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

  Re-defining Museums A day-trip to this amazing place in Patna Some images An art installation at one of the open spaces amidst the buildings An empty gallery A gallery with many visitors - 3,000 turn up each day on an average This may be an island in the city - but one which is connected with its people  A 'library' for researchers  There was also a 'classroom' - a workshop on traditional Mithila painting in natural colours was underway Staff kept the spaces clean  These photos in these frames kept changing  The museum has its share of surprises - and they work   Like the museum at Allahabad this too has space devoted to the Bideshiyas or the Batoiyas  Only this one was more interactive and had technology stamped all over  What would happen to our history if Alexander Cunnigham and Huen Tsang were to suddenly disappear? Same that would happen to our lives if tea and coffee went missing? I enjoyed trying my hand at the interactive installati...

Surrounded by openness This piece finds place in Teacher Plus' December issue.  Thanks to the colleagues there and to Richa for comments on the draft.  Image credits: Achyut Patwardhan Junior High School  What all can a school do if its building is surrounded by open spaces? How can the adults and children at the school optimally use these spaces? Does greenery at these open spaces become the proverbial icing on the cake? Do these spaces lead to rekindling openness within us as well? First the school. Located on the outskirts of a fast-growing town, along the riverbank in eastern Uttar Pradesh, the school began sometime in the 1940s. Housed within a large campus, the school today has 15 teachers and 250 children. Most of the children, from nursery to 8th class, come from the nearby areas. There are no other open spaces in the vicinity and these spaces around the school play a crucial role in the lives of the children. They come to these spaces during evenings, on holiday...

  Schools and other institutions   This finds space in Teacher Plus December 2023. Thanks to colleagues there and to Richa for comments on the draft.   We often discuss how adults and children interact with each other or how they interact amidst themselves in school. Let us look at how these adults and children together, in other words - the school, interacts with some of its neighbours. We will also explore if these schools could benefit from higher intensity of engagements than those currently in vogue.   https://www.freepik.com/free-vector/exterior-museum-hospital-police-station-post-office-government-bank-school-theatre-university-city-town-halls-cartoon-vector-illustration-set-house-construction-building-facade-concept_21683710.htm Image by pch.vector</a> on Freepik Public-institutions like banks, post-offices, railway-stations and bus-stations Many of our schools have banks or post-offices or transport stations in their vicinity. With m...