Sky High

Around 10,000 children including Rotaractors and Interactors were treated to an aero-modeling show organised by RC Ahmednagar Midtown, D 3132, at Wadia Park. The show was inaugurated by the Mayor of ­Ahmednagar, ­Sangram Jagtap. Rtn Yogendra ­Jahagirdar and Yash (a past Rotaractor with expertise in aero modeling) hosted the show. Twelve aircraft models run by electric motors and small engines were seen in action at the show.

The children were curious and asked many questions; while a few wanted to buy the models, one said she wanted to take up a career in designing aircraft!

Highlighting the efforts of the Rotarians, President Ranjana Brahma said, “Rotarians prepared in advance. They visited schools and colleges to spread the word.” Posters were put up at important public places. “We wanted to host a fun and interesting PR event to showcase Rotary just as RI President Gary Huang had suggested. We focused on children from remand homes and orphanages,” she added.

A “jugalbandhi between the flying dish and the helicopter was a feast for the children. They were simply delighted and their cheering reached a new high when messages were sent out in the sky,” said ­Jahagirdar. The chief guest said, “Rotary Midtown’s show has fired the imagination of the children by opening up a spectrum of wide interests and suggested to them even a career opportunity in aeronautics and flying.”

Children were curious and asked many questions. Few children were so excited that they “wanted to buy the models,” said Ranjana. This one-of-a-kind show in Rotary India was wonderful to watch. The impact of the show on a cross section of the children enabled to stimulate their imagination. This method of making learning a fun activity is a fantastic achievement, she said.

Many of the children had never experienced a show in the sky of this nature, and quite a few of them were very keen to learn how to fly an aero model like the ones they saw in the sky. Megha, a Class 7 student, after watching the show decided “not to be a pilot and instead take up a career to design new airplanes.”