yet again ... getting lost ... then enjoying self-discovery ...

Goa . . Rains . . Cycle . .   Where are you off to , an uncle asked, as I carelessly drifted, like the drizzle, along the gently sloping roads. Roaming around, not going exactly anywhere , I replied. The smile on his face in response had me happily pedal ahead. This moment, for me, defined the trip. A first Travelling alone, like some other experiences, when taken up first time, leaves you far more satisfied than you had bargained for. A physical action for the first time, entirely on your own, for the first time, engulfs you with that special feeling of the first bike ride or the first swim. This trip to Goa, without either company or plans, I enjoyed being with self and enjoying the rains. To add icing on the proverbial cake I also stayed at a hostel for the first time. The hostel offered bunk beds with rooms for 4, 6 or 8 people. It also had a common kitchen and common resting area with wifi, books which included guides on moving around in Goa. It was managed by a

Mumi's article in Janmabhoomi Pravisi 25th March 2018 આઇઝોલ - એક યાદગાર સફર આ વરસે વર્ષાઋતુમાં  જાણે વાદળાંની સાથે જ સફરની શરુઆત થઈ. હૈદ્રાબાદથી કલકત્તા અને કલકત્તાથી  મિઝોરમમાં   આવેલા   તેના   રાજધાનીના નગર  આઈઝોલ  (Aizawl) . આ વિમાની સફરમાં વાદળાંના કેટલાય અવનવા રૂપ દેખાયાં. ક્યાંક બરફના ગોળાનો  -  છીણેલા બરફનો ગોળો તો ક્યાંક સાબુના પાણીમાં ફીણના ગોટેગોટા થાય   અને એમાં વચ્ચે થોડુંક ભૂરૂં પાણી દેખાય તેમ ફીણ જેવા વાદળાંઓની વચ્ચે ક્યાંક ક્યાંક ભૂરૂં આકાશ ડોકાઈ રહ્યું હતું તો ક્યાંક કાળા કાળા વાદળા ધૂમાડાના ગોટેગોટા જતા હોય એવા વાદળાં   દેખાતા હતા. કલકત્તાથી આઈઝોલનું વાતવરણ ખુશનુમા હતું. આકાશમાં વાદળા ધોળાધોળા રૂ ના ઢગલા જેવા દેખાતા હતા. આઈઝોલ ઊતર્યા ત્યારે હવામાન પલટાઈ ગયું હતું. રીમઝીમ મેઘ સ્વાગત માટે તૈયાર. આઈઝોલ પહાડ ઉપર ,  પહાડોની વચ્ચે વસેલું શહેર છે. એરપોર્ટથી શહેરનું અંતર લગભગ ૩૦ કી.મી. છે. ટુરિસ્ટ લોજ પહોંચવા ટેક્ષીની સફર શરુ થઈ. એક તરફ ઊંચા ઊંચા પહાડ તો બીજી તરફ લીલોતરીથી છવાએલી ખીણ, ઊંચા-નીચા સર્પાકાર વળાંકવાળો રસ્તો. પહાડ પરથી પાણીના નાના-મોટા ઝરણા

Lessons in the outdoor This piece finds space in The Hindu – EDGE here . Acknowledgement are due to Santharam and Prashant for sharing their vast experiences, THE HINDU and Shalini for publishing and Satya for the enabling the trip and being there. Why are school trips undervalued when it comes to their potential for learning The week-long trip with class VIII students, a couple of months earlier, was a lot of fun - from being together in the rail coach to sharing tents, from running up and down the hills to swimming in stunning lakes, from visiting a butterfly museum to early morning bird walks and more. The immense potential these trips harbour as learning spaces was underscored - learning from new environments, fresh experiences, and away from the ‘regular’ schedule. Why this learning is treated secondary to class-room teaching continues to remain a mystery! Amidst the excitement, however, some elements stuck out and raised questions. On the one hand

Kabir on the Ghats The Setting Dharbhanga Ghat What a setting it was.   Early days of a winter eager to come to Banaras. Late rays of the Sun reaching down to touch the Ganga. People bowing to both – the river and the Sun like they have all been doing for eons. Some tourists passed by on boats while a few stopped their boats and walked up the dozen odd steps – the stage for the session. Some just walked by while few Sadhus remained unaffected. The world continued to do what it did. About 80 odd people sat amidst flowing curtains and resting pillows – both in lively colours. Flowers added to the colours! Chota Nagpur Bageecha For the evening session Roy (of the JLF fame) entered at the same time as us and greeted me in English and mumi in Hindi. He did this with an ease and elan I have come to associate with him in what little glimpses I have had of him. The audience size was friendly and demeanour pleasant. 2 stalls – one of chaat and the other of clothe

Don’t always go by the textbook Thanks are due to Shalini, Teacher Plus and RK. The piece on Teacher Plus here . Some days ago a friend invited me to interact with students of class 8. He teaches science in a school that adheres to the CBSE curriculum. The topic for discussion was (Chapter: 7) Conservation of Plants and Animals. I took the textbook home to prepare and while I found the ‘story’ engaging, my first impression was that the chapter had spread itself a bit too thin – especially towards the end. However, as I re-read and began making notes some portions left me with a host of questions.   Some of these lines and my reactions I share below. ‘ Trees in the forest are cut for some of the purposes mentioned below – Ø Procuring land for cultivation Ø Building houses and factories Ø Making furniture or using wood as fuel ’ On similar lines is ‘ it is a pity that even Protected Forests are not safe because people living in the neighbourhood encroach