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Seems like his character has made him wiser,else Tarun Khanna would’ve been cornered by the volley of questions thrown at him,and the unsuspecting Badrul Islam. Famous as Vikram aur Betaal courtesy Colors,the two,in character,were in town as part of the Colors birthday celebrations-cum-campaign,Shukriya India. But that’ll find a mention a little later,first it’s Tarun’s turn to face the ‘hard talk’. Don’t you think the original Vikram-Betaal was much more impressive? shot a journo. “Well,that was a generation ago. It had its impact,and we have ours,there’s no comparison,” says Tarun. Ramayana,Mahabharata,Vikram-Betaal – is telly losing its originality by succumbing to such second innings? “Of course not. Again,there’s a world of difference. Older generation still tunes in,and gets nostalgic,while the younger generation,which has no clue about the rich culture we have,are in awe,” Tarun shoots back. Folklore,mythology are forgotten in this country,and there’s no harm in re-telling the stories for they are timeless,says Tarun adding how no one has a copyright on them!

While he and Betaal are trying to save the folklore from extinction,Colors along with idiscoveri is reaching across to 10,000 children and imparting the xseed (www.xseed.in) education. “It’s an experiential learning format which takes children away from rote learning and exposes them to innovative forms of education,” speaks idiscoveri’s Shalini Jaiswal as she hands over a sponsorship certificate to Sonia Channi,principal,Sikhya – The School of Learning in Sector 46.

“Now that television channels are owned by corporate houses,such activities form part of their social responsibility programme,” says Tarun,who,by the way,has been sponsoring a girl child at Crayon for last six years. Same goes for Badrul,who took classes at Barry John’s theatre in education stationed at the National School of Drama.

Quiz why Sikhya,and the answer is evident – a modern school set up under the Guru Nanak Vidya Bhandar Trust by Dr Gurpreet Singh,it imparts education free of cost to children from the economically weaker sections of society. “Alternative education works on multiple intelligences. It sees,perceives learning differently,and makes it more interactive,meaningful,involving and evolving,” explains Channi,who’s made a shift from conventional to unconventional. Now that the country has struck a debate on education,it’s refreshing to see a school and an entertainment channel think differently.