Kempegowda International Airport Foundation (KIAF), the CSR arm of Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), in collaboration with the Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association (KSLTA), organised a special student engagement initiative last wednesday during the Dafa News Bengaluru Open 2026.

The initiative offered young students from rural communities around Devanahalli the opportunity to experience international professional tennis first-hand and interact with leading players participating in the prestigious 10th edition of the ATP 125 Challenger event.The initiative forms part of KIAF’s flagship education programme, Namma Shikshana, which focuses on strengthening government schools through academic, co-curricular and holistic development interventions, helping students broaden their horizons beyond the classroom.

The students visited the S.M Krishna Tennis Stadium, where they interacted with leading Indian tennis players including Saketh Myneni, Rithvik Choudary Bollipalli and Anirudh Chandrasekar. The children participated in an engaging question-and-answer session, exploring how athletes balance academics with competitive sport and the discipline required to succeed at the international level. The highlight of the day was watching India’s Sumit Nagal take on France’s Harold Mayot in a gripping three-hour second-round match, which left many of the students inspired.

Commenting on the initiative, Bhaskar Anand Rao, Chief Financial Officer, Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), added, “At BIAL, we strongly believe that access to opportunity can transform lives. Through our CSR arm KIAF and programmes such as Namma Shikshana, we aim to expose young minds to experiences that spark curiosity, ambition, and confidence. Initiatives like the Bengaluru Open engagement create powerful moments of learning that extend far beyond textbooks.”Speaking on the occasion, Sunil Yajaman, Tournament Director and Honorary Joint Secretary, KSLTA, added, “It was a pleasure to welcome students from rural KIAF to the Bengaluru Open and provide them with the opportunity to experience professional tennis.

Exposure to live matches and interactions with international players can play an important role in inspiring young minds. We hope this initiative encourages greater interest in tennis among students and KSLTA remains committed to extending its support to young aspirants who wish to pursue the sport.

I also extend my gratitude to BIAL, and it’s CSR arm KIAF for their extensive support to Bengaluru Open.”Established in March 2020, Kempegowda International Airport Foundation (KIAF) works across five focus areas including education, health, integrated development, water and sanitation, and culture and heritage, in alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Through its initiatives, KIAF continues to drive meaningful social impact across communities surrounding BLR Airport.

About BIAL:Kempegowda International Airport Bengaluru (BLR Airport), operated by Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), closed FY 2024–25 with strong performance across key metrics. The airport became the first in South India to serve over 41.88 million passengers, earning a place in the ACI Large Airport category. As the third largest airport in the country, BLR surpassed 350 million cumulative passengers since its opening in February 2025. In recognition of its commitment to service excellence, BLR Airport is one of the few in the world to hold the prestigious ACI 5-Star Airport Rating for Customer Experience. In terms of cargo, BLR Airport continues to be the No. 1 airport in India for processing perishable cargo for the fourth consecutive year. BIAL’s growth is powered by Fairfax India Holdings Corporation, its majority private promoter. Through significant investment, Fairfax plays a key role in accelerating the airport’s development and transformation.

About Namma Shikshana:

Kempegowda International Airport Foundation (KIAF), a subsidiary of Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) is a non-profit organisation established in March 2020 to create social value through focused community initiatives. Through its flagship education programme Namma Shikshana, KIAF works with the Department of School Education, Government of Karnataka, to strengthen government schools by improving infrastructure, academic outcomes and holistic development. Aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal on Quality Education (SDG 4), the initiative supports students through modern learning spaces, access to essential resources, digital education and co-curricular activities that contribute to their overall development and future readiness.