By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR: On the occasion of Children’s Day, the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) along with the Punjabi Arya Sanatan Biradari organized a day out for children from the different schools. More than 150 school children were taken to the Odisha State Museum for a day trip where they visited the different galleries and saw the rich culture and heritage of the State.
Members from the Punjabi Biradari and Intach joined the students as they went from gallery to gallery and were explained an out the rich history and culture of the State. Golak Bihari Singh explained the children the relevance and importance of the various artifacts on display.
According to Anil Dhir, Intach’s Bhubaneswar Convener, it is important to introduce children to museums because the museums open up a world of imagination and exploration.
Such visits are memorable, immersive learning experiences and provoke imagination of the young minds. Shri A.B.Tripathy IPS (Retd), the State Convener of Intach, who accompanied the children to different galleries is of the opinion that bringing children to museums opens their eyes to different ideas and perspectives that are relevant to their live. Exposing children to museums at a young age will inculcate a love for history and culture.
Dr. Ileana Citaristi, the Padmashri Oddisi dance guru also interacted with the children. She said that a museum is a great informal learning platform that can complement formal learning and also provide an opportunity for children to learn how to observe things carefully, digest information, and assess what they still need to find out and to ask relevant questions.
The Punjabi Biradari is a socio-cultural body which engages in many outreach programs. Ms. Renu Hans, the President of the Biradari, said that such outreach programs for underprivileged and marginalized children will be taken up by the Biradari. The Biradari is engaging in many philanthropic activities especially for the girl child in different spheres. The children spend a very fruitful day at the Museum and also participated in a draw and paint competition of what all they had seen. Many Biradari members accompanied the children and joined them in the museum tour.
