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

A young friend at school gave a wonderful parting gift,  As a project he had to talk with an adult, ask her / him to tell a story from her / his life, and write it down, like a book, with illustrations and all,  When he approached me I wondered for a bit on what to talk about - a story that would be a interesting for him as well, I needed to stay away from complicating and ensure that it enthused him enough to write about it,    Initially my mind wandered to my days in Agraa and Baghmara, but then I settled for time in Banaras, the Ramleela,  We talked a few times, it was fun to engage with him on the event, (locally referred to as the mela, the Ramleela at  Ramnagar  takes place over a month and at different spots across Ramnagar, there is no use  of electricity despite the large numbers it attracts),  It is special for me for multiple reasons, but it is a also kind of event he has never been a part of, this made our interactions all th...

Children in a changing world  During the past few years our society has undergone humongous changes. Some of these changes have made impacts way beyond what is apparent to the eye and what we accept. They have led to many of our age old practices, and with them the accompanying wisdom, disappear quickly and silently. Today, we are a society that has, at large, embraced two religions - markets and technology. Advertisements and algorithms are driving our lives and individuals have been replaced by consumers. The majority, if not all, of these consumers act in a uniform manner and many of their actions have us questioning some of the classical theories we have grown up with. The law of Diminishing Marginal Utility (DMU) for example does not seem to be effective in the context of entertainment and food when reels and home-deliveries are available at our fingertips. How have these changes impacted children? Today, the children seek freedom and abhor rules - yet they appear out of depth...

Schools in India today Up at Teacher Plus , thanks to the team at Teacher Plus.  Today, the economic disparity in our society is abysmally high and this disparity is only increasing. Not only does the top 1% of India’s population own more than 40% of its wealth but this 1% has also seen its wealth rise by more than 50% during recent decades. All of this has been written enough to sound cliched but unfortunately this is the story of our times. So, how are the schools placed amidst all this? One way to look at the schools is the boards they are affiliated to. Broadly, we have the IB, IGCSE (Cambridge) and ICSE schools at the top, read - the most expensive schools. Then, somewhere in the middle are the CBSE schools. And, at the bottom of the pyramid lie the state board schools, including government run schools. The scenario becomes stark when we talk numbers. The total number of IB, IGCSE (Cambridge) and ICSE schools, all put together, is less than 5,000; while the total number of sch...

Thanks to the team at  Teacher Plus  for publishing this in the March 2026 issue.  Meeting the Savarnas by Ravikant Kisana resonated in a manner than not many books do. It reminded me of some of the conversations I had had, took me back to some situations I had been a part of, had me reread some sections, got me talking excitedly about the subject with friends, and make notes. This is a book school teachers will do good to read. It may help broaden their horizons, and in turn, benefit children in the long run. I will briefly talk about the book and follow it up with how it can help teachers. First, the book. Title: Meet the Savarnas: Indian Millennials Whose Mediocrity Broke Everything Author: Ravikant Kisana Publisher: Penguin Random House India First Published: 2025 Pages: 187 Price: 699/- This is a book that questions the credibility of the elites by pointing out how deeply entrenched caste, and as a corollary, privilege are in our society. How we have looked at, and...