Jammu:
A twin brother-sister duo, in a unique way of celebrating Teachers’ Day, on Saturday reached out to orphaned children in the city with handmade masks, sanitizers and other hygiene products that they bought from their pocket money. Swapnil and Swapnila Acharya, class 11 students, also taught the kids how to make beautiful home decoration items from household waste.
The siblings, who visited Seva Bharti Dhristi Kanya Chhatrawas and another orphanage home in Amphalla in Jammu, said they have been inspired by the philosophy of Swami Vivekananda. “Swapnil and Swapnila distributed handmade masks, sanitizers and some hygiene products which they bought from their pocket money among the children of the orphanage. Besides children of the Seva Bharti Dhristi girls hostel also made 2,000 masks per day during the lockdown period,” an official of the orphanage said.
“The brother-sister also showed the girls how to make home decor items by using household waste materials. They also discussed various aspects of Space Science and India’s contribution to the field,” he said. Talking about his interaction with the underprivileged, Swapnil said, “I feel that when I am introducing an essential concept to children, it should excite them enough so that they pursue it further. I try to make it look like they own the learning process.
“I always encourage youngsters to learn something in a way that they remember it for the rest of their lives. When you are genuinely involved in the learning process, you do not forget. All I did was create the right sort of environment for learning,” Swapnila added. The duo, studying in JK Public School, Kunjwani, Jammu, has been associated with various philanthropic activities. Besides Swapnila has won many national and state-level awards on painting, while Swapnil is an award-winning photographer and drum artist.
“When most of the schools and institutions make elaborate preparations on the occasion of Teachers day, Swapnil and Swapnila decided to celebrate the day in a unique manner by reaching out to the underprivileged children. “Due to prolonged lockdown amid the coronavirus pandemic, all schools and colleges were closed and hostels were deserted. But the siblings thought they would devout their time by providing knowledge to the needy children who have nowhere to go but to stay in the hostels or ‘ashram’,” the official said.
In 2019, the siblings were selected as Young Scientists of India under the Yuviva 2019 programme by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). “In India, there is fear among students to approach teachers with their problems. But Swapnila didi and Swapnil bhaiya made us comfortable. They are more like our friends,” Ritika of Drishti girls hostel said.
On Teachers’ Day, the siblings said they owe a lot to their teachers. “We have benefited a lot from our teachers. Celebration of this day is a wonderful opportunity to show our gratitude to them,” Swapnila added.
