102 underprivileged students studying in 4 After-School Study Centres run by Sevalaya in Ejipura, Juganahalli, Lingarajapuram and Srirampura in Bengaluru, visited the Indian Institute of Science (IISc)- Bengaluru campus on 9 Jan 2026 for a 1 day trip, aimed at inspiring the children to join take up science and technology careers.
Ganesan Rajaram, President- Alumni Association of IISc, made the arrangements for the event through the Alumni Association. Dr Rajasekar and Bangaruswamy from the Alumni Association of IISc guided the students through various departments such as Aerospace Engineering, Inorganic and Physical Chemistry and Super Computer Education and Research Centre. Dr A Madhusudhan Babu Principal / Secretary – Little Flower High School, Bengaluru and V Muralidharan, Founder and Managing Trustee- Sevalaya, along with 6 Sevalaya teachers and staff accompanied the students during the visit.
The children keenly observed the exhibits across various departments and asked inquisitive questions about the airplanes, rockets and electronic gadgets on display. Live demonstrations of aircraft models and a quad-propeller drone thrilled the children and filled them with excitement. Dr Govindarajan conducted an interactive session on Supercomputers, in which the children participated with great enthusiasm. Food, snacks and refreshments were arranged for them throughout the day by the IISc Alumni Association.
Towards the end of the visit, when the students were asked about what they wish to become in the future, the children confidently responded with names such as Dr A P J Abdul Kalam, Sundar Pichai and Muralidharan. The teachers shared that it had been a truly memorable day, one that would inspire the children to pursue STEM careers, aspire to study at IISc and even aim for the Nobel Prize in the future. They expressed their heartfelt thanks to the IISc team and the Alumni Association for their warm hospitality.
The IISc team bid farewell to the children, adding that they were delighted to interact with the curious scientific minds of the future that would surely make India proud. The event concluded with a visit to the statue of J N Tata, the founder of IISc. J N Tata had founded the institute after a conversation with Swami Vivekananda, with the aim of inculcating scientific temper in the minds of Indian youth. It is noteworthy that the activities of Sevalaya are also aligned with the teachings of Swami Vivekananda, one of the inspirations of Sevalaya.
V Muralidharan, Founder and Managing Trustee, Sevalaya and an alumnus of IISc, recently won the Distinguished Alumnus Award presented by IISc, Bengaluru for outstanding contribution to social service. During the award ceremony, he requested the IISc Director Prof Govindan Rangarajan’s support to organise visits to the campus for underprivileged children from Sevalaya’s tuition centres, so that they could one day aspire to gain admission there. The Director kindly agreed to this request following which the visit was arranged.
