an advanced level, they can also progress to Java Script and Python (and who knows, create apps and games they would like to use!).
“I attended such coding clubs in summer in America - at Johns Hopkins University and New York University, but when I came back here and searched, I couldn't find any clubs for children. That is when it struck me that we can start one, specially to include underprivileged children so that they also get a level playing field,” he says, sounding way beyond his years. Why so early? Aren’t kids his age busy playing on their phones? “It is for those who have an interest. It is a useful opportunity and a useful skill...I don't see it as a nerdy thing,” says Krish, who also loves sports, playing the piano, and drums.
Krish’s father, Gunjan Samtani, himself a coder “now doing other things,” says his son, a Class Nine student of The International School Bangalore, took over six months to plan and launch this. “The world and technology are both changing fast. Technology is driving everything in every industry. In India kids get exposed to applied computer education far too late,” he feels. He points out how in other countries, universities, towns, and companies regularly host coding clubs. It is a community-driven initiative, he stresses, and parents can join in to help as well.
0Gravity's mission now is to bring on board enough voluntary IT companies, their employees and others as volunteer-mentors to launch multiple free coding clubs so that more children have these opportunities.
To volunteer or participate in the next course beginning April email: contact@0gravity.org
