Gramaanubhava: Karnataka sends city students to spend a day on farms

The Karnataka government has launched Gramaanubhava, a programme that takes students from city schools to villages for a day so they can see farming, animal husbandry and rural life at first hand. It was launched on Sunday, 1 November 2026, Kannada Rajyotsava Day, the state's formation day. The first large rollout is in Mysuru district, where about 3,466 students of Classes 9 and 11 from 16 urban schools will spend six to eight hours with farmers in Hunsur and T. Narasipura taluks. The state is providing Rs 500 per student. Yathindra Siddaramaiah flagged off the programme in Mysuru during the Rajyotsava events, according to reports, and the government says it will be extended gradually to urban schools in all districts.

Many children who grow up in Bengaluru, Mysuru or Hubballi-Dharwad have never seen how rice is transplanted, how a cow is milked or how a farmer decides when to irrigate. Their idea of food begins at a supermarket shelf or a delivery app. Gramaanubhava tries to close that gap with a simple step: one full day in a village, spent with the people who grow the food.

The state's stated aim is to take learning beyond textbooks. Lessons on agriculture, the water cycle, soil and livestock appear in school syllabuses, but they are usually taught in a classroom. A visit lets students connect what they read with what they see, and ask farmers directly about costs, weather and prices. For students in Classes 9 and 11, who are close to choosing subjects and careers, it may also show that farming, food processing and rural enterprise are real options.

The programme also has a social side. Urban and rural Karnataka often feel like separate worlds. A day in a village gives city children a view of the work, the problems and the knowledge of farming families, and gives villagers a chance to share that knowledge with the next generation of city residents.

Running it through district administrations and zilla panchayats, as in Dharwad, means local officials choose villages and arrange visits, which should help it scale across districts.

Peepals calculation: At Rs 500 per student, the Mysuru first phase of about 3,466 students costs about Rs 17.3 lakh (3,466 × 500 = Rs 17,33,000). That is an average of about 217 students for each of the 16 schools (3,466 ÷ 16 ≈ 217). Our calculation from the reported figures.

Short-term: Thousands of Mysuru students will spend a working day on farms in the coming weeks, and other districts such as Dharwad are starting their own rounds.

Long-term: If the programme becomes a regular part of the school year across Karnataka, a generation of city students will have some first-hand understanding of agriculture, which may shape how they see food prices, farmers' issues and rural careers.

Who is affected: Students and teachers in urban government, aided and unaided schools; farming families in host villages; and district education and panchayat officials who organise the visits.

Questions and Answers