Most children these days are hooked on their phones or tablet and often lose track on time on social networking sites and online games. But Ramina Bajracharya didn’t have to worry about all that. She would often see her son, Avnish Bajracharya, surfing the internet to learn about wildlife preservation as opposed to scrolling through Facebook newsfeed or Instagram stories.
Most children these days are hooked on their phones or tablet and often lose track on time on social networking sites and online games. But Ramina Bajracharya didn’t have to worry about all that. She would often see her son, Avnish Bajracharya, surfing the internet to learn about wildlife preservation as opposed to scrolling through Facebook newsfeed or Instagram stories.
The same holds true for Bhuwaneshowri Prajapati whose daughter Bivisha Prajapati watched channels like National Geography and Animal Discovery instead of pointless serials or cartoons.
This rare approach towards using television and internet for information made it possible for these two children of Malpi City School bag the second position in the grand finale of Asia’s biggest Wild Wisdom Quiz (WWQ) 2017.
Wild Wisdom Quiz (WWQ) 2017 was organized by WWF-India in October this year to enhance knowledge on nature, environment, and wildlife among young minds. It was an exposure for the school students towards environment conservation through fun-filled and interactive learning activities. In the finals, along with these two participants from Nepal, there were other five finalists from 28 cities across India. Being India’s only national-level quiz on wildlife, it was obviously not an easy task to compete and win in the competition. But Bajracharya and Prajapati were dedicated and always eager to learn more and that helped them a great deal in the competition.
The 14-year olds were first selected among ten other participants from their school. They then competed at the national level representing Malpi City School where they defeated 104 participating schools from Kathmandu and qualified to compete at the international level.
“It was nerve-wracking at the beginning. But with each round, we became more confident and were ready to face difficult questions in the next,” says Bajracharya. Prajapati adds that the quiz contest was a life-changing experience for them where they got to meet new people and visit new places.
Throughout the competition, the participants were provided with reading materials that contained information about wildlife conservation. But the provided materials alone weren’t enough. They had to watch more related clips, read more books and research about the topic from as many sources as possible. Both of them mention that their teachers and their parents stood by them and supported them in every possible way.
Despite the stress of the competition, the two confess that they enjoyed their journey. Winning the national level competition was the most exciting part for Bajracharya whereas getting to taste different varieties of food in India was the best part of the trip for Prajapati. “We also learned a lot about wildlife, its importance and the need for conservation,” adds Bajracharya.
The duo won prizes from SONY, Puffin books, Lotto, and WWF-India. Likewise, they also received a prize trip organized by Explorars, an educational travel organization, to Camp Hornbill in the village of Kyari at Ramnagar in Uttarakhand for being the first runner-up at the quiz contest.
Wiser and smarter because of their achievement, both of them now look forward to being a part of other such various programs and contests in the future too. “It feels good to be part of a nobel cause. And we believe that this adventure has taught us valuable life lessons and given us the exposure and confidence to be able to take part in other higher level competitions as well,” concludes Prajapati.
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