Festival of Science
A child may ask his teacher for examples of gravity in the natural world, but do curriculums and classrooms allow for discussions on the consequences of gravitation theory in a social and political world? The Parikrma Festival of Science aims to create the space for these larger discussions on science and society. Each year, we introduce a new theme.
The primary purpose is to support a multi-disciplinary and critically engaging learning process. Each year, Parikrma reaches out to a cross-section of hundreds of children from over 20 schools ranging from International to government schools to foster collaborative rather than competitive discovery. An immediate outcome of the science festivals has always been an exposition of the findings, experiment results and children’s experiences. Our little socially engaged scientists have also submitted memorandums and shared their ideas with several important working groups and change makers in the realm of science in the city. What sets the Parikrma Festival of Science apart is our aim to create a platform for more extensive discussions on science and society. The primary purpose is to develop both in-house and socially engaged scientists.
Award-winning Padma Bhushan scientists and professors from leading institutions and universities in India have participated as speakers and held workshops at FOS. We have covered diverse themes like water, soil, air, wildlife conservation, marine life, food, artificial intelligence and robotics among others.
Parikrma Champions League
When Parikrma sought to participate in inter-school football leagues, they were denied invitations by the elite schools of Bengaluru. In response, Parikrma established its own football league – the Parikrma Champions League (PCL)- to challenge the inequality faced by underprivileged children. Since its inception in 2011, PCL has grown to become one of Bengaluru’s most prestigious inter-school football tournaments, welcoming participants from over 15 top schools in the city and a few from other states and countries. The PCL is a testament to our commitment to providing equal opportunities in sports.
Every year, PCL is conducted at one of the best stadiums, with the best facilities, such as artificial turf, a players’ tunnel and an electronic scoreboard. The tournament always attracts star players and corporate leaders as guests. The players are provided with proper nutrition and healthcare facilities (including an ambulance at venues on all three days).
Impact:
- Parikrma shared a Memorandum of Recommendation with the Government stressing the critical importance of sports in schools in 2015.
- Several schools, including government schools nationwide and teams from outside the country, participate.
- Over the years, several of our children have expressed interest in taking up the sport as a career. This has resulted in Parikrma launching its own football clubs—the Parikrma Boys’ Boys’ Football Club is today an A-Division club in Bengaluru, and the Parikrma Girls’ Football Club has grown tremendously. By 2022, girls from the remotest parts of India joined the Club.
- Six of our girls from the Parikrma Girls Football Club have represented the Karnataka State team in the Senior Women’s National Football Championship.
- Many of our alums have registered and obtained admissions to colleges offering sports management; a few are training to be coaches.
- A few alumni have started a sports management company called Rapt Sports, and another, having received their B and C certification, has begun the Sports Academy in Bengaluru.
- Our alum, Maeraba ( taekwondo champion and footballer ), has started a fitness studio in the city.
Innovations Conclave
Under the aegis of Global Citizenship Education, a collaborative initiative between Parikrma Humanity Foundation and NetApp, we want to attempt to reverse thinking trends across schools through the Innovations Conclave.
The first event (2018) saw 45 schools in Bangalore actively participate, followed by 83 applications in 2019. Schools from Pune, Dharmapuri, Dubai, and London have participated in the event.
The Innovations Conclave was designed to recognise schools that encourage children to think globally and innovate in science, technology, and liberal arts, which can even be the first seed of social enterprise and entrepreneurship. Founder Shukla Bose explains further, “Our years of experience in academics have shown that there are isolated best practices in quite a few schools, but no one knows about them as they are not shared. Our goal is to share these best practices so that the general standard of education goes up. Schools need to create a more transparent and sharing environment in India, like in other countries. Schools need to understand the importance of creating an environment of innovation and creativity and we believe that we can influence and inspire exactly that through the Innovations Conclave.”