CHENNAI: G Gopinath, an eighth-standard student of Olcott Memorial School, explains where he plays in his school and where he finds his raw mango trees, which provide him his afternoon snack, by using a self-designed map of his school. Gopinath was part of a bunch of kids from Olcott Memorial School, who were taught how to map their locality by a group called ‘Transparent Chennai’.
Promptly identifying his directions, Gopinath said he moved eastwards when he was bored with class and wanted to play. “This exercise aims at motivating students to realise the value of their surroundings and learn to cherish them,” says Sidhrath Hande of ‘Transparent Chennai’.
“The kids underwent a four-session workshop where they learnt to use Google Earth and GPS techniques to understand mapping,” says Archana of ‘Transparent Chennai’.
“I can tell you where my school is or where my home is by looking at the Google Earth,” beams S Gopi. “After attending this session, I have learnt the history of the Smith Memorial structure on Elliots beach, and I know that the police booth on the beach will issue us warnings if there is a threat of storm or rain. Hence, this workshop has been really useful to us,” says Gopi.