Latur: Students of Dr Harivansh Rai Bachchan Vidyalaya, a government-aided school in Ahmedpur, Latur district, celebrated Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan's 84th birthday by performing musical renditions of poems written by his father, renowned Hindi poet Dr Harivansh Rai Bachchan, teacher Prabhavati Yadav said.
The students recorded songs based on the poet’s works in their own voices and presented musical performances and dances as part of the celebrations. The initiative combined the birthday celebrations with efforts to promote Hindi literature, creativity and digital learning among rural schoolchildren.
Titled ‘Madhushala to Gyanashala’, the project was launched to mark the school’s 20th anniversary. Through the initiative, students have created an audio QR-code knowledge bank featuring musical renditions of Harivansh Rai Bachchan’s poetry, along with educational content in Hindi, Marathi and English.
The school describes the initiative as India’s first child-created audio QR-code knowledge bank. Developed as a zero-cost innovation, the project adopts a ‘screen-to-voice’ approach to make learning more engaging through audio resources.
The initiative aims to encourage children to explore educational content through listening, improve their listening skills and reduce excessive dependence on mobile screens and gaming. By recording and presenting literary works in their own voices, students are also encouraged to develop an interest in poetry and multilingual learning, said school founder Nivrutti Yadav.
As part of the celebrations, students formed a human chain depicting the number 84 to mark Amitabh Bachchan’s birthday.
The project also highlights the school’s two-decade journey of providing value-based and modern education to rural students. By bringing together music, poetry and technology, the school aims to make literature more accessible to children while celebrating one of Indian cinema’s most celebrated actors.
Meanwhile, educational aids, bicycles and sewing machines were distributed by the Dr Harivansh Rai Bachchan Prabodhan Pratishthan, an NGO, in Babupatti, the native village of the poet, to mark Amitabh Bachchan’s birthday, Yadav said.
