“Parked” on a leafy campus, this Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) bus does not reserve seats for women, the elderly and the disabled.

Instead, it was dedicated to the ‘budhijeevis’, ‘swannasancharis’ and ‘padippists’ of the Department of Computational Biology and Bioinformatics (DCB) at the Karyavattom Campus of Kerala University.

Refurbished and customized for classroom needs, the doomed bus that was donated by KSRTC is ready to introduce DCB graduate students to a new learning experience.

Transport Minister Antony Raju will officially inaugurate the bus at a reception to be held on campus on Friday. KSRTC President and CEO Biju Prabhakar and union members K. Gopchandran, S. Nazeeb, KH Babujan and R. Arunkumar will also attend.

40 students

While a few front rows have been modified to create space for the tutor, the ‘classroom’ has been designed to accommodate up to 40 students. A sign was also erected in front. The bus, which was erected on a metal structure, is also electrified to power fans and lights.

DCB Chief Achuthsankar S. Nair, who has been a strong advocate for creating ambient learning spaces, believes that young people cannot be inspired in a cabin space. “The change in the surroundings has aroused the interest of the students. In addition to the ‘Haritha Rathnakaram’ eco-hut (a traditional hut with a thatched roof) established nearby, the department intends to use the facilities as occasional classrooms,” he said. .

Strong guidelines

Eye-catching instructions adorn the walls of the custom bus to add to the novelty. Some of them include Munvidhi purathidaruthu (Don’t let your prejudices out) and Aa chodyam chodikaathe ee aanavandiyil irikkunathu shiksharham (sitting on the bus without asking questions is a punishable offence).

The department also hopes to conduct its next informal Python programming language tutorial on the bus. This time, the course will bear the name Aanavandiyil perumpaambu (A python on the bus), Professor Nair said.