Educate as many kids as possible, Rani Mukerji urges people

IANS, Mumbai, April 7: After doing various roles on big screen, Bollywood actress Rani Mukerji is set for a new role in real life - she endorses Procter & Gamble's Shiksha programme and urges everyone to contribute to help educate as many people as possible.
Procter & Gamble (P&G) has tied up with the NGO Child Rights and You (CRY) for Shiksha programme and under this some part of the proceeds generated from the sale of a P&G product such as Tide, Ariel, Vicks, etc. will go for children's education in the country.
'School is as important as drinking water and education is as important as the air we breathe. So, I feel that initiatives like Shiksha that support the cause of education are incredible, and I feel we should all contribute even if it's a little bit because if we do that India will have 100 per cent literacy rate one day,' Rani told reporters here.
'It's my dream too that every child in India is educated because the way India is growing I don't think without education, we can see a very bright future. So if we want a bright future for our country, I think education is foremost,' she added.
Rani, who described herself as 'not such a studious student in school', also recommended that education should be made more interesting.
'It's very important to make education interesting and enjoyable so that students don't drop out. Also, focus should not be only on academics. Alternate interests like painting, music, etc., should also be encouraged,' she said.
Also present at the event was Sharat Verma, marketing manager, P&G India.
'Shiksha is not just an initiative, but a passion that we as an organisation strongly believe in. After touching the lives of 150,000 children, we are now helping build the future of India's children by building 20 schools this year and aim to build another 20 in the coming year,' he said.
P&G has tied up with other NGOs to spread this campaign.
Shiksha has been successful in impacting 150,000 children thus far, in association with leading NGOs Round Table India (RTI), Child Rights and You (CRY), Navy Wives Welfare Association (NWWA), Army Wives Welfare Association (AWWA) among others.