Kids from the margins savour Chandrayaan-3 launch
They were going to witness history in the making, though from a distance, thanks to the Katha India Adivasi and Dalit Learning (kadl) Labs, an organisation working with children from marginalised communities in Minjur region.
Children watching Chandrayaan launch using a telescope
CHENNAI: Even as space experts were gearing up for the ambitious launch of Chandrayaan-3 from India’s space port, Sriharikota, on July 14, a group of about 20 government school students were excited as their teachers were packing a telescope and binoculars.
Their enthusiasm was understandable. They were going to witness history in the making, though from a distance, thanks to the Katha India Adivasi and Dalit Learning (kadl) Labs, an organisation working with children from marginalised communities in Minjur region.
As part of its initiative, the magic labs, students from eight government primary schools are given different learning experiences. Among them, students from the panchayat union primary school, Kallur in Minjur block of Tiruvallur district were taken to witness the rocket launch by their ‘Katha reading mentor’.
G Tamilselvi, a reading mentor working at Kallur school, said, “ We planned to witness the launch from backwaters that lie about 300 metres from our school. As the launch was scheduled at 2:35 pm on Friday, we were present there half an hour earlier, fixed the telescope and carried binoculars.”
Speaking about the experience, S Dillibabu, a class 5 student said, “Watching the rocket launch was a surreal moment for me and my friends. This is the first time that we watched the launch, a spectacle that I will surely remember for years to come.”
G Jaswanth, a class 3 student of Kallur school said, “I shared the experience of watching the rocket launch with my parents. Watching it through a telescope made it seem like watching it from close proximity.”
Geetha Dharmarajan, founder and president of Katha, said, “We are planning to soon take the children to ISRO to inspire them for the future. It’s been eight months since we started magic labs and we are glad that we were able to give such experiences to our students.”
Geetha said Katha is particular in incorporating newer skills to the students along with their indigenous knowledge. Through STEM-C education, which includes social science along with arts and science, these children from marginalised communities are trained by Katha.