These Indians Are Giving Up Great Careers To Give Children Science Lessons

28/02/2017 These Indians are giving up great careers to give children science lessons
Tuesday, February 28th 2017
EDUCATION REFORM
These Indians are

giving up great
careers to give
children science
lessons
'There is nothing more empowering than seeing a child figure
out the way things work.'
Chandana Banerjee
Published Feb 24, 2017.
Aavishkaar, Palampur.
https://scroll.in/magazine/827643/these-indians-are-giving-up-great-careers-to-give-children-science-lessons 1/15
Feb 24, 2017.
Chandana Banerjee
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When science comes alive, its in the water, the wind, your breath and
everywhere you look. Children who are taught to see and understand science
through hands-on experiments see the world differently from those who
learn it through the chalk-and-talk method most schools use.
This is why a group of innovative Indian educators are using everything

from trash to toys to build cheap, easy experiments for children to learn
science: husband and wife duo, Sandhya Gupta and Sarit Sharma, electrical
engineers with doctorates and long careers in the US, abandoned their
careers to start Aavishkaar, a science and maths teaching method for
students and teachers, in the hills of Palampur, Himachal Pradesh.
Vishal Bhatt, a software engineer, and Procheta Malik, a PhD Astronomy

from the UK, are bringing accessible science education to thousands of
children in Bengaluru through the Innovation and Science Promotion
Foundation that they started in October 2014.
The Agastya Foundation that was started in 1999 by Ramji Raghavan teaches
science to underprivileged children in the villages of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu,
Andhra Pradesh and 18 other states of India. Agastya runs more than 55
science centers, 144 mobile science labs, 77 mobile lab programmes and
more on their 172-acre campus in Kuppam, near Bangalore.
Agastya Foundation classes.
Labour of love
The reason these educators are focused on scientific training for the young
above all else, is because they believe it develops the most important
qualities in human beings curiosity, creativity and compassion. Aavishkar
is a labour of love for Gupta and Sharma. We want every kid to get access to
quality education irrespective of social or economic background, explained
Gupta. There is nothing more empowering than when you see a child figure
out the way the world around her works.
Bhatt, whose hands-on teaching methods involve teaching science through
toys that children can make themselves, uses objects discarded as junk: old
ballpoint pen refills, drinking straws, matchsticks, rubber bands, bits of
paper and old plastic bottles, which are turned into flexagons, meccano sets,
working pumps and whistles that teach science but also sustainability.
Another Mumbai-based project, City as Labs, helps children question and

understand the social issues which surround them through a scientific
process and honing their research skills. Started in 2014 by a science teachers
Purvi Vohra and Sangita Kapadia, City as Labs details an intense research-
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based process for the participants to follow, where they come up with a
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relevant question about their city, design a data collection plan, learn how to

collect this data systematically through research and interviews, analyse
their discoveries and write a paper based on their findings.
We felt the need to provide a platform to our school children to undertake

independent research on topics which are relevant to their city, Kapadia
said. This helps them learn skills like collaboration, problem solving,
communication, critical thinking and analysis of data. This kind of learning
opportunity is not available in regular school curricula.
Vohra and Kapadia then choose ten finalists to present their papers at an
annual conference in Mumbai. Through the students research, coaches train
teachers to help their students work on a more hands-on way. This also
helps teachers create experiential lessons for their classes in the long run,
while the children develop a research and inquiry-based mindset that helps
them stay curious and creative, Vohra said.
Lighting the spark

In Bengaluru, 12-year-old Nandana finally understood the concept of water
changing its density at different temperatures through an experiment that
involved dropping warm, coloured water into a glass of cold water. At a
village school in rural Karnataka, nine-year-old Bhairavi and Lakshmi made
whistles out of straws much to their fascination, every time they snipped
the length of the straw, the quality of the sound changed. At a hill station in
Palampur, a group of students from the local school huddled around some
plastic fibres and watched as they were brushed with wool. As the fibres,
now static, stood to sharp attention, the boys learnt about the laws of
attraction and repulsion.
So far, weve hosted over 16,000 sessions with children in schools and have
the Rancho Lab programme in six schools in Bangalore, said Bhatt, who is in
the midst of teaching his first large-scale teacher training programme for
Master science teachers in Chhattisgarh.
Through our Rancho Lab programme, we give schools a box with materials
to build 25 such toys, and then work one-on-one with science teachers to
show them how to create fun sessions for their students, he added.
Gupta and Sharma, who run Aavishkaar, also predominantly work with
children from government and local schools, making scientific education
available in Hindi. We develop our experiments through hours of research,
Gupta said. Each concept is explained through storytelling and a multitude
of activities that the children work on themselves. When they leave the
centre, you can sense the amazement and excitement. We often hear them
saying things like Now I know why this happens or I dont need to
memorise a formula anymore, I know how to derive it now.
Consistent challenges
But while innovative science generates a lot of excitement amongst children,
parents and schools, it doesnt always translate into actual action or even
funds to keep these programmes running. While our workshops are often
greeted with a lot of excitement, the number of children dwindle when we
conduct a series of these, said Bhatt. We also get some amount of opposition
from teachers when we take our session to schools because they think we
are eating into precious time that they can use to complete their syllabus.
Vora of City as Lab agreed. I find it disappointing that most Indian students
studying in our typical state board, ICSE, CBSE schools dont have
opportunities to develop skills which are critically important today
collaboration, critical thinking, communication, managing complexity, and
problem solving, she said. We have to raise funds each year to cover the
costs of our project, which means we cannot pay our coaches and have to
rely on teachers from past years and friends in our networks to volunteer
their time.
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Shastri said that retaining skilled employees with dwindling funds was one
of their biggest challenges. Also convincing people about the value of what
we do, when we approach donors.
2.
For Aavishkar, it is finding someone in the government to champion the
cause of innovative science teaching which is the most difficult task. They
have good intent, but things get lost in the system, said Gupta, who travels
from school to school looking for a principal or teacher who understands the
value of innovative scientific teaching for children.
A Delhi artist is trying

Our programmes have to popularise
turned outUrdu by life-changing
to be putting Faiz and Chughtai
for manyon T-shirts
of the
students, said Subbu Shastri of the Agstya Foundation. Children from
villages who have trained with Agastya have taken up interesting careers,
won international science competitions and most importantly have become
more confident and aware of their own agency.
The3.children the schools label as difficult kids are the ones who are the
most enthusiastic participants in our workshops, said Bhatt. It is creating
citizens who think rationally, live consciously and act compassionately,
which is sciences greatest challenge today.
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We welcome your comments at letters@scroll.in.
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In a first, some of the

finest Indian theatre
can now be seen on
your screen
A new cinematic production brings to life thought-provoking
plays as digital video.
Published Feb 17, 2017.
Feb 17, 2017.
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Though we are a country besotted with cinema, theatre remains an original

source of provocative stories, great actors, and the many deeply rooted
traditions of the dramatic arts across India. CinePlay is a new, ambitious
experiment to bring the two forms together.
These plays, filmed as digital video, span classic drama genre as well as
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part of Hotstars Originals bouquet. We love breaking norms. And CinePlay

is an example of us serving our consumers multi-dimensional personality
and trusting them to enjoy better stories, those that not only entertain but
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The first collection of CinePlays feature stories from leading playwrights, like
Vijay Tendulkar, Mahesh Dattani, Badal Sircar amongst others and directed
by film directors like Santosh Sivan and Nagesh Kukunoor. They also star
some of the most prolific names of the film and theatre world like Nandita
Das, Shreyas Talpade, Saurabh Shukla, Mohan Agashe and Lillete Dubey.
The idea was conceptualised by Subodh Maskara and Nandita Das, the actor
and director who had early experience with street theatre. The conversation
began with Subodh and me thinking how can we make theatre accessible to
a lot more people says Nandita Das. The philosophy is that filmed theatre is
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theatre lovers across the country and also to newer audiences who may
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CinePlay is merging the language of theatre and the language of cinema to

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plays has evolved after many iterations. Each play is shot over several days in
a studio with multiple takes, and many angles just like cinema. Cinematic
techniques such as light and sound effects are also used to enhance the
drama. Since it combines the intimacy of theatre with the format of cinema,
actors and directors have also had to adapt. It was quite intimidating.
Suddenly you have to take something that already exists, put some more
creativity into it, some more of your own style, your own vision and not lose
the essence says Ritesh Menon who directed Between the Lines. Written by
Nandita Das, the play is set in contemporary urban India with a lawyer
couple as its protagonists. The couple ends up arguing on opposite sides of a

criminal trial and the play delves into the tension it brings to their personal
and professional lives.
The actors too adapted their performance from the demands of the theatre to
the requirements of a studio. While in the theatre, performers have to
project their voice to reach a thousand odd members in the live audience,
they now had the flexibility of being more understated. Namit Das, a popular
television actor, who acts in the CinePlay Bombay Talkies says, Its actually
a film but yet we keep the characteristics of the play alive. For the camera, I
can say, I need to tone down a lot. Vickram Kapadias Bombay Talkies takes
the audience on a roller coaster ride of emotions as seven personal stories
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The new format also brought many new opportunities. In the play
Sometimes, a dark comedy about three stressful days in a young urban
professionals life, the entire stage was designed to resemble a clock. The
director Akarsh Khurana, was able to effectively recreate the same effect
with light and sound design, and enhance it for on-screen viewers. In
another comedy The Job, presented earlier in theatre as The Interview,
viewers get to intimately observe, as the camera zooms in, the sinister
expressions of the interviewers of a young man interviewing for a coveted
job.
Besides the advantages of cinematic techniques, many of the artists also

believe it will add to the longevity of plays and breathe new life into theatre
as a medium. Adhir Bhat, the writer of Sometimes says, You make
something and do a certain amount of shows and after that it phases out, but
with this it can remain there.
This should be welcome news, even for traditionalists, because unlike

mainstream media, theatre speaks in and for alternative voices. Many of the
plays in the collection are by Vijay Tendulkar, the man whose ability to
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have not had a chance to experience. That alone should be reason enough to
cheer for the whole project.
Hotstar, Indias largest premium streaming platform, stands out with its
Originals bouquet bringing completely new formats and stories, such as
these plays, to its viewers. Twenty timeless stories from theatre will be
available to its subscribers. Five CinePlays, Between the lines, The Job,
Sometimes, Bombay Talkies and Typecast, are already available and a
new one will release every week starting March. To watch these on Hotstar
Premium, click here.
This article was produced on behalf of Hotstar by the Scroll.in marketing

team and not by the Scroll.in editorial staff.
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28/02/2017 These Indians are giving up great careers to give children science lessons

Tuesday, February 28th 2017

These Indians are

Feb 24, 2017.

This is why a group of innovative Indian educators are using everything

Vishal Bhatt, a software engineer, and Procheta Malik, a PhD Astronomy

Agastya Foundation classes.

Bhatt, whose hands-on teaching methods involve teaching science through

Another Mumbai-based project, City as Labs, helps children question and

We felt the need to provide a platform to our school children to undertake

Agastya Foundation classes.

Lighting the spark

Agastya Foundation classes.

A Delhi artist is trying

We welcome your comments at letters@scroll.in.

Education Science Primary Education

In a first, some of the

plays as digital video.

Published Feb 17, 2017.

Feb 17, 2017.

Though we are a country besotted with cinema, theatre remains an original

part of Hotstars Originals bouquet. We love breaking norms. And CinePlay

CinePlay is merging the language of theatre and the language of cinema to

couple as its protagonists. The couple ends up arguing on opposite sides of a

Besides the advantages of cinematic techniques, many of the artists also

This should be welcome news, even for traditionalists, because unlike

This article was produced on behalf of Hotstar by the Scroll.in marketing

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