Unprecedented suffering for millions and an extended holiday for many, but the COVID lockdown has spurred empathy and innovation in a bunch of school students, echoing the government's efforts to tame the pandemic in Kerala.
These champion school police cadets are redefining the approach towards the enforced holiday and airing their creative pursuits through audio and visual formats, while many of their peers are just chilling out.
Fifty students of Narayanan Nair Memorial Higher Secondary School, Chelembra, in Malappuram, are the heroes who are engaged in the relentless pursuit of awareness programmes in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.
At 1:30pm on school days, these students of VIIIth, IXth standards used to don the role of radio jockeys, producers and spot editors during school days.
The informative and entertaining programmes produced by them are then aired to all classrooms during the lunch hours.
After coronavirus forced the schools to shut, these champions refused to sit idle in the comfort of their homes.
They coordinated programmes, recorded their voices on their parents’ phones and forwarded it to their editor.
The editor compiles and forwards the inputs to teacher who is in charge of the Radio SPC.
These programmes are then parked on social media platforms.
“Post lockdown, Radio SPC is broadcast only twice a week. The RJs record on their phones and the students send to us the voice notes of their activities, quiz programme, poetry, stories, reviews and speeches. The programmes start with a bulletin, followed by a message on Coronavirus disease by a teacher or PTA president and then awareness initiatives,” Krishnapriya, a class IX radio jockey, said.
That is not all, the RJs also air ideas to deal with the pandemic and also interesting ways to spend the lockdown period.
The students have prepared a handwash by collecting resource material from the internet and spread the word among radio listeners.
Poems, essays, craftwork, drawings on COVID impact, awareness programmes on safe distancing and responsible behaviour as well as handwash techniques have wowed followers.
They also dedicate songs to their schoolmates and send them birthday greetings for they do not know how long it would take the school to open its gates and let the camaraderie flow.
The podcasts are compiled by Yelena V, the editor and RJ, who explains the radio as both fun and knowledgeable.
“But most importantly, Radio SPC helped in creating bonds. After joining the radio service, we have made a lot of friends. Many students, who otherwise stay aloof, have started coming forward with their creative suggestions, criticisms and volunteered to be part of the radio,” Yelena.
The class IX student connects the recordings of her school mates into a chain and convert it into a video format, including the logo of the radio station and the jingle.
“The programmes cover not just creative works of the students, but of the teaching and non-teaching staff too. Special programmes on commemorative days, quiz with prizes, news bulletins and current affairs programmes are aired generally. The students are very keen to be part of the radio during the lockdown time”.
The dedicated efforts did not confine to the social media platforms.
Some prepared butter milk for cops and volunteers and others stitched masks for distribution.
“We appreciate all the activities through the radio and air their works which inspire the other children to come up with more creative ideas,” says Manjula, a Mathematics teacher, who oversees the radio station along with Jithesh Babu, the Hindi teacher.
Now, the teen Rjs are eager to get the broadcast extended to five days.
“We came across a lot of interesting ideas during the lockdown period. Students are also sending entries like book reviews, bottle art techniques, new and age-old games, interesting stories their parents and grandparents share… There’s much more content for more than two days a week,” Ardra of class IX, said.
These lingering, insightful sound waves and visuals emanating from a school aim to weave a better world. It is also a profound pointer to the elderly.
