A tree in Mogappair is the classroom for a group of underprivileged children

Spread out wide, the branches of the tamarind tree at the entrance of Ambattur Municipal Primary School in Mogappair had made a whole lot of things possible for students and teachers — outdoor events,

Spread out wide, the branches of the tamarind tree at the entrance of Ambattur Municipal Primary School in Mogappair had made a whole lot of things possible for students and teachers — outdoor events, lunch breaks and meet-ups. It continued the good work during the pandemic, when it was an ally to teachers who wanted to conduct reading sessions and art and craft activities, among others, to help some children better utilise their time. “Since July 2020, teachers have been going to school, except during the peak of the second wave. At least 20 children from the neighbourhood, a majority of them our students, would hang out on the campus,” says S. Krishnaveni, who has been the school’s headmistress since 2009. These children needed to be engaged, as their parents would be away on work and they did not have any gadget to even tune in to the lessons being telecast on Kalvi TV.