Life is a dream for these kids

"BEING A FOLLOWER OF VIVEKANANDA AND RAMAKRISHNA PARAMAHAMSA HE IS GIVING EDUCATION TO THE POOR CHILDRENS . CHETAN KUMAR BHAT HAD STARTED AN ASHRAMS FOR THE CHILDREN'S WHO ARE WILLING TO STUDY IN SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES"

As an ardent follower of Swami Vivekananda, Saraswathi Bhat lives by the philosopher’s words: Today’s children are tomorrow’s citizens. She immediately adds, “I believe so too.”
Despite being visually challenged, Saraswathi made it a mission to make sure the 60 children at Anatha Shishu Sevashram get the best in life.
The centre was started by her mother, H Parvathamma Hirematt, in 1942. After her death, Saraswathi was faced with the responsibility of keeping her mother’s dream project alive. “I am a follower of Swami Vivekananda, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and Sarada Devi. Their untiring efforts and contribution to mankind inspire me a lot. My husband, sons and I have looked after the children and tried to give them the best life possible,” says Saraswathi.
A typical day in her life begins with kids and ends with them too as she sees them off to school or college, packs their lunch bags and makes herself available to meet their needs once they return. All in a day’s work for Sarawathi, who considers it her life’s purpose. “It is my objective to make sure these kids do well. Apart from providing them with schooling and college education, I also make sure they get guidance when making a career choice. I have fixed marriages for some of the girls,” she said.
Her son Chethan Kumar Bhat adds that ashram inmates are like his siblings. He efficiently manages his studies and helps Saraswathi with taking care of the children too.
Varalakshmi K, an inmate, is living a dream: “I have been here since childhood. My mother couldn’t have provided me with a proper education. Today, I am pursuing my higher education at Mahavani College and would like to become a teacher. The ashram understood my dream.”
As president of his school, Class X student Deepak T M even expects a distinction in his life and says so with a sense of pride: “The kids at the ashram are far better than others who come from regular households. I have been part of the international robotics competition held at SAP and we came fourth. The computer training and spoken English classes have helped me improve my skills.”
It’s not all work for children here. They are taken on outdoor trips, the most recent being a visit to Mysore. “Extracurricular activities like painting, craftwork and dance keep them engaged, giving them scope to showcase their talents,” says Saraswathi.

CITY BOY IN LATEST BRUSH VICTORY

"HE WANTS TO GIVE ALL HIS LIFE TO ARTS,WANTS TO ACHIEVE MORE IN THIS ARTS FIELD"
He’s indeed on a winning spree. Manush C J, a student at Srishti School of Art and Design, Bangalore, has made it to the Cambridge International Examinations (CIE) yet again. Manush had topped from India at the Alevel examinations in arts and design category in 2009, was the world topper in 2007 and had made India proud in 2008 by topping the charts.
“Painting is in my blood. I always wanted to give my . After all, it’s one of the best ways to hold back moments of stillness, something we hardly find in today’s fast-paced world,” says Manush.
Like any other artist, Manush imagines of a world that explores one’s emotions to the depth and reads thought processes and responds to challenges of one’s life. According to him, “Stillness is commonly understood in a very literal sense, devoid of motion. I have tried to expand on our perception of stillness by dwelling on how we experience it — mind, body and environment.”
‘Engaging stillness in painting’ was the theme that Manush chose for CIE. Oblivious of the fact that his concepts would fetch him the top slot among those who had taken the test from India, Manush gladly says: “Three months of hard work has resulted in my success. It’s like a compilation of ideas, thoughts and understanding of other great works by great artists.”
Painting and painters-always have role models. But this 19-year-old ‘dislikes’ calling someone his idol. He rather believes in construing through hues and shades of every artist and incorporating them into his own creations. “I have tried to understand stillness as seen through the eyes of different cultures and artists,” says the young talent, who maintains his father’s works have been his source of inspiration. Beyond canvas painting, Manush is equally-talented and interested in making sculptures, mostly clay work. In the future, he also aims to work on metals.