‘OOTOPIA’ at the Ooty Lake

Students of Ooty get together to cherish Ooty Lake on World Water Day

On the 22nd of March, 2018 the Award participants of Good Shepherd International School, in liaison with the Citizen Voluntary Group Make Ooty Beautiful, celebrated the World Water Day at the Ooty Lake as ‘Ootopia’: a dream for an eco-friendly and culturally sensitive Ooty.

Attracting almost 3 Lakh tourists in 2017 alone, Ooty Lake has proved to be invaluable in securing Ooty’s current economic state. Yet, with the vast influx of sewage water, waste, and muck into the lake, its name has become almost synonymous, among the local citizens, with that of a cesspool. Thus, the Award participants of Good Shepherd International School found it thoroughly imperative for some form of ownership to be inculcated within the primary stakeholders for the condition of the lake: the citizens themselves.

To further strengthen their initiative, they collaborated with 18 other schools of the town, each school putting up a performance for ten minutes, with regard to water sanitation. To also broaden the expanse of the students’ creativity, the schools produced on canvas their interpretations of ‘Ootopia’, how the town could be the true epitome of ecological stability while also basking in the splendour of its cultural significance.  Click here for more pictures

An Evening Well Spent

Rahul Thomas Kurien, Silver Level Award Participant from Good Shepherd International School, Ooty, is sharing his experience of visiting an Old Age Home

After this visit to the old age home The Little Sisters of the Poor, I truly believe in the quote “growing old is compulsory, growing up is optional”. On November 11, 2017, a group of Award Participants went to an old age home. The sole purpose of this visit was to entertain, interact with hapless people and make a difference in their lives at least for a while. We did our homework well by planning and preparing for the items to be presented to the aged.

As soon as we reached the old age home, all of us were very curious to know how the home is managed. The caretaker explained to all of us in detail about the struggle they go through to meet the expenses on a daily basis. There were more than 100 men and women trying to find solace in the minimum comforts available to them. Most of them are invalids and have already entered the sunset of their lives. Many of them have been abandoned by their own children. Some of them are still keeping their hopes alive that one day their beloved children would come and take them away. It was a sorry state of affairs.

All of us distributed snacks to the aged as it was time for evening tea. We listened to them in silence when they explained their tales of woe to us. The interaction helped us learn valuable lessons for life. Then it was time for the presentation of an entertainment programme. The aged people thoroughly enjoyed the skit, songs and musical presentations. I was delighted with the outcome of the visit as it made a difference to their evening. It was heartening to see the smiles on their faces and they will linger in my memory forever. I returned to the school with the complete conviction that come what may, I will always make every effort to take care of the old aged. My heart was heavy but I consoled myself that I had done my best to make them happy. As the school bus started, I waved to the aged, with a promise on my lips that I would return soon. Click here for more pictures

Giving back to Society

GSIS has taken up the initiative to sustainably serve (through the IAYP Residential Project of the Gold Award aspirants) the Kolikarai village under the aegis of the Nilgiris Adivasi Welfare Association. Fourteen of us (8 boys and 6 girls) from Grade 12 embarked on this mission from November 14 to 18, 2014 at Kolikarai, a tribal village of the Irula community in the Kotagiri taluk of the Nilgiris district. This tribal hamlet is located 28 km east of Ooty. We started by organizing and storing our provisions, kitchen utensils, tools, and bedding and once this was over, we were eager to get into action. It was a thrilling experience to cook our own food. Washing our own used plates and kitchen utensils, laundering our clothes were quite an eye opener that these mundane chores are possible and great to be engaged in. We learnt what it is to manage our living space for the next five days.

Housed in the space provided at the village hospital and crèche, we helped clear off the weeds and trash from the nearby play ground which was also used as a volleyball court by the villagers. We were engaged in digging and setting up a compost pit for garbage disposal. Along with these, we had set up a fence around the play ground.

In the following days, we presented an awareness skit on sanitation and healthy living. This was performed by students of the IGCSE Global Perspectives. We spent our evenings visiting homes and interacting with the village folk to understand their lifestyle. We found the people of Kolikarai very warm and supportive of our efforts to render service as well as to learn from them the true spirit of living.

The NAWA ofce in Kolikarai encourages traditional herbal medicine. The herbal garden was a wealth of knowledge about the importance of varied herbs in providing immunity and important nutrients to our body. As a part of our project, we cleared the garden a8nd the pathways of all the weeds there. We then helped clean the Kolikarai village hospital.

The Nilgiris Adivasi Welfare Association runs a primary school in the vicinity for the children of the Kolikarai village. We spent time with the children. We engaged in classes, distributed snacks. This project has truly made us experience another aspect of life. We learnt to survive with basic resources.

The IAYP Residential Project challenged our outlook and expanded our horizons. It has inspired us to undertake our duties and responsibilities faithfully, excel in all that we do and to contribute valuably to society. There is no substitute to education as relief from unwanted pain and difficulties in life.

Knowledgeable interaction with people is of primary importance to alleviate avoidable hardships and to foster greater understanding and appreciation of life.  Click for more pictures