In a rare and heartwarming gesture, the headmaster of a government school in Karnataka's Koppal district personally funded the air travel of 24 students, giving them their first-ever experience of flying. He spent Rs 5 lakh from his own savings to make the journey possible.
The students of the Government Higher Primary School in Bahadduribandi village travelled from Toranagallu's Jindal Airport to Bengaluru on a special flight arranged by headmaster Beerappa Andagi.
📍Karnataka | #Watch: Twenty-four government school students from a village in Koppal district experienced their first-ever airplane journey, thanks to the generosity of their headmaster, who personally funded the trip.
— NDTV (@ndtv) December 31, 2025
The students spent two days in Bengaluru, visiting… pic.twitter.com/prsZXOdW7s
Students from Classes 5 to 8 were part of the trip. Teachers, mid-day meal staff and members of the School Development and Monitoring Committee (SDMC) also accompanied them, taking the total group size to 40.
The initiative has drawn widespread appreciation across the region.
To select the students, the school conducted a special test for Classes 5 to 8, with the top six scorers from each class chosen for the journey.
For many of the selected students, it was their first time boarding an aircraft, having previously only watched planes flying overhead.
The group spent two days in Bengaluru, visiting educational institutions and tourist attractions, before returning to Koppal.
