Mr Rustogi hadn’t known he was having a heart attack. When his body had begun to ache, he had put it down to long years of hard work. One that fateful Saturday morning, in August 2009, he had felt as if he was coming up with the flu "My arm ached and I felt a bit under the weather" recalls the retired officer from Nandgaon, near Nasik. "I was tired and generally miserable. I just wasn't feeling right."

Such was the discomfort that he had cut short his visit to a friend’s house and returned home. As the pain got worse, Mr Rustogi had finally succumbed to the need for urgent medical help." Even then, it didn't cross my mind that I might be having a heart attack," he says "You see actors on television where they have this terrible, crushing pain and collapse in a heap on the floor. Well, that just didn't happen so I didn’t realise that I was in a bad state."

Mr Rustogi was one of the patients the students of Class IX of V.J.High School, Nandgaon interviewed for their project on Heart Attack- a Silent Killer.

The students under the guidance of Mr. Avinash Kulkarni, an Intel® Teach Master Teacher, who had been trained to incorporate project based learning into his curriculum, made meaningful real life connections to the content being taught in their classroom.

Their presentation, compiled after hours of in depth research, showed that heart disease is one of the leading causes of death across the world. Heart diseases can gradually build up because of a poor life style with lack of exercise and regular consumption of junk food.

Faster life styles with increased tension and pressure were shown as high risk factors. With busier lives, people do not have enough time to exercise. Lack of time coupled with stress leads to fatal diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and heart attacks etc.

People tend to ignore the early symptoms of an ailing heart such as breathlessness, chronic fatigue, increase in weight etc. because these are not diseases in themselves. Most people attribute these to a hectic life style not realising that this may be a heart attack creeping on them with its silent and deadly footsteps. This is also a major reason for an increase in its incidence. Prevention and care are only the solutions which can help keep a heart attack at bay.

As a part of a science project, the children researched on not only the causes of heart diseases but also the solutions. They interviewed doctors to clarify the meaning, symptoms, causes, precautions and first aid treatment for heart attacks. They also shared experiences of patients who had been victims of a heart attack such as Mr. Rustogi.

With factual and analysed data compiled into conculsive reports, the students laid emphasis on the treatment available for heart problems. They collaborated on their work and showcased it in the form of a multimedia presentation which focused on easy ways to maintain a healthy heart.

Armed with a report and their presentation, the team of students presented a seminar on Heart Diseases- Cure and Prevention to parents, society members and other students to educate them about heart attacks. They demonstrated the first aid treatment that should be given in the early stages of a heart attack and also published a handbill with the ‘Do’s and Don’ts’ in case of heart attacks along with the ‘Who to Contact’ in an emergency.

The outcome of the project brought smiles of gratitude from their audience and “I have to care for my heart” became the message of the day. The students were able to spread awareness in the community about a significant issue and were able to make a difference by ensuring that people take their health seriously.

More importantly, their hard work got them the blessings of the many community members who realised how their ignorance could have cost them their lives.

Mr. Vaibhav Patil, a parent was very impressed by the detail of the students’ work as “such impacting projects prove the true essence of education and they should be a part of all curriculums”.

Mr. Chavhan Popatrao, a citizen residing in Nandgaon “was overwhelmed by the students approach towards contributing to the society by relating such topics”.