Saturday, June 30, 2012
poliofoundation.org connect with a 25 year old, low key selfless service organization
poliofoundation.org connect with a 25 year old, low key selfless service organization: today morning i had the privilege of being at the ngo meet organised by PolioFoundation.org and learn about their wonderful work. I will share it with my class tomorrow and also with all those who wish to support positive initiatives in the society. We need a lot o fIT support to such network so that they can pool their resources, knowledge, infrastructure and expertise to help the disadvantaged patients better.
going organic: will consumers support farmers
going organic: will consumers support farmers: while a few recently turned organic farmers get all the attention, the majority of organic farmers are in dry regions, mountains, forests, tribal regions who can not afford ot put chemicals nor have a suitable technology for their region generally. If they are enabled certification and labeling support, they may not have to go the chemical way and yet support their own life through some premia that their organic products may command n market place. Consumers must support genuine orgnaic but poor farmers.
Thursday, June 28, 2012
anjali mashelkar inclusive innovation award
anjali mashelkar inclusive innovation award: Anjani Mashelkar, Dr R A Mashelkar´s mother brought him up by facing all the odds that a poor widowed uneducated mother, moving to Mumbai with her only child, a six year old boy, would face. And this she did with courage and dignity. She was all along concerned about the poor old people and always wanted him to do something about them.
The Anjani Mashelkar Inclusive Innovation Award fulfills this wish. It will be an annual award of Rs 1 lakh given to an Indian innovator (individual or organization). http://www.ilcindia.org/awards.aspx
The Anjani Mashelkar Inclusive Innovation Award fulfills this wish. It will be an annual award of Rs 1 lakh given to an Indian innovator (individual or organization). http://www.ilcindia.org/awards.aspx
anjali mashelkar inclusive innovation award
anjali mashelkar inclusive innovation award: Anjani Mashelkar, Dr R A Mashelkar´s mother brought him up by facing all the odds that a poor widowed uneducated mother, moving to Mumbai with her only child, a six year old boy, would face. And this she did with courage and dignity. She was all along concerned about the poor old people and always wanted him to do something about them.
The Anjani Mashelkar Inclusive Innovation Award fulfills this wish. It will be an annual award of Rs 1 lakh given to an Indian innovator (individual or organization). http://www.ilcindia.org/awards.aspx
The Anjani Mashelkar Inclusive Innovation Award fulfills this wish. It will be an annual award of Rs 1 lakh given to an Indian innovator (individual or organization). http://www.ilcindia.org/awards.aspx
IIT admissions, hear the real life stories, pl post more examples, government will have to listen sooner or later
IIT admissions, hear the real life stories, pl post more examples, government will have to listen sooner or later: i am sure if we have stories of this kidn form 100 more students who came from poor economic background and overcame the problems in their way, we can prove that the proposed reforms are misplaced,
Monday, June 25, 2012
IIT admission--a suggestion
IIT admission:
some posers to young iitians:
a) am i right in saying that if we allow school board exams numbers to be added, major advantage will be to urban and elite school students no matter which board?
b) is it true that rural schools score lower marks even if the students have higher intelligence due to porer teachers and thus poorer ability to articulate?
c) do you think that if we really want to make the playing field levelled and completely meritocratic, then we have to move beyond KOta and other coaching institutes to build capacity in all districts of india?
d) do you feel that even in school exams, those who can afford coaching for 12th have considerably high advantage than those who can not?
e) do you agree that if Super30.org kind of initiatives in Patna and elsewhere are able to send even 60 per cent school marks rural poor children to IITs, it is entirely due to the fact that they are able to bridge the competence gap with in one year of coaching Post school?
if your answer is yes to all or most questions, then do you support the suggestion that:
MHRD invests about 1000 crores or so per year , in arranging tutorial for 100 bright students in Navodaya vidyalaya situated in each of the 600 plus districts and ensures that really bright students have no disadvantage because they can not afford coaching and other preparatory inputs.
If you agree, then pl write a letter to minister of HRD and convey your support for this initiative. Tell MHRD that without building capacity of meritorious students, the advantage will remain with students who can afford coaching. .
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Building institutions for collective governance: horizontalization of society
Building institutions for collective governance: horizontalization of society: There is a crisis in the country at all levels. Most institutions, elite or otherwise seem to be becoming more centralised, impervious to the feedback from below, lacking horizontal and vertical accountability and are also getting alienated from common interest.
Saturday, June 16, 2012
gandhian experimentalist in our backyard
gandhian experimentalist in our backyard: the social experiments triggered by gandhian philosophy are still sustaining spirit of a lot of young and old peopel in india. Glimpses of two such experiments in addition to a visit to organic sugarcaner farmer,
Returning from a very inspiring visit to suruchi yantra vidyalaya and sampoornav kranti vidyalaya vedchi. Suruchi has more than 40 kinds of hand tools for workers for improving their productivity. Mohannbhai parikh had set up this centre for improving the skills of blacksmiths, and also their tools and furnaces for making implements for farming fifty years ago. Ramkumar and Rama singh, both engineers are now managing it in a selfless manner.
They had earlier lived at wardha ashram. They also pursue vermiculture, organic farming and fabricate and sell solar cooker. They also buy vermcompost from farmers and sell it to other farmers.
On the way we took khaja --a special dish of Surat region made of maida, white pepper, and cooked on low heat slowly with mangoes at manner bhai patel's place. He was one of the first organic sugarcane organic farmer started more than 15 years ago. He has been honoured with sristi sanman. He mobilised local community to desilt a tank, used the silt to broaden the approach road, make a few islands fr ducks and designed a beautiful park around it. Such a beautiful common property rejuvenation, all through local help. Several industrialists donated old boiler pipes with fins used as fences, rather unusually beautiful.
Next we, I ramesh, Chetan and hardev went to sampoornav karni vidyalaya set up by a veteran 88 year old gandhian Shri Narayan bhai. There I interacted with teachers of Gujarat vidyapeeth Ahmedabad about how do we bring authenticity in educational processes. How to make students learn fom four teachers, with in, among peers, nature and common people.
Returned a while ago with memories of what young and old are trying to do, imbued as they are with gandhian values, to make our little world around us more humane, meaningful and purposeful.
Returning from a very inspiring visit to suruchi yantra vidyalaya and sampoornav kranti vidyalaya vedchi. Suruchi has more than 40 kinds of hand tools for workers for improving their productivity. Mohannbhai parikh had set up this centre for improving the skills of blacksmiths, and also their tools and furnaces for making implements for farming fifty years ago. Ramkumar and Rama singh, both engineers are now managing it in a selfless manner.
They had earlier lived at wardha ashram. They also pursue vermiculture, organic farming and fabricate and sell solar cooker. They also buy vermcompost from farmers and sell it to other farmers.
On the way we took khaja --a special dish of Surat region made of maida, white pepper, and cooked on low heat slowly with mangoes at manner bhai patel's place. He was one of the first organic sugarcane organic farmer started more than 15 years ago. He has been honoured with sristi sanman. He mobilised local community to desilt a tank, used the silt to broaden the approach road, make a few islands fr ducks and designed a beautiful park around it. Such a beautiful common property rejuvenation, all through local help. Several industrialists donated old boiler pipes with fins used as fences, rather unusually beautiful.
Next we, I ramesh, Chetan and hardev went to sampoornav karni vidyalaya set up by a veteran 88 year old gandhian Shri Narayan bhai. There I interacted with teachers of Gujarat vidyapeeth Ahmedabad about how do we bring authenticity in educational processes. How to make students learn fom four teachers, with in, among peers, nature and common people.
Returned a while ago with memories of what young and old are trying to do, imbued as they are with gandhian values, to make our little world around us more humane, meaningful and purposeful.
Thursday, June 14, 2012
what are the key challenges lying in front of us in education sector
what are the key challenges lying in front of us in education sector: Interview for WISR book 31st May 2012
Professor Anil K Gupta
Professor Anil K Gupta
Interview for WISR book 31st May 2012
Professor Anil K Gupta
Professor Gupta has been a professor in the Centre for Management in Agriculture at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, since 1981. He is the founder of the Honey Bee Network, a fellow of WAAS, and the Executive Vice Chair of the National Innovation Foundation. He is also co-ordinator of the Society for Research and Initiative for Sustainable Technologies and Institutions ( SRISTI).
Authenticity - According to Professor Gupta, one of the most significant challenges facing education and learning, both in India and beyond, is ‘a lack of authenticity’. He felt that classroom teaching was now so focused on instruction and curriculums, that teachers had forgotten the importance of observation as a learning tool. The chasm between what one says and practices can not be a matter of personal preference for a teacher. No matter how much autonomy and independence one may seek, one is constrained to perform a social role. This chasm is not just between teacher and taught but also other actors in the knowledge network including parents, policy makers, managers of the system and larger socio-cultural context. Surely, authenticity like integrity can not always be legislated. But we can create learning situations in which the need for it can become more apparent and compulsive. Innovations are required which make chasm eloquent, manifest and thus difficult to push it under the carpet of exigencies.
As part of his work with the Honey Bee Network and the National Innovation Foundation, Professor Gupta takes groups of international and local people, on learning walks ( shodhyatras) around different regions of India. These walks are designed to demonstrate the importance of learning through observation, interaction and empathetic assimilation. There are four teachers from which learning is triggered: teacher with in, teacher among peers, teacher in nature and teacher among creative communities at grassroots.
Only by walking through the slums and rural villages of India can you observe the potential for innovation and creativity among the poorest people in society. Only by giving students an opportunity to interact with their subject matter through real world experience can you encourage them to genuinely value learning. His argument was that teaching had become so constricted by curriculum and standards that any connection with the real world had been lost. Students are instructed, they are not encouraged to learn through observation and internal dialogue.
Responsibility - Professor Gupta also argued that once you have encouraged students to observe and reflect on what is going on around them, you must encourage them to take responsibility for what they see. He felt that students should be encouraged to ask how they should use their learning, or to question whether or not they are accountable for what they learn about. He used Chris Argyris’ theory of double loop learning (in which an individual, organisation or entity is able, having attempted to achieve a goal, to modify or reject the goal in the light of experience) to demonstrate the limitations of our own system. He modifies it to add triple loop i.e. when internal dialogue changes the criteria for defining what is a valid knowledge.
Feedback on past mistakes is not affecting the way we organise society or the way we teach our students. Students are rarely encouraged to change the way they live their own lives based on the mistakes of their predecessors. They are not being taught to take accountability for societal problems but are instead taught that they are separate from them. As a result the potential for social feedback to affect how we make decisions is lost and the mistakes of the past are repeated – a single loop system of learning.
Deviance - As well as a lack of accountability, Professor Gupta felt there was a lack of deviance in the educational system. In other words students should be encouraged to question what they are being taught, and teachers should be encouraged to learn from their students. If teachers can acknowledge the fallibility of their own knowledge, learning becomes shared and students become active contributors to the knowledge system. He observed that the popularity of social networks ( with obvious limitations though) is partly indicative of this desire for shared and communal learning, so ignored by the mainstream education system.
The Honey Bee Network - The Honey Bee Network was founded as a direct response to what Professor Gupta saw as a system of education and innovation that ignored the poor. The network looks for grass-roots innovators and connects them with each other and the wider world, giving them both a voice and an identity. It scopes, documents, and asses’ grassroots innovators and their innovations in a number of different countries globally (including China, Malaysia, Spain and Brazil). It then connects the innovator with industry experts (such as fabricators, medical labs, service designers etc.,) who can help them to develop their innovations, and finally it provides access to funding through a micro venture finance mechanism.
The Honey Bee Network is founded on the premise that the best innovations comes from a cross-pollination of ideas, in which knowledge is shared between people from all sections of society. But this can only be achieved by making knowledge available in local languages and in multiple formats, supporting the smallest rural farmer or artisan or mechanic in developing his ideas. Our knowledge system is dominated by ‘asymmetry’; the creation and affirmation of knowledge is controlled by a small section of the global population, often with a vested interest in the preservation of the status quo.
One of his proudest achievements is the inclusion of the Honey Bee Network within India’s National Innovation Foundation of which he is now executive vice-chair. By giving the ‘faceless innovator’ a voice in the national innovation system, the Honey Bee Network has made a significant contribution to the creation of a new knowledge system, one in which traditional knowledge producers at the top of society recognise the potential contribution of those at the bottom.
Future of Work - Professor Gupta felt that in the future we will need to completely reclassify the knowledge system. We will question the kind of knowledge we want and need and what we currently see as important. The kind of knowledge system Professor Gupta envisages is one in which we create new connections that break down existing knowledge silos, between nature and technology, nature and medicine, medicine and social policy. But the inertia in the system and the control exerted over knowledge by large vested interests means this transformation will be slow.
Alongside the transformation of the knowledge system will come a transformation in the way we work. Professor Gupta suggested that in the future only 25%-40% of our time will be spent working in a fixed place along traditional lines. The rest of the time will be split between ‘walking’ and observing the world and asking questions about what we are doing. We are going to spend ‘less time doing things and more time deciding what to do and how to do it efficiently’. From this perspective learning is very much built in to the fabric of work.
Professor Gupta summarised by arguing that the current education system was without sensitivity or empathy; ‘we know a lot, we feel very little, and we do even less’.
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
i learn, we learn : lessons learned from cine students
i learn, we learn : lessons learned from cine students: online compilation of lessons learned from students of earlier batches of CINE course( creativity, innovation, knowledge network, entrepreneurship) http://pageflip-flap.com/read?r=ayoYb6PCUakB2NKXo#/cover
unless faculty shows that he/she learns form students, how can mutually of learning be established without which education ceases to have any purpose
unless faculty shows that he/she learns form students, how can mutually of learning be established without which education ceases to have any purpose
online compilation of lessons learned from students of earlier batches of CINE course( creativity, innovation, knowledge network, entrepreneurship) http://pageflip-flap.com/read?r=ayoYb6PCUakB2NKXo#/cover
it is a work in progress, there are questions given in the end to which readers can send their response at cinecourse@iimahd.ernet.in, best answer will get an invite to attend one of my classes here and spend a day with me( whatever it is worth). Those who need a pdf or ppt can request access to my cine folder in drop box.
the painting on cover is more than ten thousand years ago to show that creative pursuits are not new, may have nothing to do with what we have, where we are, and for whom we create;
M Esders has helped in pooling the extracts, but a lot many more projects and book reviews remain to be added. If students of previous batches can send one page summaries of their key ideas, it will help. looking forward to hear from curious, creative mavericks.
title, i learn, we learn, implies that if i dont learn, we dont learn. Unless faculty demonstrates his/her learning from students, how can real learning community be ever created. I hope that we will focus on the pedagogic tool of shared learning more than specific lessons, but no harm is commenting on specific lessons too
it is a work in progress, there are questions given in the end to which readers can send their response at cinecourse@iimahd.ernet.in, best answer will get an invite to attend one of my classes here and spend a day with me( whatever it is worth). Those who need a pdf or ppt can request access to my cine folder in drop box.
the painting on cover is more than ten thousand years ago to show that creative pursuits are not new, may have nothing to do with what we have, where we are, and for whom we create;
M Esders has helped in pooling the extracts, but a lot many more projects and book reviews remain to be added. If students of previous batches can send one page summaries of their key ideas, it will help. looking forward to hear from curious, creative mavericks.
title, i learn, we learn, implies that if i dont learn, we dont learn. Unless faculty demonstrates his/her learning from students, how can real learning community be ever created. I hope that we will focus on the pedagogic tool of shared learning more than specific lessons, but no harm is commenting on specific lessons too
Saturday, June 9, 2012
mobilising ICT volunteers from around the world for making ribus perr learning platforms for sustaining social innovations
mobilising ICT volunteers from around the world for making ribus perr learning platforms for sustaining social innovations: i have made a list of a large number of gaps which exist in the innovations eco-system in our country but i would say worldwide. If that was not the case then we shoudl have had thousands of multimedia multi language databases on the web serving cross cultural need for people to people learning, why are not such databases available? why so much apathy for strengthening horizontal learning??
social needs which we need to address but are not able to address: will list them here briefly:
a) online open source as well as IP protected collaborative design platform with stakes of those who contribute
b) multi-language multimedia (MLMM) open source database for educational lessons for school children( to overcome asymmetry between privileged and less privileged children); similar MLMM for grassroots innovations, for common property institutions, innovative school and college teachers,
c)MLMM for socia change agents in a way that people can make contributions to thsoe causes silently ( that is anonymously or with their identity disclosed to recipient only or known to all,
d) enhancing capabilities of various databases with mobile applications. For instance, redesign www.sristi.org/cultural in a way that people can upload folk art, street art, or art in train or bus, with contact information of the artists so that those who wish to support them, invite them or buy their work for illustration in commercial publications or just sharing openly can contact the artists,
e) share the HOney Bee magazine content in rural areas and in urban slums through local translations so that creative people can connect with each other,
f) mlmm of centenarians Dadis and dadas, stories of those who live for hundred years, soem we already have, but we need thousands more, india will perhaps be the first country to have such a publicly accessible database of wisdom of centenarian elders
g) MLMM of folk stories, grandmothers tales, adopt a Granny on the Net fro listening stories which parents are too buy to tell, if some of these grannies can be supported for their old age survival ( in the cases needed, rest can be gratis), so much the better,
h) linking MSME with tech students all over and not just in Gujarat as attempted by sristi\'s techpedia.in and GTU
i can go on but where are the managers, coordinators, mentors, sustainers, coders, workers, we need a lot of bees, a huge lot of honey bees.......is the nectar in our flowers weak, lost its aroma or essence or authenticity or have the bees have lost the ability to discern???????? where are we going wrong????
Anil K Gupta
service to strangers
service to strangers: Sanjay and Tula, an engineer and a computer professional, got together several years ago to bring about a small change in the world through Vishwagram, Yuvagram and Karunagram initiatives. They decided not to seek any funds from private or public sources, national or international agencies. Their belief was simple, if they are useful to society, then society must find a way to sustain them. Not a bad logic, after all. They decided to live in a small village, work with school and college teachers, and teach children themselves.
Service to strangers
Sanjay and Tula, an engineer and a computer professional, got together several years ago to bring about a small change in the world through Vishwagram, Yuvagram and Karunagram initiatives. They decided not to seek any funds from private or public sources, national or international agencies. Their belief was simple, if they are useful to society, then society must find a way to sustain them. Not a bad logic, after all. They decided to live in a small village, work with school and college teachers, and teach children themselves.
They also created an ashram for children who ran away from their homes and were found loitering at railway station. These nineteen kids of varying age are being enabled to face the world with greater hopes and faith. One of them used to run away often. Sanjay asked him, why did he do that?. His answer was, he missed his home, the railway station. The kids whose concept of home is a place like that deserve a home, a place under the sun, a chance to grow as a worthy citizen of our society. Even one such child rehabilitated means, one lamp lighted to make the world a better place.
Sanjay and Tula organise workshops of teachers at very low cost. I recently attend one of such workshops at a resort where the place was donated by the owner apart from boarding facilities at cost basis. A very frugal workshop thus took place in which a whole range of ideas about education were discussed. One of the questions I asked was, are there questions which teachers could not answer? What have teachers learned from students? There were children who asked a question as to why did they have to study all the subjects and achieve better marks in them? Why could not they focus on only a few and excel in them? And perform just satisfactory in others. This is a question that is at the core of educational policy. One day, perhaps children, who need freedom of this kind, will get it. Another teacher mentioned how sometimes teachers are so full of themselves, that they don’t pay attention to the questions of children. It was a lesser problem that one could not answer question, but bigger problem was not paying attention. The question should carve out some space in our consciousness.
Sanjay and Tula have created a lot of space for such questions in the mind of teachers and through that, expanded the space for the questions of children. They also work with youth and organise camps for them to ask basic questions. One such camp, sanjay had met Tula. They get help from all kind of quarters. Some religious preachers make a contribution, some friends do so and some times strangers also extend helping hand. They don’t ask, they wait.
Issue is that we need more and more such volunteers who contribute to a social good, help abandoned children, conserve nature, trigger hopes among teachers and thus help in making a difference. But there is not an organised platform for supporting such change agents. SRISTI wishes to support such silent, scattered and significant forces of change. Creation of public goods, strengthening the society’s moral fabric through practice and not preaching, and expanding space for free spirit, questioning minds and communitarian culture are necessary for inclusive development. The concept of social enterprise is rather very restricted in scope. Bringing about new consciousness among youth, children and teachers is not an enterprise for Sanjay and Tula. Let us look within ourselves. May be we will find a path and that may pass through service to strangers.
Sanjay and Tula, an engineer and a computer professional, got together several years ago to bring about a small change in the world through Vishwagram, Yuvagram and Karunagram initiatives. They decided not to seek any funds from private or public sources, national or international agencies. Their belief was simple, if they are useful to society, then society must find a way to sustain them. Not a bad logic, after all. They decided to live in a small village, work with school and college teachers, and teach children themselves.
They also created an ashram for children who ran away from their homes and were found loitering at railway station. These nineteen kids of varying age are being enabled to face the world with greater hopes and faith. One of them used to run away often. Sanjay asked him, why did he do that?. His answer was, he missed his home, the railway station. The kids whose concept of home is a place like that deserve a home, a place under the sun, a chance to grow as a worthy citizen of our society. Even one such child rehabilitated means, one lamp lighted to make the world a better place.
Sanjay and Tula organise workshops of teachers at very low cost. I recently attend one of such workshops at a resort where the place was donated by the owner apart from boarding facilities at cost basis. A very frugal workshop thus took place in which a whole range of ideas about education were discussed. One of the questions I asked was, are there questions which teachers could not answer? What have teachers learned from students? There were children who asked a question as to why did they have to study all the subjects and achieve better marks in them? Why could not they focus on only a few and excel in them? And perform just satisfactory in others. This is a question that is at the core of educational policy. One day, perhaps children, who need freedom of this kind, will get it. Another teacher mentioned how sometimes teachers are so full of themselves, that they don’t pay attention to the questions of children. It was a lesser problem that one could not answer question, but bigger problem was not paying attention. The question should carve out some space in our consciousness.
Sanjay and Tula have created a lot of space for such questions in the mind of teachers and through that, expanded the space for the questions of children. They also work with youth and organise camps for them to ask basic questions. One such camp, sanjay had met Tula. They get help from all kind of quarters. Some religious preachers make a contribution, some friends do so and some times strangers also extend helping hand. They don’t ask, they wait.
Issue is that we need more and more such volunteers who contribute to a social good, help abandoned children, conserve nature, trigger hopes among teachers and thus help in making a difference. But there is not an organised platform for supporting such change agents. SRISTI wishes to support such silent, scattered and significant forces of change. Creation of public goods, strengthening the society’s moral fabric through practice and not preaching, and expanding space for free spirit, questioning minds and communitarian culture are necessary for inclusive development. The concept of social enterprise is rather very restricted in scope. Bringing about new consciousness among youth, children and teachers is not an enterprise for Sanjay and Tula. Let us look within ourselves. May be we will find a path and that may pass through service to strangers.
service to strangers
service to strangers: Sanjay and Tula, an engineer and a computer professional, got together several years ago to bring about a small change in the world through Vishwagram, Yuvagram and Karunagram initiatives. They decided not to seek any funds from private or public sources, national or international agencies. Their belief was simple, if they are useful to society, then society must find a way to sustain them. Not a bad logic, after all. They decided to live in a small village, work with school and college teachers, and teach children themselves.
Service to strangers
Sanjay and Tula, an engineer and a computer professional, got together several years ago to bring about a small change in the world through Vishwagram, Yuvagram and Karunagram initiatives. They decided not to seek any funds from private or public sources, national or international agencies. Their belief was simple, if they are useful to society, then society must find a way to sustain them. Not a bad logic, after all. They decided to live in a small village, work with school and college teachers, and teach children themselves.
They also created an ashram for children who ran away from their homes and were found loitering at railway station. These nineteen kids of varying age are being enabled to face the world with greater hopes and faith. One of them used to run away often. Sanjay asked him, why did he do that?. His answer was, he missed his home, the railway station. The kids whose concept of home is a place like that deserve a home, a place under the sun, a chance to grow as a worthy citizen of our society. Even one such child rehabilitated means, one lamp lighted to make the world a better place.
Sanjay and Tula organise workshops of teachers at very low cost. I recently attend one of such workshops at a resort where the place was donated by the owner apart from boarding facilities at cost basis. A very frugal workshop thus took place in which a whole range of ideas about education were discussed. One of the questions I asked was, are there questions which teachers could not answer? What have teachers learned from students? There were children who asked a question as to why did they have to study all the subjects and achieve better marks in them? Why could not they focus on only a few and excel in them? And perform just satisfactory in others. This is a question that is at the core of educational policy. One day, perhaps children, who need freedom of this kind, will get it. Another teacher mentioned how sometimes teachers are so full of themselves, that they don’t pay attention to the questions of children. It was a lesser problem that one could not answer question, but bigger problem was not paying attention. The question should carve out some space in our consciousness.
Sanjay and Tula have created a lot of space for such questions in the mind of teachers and through that, expanded the space for the questions of children. They also work with youth and organise camps for them to ask basic questions. One such camp, sanjay had met Tula. They get help from all kind of quarters. Some religious preachers make a contribution, some friends do so and some times strangers also extend helping hand. They don’t ask, they wait.
Issue is that we need more and more such volunteers who contribute to a social good, help abandoned children, conserve nature, trigger hopes among teachers and thus help in making a difference. But there is not an organised platform for supporting such change agents. SRISTI wishes to support such silent, scattered and significant forces of change. Creation of public goods, strengthening the society’s moral fabric through practice and not preaching, and expanding space for free spirit, questioning minds and communitarian culture are necessary for inclusive development. The concept of social enterprise is rather very restricted in scope. Bringing about new consciousness among youth, children and teachers is not an enterprise for Sanjay and Tula. Let us look within ourselves. May be we will find a path and that may pass through service to strangers.
Sanjay and Tula, an engineer and a computer professional, got together several years ago to bring about a small change in the world through Vishwagram, Yuvagram and Karunagram initiatives. They decided not to seek any funds from private or public sources, national or international agencies. Their belief was simple, if they are useful to society, then society must find a way to sustain them. Not a bad logic, after all. They decided to live in a small village, work with school and college teachers, and teach children themselves.
They also created an ashram for children who ran away from their homes and were found loitering at railway station. These nineteen kids of varying age are being enabled to face the world with greater hopes and faith. One of them used to run away often. Sanjay asked him, why did he do that?. His answer was, he missed his home, the railway station. The kids whose concept of home is a place like that deserve a home, a place under the sun, a chance to grow as a worthy citizen of our society. Even one such child rehabilitated means, one lamp lighted to make the world a better place.
Sanjay and Tula organise workshops of teachers at very low cost. I recently attend one of such workshops at a resort where the place was donated by the owner apart from boarding facilities at cost basis. A very frugal workshop thus took place in which a whole range of ideas about education were discussed. One of the questions I asked was, are there questions which teachers could not answer? What have teachers learned from students? There were children who asked a question as to why did they have to study all the subjects and achieve better marks in them? Why could not they focus on only a few and excel in them? And perform just satisfactory in others. This is a question that is at the core of educational policy. One day, perhaps children, who need freedom of this kind, will get it. Another teacher mentioned how sometimes teachers are so full of themselves, that they don’t pay attention to the questions of children. It was a lesser problem that one could not answer question, but bigger problem was not paying attention. The question should carve out some space in our consciousness.
Sanjay and Tula have created a lot of space for such questions in the mind of teachers and through that, expanded the space for the questions of children. They also work with youth and organise camps for them to ask basic questions. One such camp, sanjay had met Tula. They get help from all kind of quarters. Some religious preachers make a contribution, some friends do so and some times strangers also extend helping hand. They don’t ask, they wait.
Issue is that we need more and more such volunteers who contribute to a social good, help abandoned children, conserve nature, trigger hopes among teachers and thus help in making a difference. But there is not an organised platform for supporting such change agents. SRISTI wishes to support such silent, scattered and significant forces of change. Creation of public goods, strengthening the society’s moral fabric through practice and not preaching, and expanding space for free spirit, questioning minds and communitarian culture are necessary for inclusive development. The concept of social enterprise is rather very restricted in scope. Bringing about new consciousness among youth, children and teachers is not an enterprise for Sanjay and Tula. Let us look within ourselves. May be we will find a path and that may pass through service to strangers.
service to strangers
service to strangers: Sanjay and Tula, an engineer and a computer professional, got together several years ago to bring about a small change in the world through Vishwagram, Yuvagram and Karunagram initiatives. They decided not to seek any funds from private or public sources, national or international agencies. Their belief was simple, if they are useful to society, then society must find a way to sustain them. Not a bad logic, after all. They decided to live in a small village, work with school and college teachers, and teach children themselves.
Service to strangers
Sanjay and Tula, an engineer and a computer professional, got together several years ago to bring about a small change in the world through Vishwagram, Yuvagram and Karunagram initiatives. They decided not to seek any funds from private or public sources, national or international agencies. Their belief was simple, if they are useful to society, then society must find a way to sustain them. Not a bad logic, after all. They decided to live in a small village, work with school and college teachers, and teach children themselves.
They also created an ashram for children who ran away from their homes and were found loitering at railway station. These nineteen kids of varying age are being enabled to face the world with greater hopes and faith. One of them used to run away often. Sanjay asked him, why did he do that?. His answer was, he missed his home, the railway station. The kids whose concept of home is a place like that deserve a home, a place under the sun, a chance to grow as a worthy citizen of our society. Even one such child rehabilitated means, one lamp lighted to make the world a better place.
Sanjay and Tula organise workshops of teachers at very low cost. I recently attend one of such workshops at a resort where the place was donated by the owner apart from boarding facilities at cost basis. A very frugal workshop thus took place in which a whole range of ideas about education were discussed. One of the questions I asked was, are there questions which teachers could not answer? What have teachers learned from students? There were children who asked a question as to why did they have to study all the subjects and achieve better marks in them? Why could not they focus on only a few and excel in them? And perform just satisfactory in others. This is a question that is at the core of educational policy. One day, perhaps children, who need freedom of this kind, will get it. Another teacher mentioned how sometimes teachers are so full of themselves, that they don’t pay attention to the questions of children. It was a lesser problem that one could not answer question, but bigger problem was not paying attention. The question should carve out some space in our consciousness.
Sanjay and Tula have created a lot of space for such questions in the mind of teachers and through that, expanded the space for the questions of children. They also work with youth and organise camps for them to ask basic questions. One such camp, sanjay had met Tula. They get help from all kind of quarters. Some religious preachers make a contribution, some friends do so and some times strangers also extend helping hand. They don’t ask, they wait.
Issue is that we need more and more such volunteers who contribute to a social good, help abandoned children, conserve nature, trigger hopes among teachers and thus help in making a difference. But there is not an organised platform for supporting such change agents. SRISTI wishes to support such silent, scattered and significant forces of change. Creation of public goods, strengthening the society’s moral fabric through practice and not preaching, and expanding space for free spirit, questioning minds and communitarian culture are necessary for inclusive development. The concept of social enterprise is rather very restricted in scope. Bringing about new consciousness among youth, children and teachers is not an enterprise for Sanjay and Tula. Let us look within ourselves. May be we will find a path and that may pass through service to strangers.
Sanjay and Tula, an engineer and a computer professional, got together several years ago to bring about a small change in the world through Vishwagram, Yuvagram and Karunagram initiatives. They decided not to seek any funds from private or public sources, national or international agencies. Their belief was simple, if they are useful to society, then society must find a way to sustain them. Not a bad logic, after all. They decided to live in a small village, work with school and college teachers, and teach children themselves.
They also created an ashram for children who ran away from their homes and were found loitering at railway station. These nineteen kids of varying age are being enabled to face the world with greater hopes and faith. One of them used to run away often. Sanjay asked him, why did he do that?. His answer was, he missed his home, the railway station. The kids whose concept of home is a place like that deserve a home, a place under the sun, a chance to grow as a worthy citizen of our society. Even one such child rehabilitated means, one lamp lighted to make the world a better place.
Sanjay and Tula organise workshops of teachers at very low cost. I recently attend one of such workshops at a resort where the place was donated by the owner apart from boarding facilities at cost basis. A very frugal workshop thus took place in which a whole range of ideas about education were discussed. One of the questions I asked was, are there questions which teachers could not answer? What have teachers learned from students? There were children who asked a question as to why did they have to study all the subjects and achieve better marks in them? Why could not they focus on only a few and excel in them? And perform just satisfactory in others. This is a question that is at the core of educational policy. One day, perhaps children, who need freedom of this kind, will get it. Another teacher mentioned how sometimes teachers are so full of themselves, that they don’t pay attention to the questions of children. It was a lesser problem that one could not answer question, but bigger problem was not paying attention. The question should carve out some space in our consciousness.
Sanjay and Tula have created a lot of space for such questions in the mind of teachers and through that, expanded the space for the questions of children. They also work with youth and organise camps for them to ask basic questions. One such camp, sanjay had met Tula. They get help from all kind of quarters. Some religious preachers make a contribution, some friends do so and some times strangers also extend helping hand. They don’t ask, they wait.
Issue is that we need more and more such volunteers who contribute to a social good, help abandoned children, conserve nature, trigger hopes among teachers and thus help in making a difference. But there is not an organised platform for supporting such change agents. SRISTI wishes to support such silent, scattered and significant forces of change. Creation of public goods, strengthening the society’s moral fabric through practice and not preaching, and expanding space for free spirit, questioning minds and communitarian culture are necessary for inclusive development. The concept of social enterprise is rather very restricted in scope. Bringing about new consciousness among youth, children and teachers is not an enterprise for Sanjay and Tula. Let us look within ourselves. May be we will find a path and that may pass through service to strangers.
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