Unbounded

By Minal Shaik

Everyone has a little bit of 'I want to save the world' in them, and in the pandemic days, the superhero in every teenager is just itching to come out. Check out these five initiatives which are determined to save the day in their own special little way.

ELYSIAN

Elysian Artstore was started by Prakruthi Srikanth and Varsha Nandakumar with the aim to use art for good use. Elysian is a brand to help student artists around

Bangalore find a non-judgemental platform which functions as a stage for them to showcase their talents. 

They hosted an art show on January 11th, 2020 where they held workshops and sold paintings and photographs by student creators. The money raised by this initiative went to the SOS Children’s Village. Recently, Elysian converted into an online store which sells customized painted masks and artwork to patrons in Bangalore. The profits are used to make kits of masks, face shields, herbal sanitizers, sanitary napkins, and gloves for BBMP workers.

“Many of these people find it difficult to afford PPE, but still have to work amidst this pandemic. By distributing these kits we ensure that they have the resources they need to stay safe,” Prakruthi said. Not long ago, they had their first distribution of 100 kits in HSR Sector 6. 

Elysian encourages both local aspiring artists, and provides help to people who can’t afford basic necessities in our city. They are an initiative which aims to use art for a better cause in our society. The creative arts field is taken lightly in our community, and they want to turn that notion on its head. 

Elysian is still looking for talented young artists who wish to contribute. Want to help them out?

Instagram: @elysian.artstore

THE RAINBOW ROOM

The Rainbow Room is an LGBTQ Blog and Forum created by Spoorti Hegde. The page posts informational articles about the queer community and provides a safe space for people to find others in the community. It also creates a platform where members can share their story with the world. It is a completely non-judgemental forum where, queer or ally, everyone gets their voice heard. Anyone can ask questions or give support at The Rainbow Room. It is a place to be yourself. 

The Rainbow Room started as the tiny spark to hold a pride event at school but grew and grew from a single educational event into a social media platform aimed at connecting and supporting queer teenagers. They feature art and other submissions from their readers as well because all those at the Rainbow Room believe in the power of the chance to express one’s self. 

Head over to their page!

Instagram: @the_rainbow.room

Website: rainbow-room.wixsite.com

PURPOSE GAMING

Their first tournamePurpose Gaming is a student lead project started by Pranav D and Rahul V solely to bring a group of gamers to have a good time during the quarantine. They organized a team, bringing in Siddharth V, Ashish J, and Arnav M to help. They have successfully hosted 3 tournaments and raised over 22000 rupees to provide meals to the underprivileged during the pandemic. They have been acknowledged by firms such as UNIBIC which are willing to sponsor them for the betterment of welfare.

The Clash Royale tournament was successfully held with 41 participants and it raised a substantial 6000 rupees. The numbers only go up from there. Their Grand Theft Auto tournament brought in 35 participants and over 7000 rupees. Their most recent Apex Legends tournament had 60 participants and raised over 9000 rupees.

Want to game for a purpose?

Instagram: @purpose__gaming

KOULUTOS

Koulutos is an organization that is passionate about improving the importance of sports in the education system and making it more accessible to everyone. This is an initiative run by Gourav Mittal, Aaryan Patel, Varun Mittal, Dhruv Venkatraman, and Maurya Reddy. 

This organisation was started after the organisation learned about the miraculous Finnish education system that has consistently ranked first in education systems around the world. It inspired them so much that their name ‘Koulutos’ comes from the Finnish word ‘koulutus’ which means education.

Their aim is to increase access to world class extracurricular education at the grass root level and create awareness about the opportunities that these activities provide. At the same time, their goal is to bring these opportunities to students in schools which lack the necessary infrastructure. For this, Koulutos is currently running projects where they collect old sports equipment and money with which the sports equipment is refurbished and made usable again. Keeping in mind the safety measures to be taken, Koulutos uses the money to buy sports equipment and deliver it to schools which need it. 

Join their cause!

Instagram: @koulutos

Website: koulotos.com

VIDYAVERSE

This initiative by Minal Shaik and Nitya Agarwala aims to bring quality education to every corner of the city. They believe that education should not be affected by this lockdown. The pandemic disrupted the studies of thousands of children across the city. Vidyaverse is picking up the pieces and making sure these students still have the chance to learn and grow away from school. 

They have been teaching at various homes for children around Bangalore since the start of this year, but, as the COVID-19 pandemic took hold, Vidyaverse has since moved its classes online. They tackle everything from Math and Science to English and Art, and they do this from the same side as the children. After all, who understands students better than other students?  “We try to make our sessions as interactive and engaging as possible,” says Nitya, “We combine various curricula to make a programme which focuses on teaching children the applications of what they learn in school.” 

Boredom has been another pandemic of its own as kids all over the world are cooped up inside. Vidyaverse is searching for a cure that will keep children happy and occupied, while encouraging them to think about things they never had the chance to think about during school. To combat this they are launching an online magazine which focuses on all things STEM. “This magazine is an excellent opportunity to encourage students to ask questions they never had answered,” Minal says, “We want to provide a platform to young scientists to share what they are passionate about."

Come help spread the 'vigyan'

Instagram: @vidyaverse

Website: vidyaverse.org