MAKING SENSE OF TOUCH

IN an era marked by rising sexual offences against women and children, especially girls, a traffic police subedar Yogesh Singh Rajput in Madhya Pradesh’s Mandla district is making a difference.

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He is inspiring schoolchildren by educating them about the concept of good and bad touch through his innovative creation -- a robotic doll.

Lending voice to the 40-yearold Yogesh Singh Rajput’s initiative is his 10-year-old daughter Anvi Rajput.

Since last month, Yogesh has been holding sessions in schools (particularly girl schools) where with the help of the 2.5 ft mannequinturned-robotic doll depicting a small girl, he has been teaching the students about good touch and bad touch.

During these sessions, the students touch different parts of the doll’s body, which prompts the robot to respond with voice messages such as “Bad touch yahan mat chuvo (bad touch, don’t touch here)” and “Good Touch, Thank You.”

Yogesh not only educates the students about different types of touches, but also encourages them to protest bad touch. He emphasizes the importance of reporting any incidents: “If something happens at school, inform your teachers immediately; otherwise, tell your parents promptly. This will ensure that immediate action is taken against the offender and help prevent future occurrences with other students,” he reiterates in every session.

Importantly, the voice to the robotic doll has been provided by none other than his elder daughter Anvi, who is a fifth grade student at Maharishi Vidya Mandir school of Mandla. This school is one of the institutions where the local traffic officer has already conducted sessions.