On comparison and its impact

The following are some thoughts on 'comparison' - the theme of a module in a course on ideas in education. A mark of the current times is that there is space in a typical day's schedule to explore these ideas and reflect on their relevance in life. Beginning from within the family, some of the …

Day 60: Dharampal and a visitor

Bapu Kuti, Sevagram. Wardha. 2019 23/05/2020 Day 60: Dharampal and a visitor “You know, I have beaten up so many people. The only regret I have in my life is that why didn’t I beat that guy on that day.”, said the visitor as he sat reflecting. I had a visitor after a long time. …

Day 44: On the other side

07/05/2020 Day 44 When time would have pushed the pandemic far enough into the past and when its recollection will bring up no new instances of discomfort from personal history or loss, we would have finally gone on to the other side of the pandemic. Art galleries and museums will have to organise, curate and …

A term as Teaching Assistant

In June, 2018 I finished assisting on a course on Public Finance for master degree students at my home institution - National Law School. Time spent on delivering this course has been a useful opportunity to observe higher education learning and teaching. This post is to gather key takeaways from this engagement. Moreover, it seems …

It is not what you think is wrong with ‘education in India’

Writing this in a haste, with an urge to put down what I feel about this piece that Scroll published a few hours back about a government school teacher who was mobbed by his students and urged to not leave, when he was transferred from the school. The students and teacher are visibly moved and emotional …

A four year story

Sumavanam School Madanapalle This is a relationship that began with a term paper and turned into what seems to be a life long association with a duo who have helped an ignorant mind understand the fine print that life sometimes comes with and which some fail to grasp. Rode down to meet a couple who …

Reading Foucault & thinking college activism

This has been in the making for several years now - trying to identify the causal chain from ideas to action, especially since the first reading of Foucault. The ongoing trouble in colleges and universities of Delhi presents a case to reflect upon this causal chain. There comes a phase in student life when encounters …

Learning with Tanzanite Group

Today, we close our sociology classes for the academic year. The group of kids (13-14 year old) with whom I have shared classroom time over the year were introduced to ideas of society, groups, norms and rules, sociological perspectives and institutions in a society. This was meant to be an introductory course. In two sessions …

Observations from parent-teacher meeting

Last week at Poorna, we had parent-teacher meeting (PTM) spanning over two days. I was looking forward to this since the current academic year began. I wanted to see and get to know the parents of the kids I was spending time with in sociology classes. At Poorna these meetings have an unhurried and informal …

Teaching – Year 3

This isn't how it was supposed to be! Two years of teaching sociology and economics to senior secondary students was to end this year. The students have graduated and most of them are looking forward to the university now. I thought I have had enough of those everyday realizations of my ineffectiveness in classroom and …