Puri : Padma Shri awardee and renowned sand artist Sudarshan Pattnaik has created a stunning piece of art at the Niladree Beach, in Puri, Odisha to raise awareness on invisible learning gaps in children, flagging off the movement launchedby P&G Shiksha to make the invisible gap visible. P&G Shiksha is endeavoring to do this by spotlighting the story of Bindiya in its new campaign – ‘Bridging Invisible Learning Gaps’.
The campaign highlights ‘Invisible Gaps’ that are impacting over 6* crore children in the country as indicated by the National Achievement Survey, 2021, where their current learning levels are not at par with expected grade learning level, causing many children to eventually drop out of schools or have a degree which does not help them in achieving their aspirations.
Sudarshan Pattnaik, known for using his art to raise awareness around social issues, dedicated his new sand art to the cause with the aim of inspiring people to act and do their bit in identifying learning gaps in children around them, and taking remedial measures to bridge it. He has skillfully crafted this sand art depicting a little schoolgirl hiding behind a bag and benches which prospects the unvoiced hidden impact of learning gaps on a child’s confidence levels. This also brings to life one of the manifestations of the learning gap, when the children try to hide away with fear of not knowing answers in class. The wonderful sculpture is created on the pristine Niladree beach of Puri in Odisha. The installation is a perfect representation of this year’s P&G Shiksha campaign which aims to making the invisible gap visible, by driving nationwide awareness and urging the audience to take meaningful action to bridge the gap.
Speaking about his creation, Sudarshan Pattnaik said,“I am excited to collaborate with P&G Shiksha for highlighting the challenge of invisible learning gaps, that needs urgent attention from us all. Education is what will help us build a strong future for our country, and P&G has been attempting to do this with their Shiksha program. I was surprised to learn that children can fall behind their class learning level and may need additional resources to help them get back. However, this journey starts with identifying the issue, and I hope my art can create this awareness and put a spotlight on this #InvisibleGp. I am thrilled to see my art kickstarting this new campaign for P&G India and the heartwarming story of Bindiya.”
The sand art creation is already garnering attention from visitors on the beach, who have been taking pictures and sharing them on social media platforms.
P&G Shiksha, flagship CSR program of P&G India, started in 2005, with the intention of building schools to provide access to education to underprivileged children. As country progressed, Shiksha evolved into 360-degree holistic program that aims to – a) improve learning outcomes in children; b) strengthen educational infrastructure and c) empower marginalized girls through education; impacting over 35 lakh children.
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