This story is from May 18, 2020

Karnataka: PG student treks 1km, climbs tree on hill to attend online classes

Shriram Hegde, a second-year post-graduate student, treks up a hill to access glitch-free internet signals in Bakkal village of the largely forested Uttara Kannada district’s Sirsi taluk to attend online classes. Every morning, Hegde walks about 1 km from his house and settles down on a well-marked tree branch to access live lecture sessions for three hours.
Karnataka: PG student treks 1km, climbs tree on hill to attend online classes
Shriram Hegde sits atop a tree for his 3-hour online classes
MANGALURU: Unlike his friends from urban pockets, Shriram Hegde, a second-year post-graduate student, treks up a hill to access glitch-free internet signals in Bakkal village of the largely forested Uttara Kannada district’s Sirsi taluk, about 400 km west of Bengaluru, to attend online classes.
The MSW (master of social work) student of SDM College in Ujire in Belthangady taluk of Dakshina Kannada district was missing out on virtual classes because of poor net connectivity.
An exasperated Hegde climbed a hill hoping his cellphone would sputter to life. And it did. Next, he climbed a tree to access better signals. That, too, worked.
1
Shriram Hegde
Every morning, Hegde walks about 1km from his house and settles down on a well-marked branch of the tree for his online classes and access live lecture sessions for three hours.
Forget data, cellular signal, too, is a luxury in this remote village since Hegde walks about 500 metres from his house before his phone springs to life. “Only BSNL network is available here. I discovered the signals were good after I walked for 1km and climbed a tree on a hill,” Hegde added.
His college conducts three classes a day – two in the morning from 10am to noon, and a 3pm class. Afternoon treks are tough due to the scorching heat, but this doesn’t stop me from learning,” said Hegde, who is busy planning a different strategy to attend the classes during monsoon.
SDM College authorities praised Hegde’s initiatives. “He is doing his best to attend the online classes despite network issues,” said lecturers Suveer Jain and Chitra BC.
author
About the Author
Kevin Mendonsa

He has over a decade of experience in writing, reporting, and editing for print media. He is working with The Times of India as a senior correspondent (senior digital content creator) from 2015. He covers education, crime, aviation, lifestyle and other subjects.

End of Article
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA