Do you hear them bells ringing? No? Well, you will, soon enough. Schools in Kerala are finally getting ready to welcome children back to classrooms and playgrounds as offline classes are set to begin from November 1. And of course, there is a lot of prep work still left to do. Since schools have been closed for over a year and a half, naturally there is a lot of cleaning that has to be done in the premises before they are anywhere close to being conducive for teaching. Lending a hand in these busy times is Kochi's old friend Anbodu Kochi, the non-profit organisation. Its members and volunteers got together on Saturday, October 23, at the Government Higher Secondary School in Eloor of Kochi to make the campus spic and span.
In the midst of this process, we found time to visit the campus and see the busy work for ourselves. We caught up with Anoop Chandran, one of the founding members of Anbodu Kochi, to know more about this noble cause. "Our journey towards the welfare of Kochi began in December 2015 and we have managed to extend our helping hand during the past few years when the going has gotten tough for the people of Kerala, like during the floods. Today, we have initiated this activity as a model project. There are over 50 volunteers affiliated to Anbodu Kochi pitching in today. Even the Coast Guard will be here to help us in this initiative."
Former Collector of Kochi and current Managing Director of Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation, MG Rajamanickam IAS, was also present on the occasion. He was actively involved in the cleaning process. Before getting to work he said, "Due to not being in use for a prolonged period of time, schools are in a shabby state of affairs. So we thought we would take up this work so that the school is turned over to the authorities and students in a proper state. It is not just the cleaning either, we thought we would also work towards carpentry, other minor repairs and ground cleaning as well. We will do a comprehensive job so that the school is a lively and liveable space for the students when they come."
The cleaning activity at HSS Eloor will continue on Sunday, October 24, with APM Mohammed Hanish IAS, the Principal Secretary of General Education and Vishnu Raj IAS, Sub Collector, also stated to be a part of the drive.
