Cover Story : Mamatha N Swamy, Karnataka

Crafting Students’ Career

The kids studying in international schools are considered a privileged lot as they have access to top quality extra-curricular activities which many of their peers from Government and budget schools can't afford to study. However, in Bengaluru, Mamatha N Swamy, a crafts teacher is creating a silent revolution in these Government schools by teaching them various crafts.

Inspiration
Mamatha says that though she was a housewife, it was constant support from her husband which had helped her to achieve this feat. She also acknowledges the support given by her friend Anupama Janardhan in taking the free classes to a next level. “After Anupama joined hands with me, it is like getting strength of an elephant within me to conduct free classes at various places,” she says proudly.

Initiative
“I have dedicated my life to teach these underprivileged kids. Till date, I don't charge a single rupee from such students and instead I have to invest my money besides time to teach them valuable goods. My main motto is to make the kids and parents understand that education is very important but education can't be sole bread winner. If one learns different arts, then a person can survive in any part of the world. By teaching various arts and crafts, I am on a mission to make these students self-dependent and create a name for themselves in the areas where they are interested and helping them to excel,” says Mamatha.
For the last two decades, Mamatha has dedicated her life to the teaching underprivileged kids. She is working to dispel the notion that the kids studying in government schools can never compete with their peers.

Impact
Today, Mamatha’s classes are the most keenly awaited by the students. The students say that if there Mamatha madam’s class in a week, then they would be eagerly await the entire day to learn new crafts and experiences besides getting a chance to rejuvenate themselves. Today, thanks to Mamatha, many of the students have turned out to be successful entrepreneurs. Interestingly, none of these students had studied at International schools but only at Government schools. At a time, when there are no takers for Government schools, Indian schools need more crafts teachers like Mamatha who can bring back the lost glory of Government schools.  
—R Guruprasad