Author: Ramanathan Meenakshisundaram
Let’s dive into the Cosmos!
The Most awaited Astronomy sessions!
An afternoon sessions inside the classroom with the presentation on the Maxhub panel
Space is an almost perfect vacuum, nearly void of matter and with extremely low pressure. In space, sound doesn’t travel because there aren’t molecules close enough together to transmit sound between them. Isn’t it amazing that the rural kids are going to get a peek into the cosmos?
An exciting session of night sky gazing at the Payir Campus.
Over the last few days entire India has been gripped with Chandrayaan-3 success. Everyone has been learning and exploring about space science in the wake of this success. We at Aarvam explored this realm through a 2-day astronomy workshop held at the Aarvam Exploratorium.
This workshop was conducted by Mr. Obuli from “Mango Education” and was attended by 32 children from the nearby villages. It was split into 2 sessions. In the first session, the children were introduced the idea of how huge and expansive Space is, through comparative examples. They were able to understand the vastness and enormity of Space and also learnt some fundamentals of astronomy. In the evening of the first day, children got an opportunity to observe the moon and other planets through telescope.
Kids observing dark spots on the Sun’s surface
The second session was about our Solar System. In this session, they observed the Sun through telescope and learnt about various aspects of the Sun. Overall, the children walked away with a curiosity to explore and learn more about the Universe.
The Space study is part of our new and unique initiative at Aarvam. This is the beginning of a series of monthly workshops that will run for a year. We believe these workshops will be a transformative experience for our children. A big thanks to Mr. Obuli for pioneering this effort and for taking time out of his busy schedule to conduct these space science workshops for the Aarvam kids.
Coincidentally, we spotted a satellite moving which looked so much like a moving star. The kids were curious to know more about the satellite, Mr. Obuli answered their questions and provided detailed explanations. We at Aarvam understand that kindling curiosity in children and giving them the opportunity to explore the environment around them is key to their mental development and well-being. Curious children are more likely to learn and retain information, and stay involved and do better in school.
Aarvam exploratorium and its satellite centers will allow our kids to dream – dreams of exploring the world of art, science, mathematics, humanities, and the wonders of our Earth and Universe. As educators, we believe children need inquiry based learning for them to understand our very being. When children explore the world around them through scientific and ethical lenses, it enables them to grow into empathetic human beings, with an intrinsic love towards nature.
Kids were very excited about the hands-on approach to the astronomic science. Kids were rejoicing when they got to observe the sun and the moon through the telescopes. The children got an opportunity to observe the Space twice during the two day session. They completely enjoyed the two day workshop conducted by Mr. Obuli. He has been instrumental in bringing the spark of learning and exploring among the kids, which has enabled the kids to stay curious. They had a lot of interesting and thought provoking questions after the workshop.
What is Space Science?
In mathematics, space is defined as a boundless, three-dimensional continuum where objects can have relative positions, directions and size. Space science encompasses all of the scientific disciplines. It involves space exploration and the study of natural phenomena and the physical bodies present in outer space.
Signing off until another exciting space science session…
Payir features in Singapore Indian E-Magazine
SingIndiaVoice is an online e-magazine catering to the Singapore Indian diaspora. Recently SingIndiaVoice founder Mrs. Soundaranayaki Vairavan visited Payir and published an article about Payir in their magazine.
The article can be accessed here : Payir featured in SingIndiaVoice E-Magazine
Being Aarvam
Ohh, what a wonderful journey would it be, that will have our kids to dream – dreams exploring the world of art, science, mathematics, humanities, the wonders of our Earth, Universe, Energy. In enabling this dream to come alive, Payir along with Amagi is joining hands for our rural kids to re-imagine learning experiences, seek, explore knowledge, to liberate from the confines of unimaginative education that is given to them now.
The first visit of Amagi’s to Payir’s “Being” Aarvam was a quick two day interactive & an engaging event which was hosted by kids of Payir in a very joyful way. Mr.Prasad, Mr.Sumit, Mrs.Deepa, Mrs.Vidyut from Amagi were enthralled by our kids welcoming them with heart full of smiles and hand full of flowers. A very interesting part of the event was, kids of Payir along with 70 school children from Government higher secondary schools namely Thenur, Kannapadi, Siruvayalur, Thottiyapati in the surrounding villages, together unitedly inaugurated the latest interactive and immersive TV “Max-Hub”, which will help our kids to take their imagination and learning beyond their possibilities. The children’s very first experience with the TV was reflecting their curious thinking, inquisitive hearing, keen watching & attentively experiencing was an AW! filling experience for us all.
As a sweet gesture from our Kids, vote of thanks was presented to the Amagians in the form of speech & also was written digitally on the screen which moved & touched them deeply.
We also had Aarvam experience sessions for our all of our shrewd kids to experience their own syllabus through simple experimental learning. Coming to the most cutest & artistic yet highly talented session of the day was having fun activities with raw talent exhibits like Tiny hand creations, Parai performance ending with a folklore style of Group Singing. The day quickly ended with a brief discussion on the journey of Payir along with the community since 2005.
Moving on to the second day, the restoration of water bodies(lakes) by Payir caught the attention of Amagi team which made them to go on a short trip to one of our restored lakes in T.Kalathur which made them want to visit more places like “Sacred Grooves” near Thenur which was also an initiative to conserve, preserve, and afforest the beautiful ecosystem gifted by our Mother Earth. Later, they also visited Nathakadu Adi Dravidar Wellfare Pimary School, to have a quick look on to the model school building which has been built by Payir Trust.
After having some organic cup of cool green coconut juice, all of us sat together for Aarvam core group discussion where program planning for the year 2023-2024 was presented followed by Payir All Hands meet.
Our entire Payir family got their first few insights on Aarvam say many of us touched & felt the Max Hub and decorated it with colorful digital Rangolis which made them even more excited and could feel the belongingness to Aarvam. Last but not the least, all of the elders & teachers felt grateful from bottom of their heart in getting such unimaginable educational facilities in a village which is going to benefit the upcoming generations.
As a takeaway from “Being” Aarvam, the Amagi team enthusiastically came forward volunteering themselves after enjoying the healthy guilt-free ladoos & after shopping handful of colourful & traditional bags stitched by our rural women, to engage a part of their ideas to outreach for two of our initiatives “Thoorigai & Thinai”.
More Photos and videos from the event can be viewed in this Google Drive link
Alathur Agriculture Fest 2022
Alathur Agriculture Fest 2022 (ஆலத்தூர் உழவு திருவிழா)
A fantastic 2 days event, beautifully & soulfully conducted by Payir team, on the 9th and 10th of July, 2022
Total attendees : 1800+
No of villages participated : 60
No of towns and cities – 10
Highlights
• Native heirloom seeds were exchanged among farmers
• Exhibition and Discussion on different medical systems, food, watershed management and farming including medicinal plants
• Group discussions about natural farming and its benefits, compared to chemical farming
• Speeches by experts on natural farming, kitchen garden, food and seeds attended by large numbers
• Created awareness on sustainable living and natural farming among children
• Sale of variety of seeds, tree saplings, fruits and vegetables, palm products, handicrafts and non-toxic and healthy traditional snacks
Tab based remote learning
A lot of children in rural India are unable to get proper education.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, the government schools remained closed for 2 years from April 2020 till June 2022 and there were no online classes either. They couldn’t self learn from online platforms due to lack of smart devices and no or poor internet connection. Because of this, children weren’t able to get any education.
Payir came up with an innovative solution to this problem and democratise learning to the children, using Tablet PC based learning. Mathavan, a XII student, and son of Ramanathan, volunteered to fundraiser for this initiative. He created an online fund raising project using GiveIndia platform, and also reached out to his friends and family and helped buy 5 tablet PCs. Mathavan worked with our partner Joy of Reading and our 11 year old young volunteer Diya (daughter of Payir’s volunteer at Microsoft Shobana) and created a database of educational videos (reading, science, math, yoga, rhymes, nature, and more) and uploaded in each of these tabs.
Our teachers and community workers, as is their habit, took these tabs anywhere and everywhere and spread learning to even the remotest locations. They just needed a few children, who are curious and inquisitive. So far we have reached 5000+ children using this initiative.
We need more such tabs to spread the learning to even more children. Please help us:
- Buy new tabs (@ Rs.10,000/US$125 each) or
- Donate any used tabs that are in good working condition
Please write to us at info@payir.org or use our Donate Now button on the top of this page to contribute to this initiative
Let’s spread the Joy of Learning to more children
ASHA – a new nutritious beginning
ASHA (https://ashanet.org/) for education has been a wonderful partner with Payir for past 10 years, and ASHA UFlorida, USA has been supporting our Education initiatives.
This year ASHA has graciously sponsored supplementary nutrition for 500 adolescent girls, from 14 Govt schools, as part of Payir’s Nutrition Initiatives.
These children will be provided with healthy nutritious millet based laddoos, a bowl serving of pulses (sundal) and a serving of dried sweetened Amla (gooseberry – being a rich source of Vitamin C, helps in absorption of iron). The choice of ingredients is driven by the goal of supplementing iron and protein, providing a total daily calorie requirement of 400 kcals. We thus envision to reduce Anemia in these children.
Every day, fresh supplements are prepared at Payir’s facilities in Thenur village and transported to all the schools by a truck to the schools.
The supplements are distributed to children between 3:30pm and 5:00pm. Payir also plans to provide: Training and counseling to these adolescent children on health and hygiene, nutrition and gender sensitization, Training to program implementers, including staff, principals and teachers and Education materials for health workshops for local families.
Did you know: Rs. 3600 can sponsor an undernourished child for a year under our Nutrition Program. Please click here to make a donation
Water – the priceless resource: The well in Pudhu AmmaPalayam
Water –a precious lifeline for humans – is quickly becoming very scarce in India, and more so in Tamil Nadu. Perambalur district, where Payir is located, is a region that has been severely affected by the drought. Payir has been working on water conservation and water management programs for the past few years to overcome this drought. This is one such initiative.
Shanti hails from Pudhu Ammapalayam village and has been working with Payir for the past two years as a health worker. Inspired by Payir’s efforts in water management along with the Government for the entire Alathur Taluk, she decided to restore the defunct public well in her village. This well had not been in use for over 20 years, and water was scarce in the village.
Payir kick-started the initiative with Shanti, with an awareness session among the villagers. One of Payir Trust’s members, Vanitha, educated the villagers about the importance of desilting the well and how it would boost the groundwater table in the area and increase the storage capacity of the well. She urged the youngsters to actively participate in the desilting process, which was met with an enthusiastic response
Vanitha, Vasuki and Shanthi of Payir (Health unit) set the ball rolling. The first step of the project was to drain the water out from the well before desilting. Selvam, a youth from the village, helped in getting a motor for rent from Thuraiyur, a nearby village. The villagers chipped in by buying a rope, and using a bucket, scooped out the waste from the well. Plastic waste, old footwear and buckets, clothes, bottles and some household articles were all cleared from the well
This exercise turned out to be a learning experience for the villagers in working as a team and achieving success. Also, desilting was no longer seen as a man’s job, with women working as hard as the men. The Payir team sounded a word of caution to the villagers against dumping waste into the well. The task was completed in three days, with nearly 3,000 liters of dirty water being drained out of the well and diverted to an irrigation canal.
Subsequently, Mrs.Lucy and Preethi from Payir team held a meeting and commended the villagers for their successful efforts in desilting the well. However, there was more work to be done. The well still had to be restored. The Payir team, along with a few villagers went to the Block Development Office and voiced their complaints and concerns to the officials. In two days, all the debris from the desilting was cleared. Funds to begin work on restoring the well arrived a month later, as well as the work order.
Payir and the villagers’ co-operation was largely instrumental in connecting with the Panchayat authorities and restoring the well. Desilting of the well turned out to be a boon for the drought-ridden village of Pudhu Ammapalayam, with water no longer being in short supply for their daily needs.
Crops of Empowerment – Video
Crops of Empowerment
A video on Payir and how its initiatives are empowering Rural villages and its residents (especially women)
This video was made as part of YES! I am the Change 2018
Diwali 2018 Newsletter
