Private school initiative breathes new life into 140-yr-old Bengaluru institution
Cut to now. The 140-year-old govt Tamil Higher Primary School on Shivajinagar's Thimmaiah Road is an ochre-and-dark-grey building with spiffy classrooms and flooring that outshines a mirror.
This is the story of the school's transformation at a cost of Rs 1.8 crore in two years.
You Can Also Check:
Bengaluru AQI
|
Weather in Bengaluru
|
Bank Holidays in Bengaluru
|
Public Holidays in Bengaluru
Under a public-private partnership with Inventure Academy, a private school on Sarjapur Road, the newly rebuilt Tamil school was inaugurated on Wednesday — with new look, feel, and English-medium sections, besides the existing Tamil medium. The school has 28 admissions into English medium in Class I and II this year, besides eight students in Tamil medium from Class I to VII.
This is Inventure's second such venture after a similar success story of their Ramagondanahalli project in Whitefield where it adopted a Kannada-medium school in 2019. What started with 200 students now has 1,100 students.
In Tamil school too, Inventure will provide teachers and pedagogy, besides operating English-medium sections. The infrastructure was built using MLA Rizwan Arshad's local area development funds to the tune of Rs 1.5 crore, and the rest came through donations.
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
New Container Houses Indonesia (Prices May Surprise You)
Container House | Search ads
Search Now
Undo
by Taboola
by Taboola
English-medium sections will have a head teacher, two teachers, one teaching assistant. During the construction period of two years, the Tamil-medium classes were conducted in a small building with two classrooms. The English medium started this year from a small space in an NGO's building.
"After the MLA visited our Ramagondanahalli school, he expressed interest in replicating the model in his constituency, where he has been revamping schools.
I, too, wanted to plough back to society. I have been here multiple times — as a child, with my mother, from seeing it up close during corporation elections to shopping at Russell Market. We chose this school that was completely dilapidated," said Nooraine Fazal, founder, Inventure Academy.
The school was in a sorry state: No permanent electricity connection, blackspots, garbage, school premises a hive for drunken elements.
"When I joined 25 years ago, the school had 70 students. The numbers began to dwindle over the years, but the real downfall began after Covid. The huge area was targeted by the public. We are looking forward to a change now," said Kalaivani, a Tamil teacher at the school.
"The difficult part about the public-private partnership is the govt has a standard MoU where the private parties build infrastructure and leave it at that.
We, at Ramagondanahalli and Shivajinagar, have a different approach of delivering holistic education to children. While officials appreciate our objective, the technical formalities are hard to complete," said Nooraine.
The new building was designed by Indian Institute of Interior Designs. "While we wanted to maintain the old building as a heritage structure, it was so dilapidated it crashed. In the new building, we wanted to ensure a play of light and small learning courtyards inside the building instead of the usual govt school designs," said Kavita Shastri, architect.
FIGHTING THE ODDS
* The British, who had a base in Madras Presidency, brought in skilled labourers and traders to Bengaluru
* Many Tamil schools started, to meet needs of workers' children
* Govt Tamil school on Thimmaiah Road saw a decline over the years, with parents rooting for English-medium education
* Besides, a 2km radius has 26 govt, aided, and unaided schools
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Indian Express
11 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
DMK allies to boycott governor's Independence Day reception
CHENNAI: The Congress, CPM, CPI, Viduthalai Chiruthaikal Katchi and Manithaneya Makkal Katchi (MMK) have announced they will boycott the 'At home' reception to be hosted by Governor RN Ravi on the Independence Day. TNCC president K Selvaperunthagai, in a statement, said his party is boycotting the reception, protesting the anti-Tamil attitude of the governor, and condemning him for forwarding the Bill on Kalaignar University to the President. VCK president Thol Thirumavalavan said the party has been boycotting the reception, protesting the successive governors' activities against state autonomy and the two-language policy, besides attempting to saffronise the antiquities of Tamil Nadu. CPM state secretary P Shanmugam said ever since assuming office, Ravi has been acting against federal principles and the interests of Tamils, besides the Constitution. Even after the SC defined the powers of the governors, Ravi has continued with his stance. CPI state secretary R Mutharasan expressed similar views. MMK president MH Jawahirullah said the governor has been clashing with the popular government in TN for unnecessary reasons, and hence, the party has decided to boycott the reception.
The Wire
11 minutes ago
- The Wire
Indian Army's Close-Quarter Battle Carbine Procurement Saga Poised to End with KSSL and Adani Deals
Rahul Bedi The process has underscored a key reality – for the MoD and the Indian Army, quick reaction weapons arrive at a glacial pace, if at all. Representative image of an Indian Army soldier with a weapon. Photo: PTI. New Delhi: It has been one of the longest procurement sagas in the Indian Army's history – nearly a quarter-century of tenders floated. scrapped, 'fast-track' acquisition contracts announced and abandoned, and intermediate or 'stopgap' fixes standing in for real solutions. And, finally last month it appeared that the Indian Army's close-quarter battle (CQB) carbine requirement of 425,318 units, pending since the late 1990s is likely to be met, to replace its legacy 9mm 1A1/2A1 sub-machine guns (SMGs) – local versions of the L2A3 Sterling machine gun – developed in England in the mid-1940s, and entering British Army service in 1953. For decades, these two SMG variants were licence-built for decades by the erstwhile Small Arms Factory at Kanpur, part of the erstwhile state-run Ordnance Factory Board, but their manufacture had ceased altogether on grounds of obsolescence by the early 2000s. Thereafter, the Indian Army had largely been operating without a CQB carbine, which operationally was critical to providing troops, much like its description suggests, with a compact, lightweight weapon for rapid, accurate fire in confined or urban environments, mountainous terrain and jungle environments. Since then, every attempt to replace the carbine has marched through the Ministry of Defence's (MoD's) familiar parade – tenders announced, trials held, everything voided, before sinking into the familiar swamp of bureaucratic futility with no weapon system. But industry sources now say that this cycle of ineptness had seemingly ended with the recent shortlisting of Kalyani Strategic Systems Limited and Adani Aerospace & Defence to supply 425,213 5.56×45 mm carbines to the Army in a potential Rs 2,800-crore deal that is expected to be imminently signed. According to the putative arrangement, KSSL, which had emerged as L1, or the lowest bidder, following trials, would supply the Army 60% or 255,190 CQB carbines of the overall tender from either its small arms unit at Jejuri or at Khed, near Pune. Additionally, Adani Defence, which was L2 or the second lowest bidder, is likely to be awarded the deal to provide the remaining 170,023 carbines from its facility at Gwalior, which it had acquired in 2020 from Punj Lloyd Raksha. Industry sources said that, in all likelihood, Adani Defence would match KSSL's L1 bid for the carbines in keeping with MoD standing operating procedures in selling them to the Army. The CQB carbine delivery timelines are expected to stretch over the next few years, with initial batches likely to be employed by Indian Army counter-insurgency units in Kashmir and the Northeast, where the absence of such a compact weapon small arms system has been most acutely felt. For soldiers used to presently lugging full-length assault rifles into tight alleyways or boarding helicopters with unwieldy weapons, the arrival of lightweight, rapid-firing CQB carbines will be more than an operational boost; it will finally usher in a vast operational change in counter-insurgency (COIN) operations. Meanwhile, KSSL will series produce the Joint Venture Protective Carbine (JVPC) engineered by the Defence Research and Development Organisation's (DRDO) Armament Research & Development Establishment (ARDE) in Pune, as part of a public-private partnership (PPP), under the MoD's atmanirbharta or self-reliance rubric. This carbine will also incorporate over 60% of content sourced indigenously. Weighing around three kg, the gas-operated JVPC features an ergonomic, ambidextrous design with a retractable stock and Picatinny rails for optics and accessories. Capable of firing over 700 rounds per minute to an effective range of 200-300m, it reportedly exhibits low recoil and is believed to demonstrate high reliability across extreme temperatures and in varied environments and incorporates a 120mm bayonet for hand-to-hand combat. Its service life is engineered for a service life of 15 years or 15,000 rounds, whichever comes first. Adani Defence, on the other hand, will produce the Israel Weapon Industries (IWI) Galil ACE CQB carbines-locally named 'Jeet', meaning 'victory'. It features a 368 mm long barrel, a weight of 3.2 kg, and a rate of fire between 650-750 rounds per minute to a 300-500 m range. Jeet incorporates a rotating bolt with a short-stroke gas piston, a full-length Picatinny rail for optics, a folding/telescopic stock, ambidextrous controls for quick handling, and compatibility with standard NATO magazines. The ACE CQB has also been deployed for extended periods by the Israel Defence Forces in its numerous COIN operations and other conflicts against Palestinians and many of its neighbours where firefights often occur in confined spaces. The two carbines were shortlisted after technical evaluations and field trials involving other domestic vendors, partnering with overseas small arms makers. These included Jindal Defence and Aerospace – associating with Brazil's Taurus Armas, BSS Material in New Delhi, linking up with Indo-Russian Rifles Private Limited and Bharat Electronics, which had tied up with Italy's Beretta. Over the years, the CQB carbine procurement process has been compelling and concerning, exposing both the Army's and MoD's procurement systems at their most ineffective, bogged down by delays, indecision, and missed opportunities. After acknowledging the operational shortcomings of the aging 9mm Sterling submachine gun in the late 1990s – particularly its limited range, stopping power, and accuracy – the Indian Army adopted a stopgap solution. It employed a shortened variant of the locally developed 5.56x45mm Indian Small Arms System (INSAS) assault rifle as part of its customary jugaad, or innovative fix, which only ended up highlighting its significant limitations and rendering it relatively ineffective for such specialised roles. Senior infantry officers said the INSAS rifle was not optimised for CQB scenarios, as its relatively longer barrel and overall dimensions made manoeuvring in confined spaces cumbersome. The absence of features like a folding stock or compact design further hindered its suitability for rapid movement and handling in close and restrained urban situations. Soldiers found it challenging to quickly reposition and engage enemy targets, simply due to the rifle's size and weight. But despite these obvious limitations, these shortened INSAS alternates remained in widespread use for years and continue even today. However, in 2002-3, the first global tender was floated for 44,618 5.56x45mm CQB carbines, with under-barrel grenade launcher compatibility. Several trials took place, involving major overseas small arms makers like the US's Colt, Italy's Beretta and IWI. But in 2007-2008, after extended trials at the Infantry School at Mhow, in Madhya Pradesh, in the Rajasthan desert, Punjab's plains and high altitude regions in Sikkim and Himachal, the contract was terminated due to the Indian Army's 'overreach' in determining the carbines specifications or Qualitative Requirements (QRs) about their add-ons, like thermal-designated laser sights. A follow-on RfP was issued in December 2010 for an equal number of weapons. Then again, in 2013, after a protracted three-year trial process, the carbine procurement was once again thwarted, not by performance issues, but over a minor safety feature. One of the shortlisted carbines included a small, screw-like safety component designed to render the sights "eye safe" during low-intensity engagements, thereby preventing potential retina damage. Yet, this feature was not specified in the original tender's technical requirements, and a three-member, senior Army committee failed in resolving the 'discrepancy', leading again to the contract's cancellation, despite escalating insurgent activities in Kashmir and increasing Army casualties in COIN encounters. Industry sources noted that this time round, the tender was scrapped solely because the "safety screw" had not been included in the original specifications, irrespective of the protection it offered. Subsequently, in March 2018 the MoD issued yet one more RfP – its third in a decade, for 93,895 CQB carbines this time, in which the United Arab Emirates Caracal International's CAR 816 carbine was shortlisted, seven months later for procurement via the MoD's Fast Track Procedure (FTP), having bested its rival F60 model fielded by Thales of Australia in trials. Under the FTP route, through which the CAR 816s were to be procured, the $110 million tender was to have been completed within the mandated 12-14 months or by August 2019. But 13 months later, in September 2020, the MoD opted to arbitrarily ditch the deal for undeclared reasons. 'Processing the carbine purchase via the FTP indicated the operational urgency of the buy, but that too was bafflingly blocked,' said a senior army officer associated with the deal. The entire endeavour was simply incomprehensible and mystifying, he added, declining to be named, as he was not authorised to speak to the media. Conversely, in the ensuing years, the ARDE developed the JVPC in collaboration with KSSL, and Adani Defence partnered successfully with IWI to produce the 'Jeet', ostensibly clinching the CQB carbine buy as things presently stand. But it also underscored the reality that for the MoD and the Indian Army, quick reaction weapons arrive at a glacial pace, if at all. The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments. Advertisement
Hans India
11 minutes ago
- Hans India
Street dog menace: Oppn MLAs want SC directions to be extended to State
Bengaluru: Opposition MLAs on Wednesday urged the Karnataka government to implement the Supreme Court directives on addressing the street dog menace in the state and take steps to protect the residents. The MLAs highlighted the stray dog issue near Vidhana Soudha and the Legislators' Home, and sought the Speaker's intervention. These remarks by the MLAs came after the Supreme Court directed Delhi-NCR authorities to permanently relocate all strays from streets to shelters 'at the earliest'. The top court noted that there was an 'extremely grim' situation due to stray dog bites resulting in rabies, particularly among children. The call for action comes a day after two college students were attacked by stray dogs here and they were hospitalised. The incident occurred inside the Jnanabharathi campus, near Kengeri. Raising the issue, soon after the Question Hour, JD(S) floor leader in the Assembly C B Suresh Babu said if all the corporations of the state were to take similar action, it would protect the children. Senior BJP MLA Suresh Kumar said the apex court's directions should be extended to all parts of the country. 'In the last six months, 18,000 dog bites have been reported in Bengaluru, 18 people were infected by rabies. It should become applicable even in Bengaluru, Mangaluru, Mysuru and other places,' he said. Another BJP MLA C N Ashwath Narayan said the court order should also be applied to the premises of Vidhana Soudha, the seat of Karnataka legislature and secretariat here, where there is street dog menace. 'There are about two lakh reported dog bite incidents, it is a serious matter. We can send them (dogs) on the streets, to dog lovers' houses. The Chief Minister has tweeted expressing sympathy.... the government should take action, the Supreme Court directions should be implemented in Karnataka too,' he added. In the wake of the SC directive to Delhi, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said treating stray dogs as a nuisance to be 'removed' is not governance - it is 'cruelty'. Humane societies find solutions that protect people and animals, he said, adding that, 'Sterilisation, vaccination, and community care work. Fear-driven measures only create more suffering, not safety.' Pointing to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike's (BBMP) Rs 2.88 crore plan to feed about 4,000 street dogs in the city, which had led to a debate on social media recently, Suresh Babu said, 'Instead of the corporation serving Biryani to dogs, let the authorities take measures to control their menace.' On the dog menace at the Legislators' Home, BJP MLA Umanatha Kotian said, 'We can't step out, dogs are (Speaker) should take note and give instructions to officials.' Expressing helplessness, Speaker U T Khader said, 'Some legislators want the dogs to be around, some don't want...' A few other legislators too requested the Speaker to take action, pointing out that both Vidhana Soudha and Legislators' Home come under the Speaker's jurisdiction. Earlier in February, Speaker Khader had announced that it has been decided to build shelters for dogs and to manage them with the help of NGOs, aimed at resolving the problem caused by street dogs on the Vidhana Soudha premises. He had made it clear that the dogs won't be shifted elsewhere.
