Kozhikode City Corporation's unique initiative will teach students about natural disasters through magic

If magic was once used as a form to entertain and provide a fun experience to children, it will now be employed as a tool to convey pertaining issues, values and general information to school students. Keeping in view the havoc caused by the mid-August Kerala floods, the Kozhikode City Corporation has formulated a first of its kind initiative to teach students through magic, steps to be taken during such natural disasters and methods to help people.

The project titled ‘Navamanam’ will be implemented by the Corporation over a period of 100 days during the next academic year. “Navamanam is a novel attempt to teach students about flood and natural disasters, how and what they can contribute during such calamities. It is also an effort to develop humanitarian values among students, " said Corporation project coordinator V P Rajeevan. Under the initiative, four ‘Magic hubs’ will be set up in a centre, community hall or stadium in the city. While the first hub 'Shastravismayam' (Scientific wonders) will deal with the various superstitions that people associate calamities with, the second and third hubs will focus on maths puzzles and illusions respectively. The final Magic hub will depict nature as the real magician and the precautionary steps that can be adapted to prevent natural calamities. The magic performances will be followed by a mega magic show for the students.

The sessions will be conducted for teams of 400 students, with 100 students attending each of the hubs simultaneously. The presentations will last for a total of four hours, with one hour at each Magic hub. "The programme will be carried out for Upper Primary, High School and Higher Secondary students belonging to the 181 schools within the Corporation limits," he said.

The magic performances will be staged by renowned magicians in Kozhikode. "Since ‘Navamanam’ has already received a green signal, we are now planning to invite magicians who would be interested in being a part of the initiative," added Rajeevan.