Picture campus

“Sports are extremely important for these kids. Having an open space to practice really helped Avinash a lot,� says Sujata Shinde, mother of the gold medallist in cycling at the National Games for the Mentally Handicapped held in Chennai last year.
A student of the Sri Ma Snehadeep Special School at Patlipada, Avinash narrowly missed the bronze medal in the 5 km event as well. This apart, the school boasts quite a few leading lights among its wards so far as national level sports are concerned. Little wonder when you consider the spacious, peaceful environs the school offers for its talented kids.
But that’s not all. Even as Thane evolves into a bustling metropolis, the city’s kids, at least, have little reason to complain, cocooned as they are in the comforts that well-planned, spacious landscapes offer in terms of school and college campuses. Check out the sprawling Singhania campus and you’ll soon know what kiddie heaven is composed of. As school administrator Mrs. Sule points out, “We have compulsory sports for all our students thanks to an active Physical Education (PE) department. All the available space is well utilised as the elementary grade students are often taken out to enjoy and appreciate nature. The twittering birds and shady trees make learning much more fun - it definitely helps in the learning process.�
Outstanding as the idea is for young ones, some institutions have even realized its applicability for older students as well. The well-known Thane College a.k.a. Bandodkar College near Thane’s CIDCO bus depot is a shining example of merging beauty where brain development is concerned. Principal C G Patil of the Bandodkar Science college affirms, “We employed architect Pansare to do up the landscape as we felt it was essential for a healthy learning environment. Surprisingly, it didn’t turn out to be too expensive since we used waste materials left over from the demolition of an old structure on the premises. Now our new ‘Gyan Marg’ (‘Path of Knowledge’) encircling the campus boasts of beautiful gardens and comfortable benches for a relaxing environment. The encouraging climate is a great morale booster for students and is unique in the sense that it is the kind of initiative not usually found in Mumbai colleges.� Unique initiative indeed. And why not? For there are still some institutions that crave the oasis-like feel of a well planned, picture perfect campus. Though it’s true that none of the structures measure up to the ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’ ideal of ‘kewl’ campus, there are a few unfortunate ones who do not even get a basic breathing space. A 12-year-old student of WEES school in Sri Nagar laments the condition of his dilapidated alma mater, “I really do not feel like walking in through that school gate. There’s nothing to be looked forward to - no attractive paintings, no big building - nothing at all!�
Well, at least that’s only one end of the spectrum. Somewhere in between is 15-year-old Monica Parikh from Sri Ma School who rates her school as “okay, okay� and feels that “more trees should be planted as it improves concentration.� That’s all the news on the greenhorns’ end of it - the last word, of course, is reserved for someone on top. The much-loved Meera Korde, principal of SVPT School in Rabodi, states fact when she reiterates her school’s brilliant performance in state-level sports. “Our school is on top in state-level gymnastics and acrobatics,� says the lady who’s made available the entire range of requisite sporting equipment within the campus itself. “A well-planned, beautifully maintained campus definitely helps in academics as it encourages students and builds concentration.� And that, dear Thaneites, was the promised ‘final analysis’.