Ravi.Posavanike@timesgroup.com
Mangaluru: It was finally ‘Bag less’
Saturday for students of schools in Dakshina Kannada district. Ushered in on
trial basis effective December 23, children came to schools minus their bags or
a bag that contained just their pencil and snack boxes, essential stationery
items and a water bottle, a far cry from ‘weight’ they carry on a normal
‘working day’. Colour or house uniforms to boot only elevated their sense of
feeling light from their otherwise normal load.
While reveling in this new found
status going to school, Hanumantha, seventh standard student of Dakshina
Kannada Zilla Panchayat Higher Primary School at Mannagudda however could not
help quipping on the ‘weight’ that this photo-journalist lugged. “I am happy
(coming to school) without a bag. But you are still carrying a bag around,”
Hanumantha said, much to his amusement and taking him down memory lane to his
school days in that fraction.
Incidentally, Dakshina Kannada
Zilla Panchayat and department of public instructions launched the ‘No Bag
Day’, a novel initiative that permits students to go to schools every Saturday
without bags and books. The department in consultation with M R Ravi, chief
executive officer of zilla panchayat has decided to declare Saturday as ‘No Bag
Day’. Children engage in activities that are closely related to their
respective academic curriculum on this day.
Students enjoyed the day playing,
participating in drawing, creating wealth out of waste, quiz and other
activities. A few schools also held Christmas programmes and distributed
ice-cream. Aruna, assistant head teacher at the Mannagudda school, said “I saw
children enjoying either dancing or running around and other activities as
against serious class room reading or writing they indulge in everyday. We also
conducted quiz, pick and speak and other activities,” she noted.
Srikanta, another student was
happy to be in colour dress and sense of relief from the drudgery of wearing
uniform every day. Taking this joy a wee further, Srikanta said, “Everyday has
to be like this as we have no headache of writing or reading.” Incidentally,
most schools in the district have sent out an advisory to parents indicating
them of this change with an instruction to shift the use of house uniforms to
Saturday against the present designated days for the same.
