Sonali Joshi Pitale (MID-DAY; July 17, 2014)

Marathi actors Aadesh Bandekar, Subodh Bhave, Sharad Ponkshe, Amol Kolhe and Digambar Naik have come together for a cause. They have adopted the Marathi medium school, Prabodhan Kurla Madhyamik Shala, which is located in a slum area in Kurla. The idea behind this move is to ensure that the slum children attend school and hone their talents.

Bandekar says, “I had proposed the idea to my actor friends Sharad, Subhod and others to adopt the school. They willingly agreed. It is not just the money which we will be providing to improve the condition of the school, but we are also hoping to help the students develop their interests. If a child is good in swimming, we will make sure that he gets the proper gear and training for it.” He adds, “It is a small school, but the management cannot afford to have more teachers and facilities. So we want to provide the facilities to ensure that more and more children join the school. Moreover we want to break the misconception of people that students from vernacular mediums cannot progress in their careers.”

The actors are also open to conduct guest lectures for students in various subjects which they are well- versed in. “Some of us are good in sports, some in languages, economics and history. Therefore we are even ready to give guidance to these kids and conduct classes for them. It is our first initiative and if get a good feedback, we are planning to involve more celebrities and adopt more schools in Mumbai,” Bandekar adds.