Kites take cry for justice to dizzy heights

This Makar Sankranti, special kites made by students bearing slogans demanding justice for the Delhi gang-rape victim will soar high in the sky.  Students of Fatima Devi English High School, Malad, have made over 600 such kites, paying tribute to the 23-year-old paramedical student, who was brutally gang raped and later died.

Using eco-friendly materials such as old newspapers, students have made colourful kites depicting pictures of women and messages such as “India got freedom, women are still waiting’’, “Ho rahe hai balatkar kyun soyee hai sarkar’’, “Mat karo balatkaar, jeena ka mera bhi hai adhikar” among others.

Students have also made kites on other social issues such as female foeticide, ill-ffects of smoking, urging people to follow traffic rules, and even on the educational rights of the children such as the Right To Education (RTE) Act.

Tanmay Naik, a student of Class IX, said, “We wanted to lend meaning to the kites and the festival of Makar Sankranti, so that it transforms into a vehicle of social awareness.’’

Echoing his views, Nikita Ambokar, a Class VIII student, said, ‘’It took us nearly two days to make these kites, but we are hoping that by seeing them people will be able to remember what happened to the Delhi gang-rape victim and other women like her.  This might slowly change their mind set.’’

A brainchild of language teacher Rajesh Pandya, this initiative instils moral values amongst students. “The entire nation is outraged at what happened to the paramedical student. We wanted the children to read about this issue, improving their general knowledge and start taking steps to bring about a change in their own way to create social awareness. Also, with students from every religion involved in such exercises, they learned to respect all religions and festivals,’’ he said.
Headmaster, Keneth Marchon, says that with “no-detention policy’’ children tend to develop a careless attitude and their growing indiscipline was a cause for concern. He said, “Such exercises teaches them to take up responsibility and transforms their behaviour.  Even the most mischievous kids participated in the initiative and worked hard.’’