Model Citizen: He loves to teach, make a difference

“Yes, there is a dedicated coach for table tennis, cricket, yoga, scrabble and a few other games,” says G Shanker, the man who is keen to reclaim sports for children. “Playing is very important for a child’ growth. Unfortunately, kids these days do not have huge open grounds for playing, like we did in our growing up years. Nor do they seem to have a huge number of cousins to play with, unlike in the past,” adds Shanker, who is the secretary of the Club. “We conduct music competitions every year, and give away prizes and children love to participate in those as well. I am really happy to see children getting a chance to learn a sport from a qualified coach, as well as get a chance to interact with people from various backgrounds. This is an excellent grooming opportunity for them,” says Shanker, a successful management consultant who is now focused on giving back to society. 

A professional who spent years in the aluminium and packaging industry in Kolkata, this Chennai man opted to conduct management classes for free at Bharathidasan University, Tiruchy. “I had always been interested in teaching and shaping the young minds, and I thoroughly enjoyed teaching there,” he says. Later, he became a regular guest faculty at IIT Madras and has been running a free, senior executive development programme there. An alumni of Madras Christian College, he was part of the Kuruvilla Jacob  initiative. “The late Kuruvilla Jacob was an excellent teacher, extremely kind-hearted and always wished them well,” says Shanker. The primary objective of this initiative is to act as a  catalyst, aiding schools to adopt innovative teaching methods and techniques in the learning process. It also encourages schools to adopt a more holistic approach to education. “All round excellence, including academics is the aim of the Kuruvilla initiative,” he adds. 

Shanker is part of running the free leadership programme for the initiative. Senior teachers who are likely to become headmasters or who would be responsible for running a team, are imparted a training programme called, “‘How can I make the difference”. In this programme, teachers also come up with their own projects to make a difference to their contribution to school environment, colleagues and students. Teaching others and making a difference in a small way are his priorities.