Ramachandra Bhat BG

This Foundation Project implemented by IFA will engage eighth grade students of the Government High School, in Bengaluru, Bengaluru district, in a project titled Nesara Baanangalada Beragu (Playground of the Sun), by exploring stories and facts about the Sun, and connecting them to their science, history and language curriculum. Through this project, students will engage with logical reasoning, celebration of the rich cultural heritage as well as scientific thinking around the Sun. Ramachandra Bhat BG is the Project Coordinator for this project. 

Ramachandra Bhat BG works as a science teacher in Government High School Byatarayanapura, Mysore Road, Bangalore for the last 15 years. He is a state resource person and has been involved in preparing textbooks and conducting training for science teachers at the state level. Under the guidance of Dr Balakrishna Adigar, he is associated with a team of like-minded teachers and friends for the dissemination of science knowledge. He has also been working as the editor of a monthly journal called Savijnana for the past three years. Given his experience he is best placed to be the Project Coordinator of this Foundation Project of IFA.

The sun has always been a subject of scientific enquiry. For thousands of years, the sun was known in cultures all over the world as a god, a goddess, and a symbol of life. The sun has been a topic of inspiration for paintings, poems, music, stories, and sculptures, to name a few. This project explores the sun; what it is, the energy it produces, the stories around it and how we are associated with it through a series of arts and science integrated activities. Through personal and group led investigation students learn about the relationship of the sun to their lives. 

We have been fascinated by the Sun for millennia, and keeping this curiosity in mind this project Nesara Baanangalada Beragu has been envisioned. Nesara means Sun, Beragu means amaze and Baanangala represents a big stadium. Through this project Ramachandra Bhat BG is engaging students in eight multilayered activities to introduce Nesara to his students. Most of the students who attend school dwell in the surrounding slums.

Ramachandra expands his work plan beyond just the transmission of information to include many promising arts integrated activities through dance drama, puppet shows, storytelling and a final stage performance. Students are initially encouraged to bring together stories and narratives of the Sun from many ancient civilisations. Then the collected information is converted into text for stage. History and language teachers play a role in literary creation, while dance teachers direct a Geeta Naataka – dance drama. Ramachandra hopes to stage this Geeta Naataka in nearby schools as well and intends to enlist other artists, resources persons and theater directors in this project, 

Ramachandra seeks to use puppetry to introduce the misconceptions people have about eclipses. He also plans to conduct workshops on literature, stage text, puppet making and performance by professionals. A three-day film festival of documentaries on the Sun will be held during the project period. This film festival will spark the creativity and imagination of the students. Apart from these, the project offers further interaction through lecture demonstrations, hand holding workshops, debates and short skits. As the students come from diverse social backgrounds, they will also be encouraged to share the various folk literature, metaphors, dramas, other art forms and scientific principles related to the Sun from their lives.

The outcomes of the project will be an exhibition and performance. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA with the final report will be the photographs and video documentation of the entire project including the exhibition.

This project suitably addresses the framework of IFA’s Arts Education programme in the manner in which it attempts to connect students and schools to the cultural knowledge of the local communities they live in. 

IFA will ensure that the implementation of this project happens in a timely manner and funds expended are accounted for. IFA will also review the progress of the project at midterm and document it through an Implementation Memorandum. After the project is finished and all deliverables are submitted, IFA will put together a Final Evaluation to share with Trustees.