In a gesture of compassion, the Vidyashilp Academy student-run Tavasya Foundation has donated 24,100 masks to Bengaluru Government School students who are writing their 10th board exams. The masks have been handed over to Mr. T.N. Kamalakara, Block Education Officer, N4 Region. This is a small gesture of solidarity intended to help students take their exams in a safe manner.The Vidyashilp Academy students who led this initiative include Avika Kapur, Reidheii Shetty, Pranathi Kundur, Riya Suhas, Bhumika Prasad, Aanyi Anil, Rizwana Jaliwala, and Aditri Prasad. The Foundation has also recently organized the ‘Mayuksha’ project in which they collaborated with a government affiliated facility and vaccinated 100+ under-privileged citizens in the city.Commenting on the gesture of the students and the Vidyashilp community trust, Mr. T.N. Kamalakara, Block Education Officer N4 Region, said: “Touching acts of kindness by organisations and individuals have helped many amid these challenging times. In the context of the pandemic, we should take precautions to prevent spread of the corona virus and hence the idea of the students to donate masks to students in such a context is very commendable.
At this hour of need, it is imperative that more people come forward to help in cohesion and do our best for the community.”Ms. Radhika Pai, Head, Vidyashilp Community Trust said: “Although the daily number of COVID-19 cases has dropped significantly, the danger of the virus is still there as there are speculations of the third wave arriving soon. It is important to help students in the critical times that we live in. While sanitizing is important, wearing masks is also vital to prevent spread of the virus. The idea of donating masks by the students is very appropriate.These are exceptionally challenging times, but we feel confident that as a community, we can get through this together. We deeply appreciate the efforts of our students who are upholding their social responsibilities.”“We wanted to do our bit and give back to society. We thought of donating masks to government school students who would be in need of them at this hour. At Vidyashilp Academy, we are given such platforms to understand the importance of social welfare initiatives. We hope that many more students would come forward to serve society to the best of their capacity,” said the students of Vidyashilp Academy who initiated this project.