Essar Foundation recently organized Indradhanush - shiksha ke saat rang, a two-day festival for school children of classes 4 to 8 in the Hazira area. Children and teachers from 22 schools around Hazira thronged the venue at Navchetna Vidyalaya in Junagam village of Hazira on January 10 and 11, 2014 to experience Indradhanush, Essar Foundation's unique initiative that celebrates learning with freedom of expression. Indradhanush uses different platforms such as puppetry, cinema, story-telling, art and craft, books etc. to encourage learning and promote the idea that learning can be fun and can take place beyond textbooks and classrooms.
The venue was decked up with the colors of the rainbow and Indradhanush's signature design of books with wings symbolizing the freedom in being creative. The two-day festival was packed with interesting activities promoting self-expression and creativity using multiple media of art, craft, music, games, books, science exhibitions, interactive exercises and do-it-yourself exercises. The edutainment festival was inaugurated by Ms Anandiben Patel, Minister for Revenue, Disaster Management Roads & Buildings, Capital Projects, Urban Development and Urban Housing Department, Government of Gujarat and Mr Shashi Ruia, Chairman, Essar graced the opening ceremony. Ms. Patel, in her address, expressed joy at being a part of such an event that took her back to the days of being a teacher. She engaged the children with her cheerful interaction on science, mathematics, good health and the environment.
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Mr Rajiv Agarwal, MD, Essar Ports, Capt. Subhas Das, CEO, EBTL-Hazira, Mr Deepak Berry, CFO, EBTL-Hazira along with senior officials across all businesses were present during the two-day festival. Several dignitaries including Mr CR Patil, MP, Navsari-Hazira area, Mr Rajendrabhai Patel, MLA -Choryasi Assembly, Commissioner, Surat Municipal Corporation, Mr Manoj Kumar Das, District Collector, Surat and Mr Jai Prakash Shivahare, DDO and Mayor, Surat attended the festival. The Indradhanush festival at Hazira, implemented jointly by Essar Foundation and Essar Ports, received enthusiastic cooperation from the district education department and Junagam Panchayat.
Teachers and children were encouraged to embrace the idea that learning can happen in a non-structured environment, and that hands-on activities and performances can open up creative minds and broaden horizons. The children were shown several interesting films as part of the festival. Sheetal of Nav Jagruti Vidya Vihar School says excitedly, "I loved the film about a brother and sister. It was just like the story of my brother and me."
The activities in the workshops and interactive corners were focused on making subjects like science, mathematics, language and technology simpler and more enjoyable. Several school teachers took part in workshops facilitated by experts of national repute on story-telling, science and mathematics. Navchetna Vidyalaya's science teacher attended the workshops and says, "This was the first time that I have been part of such a lively workshop, and I'm taking back a lot of learning that will help me make my classes more engaging for children."
Essarite volunteers under the leadership of HR and Admin Head Mr Vikas Singh contributed greatly in managing the event efficiently. With participation of more than 3,000 school children from 22 schools, Indradhanush is being termed as the largest such event in the area.
