[{"content":" Twenty-one years after India gained freedom from British imperialism in 1947, about a dozen people in Mumbai with diverse academic-cum-linguistic backgrounds and social experience began to steadily gel together as a group. The group, henceforth referred to as the Mumbai Working Group (MWG), included those from academic roots in science, social science, social work, engineering, medicine, law and management and also those engaged in business and mass communication. Apart from English, the members spoke Bangla, Gujarati, Hindi, Marathi, Punjabi and Tamil. The emergence of the MWG (1968-70) was ignited by the Gandhian Vision of reconstructing India’s education system for catalysing social transformation and self-reliance, primarily to liberate villages from their endemic poverty.\nA long conversation with the Founder of Kishore Bharati, Prof. Anil Sadgopal, was recorded and published by Mr. Uday Dandavate on YouTube. Those of you interested in the history and biographical details of a visionary will find this video very educative.\nGenesis of Kishore Bharati (KB): The Gandhian Challenge to Colonial Education\nWhat was common among the MWG members was their concern regarding the continuation of the colonial model of education despite two decades after freedom. This was particularly disturbing in view of India’s Freedom Struggle being probably unique among the anti-colonial struggles elsewhere in incorporating a rich and dynamic discourse on an alternative vision of education. Critiquing the colonial-cum-Manuwadi model of education and envisioning an alternative was seeded in mid-19th Century by Krantijyoti Savitribai and Mahatma Jotirao Phule and carried forward by them along with Dadabhai Naoroji in their historic Memoranda submitted to the Hunter Education Commission in 1882.\nShaheed Bhagat Singh and Dr. Babasaheb B. R. Ambedkar contributed to the emerging educational discourse in 1920s and 1930s by placing it respectively in anti-imperialist and anti-caste framework. In 1937, Mahatma Gandhi presented his revolutionary vision of Nai Taleem, viewing it as the proverbial final nail in the coffin of the colonial education model.\nThe Pedagogic Essence of Nai Taleem\nNai Taleem, as conceived by Mahatma Gandhi, envisaged that productive work in the classrooms or in the farms/workshops would organically become the source of acquisition of knowledge, evolving social values and developing skills. This pedagogic essence of Nai Taleem led the MWG to decide that, to begin with, a Nai Taleem school would be established in a village with agriculture along with a workshop being placed at the centre of education. Undertaken with a scientific outlook, the productive work linked to learning shall provide the foundation for developing curriculum for rural development and social transformation. These ideas were interwoven together in the form of a Project Proposal for Rural Education and Development (October, 1970).\nSource of Funds\nMWG decided unequivocally that Kishore Bharati will neither seek nor accept funding from any foreign agency, organization or corporate. The only exception could be a student, researcher or faculty of Indian origin living abroad and personally known to any one of the MWG members, wishing to make a personal donation.\nThree reasons formed the basis of the above decision. First, there is more than adequate money within the country for such endeavours. Second, if we can’t convince the people within the country, it would call for self-critical introspection. Third, by convincing a potential donor, we also win the ideological and programmatic commitment from a fellow citizen!\nRural Campus at Village Palia Pipariya: The Beginning\nResponding to Kishore Bharati’s formal request, the Govt. of M.P. allotted 150 acres of land in March, 1972 with a notional total premium of Rs. 1 on a 30-year renewable lease for the rural campus. The land was located in Village Palia Pipariya on the eastern end of the Hoshangabad District. Our work began with the making of a hut and a concrete Ring Well for both personal use and irrigation.\nIn 1972-73, farming, animal husbandry and cross-breeding along with making of concrete Rings for Ring Wells were also initiated (see **Progress Report with photographs, September, 1973**). In 1974, a cottage-scale unit for manufacturing chokes for tube lights began functioning.\nDiverse Programs: An Overview\nFrom mid-1975 to 1985-86, apart from HSTP, the following programs were executed:\nAgriculture: Farming, Horticulture, Fodder Development \u0026amp; Cross-breeding; Irrigation: Manufacture and sale of concrete Rings for digging Ring Wells along with training for installing and repairing electric pump sets; Health: Zaroori Dawai Suvidha i.e. making low-cost medicines@bulk prices available for common ailments through locally trained women; Rejuvenation of the role of Village Dais; and Interaction with Medico Friends Circle Youth Conscientization \u0026amp; Social Development: Workshops for developmental action for social transformation viz., Employment generation with social justice; Community pressure for improving Public Health Services esp. TB eradication; Re-envisioning rural artisan’s role in social and educational development. Library Movement: Library \u0026amp; Documentation Centre at Campus as resource; Library@Pipariya town for promoting children’s newspaper, women’s magazine and periodic Public Lectures – all at the initiative of the local socialist youth inspired by Late Dr. Lohia and Late Sh. Kishen Patnaik; Bicycle-based Mobile Library. Social Forestry: In collaboration with the Mazdoor Sangathan of Vill. Palia Pipariya, a mixed Social Forest was created on about 50 acres of KB’s rural campus wherein seeds and saplings collected by the villagers from the neighbouring forests were planted. The local knowledge of the villagers ensured that the Social Forest would be a Barah Masee forest i.e. it would provide some useful product (e.g. seeds, flowers, fruits, leaves or other products) throughout the year. Nai Taleem: A residential and holistic educational program with about a dozen ‘push out’ (not ‘drop out’) children belonging to marginal and/or small farmer families, while also involving them in the aforesaid programs. Environmental Education: Organised in collaboration with EKLAVYA in the government Higher Secondary School at Chhindwara – located in the midst of coal mines which caused both air and water pollution. Under the guidance of Late Prof. G.D. Agrawal from IIT-Kanpur, the students learnt to measure water pollution levels and share the data to make aware both the public and the District authorities. Gender Equality and Women’s Liberation: Women discussion groups were formed in both the Village Palia Pipariya and the Pipariya town to raise the issues of women oppression and pursuit of gender equality. In Pipariya town, a women magazine was brought out, rallies were organized and poster exhibitions put up in the centre of the market. A group of women participated in the all-India women convention as well. Bhopal Poisonous Gas Disaster: A team of its 7-8 members, including scientists, engineers and doctors, was deputed to work in Bhopal with a view to ensure scientifically sound medical relief and rehabilitation of the gas victims and just compensation by the Union Carbide., as reported in Hindi booklets titled Dollar Kee Chaal Ne, Jahar Ghola Bhopal Mein \u0026amp; रुका हुआ फैसला, ठहरा हुआ दर्द और उभरता आक्रोश, both being Kishore Bharati publications. During 1987-90, the following three programs were organized viz. (a) Fertility Awareness Education Program for both women and men (see जंजीरों को तोड़ते हुए i.e. Janjeeron Ko Todate Hue, a Kishore Bharati publication; (b) Children’s Activity Program; and (c) People’s Science Movement in rural area.\nSignificantly, the grassroots experience of the local people, esp. the village Mazdoor Sangathan, taught us that there is no epistemic compartmentalization between Science and Social Science. The two disciplines are interwoven, enriching each other (See सवालों से उजाले तक जन आंदोलन में विज्ञान की भूमिका \u0026amp; Between Question \u0026amp; Clarity: The Place of Science in People’s Movement– both Kishore Bharati Publications).\nHoshangabad Science Teaching Program (HSTP)\nIn May, 1972, the first 3-week long school teacher orientation of the Hoshangabad Science Teaching Program (HSTP) was organized by the Friends Rural Centre Rasulia (henceforth called the ‘Rasulia Centre’) in collaboration with Kishore Bharati for teachers of 16 government middle schools (Class VI-VIII). In July, 1972, HSTP’s monthly follow-up meetings with teachers and regular follow-up visits to the schools started. UGC provided teacher fellowships for faculty from colleges and universities to participate in HSTP from 1973 onwards. In 1978, the HSTP was expanded from 16 middle schools to all of 280 odd middle schools of the Hoshangabad District, involving about 650 teachers, this time including Higher Secondary School teachers and school inspectors as well. In 1982-83, KISHORE BHARATI proposed the handing over of the HSTP leadership to the then almost 100-member HSTP Resource Group comprising faculty and PhD scholars from Delhi University \u0026amp; TIFR-Mumbai, along with the Madhya Pradesh Govt. College teachers. Accordingly, EKLAVYA was created as an autonomous registered body with its office at Bhopal. Thus, after its inception and district-level expansion, HSTP was formally handed over by Kishore Bharati to EKLAVYA.\nEngaging with People’s Movements\nKishore Bharati’s tryst with the People’s Movements, especially peasant \u0026amp; tribal movements of Maharashtra \u0026amp; Madhya Pradesh, began in 1977-78. The historic trade union movement of the iron ore contract workers of the Bhilai Steel Plant in Dalli Rajhara, Chhattisgarh was then just emerging under the leadership of Shaheed Shankar Guha Niyogi. Niyogi’s philosophy of ‘Sangharsh aur Nirmaan’ (‘struggle \u0026amp; reconstruction’) captured nation-wide imagination. Kishore Bharati members worked with the said trade union movement and acquired insights into social movements.\nWinding up the Rural Campus\nBy 1988-89, the Kishore Bharati field-based group felt that management of the rural campus and other administrative matters demanded disproportionate attention and energy, leaving little time for the core programs. This adversely affected the credibility of the programs. Various constructive options were examined but to no avail. Finally, in 1989, KB’s Executive Committee decided to wind up the rural campus and officially return the leased land to the Govt. of M.P., along with all the buildings, ring wells, orchards, social forest and other immoveable assets. The decision of the Executive Committee was carried out by mid-1991.\nAfter the Winding up the Rural Campus\nKB’s Executive Committee decided to go into a period of ‘hibernation’ in order to introspect and analyse the experience even as it continued to fulfill all the legal and technical requirements of a registered Society/Trust, including annual audit and income tax rules.\nKishore Bharati in its New Avatar (1995-2015)\nFrom mid-1995 onwards, KB’s Executive Committee started deliberating on the impact of the neo-liberal economic policies on education. In particular, the World Bank’s cynical intervention in India’s primary education through DPEP became a matter of deep concern.\nBy the year 2000, the Executive Committee had taken serious note of how the World Bank’s intervention was diluting and distorting India’s elementary education system and redefining crucial concepts in Higher Education as well with a view to convert Higher Education into a marketable commodity. The Ambani-Birla report in 2002 blatantly reinforced this assault on Higher Education, thereby adversely influencing the GoI policy.\nIn this backdrop, the Executive Committee approved a proposal to campaign for rejuvenating the Kothari Education Commission’s historic recommendation (1966) as well as the resolve of NEP, 1986 and NEP, 1992 to build a state-funded Common School System (CSS). Accordingly, Kishore Bharati initiated a people’s campaign in various parts of the country from 2004 onwards to mobilize public opinion in favour of the CSS concept. The campaign persuaded the National University of Educational Planning \u0026amp; Administration (NUEPA) in Delhi to organize a National Seminar in 2006 to revisit the Kothari Education Commission and a follow-up National Seminar on Common School System in 2008.\nThe CABE Committee on ‘Free \u0026amp; Compulsory Education Bill’ in 2004-05 was persuaded to take cognizance of the idea of Common School System for providing equitable education as a Fundamental Right. In spite of this public pressure, the CABE Committee did not provide for Common School System in its final Draft Bill. Hence, a nation-wide platform named All India Forum for Right to Education (AIFRTE) was constituted in June, 2009 by several like-minded organizations which brought the issue of Common School System at the centre of the national educational discourse, the continuing neo-liberal assault by the World Bank in collusion with WTO notwithstanding. KB provided selected support to AIFRTE at crucial conjunctures from time to time.\nKB’s New Avatar \u0026amp; Change of Leadership\nIn 2015-16, KB’s Executive Committee decided that time had come to bring in younger people with new ideas and gradually replace the old leadership (some of them continuing since 1970). Nation-wide search was initiated. Consequently, the three crucial offices are presently occupied by Prof. G. Haragopal, Hyderabad as the Chairperson; Prof. G. Nagarjuna, Navi Mumbai as the Secretary and Sh. Ketan Premani, Navi Mumbai as the Treasurer, all of whom joined the Board of Trustees in or after 2016.\nIt took 52 years for Kishore Bharati’s old leadership to be replaced by the new leadership. KB is presently developing its own website, apart from having instituted a nation-wide program called CUBE (Collabortaive Undergraduate Biology Education) led by Prof. Arunan, M.C., a Trustee himself. Prof. Nagarjuna G. (GN), who joined as a trustee at the end of 2019, is currently the Secretary of Kishore Bharati. Please see the current members of the board of trustees.\nThe new team is currently busy creating a digital library of all the documents that were accumulated so far during the last 50 years, expanding the Home Lab Movement to various places in collaboration with other individuals and organizations, and explore new pathways to complete the unfinished vision and agenda of authentic and alternative education by networking with various individuals and organizations with similar goals: towards a living academy and Asli Taleem.\nTwo events on celebration of 50 years of Kishore Bharati are being planned, one on Reflection on Kishore Bharati’s Journey and another on Chintan Shibir (Thinking Workshop) for Path ahead.\nRead More on history\n","date":"August 13, 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/about/","section":"Living Academy in Pune","summary":"Twenty-one years after India gained freedom from British imperialism in 1947, about a dozen people in Mumbai with diverse academic-cum-linguistic backgrounds and social experience began to steadily gel together as a group. The group, henceforth referred to as the Mumbai Working…","title":"About","type":"page"},{"content":" Trustees \u0026amp; Members:\nProf. Anil Sadgopal: Founder of Kishore Bharati, Former Professor at Delhi University\nProf. Haragopal G: Chairperson, Kishore Bharati, Professor at Central University Hyderabad \u0026amp; Visiting Professor at National Law School, Bengaluru\nProf. G. Nagarjuna: Secretary, Kishore Bharati, Former Professor at HBCSE, TIFR\nProf. M C Arunan: Trustee, Kishore Bharati, Former Visiting Scientist at HBCSE, TIFR\nProf. Harjinder Singh: Trustee, Kishore Bharati, Professor at IIIT, Hyderabad\nProf. Madhu Prasad: Trustee, Kishore Bharati, Former Professor at Zakir Hussain College, Delhi University\nProf. Vikas Gupta: Trustee, Kishore Bharati, Professor at Delhi University\nRajendra Hardenia: Trustee, Kishore Bharati\nKetan Premani: Treasurer, Kishore Bharati\nKishore Bharati Team:\nKiran Yadav: Project Fellow Kiran Yadav is a post-graduate from Graphic Era University Dehradun with a master’s degree in Biotechnology and working for CUBE-Kishore Bharati program. She is involved in activity-based learning by hands-on projects and connecting the learning to curriculum.\nTheertha: CUBE/CURE Intern Theertha is a Post Graduate in Botany From Providence Women’s College, Kozhikode. She has been active in CUBE-Kishore Bharati program and doing biology research.\nSahamatha: Research Associate Sahamatha received her masters degree in Physics from University of Mysore with specialization in Theoretical Physics. Her interests lie in understanding learners’ ideas and sense making in learning abstract concepts in Physics and Biology.\nJaikishan Advani: Research Associate Jaikishan Advani has been associated with CUBE-Kishore Bharati Program at HBCSE,TIFR since 2012, he has experience of working in field of biology research and science education. He has been active in developing CUBE program, building community of practice for science and understanding cultural aspects of science learning.\nAbhijeet Singh: CUBE/CURE Intern Abhijeet Singh, currently pursuing Bachelors In Science from K.J.Somaiya College of Science and Commerce, Mumbai, he is associated with CUBE-Kishore Bharati since 7th Std from around 2015.\nSmiti Gupta: CUBE/CURE Intern Smiti is an undergraduate college student, she has been active in CUBE-Kishore Bharati program and doing biology research.\nAssociated Members:\nSaida Sayeed , Worked for Kishore Bharati as CUBE-KB Fellow, 2021-22\nLydia Mathew , Worked for Kishore Bharati as CUBE-KB Fellow, 2020-21\nDrishtant Maruti, Worked for Kishore Bharati as CUBE-KB Fellow, 2020-21\nAashutosh Mule , Worked with Kishore Bharati as Research Assistant, 2020-21\nPast Members of Kishore Bharati\nAssociated Members:\nRamesh Kundalia: Member, Kishore Bharati\nVasudev Nori: Member, Kishore Bharati\nSubhash Shah: Member, Kishore Bharati\nVivek Pinto: Member, Kishore Bharati\nStaff Members (Year-1973)\nSankata Prasad and Devta Deen Mishra are experienced village extension workers from a Sarvodaya project in Mirzapur District, Uttar Pradesh. Sankata looks after the Cement Unit, Brick Kiln work and construction of buildings, and deals with the Block Development people whenever necessary. Devta manages the farm and leads extension work for cattle development programme.\nAnil Sadgopal, who has a Ph.D. in Bio- chemistry from the California Institute of Technology, USA, and has worked in the Molecular Biology Unit of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, is over-all co-ordinator of the project and particularly involved in the educational programme.\nRavi Chugh, experienced in working with machines, has been trained in a Faridabad industry in the manufacture of chokes and will soon initiate the project. In addition, he assists in office admini- stration.\nDalpat Danidharia has a B. A. in Rural Studies, with special training in animal husbandry, from Lok Bharati, Gujarat. He is chiefly responsible for the activities of the cattle development programme.\nAnand Patwardhan, who is a graduate in Sociology from Brandeis University, USA, and has worked with a farm-workers’ union under the leadership of Cesar Chavez in California, is mainly concerned with education and the social problems of the villages.\nRex D’Rozario, until recently Sub-editor of Science Today (a Times of India Publication from Bombay), is experienced in journalism and mass communication methods. At Kishore Bharati, he assists in the farm and shares responsibilities in fund-raising and related work. Rex also prepares audio-visual aids for the Science Teaching Programme.\nJagdish Mishra, an experienced accountant from the Sarvodaya movement, is stationed at Friends Rural Centre. He spends part of his time maintaining Kishore Bharati’s accounts.\nAnita Anand, Sundar Burra and Rashid Shaikh, shared between Friends Rural Centre and Kishore Bharati, were with us until recently. Anita, a graduate in Education from the University of Calcutta, was largely responsible for the administration of the Science Teaching Programme during its early stages.\nSundar, a graduate in Philosophy from Brandeis University, USA, looked after the fund-raising work and helped in administration. Rashid, an M.Sc. from the Indian Institute of Technology at Kanpur, was responsible for the follow-up and development of the kit and work-book for the Science Teaching Programme.\nVolunteers (Year-1973)\nNandita Haksar, a young graduate from Delhi, was with us for a month during the Orientation Course this year. She helped with the office work and in the preparation of the school kits for the Science Teaching Programme.\nSudarshan Kapur, Co-ordinator of the Friends Rural Centre, has spent a great deal of his energies in helping us to procure the land, and to plan the farming, irrigation and cattle development programmes. He also shares the administrative responsibilities of the Science Teaching Programme, Sudarshan’s help in winning the backing and trust of the local people is particularly appreciated.\nIshwarbhai Rawal and Popatbhai Savani, students of Horticulture and Rural Co-operation respectively at Lok Bharati, spent a month each at Kishore Bharati. Ishwarbhai started a nursery and garden and Popatbhai assisted on the farm.\nSubhash Shah, a lawyer from Bombay, looks after Kishore Bharati’s legal affairs and fund-raising. We have continuously benefited from his willing support and advice.\nAsha Sippy, who was at the Friends Rural Centre until recently, has given us invaluable support by looking after Kishore Bharati’s correspondence and by helping in the fund-raising work.\nExecutive Committee (1973-74)\nName \u0026amp; Details\nShri Mahesh Bhogilal, Shree Ram Mills Ltd., Batliboi \u0026amp; Co. Priv. Ltd, Profession: Business Management \u0026amp; Industry, Office Held: Member\nShri Jyotibhai Desai, Gandhi Vidyapeeth, Vedchhi, District Surat, Gujarat 394640, Profession: Rural Education, Sarvodaya Work, Office Held: Chairman\nSmt. Ansuya Dutt, Bombay Mutual Chambers, Law, Office held: Member\nDr. Vasu Nori, Shirish Patel \u0026amp; Associates, Structural Engineering, Office held: Member\nDr. (Smt.) Shubhada Pandya, Acworth Leprosy Hospital, Medical Research, Office held: Treasurer\nDr. Anil Sadgopal, Kishore Bharati, Science \u0026amp; Rural Development, Office held: Secretary\nShri Baldev Sidhu, Sibo Agencies, Bussiness, Office held: Member\nShri. Suresh Suratwala, Sir Dorabji Tata Trust, Rural Development, Office held: Member\nSmt. Geeta Athreya (Kolkata), Shri Ramesh Kundalia (Hyderabad) and Shri Subhash Shah (Bombay) have all been members of Executive Committee for varying lengths of time in the past.\nScientists and Teacher- Trainers: The following is a list of people who have given us help and guidance in the Science Teaching Programme since its inception in May, 1972. Many of these have participated in the Orientation Courses held so far, monthly meetings with the teachers, follow-up visits to the schools and in preparation of the kit and the work-books.\n(In 1972-73)\nPhysics Group\nShri C. K. Dikshit, The Doon School, Dehra Dun, All India Science Teachers’ Association\nShri B. G. Pitre, The Doon School, Dehra Dun, Physics Group, All India Science Teachers’ Association\nShri S. R. Pande, Editorial Board, Hindi Vigyan Sahitya Parishad, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Bombay 400085\nShri M. Saksena, Editorial Board, Hindi Vigyan Sahitya Parishad, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Bombay 400085\nSolid State Physics Group\nShri V. G. Kulkarni, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bombay 400005 Molecular Biology Unit\nDr. S. Chakraborty, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bombay 400005 Dr. R. S. Gupta, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bombay 400005 Dr. M. M. Johri, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bombay 400005 Dr. P. K. Maitra, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bombay 400005 Prof. O. Siddiqi, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bombay 400005 Dr. U. N. Singh, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bombay 400005 Space Application\nShri A. Ramaprasad, Space Application Centre, Ahmedabad\nProf. Yash Pal, Space Application Centre, Ahmedabad\nLok Bharati, Sanosra\nBhavnagar Dist., Gujarat\nProf. B. Mehdi, Department of Psychology Aligarh Muslim University\n(In 1973-74) Physics Study Group:\nShri C. K. Dikshit, The Doon School, Dehra Dun, All India Science Teachers’ Association\nShri B. G. Pitre, The Doon School, Dehra Dun, All India Science Teachers’ Association\nChemical Physics Group\nShri P. Ganguli, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bombay 400005 Molecular Biology Unit\nDr. S. Chakraborty, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bombay 400005 Solid State Physics Study\nShri D. K. Garg, Solid State Physics Laboratory, Ministry of Defence, Delhi 110007\nShri H. C. Jain, Publication and Information Directorate, CSIR, New Delhi 110012\nUniversity of Delhi\nShri Kamal Mahendroo, Department of Physics, University of Delhi, Delhi 110007 Dr. N. Panchapakesan, Department of Physics, University of Delhi, Delhi 110007 Dr. Raj Rup, Department of Physics, University of Delhi, Delhi 110007 Dr. P. K. Srivastava, Department of Physics, University of Delhi, Delhi 110007 Dr. V. S. Varma, Department of Physics, University of Delhi, Delhi 110007 Chemistry Study\nShri A. Kapoor, Department of Chemistry, University of Delhi, Delhi 110007\nDr. M. M. Kapoor, Department of Chemistry, University of Delhi, Delhi 110007\nDr. K. V. Sane, Department of Chemistry, University of Delhi, Delhi 110007\nBotany Study\nDr. V. S. Jaiswal, Department of Botany, University of Delhi, Delhi 110007\nZoology Study\nShri K. K. Gothi, Department of Zoology, University of Delhi, Delhi 110007 Dr. H. S. Vishnoi, Department of Zoology, University of Delhi, Delhi 110007 Physics Study\nProf. B. Saraf, Department of Physics, University of Rajasthan, Jaipur Kishore Bharati Group Photos\nWe will update the description after identifying all the faces, you may also help us identify them. Thanks\nWe will update the description after identifying all the faces, you may also help us identify them. Thanks\n","date":"January 24, 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/kishore-bharati-members/","section":"Living Academy in Pune","summary":"Trustees \u0026 Members: Prof. Anil Sadgopal: Founder of Kishore Bharati, Former Professor at Delhi University 810×608 65 KB Prof. Anil Sadgopal: Founder of Kishore Bharati, Former Professor at Delhi University Prof. Haragopal G: Chairperson, Kishore Bharati, Professor at Central…","title":"Kishore Bharati Members","type":"page"},{"content":" These terms govern the use of the Internet website at https://kishorebharati.org. To use this or the other Websites hosted under the kishorebharati.org domain, you must agree to these terms with Kishore Bharati, which runs the Website. Kishore Bharati, registered under The Bombay Public Trust Act 1950, is referred to henceforth as the “Trust” in this document. The Trust may offer other products and services, under different terms. 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You may not hyperlink to images or other non-hypertext content on the Website on other webpages. You may not remove any marks showing proprietary ownership from materials you download from the Website. You may not show any part of the Website on other websites with ","date":"March 25, 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/terms-of-use/","section":"Living Academy in Pune","summary":"These terms govern the use of the Internet website at https://kishorebharati.org . To use this or the other Websites hosted under the kishorebharati.org domain, you must agree to these terms with Kishore Bharati, which runs the Website. Kishore Bharati, registered under The…","title":"Terms of Use","type":"page"},{"content":" What information do we collect? 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When registering on our site, you…","title":"Privacy Policy","type":"page"},{"content":" Write an email to us at:\noffice at-the-rate kishorebharati.org\n","date":"June 19, 2021","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/contact/","section":"Living Academy in Pune","summary":"Write an email to us at: office at-the-rate kishorebharati.org","title":"Contact","type":"page"},{"content":" Thousands of students participate in CUBE programs across the country\nCollaboratively Understanding Biology Education (CUBE) program is an alternative paradigm to integrate learning by doing and research into school and college education system. It aims to trigger and nurture innovative, creative, investigative, research based and collaborative learning into education which can develop scientific thinking and scientific curiosity among students. CUBE program envisions to change biology teaching, in a way that biology which is taught should automatically reflect biology we do, engaging in an endeavour where students learn by being practically involved into it not only improves their ability to understand how biologists conduct research but it also prepare them to evaluate scientific claims in their day-to day lives. This rightly falls under the mandate of “The Vision and Change: Call for Action” report, which inspires CUBE. Further 21st-century science students need to engage in authenticate discovery based exercises and integrate the research experiences and skills acquired into understanding, solving and making informed decisions on complex problems related to science and those encountered in their daily lives. To develop these aspects and innovative changes CUBE program was started in summer of 2012, at the Homi Bhabha Center for Science Education (HBCSE), Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) with 18 students (from 4 colleges) in Mumbai most of them 1st and 2nd year undergraduates, since 2015 CUBE works in collaboration between Kishore Bharti organization and HBCSE, TIFR, today the program has reached to about 2000 students, involving more than 50 colleges and several schools, and has developed CUBE Hubs at more than 100 locations across India, some of the colleges which are part of CUBE Program are Sree Narayan College, Natika, Elphinstone College, Mumbai, RJ College, Mumbai, ANDC College, Delhi, Dr.Shyama Prasad Mukheerjee University, Ranchi, Somaiya College, Mumbai, M-Ward Govandi, TISS, Mumbai etc. CUBE Kishore Bharti program has also collaborated with Breakthrough Science Society, West Bengal and has been part of popularizing science across country.\nCUBE labs are very simple looking but discovery approach which is involved in each project and research questions build a scope for developing sophisticated ideas and even laying scope for developing frontiers questions which scientists engage in. Therefore CUBE follows, a quote as said by great Indian scientist Obaid Siddiqi that,“Sophistication is required in Mind not in Lab”\nCUBE program is distinct in the ways that it vertically integrates schools and college students, teachers and researchers together in a learning environment where school students learn along with college students, and vice versa, and through peer to peer collaborative learning by involving into hands-on activities, and research projects. Bringing research institutes together has helped not only to merge science institutes which are generally isolated with students but it also has enriched the relevance of how work which students do with frontier research. CUBE has been found that school students’ curiosity has brought various new dimensions of thinking about various topics including opening up new research areas. CUBE projects revolve around simple model systems which can be easily found anywhere and they are basic entry points to involve and engage students into interesting scientific endeavors and make their thoughts filled with curiosity. CUBE believes in collaboration as a means of advancing knowledge and research culture, for which it invites people from all sections of society including citizens to join and engage into science and citizen science projects, for which CUBE has a slogan, “All Week, Meek and Geek are Welcome”\nThe entrance to the CUBE lab boldly displays the mandate of the program, while a CUBist is seen carrying out his work within the lab\nCUBE through its experience has found that students not only develop scientific, discovery based thinking and research attitude but also the topics discussed in CUBE help them to understand their school and college syllabus in a more better ways. CUBE also performs activity to develop Concept maps with projects which students do, which is called Context to Curriculum which shows how CUBE builds bridge with curriculum.\nThrough years of experience of CUBE program it has been found that CUBE pedagogy is efficient in its ways in not only involving students into research culture and getting them exposure to frontier research, but at the same time bringing their curriculum into relevance and advancing their concepts to higher levels. Analyzing CUBE pedagogy, methods and cognitive and conceptual changes in students learning and doing research are part of research work on science education are integral to CUBE program. CUBE program currently is also working with home labs, which are research activities students have started to perform at home by using simple model systems. CUBE program follows daily causerie or informal discussion, which currently takes place through online medium called CUBE Chatshaala where students daily share and discuss their work and several of scientific concepts through online means from across country which has broken all barriers of knowledge sharing and has advanced their ideas on science that science can be done even at home.\nA snapshot of the online ChatShaala meeting in its initial days during the start of the lockdown when there was shift in trend from having physical causeries to having them online\nCUBE conduct several daily activities and many workshops every year, such as CUBE Summer Workshop, CUBE Christmas Workshop, CUBE Diwali Workshop, along with National level conference and meets.\nCUBE activities include involving students into various research projects with simple model systems, involving citizens into curiosity driven citizen science projects which involves collaboration, massive data collections, and analysis to inferences of natural phenomena. CUBE activities also involve causeries which are face to face regular discussions and online Chatshaala which are online discussions where students get space to share their work, ask questions, develop ideas, develop theories, correct misconceptions and even publish their work collaboratively.\nCUBE labs involve in research on various model systems such as Drosophila, Earthworms, Snails, Nematodes, Protozoa, Bacteria, Rotifers, Hydra and even plant model systems such as Cardamine, Phyllanthus all of which can be grown and cultured in simple ways and at the same time can be used to address frontier biological questions such as Epigenetics, Learning \u0026amp; Memory, Regeneration, Decision making, Evolution, Genetic engineering and so on.\nClick here to view CUBE Lab Engagements \u0026amp; Causerie\nStudents explaining their project ideas and topics in Causerie\nClick on CUBE Home Labs to view labs which are created by CUBists to perform science at their home\nClick on CUBE Chatshaala to know more about daily evening discussion of students from across different parts of country\nClick on CUBE Context to Curriculum to know how students uncover their syllabus by doing science and situate their curriculum to real life contexts\n","date":"June 11, 2021","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/cube/","section":"Living Academy in Pune","summary":"Thousands of students participate in CUBE programs across the country 960×480 972 KB Thousands of students participate in CUBE programs across the country Collaboratively Understanding Biology Education (CUBE) program is an alternative paradigm to integrate learning by doing…","title":"CUBE","type":"page"},{"content":" HSTP students learning on field\nHoshangabad Science Teaching Program (HSTP) was an initiative to improve science teaching and learning at school levels and developing innovative and interactive ways of school science teaching. The program was started in 1972 in 16 middle schools spread over two blocks in Hoshangabad district, with the approval from the State government of Madhya Pradesh, it was initiated by two voluntary organizations Kishore Bharti and Friends’ Rural Centre, confined to teaching science to schools students of grade 6 to 8. Program. The program received support from All India Science Teacher’s Association (AISTA) Physics Study Group and Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Bombay. They had conducted pioneering trials in introducing the discovery approach to the learning of physics in a few Public and Municipal schools. HSTP thus was introduced in village schools to investigate whether it would be feasible to introduce ‘learning science through experiment and observation’ in place of the traditional textbook-centred ‘learning by rote ‘ methodology. In course of time, the concept of environment-based education was included as an integral part of science teaching. The idea behind HSTP was that experimental and field based study would help them to develop an inquisitive attitude. The academics in the program were advised by scientists, educators and research students from other institutes. Academicians from University of Delhi, IIT and various colleges got involved in HSTP and contributed in developing curriculum which can promote curiosity driven experiment based science learning.\nHoshangabad Science Teaching Program (HSTP) Group Picture\nThe program in its first pilot phase from 1972-77 positively demonstrated that it is indeed possible to induce conditions in Government schools which would enable village students to perform experiments, make observations, collect data, analyze data and to learn scientific principles through inquiry based approach. It also demonstrated that materials and methods can be developed from a rich village environment and versatile resources for discovering scientific phenomena. The program was discussed in detail with NCERT and Secretary Education and in 1978 the program got consent to expand for district level testing of HSTP, by 1983 the programme was in operation in 250 schools, involving 600 teachers and 30,000 children.\nPedagogy of HSTP Learning Science In Context of Real Social Life:\nHSTP has attempted to base science education on the principles of ‘learning by doing experiments’, ‘learning through activity’ and ‘learning from the environment’ in contrast to the prevailing text-book centred ‘learning by rote’ method. The processes of science need to be emphasized if we have to fulfill the goal of promoting scientific temper and make the child a confident self-learner for the rest of his or her life. In addition, the science curriculum must relate closely to science and technology experiences of everyday life. HSTP found practice of rote-learning arises when education cuts-out students from engaging in real life practices and makes them memorize facts instead of finding out how these facts arise.\nBal Vaigyanik\nHSTP asks certain basic questions to address these foundational problems in the education system which are explained in following words, “In our perspective of rural development, a wide-ranging attack on such significant gaps between expectations and reality in education occupies a prominent place. Why does a child have to memorise a whole range of disconnected and irrelevant facts in the name of science? These facts often make little sense to the teachers themselves and are seldom remembered beyond the examination. What use is terminology, which conveys nothing beyond imposing words? What use is education, which builds up barriers between classroom learning and real life experiences? What use is information if it cannot be applied to solving practical problems?”\nHSTP realized the problems of how rote-learning is creating a gap between education for memorizing terminologies and practical use of the knowledge which would solve real life problems to transform society. This demanded HSTP to create an alternative approach, alternative method and alternative aims of education, which meant students should learn directly from their environment and society and education should guide them in this process. Hence this needed to change the entire aim and approach of education. Rote-learning of facts and definitions should be ruled out. Storage of information must not be the sole criterion of learning. The teacher would cease to be the fountainhead of all knowledge. His/Her role, instead, would be that of a guide and helper. This meant that traditional barriers of syllabus, teaching methods, textbooks, teacher student relationships and school administration would emerge from the day-to-day experiences of the teachers and children, not from the scholarly expectations of city based experts. The demands of the examination system would also have to undergo a radical change in keeping with the new objectives.\nStudents in classroom engaging in HSTP activities\nOpen Atmosphere of Classroom Between Teachers \u0026amp; Students:\nThe classroom culture often is formal and controlled, however HSTP classrooms imbibed informal and open culture where a student and teacher or visiting scientist can eat food together.Teachers and students had free access to reading material, kits and materials which they never had experienced before. Teachers and students were promoted to learn by doing experiments, instead of promoting them to memorize concepts, one such example arose from a question, “ How do fertilizers in soil reach the leaves?” At once, an experiment was planned. A twig was cut and placed in red ink solution. Half an hour later, the leaf veins turned red. The conclusion was obvious. But one teacher was sceptical, “How can we be sure? Perhaps the veins turned red because we cut the twig. I have seen apples turn brown after cutting.” Although the question appeared trivial, it could not be ignored. Such questions form the backbone of the investigative learning approach, providing links for further experimentation. A heated debate followed. It was decided to modify the experiment by including a second twig placed in plain water. The concepts of using ‘controls’ was born.\nThe teachers were by now thoroughly engrossed in the spirit of enquiry. “What would happen if we used blue ink?” asked one. All faces turned to the faculty biologist. He shrugged, “ I do not know”. The teachers were flabbergasted. They asked in disbelief, “ How did you get your PhD if you do not know such simple things?” It was a jolt to their value system. To them a PhD signified the end-point of all knowledge. Here was a chance to illustrate the open-endedness of scientific enquiry. The experiment was repeated with different inks. The selective absorption of different chemicals by plants was strikingly demonstrated. The full implications of the approach of learning through experiments and observation only then dawned upon the teachers. They began to realize that they, too, would often be forced into such tight spots when they would have to admit, “I do not know the answer. Let us find out.” It was a negation of the traditional pre-eminence of the teacher. It had been a long battle. The “ I do not know” philosophy is only now slowly sinking in.\nThe example highlights hierarchical (authoritative) and docile (passive) relationship which operates between a professor with a PhD and an average school teacher or between a teacher and a student, this was altered in a way that questioning, learning by doing and inquiry as a way to attain knowledge was promoted which would not allow space for finished answers but a process of reaching to answers by correct questions as a means of education.\nHSTP: Designing \u0026amp; Developing Experiment-Based Curriculum \u0026amp; Syllabus HSTP program also envisioned that content and syllabus should arise from teachers and students who are engaging with the environment and experimenting with it. This was not only possible but also the idea which was never thought about before in the education system, teachers came up with topics such as Variation in Biology, Understanding Crop diseases, Soil \u0026amp; Leaves, Flowers \u0026amp; Fruits, World of Insects, etc by experimenting in their natural environment, and these learnings were designed to develop a curriculum.\nThe example how teachers came up with content while engaging with environment is as follows,\n“The teachers generally exhibited an implicit faith in destiny. This was an impediment to logical analysis and had a spillover effect on the children. When presented with a specific case of two apparently identical fields giving different yields, they promptly attributed the difference to the predetermined destiny of the owners of the field. Factors like soil types, seed rate, fertiliser use, etc were totally ignored. This lack of rationality had serious implications on their ability to moderate discussions. A physicist therefore developed a unique chapter on chance and probability. Using coins, dice and marbles, students were exposed to random numbers, distribution and the law of probability. They simultaneously learned to handle large masses of data in the form of tables, histograms, graphs and averages.”\nThe content developed by HSTP program can be found in their initiative to replace traditional “Textbooks” which as the name suggests are filled with Text to mug up, to “Workbooks” which represent work and involvement by students and teachers.\nThe basic tenets of the workbook were defined early in the programme. Its text would make experiments inevitable. It would give instructions for performing these experiments, following by leading questions to initiate discussions. No definitions, no facts and no ready-made answers would be given. Adherence to these principles is crucial to the success of the approach driven by learning by doing and experimenting. Textbooks in use today pay only lip service to the method of learning through experiments. Phrases such as ‘Look and discover’, ‘What did you observe?’, ‘What do you conclude?’ and ‘Learning by doing’ are often used in them. However, there is little scope for either experimentation or for drawing independent inferences.\nGlimpses of Experiments Driven Content Created by HSTP Program:\nComparison between Textbook Experiment Vs Workbook Experiment Here is link of one such list of Workbooks created by HSTP:\nHSTP Workbooks Bal Vaigyanik Class 8 HSTP featured in Science Today Magazine, 1977 For Further Reading The following articles can be referred to know more about HSTP program:\nhttps://www.eklavya.in/pdfs/HSTP/HSTP%2030%20years%20Review%201-3-2007.pdf https://www.eklavya.in/pdfs/HSTP/HSTP_Science_Today_Article_1977.pdf https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/4379174.pdf?casa_token=cTDIF2k7rroAAAAA:ibwEY0Rctn1rWitb3aGfkclNXJ3bIVXtV0lsPtNhoCvrIBdC6Zkl31jDmWSAmISinq20a4arPNXjdytpk-7dtg_jpe9gZqPWNgkpaH0eycN-Fug_ix_w http://www.cisl.columbia.edu/grads/presi/EKLAVYA/ http://www.cisl.columbia.edu/grads/presi/EKLAVYA/HSTP_5fNote.html http://www.cisl.columbia.edu/grads/presi/EKLAVYA/Anil_5fAmitabh_5fArticle.html https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12318358/ ","date":"June 11, 2021","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/hoshangabad-science-teaching-program-hstp/","section":"Living Academy in Pune","summary":"HSTP students learning on field 711×1055 1.23 MB HSTP students learning on field Hoshangabad Science Teaching Program (HSTP) was an initiative to improve science teaching and learning at school levels and developing innovative and interactive ways of school science teaching.…","title":"Hoshangabad Science Teaching Program (HSTP)","type":"page"},{"content":" Gandhi’s Nai Taleem agenda offered a vision to build free-India’s education in a manner that would spearhead a silent reconstruction of our society and would also be linked to the developmental aspirations of the people. During 1969-70, out of a deep concern for the way where this vision was side-lined to push Macaulay’s model of colonial education for maintaining status quo, the KB Group decided to initiate six-year non-formal educational programme along the lines of Gandhian Nai Talim philosophy. This programme sought to carry out educational experiments with a view to explore the path of educational transformation that leads to social change.\nThe Nai Taleem model\nEven today, Gandhi’s Nai Taleem idea holds the potential to address the challenges of the 21st century. A meaningful career for today’s youth is defined at pursuing passion for which it has skills, and which in turn are sought by the society. Industry searches for affordable but high-quality manpower with a flexible framework. Universities strive to offer degrees that impart knowledge applicable to the industry and relevant to the society. Lastly, government and community want youth to be positively channelled and engaged in creative pursuits. An education system based on the pedagogic basis of Gandhi’s Nai Taleem addresses all these challenges together, demonstrating the connection between the world of education and the world of work. Gandhi acknowledged of how education and work cannot be tackled separately and how productive work can act as a pedagogic source of acquiring knowledge, evolving values and developing skills.\nKishore Bharati’s Nai Taleem programme was an experiment outside the school system, as against to its within the school system Hoshangabad Science Teaching Programme. About a dozen school dropouts belonging to landless and marginal farmer families became students under this programme. They learned to acquire knowledge, build human values and develop multiple skills by growing groundnuts, managing animal husbandry, doing carpentry and selling their products in the local market. What Gandhi said in his historic address to the Wardha Conference (1937) was concretized as a pedagogy in this programme during 1972-78. The Nai Talim experiment was influenced and enriched by the addition of a significant minor irrigation programme based on the appropriate technology of Ring Wells as well as a cattle breeding-cum-animal husbandry programme. Soon, a set of agricultural innovations aimed at engaging with cultivation in sandy soil began to occupy the central stage. KB’s attempt to set up a cottage industry- production of electrical chokes for tubelights and training programme for repair of electrical motors of pump sets- is yet another evidence of how the Nai Talim idea was being transformed into a multi-dimensional rural development programme. The rich experience of the 5-6 years long experiment unfolded a range of radical pedagogic possibilities that seem to transcend even Gandhi’s own ideas, at least as far as practiced by his followers since early 1940s. It was again through the Nai Talim experiment that the KB group could discover the Freirian pedagogy of social transformation that awakened it to a new educational discourse in the post-emergency period.\nThe pedagogy of productive work, language and knowledge: This case from a small village in the district of Hoshangabad nicely depicts the working of the Nai Talim. Anil Sadgopal in his lecture at Vidyapeeth in Gujarat presents, based on his six years’ experience of carrying out the, a dream example of how Nai Talim works.\nTitle: मेकॉलेवाद बनाम फुले-गांधी-अंबेडकर का मुक्तिदायी शैक्षिक विमर्श / (Macaulayian framework Vs Phule-Gandhi-Ambedkar’s emancipative educational discourse)\nTitle: उत्पादक काम, भाषा और ज्ञान का शिक्षाशास्त्र / ( Pedagogy of productive work, language and knowledge)\nTitle: शिक्षा विषमता और विविधता / (Education, disparity and diversity)\nTitle: शैक्षिक परिवर्तन – अनुभव, विश्लेषण और सबक / (Educational transformation – experience, analysis and lessons)\nTitle: शिक्षा नीति पर नवउदारवादी हमला / (Neo-liberal assault on education policy)\nTitle: शिक्षा नीति का राजनैतिक अर्थशास्त्र / (Political economy of education policy)\nTitle: शिक्षा अधिकार के मायने / (Implication of right to education)\nTitle: उत्पादक काम और स्कूली शिक्षा / Productive Work And School Education\nWork and Education is a document published by NCERT as a part of NCF 2005\n“Our education has got to be revolutionised. The brain must be educated through the hand. If I were a poet, I could write poetry on the possibilities of the five fingers. Why should you think that the mind is everything and the hands and feet nothing? Those who do not train their hands, who go through the ordinary rut of education, lack ‘music’ in their life. All their faculties are not trained. Mere book knowledge does not interest the child so as to hold his attention fully. The brain gets weary of mere words, and the child’s mind begins to wander. The hand does the things it ought not to do, the eye sees the things it ought not to see, the ear hears the things it ought not to hear, and they do not do, see or hear, respectively what they ought to. They are not taught to make the right choice and so their education often proves their ruin. An education which does not teach us to discriminate between good and bad, to assimilate the one and eschew the other is a misnomer.”\n— Mahatma Gandhi Discussion with Teacher Trainees, Harijan, 18 February 1939\nClick here to read more on Work and Education publication\n","date":"June 11, 2021","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/nai-taleem/","section":"Living Academy in Pune","summary":"Gandhi’s Nai Taleem agenda offered a vision to build free-India’s education in a manner that would spearhead a silent reconstruction of our society and would also be linked to the developmental aspirations of the people. During 1969-70, out of a deep concern for the way where…","title":"Nai Taleem","type":"page"},{"content":" Farming \u0026amp; Horticulture\nSawaliram\nWater Conservation\nReproductive Health \u0026amp; Gender Issues\nLibraries and Documentation\nDemocratic \u0026amp; Human Rights\nGrassland \u0026amp; Fodder Development\nIrrigation\nPublic Health\nPeasant Mobilization\nDocumentation Centre\nEducation Policy Interventions\n","date":"February 28, 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/other-programs/","section":"Living Academy in Pune","summary":"Farming \u0026 Horticulture 1113×707 1.33 MB Farming \u0026 Horticulture Sawaliram 940×940 10.7 KB Sawaliram Water Conservation 940×940 9.71 KB Water Conservation Reproductive Health \u0026 Gender Issues 940×940 7.05 KB Reproductive Health \u0026 Gender Issues Libraries and Documentation 940×940…","title":"Other Programs","type":"page"},{"content":" हिंदी में पढ़ने के लिए यहां क्लिक करें\nChintan Shivir Poster\nOn the occasion of 50 years celebration of Kishore Bharati organization, a two day critical reflection session (Chintan Shivir) is organized by in association withIndian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Pune on reimagining education, in the context of resolving the dilemmas and paradoxes of current education, and its role in a democratic republic.\nTwo observations we cannot ignore about India (also true of several other countries):\nA farming family doesn’t want their children to be farmers, and doesn’t want their children to be natives of rural India. An educated rural Indian doesn’t want to be a native of a village but seeks to migrate to urban settlements, even if it means living in slums. Similar observations can be made about tribal communities, but most often they are forced to migrate. Though the reasons for this are not entirely due to education, the kind of aspirations that get imbibed during school and college education are also responsible. No doubt there are socio-cultural, economic, and political reasons. Still, in this brainstorming session, we will try to focus on what kind of reforms in the curriculum and the learning environments we need to bring in reshaping education that addresses these issues head-on.\nDuring the recent pandemic, we have witnessed massive return migrations to rural homes from the temporary urban settlements, as an indication of the inhuman model of development. If this is an indicator of 75 years of Independent India, many things went seriously wrong. People who were *living independently,*the farmers and tribals, became dependent, though we have seen partial relief from the feudal structure in the rural landscape. The mainstream school and college education system has successfullyalienated and devastated the lives of our rural and tribal population. Despite being the producers of the major wealth of the country, their lives and aspirations are systematically diminished, altered and fractured. Most disappointed communities live in this country’s villages and hamlets.\nKB was founded with the belief that an effective educational system can only be assessed by how well it enhances the quality of life in rural India. Several programs that KB undertook over the years reflect this engagement. This agenda is unfinished, but it is as relevant as it was in the 1970s. A recent publication by Kishore Bharati Paradoxes of Rural Development, exposes the dilemmas and paradoxes of education and rural development. It is written by one of our founder trustees, Late Suresh Suratwala, and has a lengthy foreword by Anil Sadgopal, (Download the PDF of the book).\nToday’s educated Indian is unfit to be a native in rural India. The mediated world, created largely by the formal and informal educational and cultural institutions of this country, is predominantly engulfed by rituals, tools and narratives that promote us to be consumers, and not producers. The existing academies (schools, colleges and universities), and the national education policies do not consider this as an issue, far from a critical and constructive engagement.\nThe markers of authentic education (Asli Talim): No education is meaningful if it cannot provide a clear direction to alleviate poverty, make people creative and happy, address social justice, maintain a habitat for the coexistence of all creatures, and inculcate the values of respecting human rights. And most importantly, if education cannot make a citizen understand the relevance of the principles and rules encoded in the constitution and be able to judge the actions of themselves and others, it cannot be considered complete. As educationists, if we cannot promise this, we cannot confidently claim to seek “education for all”.\nChintan Shivir is going to take place on 25th and 26th March 2023 at IISER Pune campus with educationists, researchers and activists to participate in a critical reflection, addressing the issues mentioned above and to arrive at a refreshing, alternative model of education.\nAs a volunteer driven and donor-supported organization, Kishore Bharati has limited resources to finance the event fully. As a host, the Department of Science Education, IISER Pune will take care of local hospitality (lodging in the Institute guest house, boarding and meeting rooms). We therefore request you contribute to the event by taking care of the travel expenses. In some exceptional cases if you could not take care of travel expenses either personally or through your organization, please do write to us. We will explore the ways of finding support, particularly if you write to us in advance.\nWe expect that all the participants will attend the event on both the days. We are also exploring ways to obtain your inputs to the agenda of the event, both prior to the event and just in case you cannot participate in person. Your contribution in any way to this critical reflection is valuable to us. Our research team is also curating and documenting the already published literature on the issue, please do send your recommendations, including your own writings, to us to facilitate the creation of a digital library. We will also send you some questions to shape the debate and discussions, which will help us set the agenda for each session and structure the proceedings for a fruitful outcome.\nTo find the list of Participants for Chintan Shivir Click Here\nTo know how to reach IISER Pune Click Here\n","date":"February 24, 2023","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/chintan-shivir-a-critical-reflection-session-on-re-imagining-education/","section":"Living Academy in Pune","summary":"हिंदी में पढ़ने के लिए यहां क्लिक करें This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is image-6-1024x1024.png 1024×1024 216 KB Chintan Shivir Poster On the occasion of 50 years celebration of Kishore Bharati organization, a two day critical reflection session (Chintan…","title":"Chintan Shivir a critical reflection session on re-imagining education","type":"page"},{"content":" Title: The Paradox of Rural Development in India, The Devapur Experience\nAuthor:Suresh Suratwala\nIntroduction by: Anil Sadgopal\nEdited by: Rajendra Hardenia\nPublished by: Kishore Bharati, February, 2020\nDownload Link\nTitle: जनसंख्या नियंत्रण के मिथक और पितृसत्ता की जंजीरो को तोड़कर\nCompiled \u0026amp; Edited by: शशि मौर्य\nPublished by: किशोर भारती, मार्च, 2016\nDownload Link\nTitle: शिक्षा में पीपीपी सार्वजनिक-निजी ‘साझेदारी’ या नवउदारवादी लूट?\nAuthor: अनिल सद्गोपाल\nPublished by: किशोर भारती, अक्तूबर, 2013\nDownload Link\nTitle: सवालों से उजाले तक जन आंदोलन में विज्ञान की भूमिका\nAuthor: डॉ. अनिल सद्गोपाल\nPublished by: किशोर भारती, जून, 2015\nDownload Link\nTitle: आखिर, समान स्कूल व्यवस्था है क्या? मूल शीर्षक- भारत शिक्षित कैसे बने? अखिर समान स्कूल व्यवस्था क्या है? सवाल आपके जवाब हमारे\nAuthor: सुनील\nPublished by: किशोर भारती, अप्रैल, 2014\nDownload Link\nTitle: डालर की चाल ने, जहर घोला भोपाल में – वैश्वीकरण के मुहाने पर सरकार और कॉरपोरेट पूंजी कि सांठगांठ की कहानी\nAuthor: डॉ. अनिल सद्गोपाल\nPublished by: किशोर भारती, दिसंबर, 2009\nDownload Link\nTitle: भारत शिक्षित कैसे बने? सावल आपके, जवाब हमारे\nAuthor: सुनील\nPublished by: किशोर भारती, अप्रैल, 2014\nDownload Link\nTitle: रुका हुआ फैसला, ठहरा हुआ दर्द और उबरता हुआ आक्रोश\nAuthor: शशि मौर्य\nPublished by: किशोर भारती, दिसंबर, 2014\nDownload Link\nTitle: भगतसिंह की शहादत को आज याद करना जरूरी क्यों है?\nAuthors: अनिल सद्गोपाल, कनक शशि\nPublished by: किशोर भारती, सितंबर, 2013\nDownload Link\nTitle: एक सामाजिक प्रयोग को समटने पर\nAuthor: सक्षिप्र रपट\nPublished by: किशोर भारती, नवंबर, 1991\nDownload Link\nTitle: औरतों की स्थिति में देशों का क्रम: गरीब निर्बल और गर्भवती\nTranslated by: सुशील जोशी\nPublished by: किशोर भारती, जनवरी, 1989\nDownload Link\nTitle: Kishore Bharati Progress Report\nPublished by: Kishore Bharati, September, 1973\nDownload Link\nTitle: संघर्ष और निर्माण- शंकर गुहा नियोगी और उनका नए भारत का सपना\nEdited by: अनिल सद्गोपाल (किशोर भारती) और श्याम बहादुर ‘नम्र’\nPublished by: राजकमल प्रकाशन, सितंबर,1993\nDownload Link\nTitle: Neo-Liberal Assault On Higher Education -An Agenda for Putting India on Sale\nCompiled \u0026amp; Edited by: Anil Sadgopal\nPublished by:AIFRTE, October, 2014\nDownload Link\nTitle: Never A Dull Moment, Academic Narrative of Hoshangabad Science Teaching Programme\nAuthor: Sushil Joshi\nTranslated by: Rex D’Rozario\nForeword by: Vijaya S.Varma\nPublished by:Eklavya Publication, December, 2014\nDownload Link\nNai Taleem Articles:\nArticle by Prof. Anil Sadgopal on DECIPHERING POLICY DISCOURSE ON THE PLACE OF WORK IN CURRICULUM. The article is relevant to understand Nai Taleem and the history of policy discourses on integrating work with education in India.\nArticle by Prof. Anil Sadgopal on ‘The Pedagogic Essence of Nai Talim- Reconstructing its Role in Contemporary Curriculum’. It gives an overview of Nai Taleem and how the integration of work with education can serve as a radical departure from Bhraminical-cum-colonial paradigm insofar as it challenges the dichotomy between work and education by placing manual work at the center of the school curriculum itself, thus challenging caste-class barriers through education.\nCUBE Articles:\nCUBE Hindi article published by Shaikshanik Sandarbh, 2021 covering research project-based science learning in CUBE\nCUBE-undergraduates-in-lockdown-sustaining-research-projects-with-cube-home-labs published by IndiaBioscience, 2020\nCUBE, in pandemic times, CUBE is functioning by students creating labs in their homes, called Home Labs, where they perform experiments, and in evening meet everyday online in Chatshaala sessions to discuss about their projects. This article is published in Indiabioscience, by CUBists sharing their experience of their Home Labs during pandemic.\nCUBE Marathi article published by Shikshan Sankraman, 2020 covering how students learn science by experimenting and collaborating with each other in CUBE\nCUBE-Coolest Lab in Town article published by Mumbai Mirror, 2018 covering aspects of how biology can be taught and learnt across country in a different manner by doing it\nCUBE article: Out-of-the-box education project ignites young minds published by Times of India, 2013 covering problems of research oriented education in India and introduces aspects and major aims of CUBE program initiated at HBCSE,TIFR\n","date":"January 1, 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/publications/","section":"Living Academy in Pune","summary":"2560×1920 753 KB Title: The Paradox of Rural Development in India, The Devapur Experience Author:Suresh Suratwala Introduction by: Anil Sadgopal Edited by: Rajendra Hardenia Published by: Kishore Bharati, February, 2020 Download Link Title: जनसंख्या नियंत्रण के मिथक और…","title":"Publications","type":"page"},{"content":" Kishore Bharati is a volunteer-based trust with limited or no full-time employees and depends a lot on the quality time of volunteers and donations to support our program expenses. Donors can avail of 80G tax exemption. Please read the following donation policy before sending us the donation.\nDonation Policy Kishore Bharati’s donation policy is formulated keeping in mind our objectives to optimize our functional relationships with the various communities our programs engage with and to enhance people’s participation in general. Therefore, we would encourage more donors with small donations than depend on a few large donations.\nWe sincerely appreciate your voluntary time and involvement more than your monetary contribution. Please write an email to join as a volunteer at office@kishorebharati.org However, you may wish to contribute because you wish to promote our activities. In that case, please read the following policy: We accept donations from any single source (a person or an organisation), of not more than Rs. 100,000 per annum, and not less than Rs. 500/- in any given single instance. It is possible to make small recurring payments, say Rs.1000/- every month, or Rs.12,000/- every year, subject to the amount not exceeding Rs. 100,000 per annum. You can claim a tax rebate under Income Tax Act Section 80G. We accept donations only from Indian citizens and organizations/institutions/ agencies registered in India. If you are an Indian citizen living abroad, you can donate via an Indian Bank account or by transacting with cards issued by an Indian bank. If you like to make a donation larger than 100,000/-, please write to us at office@kishorebharati.org, by clearly identifying who you are and the reasons for making a large donation. We do not accept anonymous donations. We hold the right to return the donation. We do not accept donations from political or religious organizations. For one-time donations click the following button.\nYou can also pay using this Donation Link.\nAlternatively, you can write to us incase you like to drop a cheque or do a direct transfer to our bank account, please write to office@kishorebharati.org with your Name, address and PAN details.\nThis is necessary for your Tax Receipt. We accept donations from only Indians and those living abroad holding an Indian passport.\nCancellation and Refund Policy Please read the cancellation and refund policy.\n","date":"June 10, 2021","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/donate/","section":"Living Academy in Pune","summary":"Kishore Bharati is a volunteer-based trust with limited or no full-time employees and depends a lot on the quality time of volunteers and donations to support our program expenses. Donors can avail of 80G tax exemption. Please read the following donation policy before sending…","title":"Donate","type":"page"},{"content":"","date":"July 28, 2023","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/blog/","section":"Blog","summary":"","title":"Blog","type":"blog"},{"content":" CUBE National Meet, 2023 was organized in collaboration with K J Somaiya College of Science and Commerce, Somaiya Vidyavihar, Mumbai 1, and Somaiya Center for Experiential Learning (SCEL) between 20th \u0026amp; 23rd July 2023 at Somaiya Vidyavihar Campus. The event included 2-days workshop and a 2-days National meet. The participants from across different parts of the country which included students as well as teachers participated and engaged in the event. Somaiya College has started CUBE Lab and supported the program with its facilities and also assisted in organizing the program. The workshop included hands-on experimentation, field visit where students collected samples from nature, and also engaged in discussions and causeries, around the research projects undertaken by students using a variety of model systems.\nThe 2-days National meet involved presentations by each of the groups working on different research projects, the national meet was conducted in hybrid mode where participants who could not be physically present joined online, including veteran cubists from across borders joined, participated, engaged, and presented their work.\nThe National meet included presentations that focussed on work done by students in their Home Labs using organisms that are found around them such as Snails, Earthworm, Mango trees, Cuckoo, Cardamine, Phyllanthus and also showed how it can be done anywhere correlating it with gully cricket model of doing science.\nThe Award ceremony felicitated several cubists with awards in the names of eminent personalities who have contributed in the field of Science, Popularization of Science, and Science Education. The collaborative work effort of CUBE members was visible in each of the presentations, presentations also involved simplicity of doing science, a sense of how experiments can be designed, how scientific methodology can be learned, and also how frontier research questions can be addressed by simple model system based work. Students also presented goof-ups done by them during their work and how they learned and developed from them, they also presented how the Content of their Curriculum can be learned and understood by doing these investigative research projects.\nThe program ended with the importance and role of documentation and how CUBE encourages a culture of documentation, writing, researching, and debating which are important parts of scientific culture.\nGroup Photos of CUBE National Meet, 2023\nStudents Performing Activities:\nCUBE Members Presenting during National Meet, 2023\nProf. MC Arunan presenting awards to CUBE members and CUBE regional centres\nAashutosh introducing genesis of CUBE and CUBE Lab in Somaiya\nCUBE National Meet Recordings:\n","date":"July 28, 2023","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/blog/commencement-of-cube-national-meet-at-somaiya-college-2023/","section":"Blog","summary":"CUBE National Meet, 2023 was organized in collaboration with K J Somaiya College of Science and Commerce, Somaiya Vidyavihar, Mumbai 1 , and Somaiya Center for Experiential Learning (SCEL) between 20th \u0026 23rd July 2023 at Somaiya Vidyavihar Campus. The event included 2-days…","title":"Commencement of CUBE National Meet at Somaiya College, 2023","type":"blog"},{"content":" Kishore Bharati in collaboration with K.J Somaiya College of Science \u0026amp; Commerce and Somaiya Centre for Experiential Learning (SCEL), Somaiya Vidyavihar University presents CUBE National Meet 2023, with the theme, ‘Re-imagining Biology Education and Research: Connecting CUBE Home Labs and CUBE Hubs through gully cricket model of doing science’\nWe are excited to announce our first offline/hybrid CUBE NATIONAL MEET after the lockdown! Pandemic was a very turbulent period for everyone but it also gave us the opportunity to connect online with thousands of people across the country and which made us carry forward and expand the idea of learning science through home labs.\nCollaboratively Understanding Biology Education (CUBE) program: CUBE started out as a 5-week workshop to engage students in discovery based research experiences in 2012 at Homi Bhabha Center for Science Education (HBCSE), Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) with 18 students (from 4 colleges). With the help of Simple Model Systems, CUBE encourages to understand and solve complex problems by making informed decisions through collaboration. As it progressed, CUBE evolved as a community of sustainable engagement of students for science education in general and biology in particular. In the CUBE community, teachers play an equally crucial role, serving as the primary driving force, encouraging students to learn science by regularly chatting about their investigations.\nIt has always been the vision of CUBE to develop unsophisticated resources for research but with sophisticated ideas, so that learning biology and doing research will be easier for everyone. Since the lockdown, the participants have been regularly connecting with each other online without any interruption for more than 1200+ days. This experiment proved beyond doubt that we can collaboratively learn science through investigations athome labs\nKishore Bharati announces the first ever offline CUBE NATIONAL MEET after the lockdown organized in collaboration with K J Somaiya College of Science and Commerce, Somaiya Vidyavihar, Mumbai 1, and Somaiya Center for Experiential Learning (SCEL). This Meet would be held on 22nd \u0026amp; 23rd July 2023 at Somaiya Vidyavihar Campus. This will also be streamed live on YouTube (Kishore Bharati page) to connect participants by online mode. (i.e hybrid mode)\nCNM-Schedule-POSTER-2.0 · Download\nThe program will include a 2-days workshop and presentations during National meet by CUBE participants from different parts of the country who are working in their home labs with frugal materials around them and demonstrating how science can be done at any place with minimal resources similar to how one can play gully cricket anywhere. Gully cricket model of doing science is an innovation of CUBE-Kishore Bharati to democratize and popularize culture of science and research and investigative STEM habits among students.\nCUBE National Meet is an initiative which will bring together a variety of ideas, inspirations, stories, experiences, and innovations from young students and teachers across different parts of India who are playing the game of science similar to cricket and spreading the culture of science.\nThe event will be documented on metastudio.org\nPlease login and register on metastudio.org\nSchedule of event:\nCUBE Workshop Schedule (20th \u0026amp; 21st July, 2023)\nCUBE-Workshop-and-National-Meet-Details · Download\nCUBE National Meet Schedule (22nd \u0026amp; 23rd July, 2023)\nSCHEDULE-OF-CUBE-NATIONAL-MEET-2023-Sheet1 · Download\n","date":"July 14, 2023","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/blog/cube-national-meet-2023/","section":"Blog","summary":"Kishore Bharati in collaboration with K.J Somaiya College of Science \u0026 Commerce and Somaiya Centre for Experiential Learning (SCEL), Somaiya Vidyavihar University presents CUBE National Meet 2023, with the theme, ‘Re-imagining Biology Education and Research: Connecting CUBE…","title":"CUBE National Meet 2023","type":"blog"},{"content":" https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m14!1m8!1m3!1d60519.30968052372!2d73.804036!3d18.553431!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0x3bc2bf178755c7b1%3A0xd0e6d0861972dfca!2sIndian%20Institute%20of%20Science%20Education%20and%20Research%2C%20Pune!5e0!3m2!1sen!2sin!4v1677255261631!5m2!1sen!2sin\nAddress\nIndian Institute of Science Education and Research Pune Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, Pune 411008, India Phone: +91-20-25908000\nVenue:\nHR-4 Guest House IISER Pune\nMap: https://maps.app.goo.gl/ypsVMyBGmDQv5qvV8 Contact Person: Sahamatha (+91 87624 30626)\nReaching IISER Pune How to Reach Pune Pune is well connected by air, rail and road to other major cities in India. The airport is located in Lohegaon. When arriving by train or bus, you can alight at either Pune Junction (main railway station and bus stand) or at Shivajinagar station / bus stand. Another option, particularly for international visitors, is to travel to Mumbai and then take a taxi, bus or train to Pune.\nHow to reach IISER Pune IISER Pune is located in between Pashan and Baner areas, in the north-western part of Pune city. It is about three kilometers from Pune University circle. If you take Baner road from Pune University circle, you will reach the Baner Gate of IISER Pune on your left, after about 3 km (between ITI Road junction and Someshwar Wadi junction). On the pashan side, National Chemical Laboratory (NCL) is a known landmark very close to IISER. Going from Pune University towards Pashan, the Pashan Gate of IISER Pune is located about 200 metres from NCL gate, on the same side of the road.\nPune Municipal Transport buses halt at Baner Road opposite to Baner Gate and at the Panchavati bus stop located just opposite to the Pashan gate. We would advise that if you are coming by autorickshaw or taxi, please get the vehicle inside the campus as it can be a fairly long walk from the gate with luggage.\nNote: Autorickshaws charge a higher rate at night.\nIf your destination at IISER Pune is the Lecture Hall Complex (which also houses Sir C. V. Raman Auditorium) or Main Academic Building, we recommend that you enter the campus via Baner Gate.\nFrom the Airport By taxi / autorickshaw, IISER Pune is about 18 km from the airport. An autorickshaw will cost around Rs. 200/ to 250/- while a taxi will be around Rs. 350/- .\nFrom the Railway Station IISER Pune is about 10 km from Pune main railway station and an autorickshaw will cost between Rs. 100/- to 150/-.\nFrom Shivajinagar, the distance to IISER Pune is about 6 km and an autorickshaw will cost about Rs. 75/-.\nIf you are coming by PMPML bus, please alight at the Panchavati bus stop (for Pashan gate) or at Someshwar Wadi stop (for Baner gate).\nPune from Mumbai From the Mumbai airport, take a taxi to Pune (Coolcabs for example). One can also go to the Mumbai CST station and take a train to Pune. Tickets may be booked in advance – please visit the Indian Railways site.\nOne can also travel from Dadar or Borivali by a Volvo bus to Pune. This can cost between Rs. 350/- to 550/-.\n","date":"February 24, 2023","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/how-to-reach-iiser-pune/","section":"Living Academy in Pune","summary":"https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m14!1m8!1m3!1d60519.30968052372!2d73.804036!3d18.553431!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0x3bc2bf178755c7b1%3A0xd0e6d0861972dfca!2sIndian%20Institute%20of%20Science%20Education%20and%20Research%2C%20Pune!5e0!3m2!1sen!2sin!4v1677255261631!5…","title":"How to Reach IISER Pune","type":"page"},{"content":"","date":"February 17, 2023","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/award/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Award","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"February 17, 2023","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/conference/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Conference","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"February 17, 2023","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/cube/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Cube","type":"tags"},{"content":" CUBE students were invited and participated in Indian Society of Evolutionary Biologists (ISEB) Conference at Ahmadabad University from 9th to 11th February, 2023. Cubists @Theertha @Shraddha276 and @Lakshmy attended the conference and presented posters on their work in the conference. The conference included presentations on the theme of Evolution. Cubists presented three posters, on topics like Co-evolution, evolution of Circadian rhythm, etc. The poster presented by @Shraddha276 and group on the topic of Co-evolution between a plant (Cardamine) and Butterfly won the Best Paper Award at the conference. The paper is an investigative paper which is still in progress and includes the work done by cubists at Home Labs. It demonstrates how sophisticated science can be done by using simple models in a collaborative manner.\nProf. M.C Arunan from Kishore Bharati was also invited to the conference and Chaired a plenary session on Evolution on the topic: What is wrong with how we teach Evolution and how to fix it?\nYou can find the abstracts and posters below that have been collaboratively prepared by the CUBists and presented at ISEB Conference.\n1st Poster\nAbstract\nSelection and shifting of host Plant by Psyche Butterflies (Leptosia nina) through co- evolutionary Interaction\nSonavane Shraddha V., Yadav Kiran, Arunan M.C, Pipewala Batul, Joshi Himanshu, Advani Jaikishan, P. Chitralekha\nIn this study we report the host range broadening and switching by Psyche butterfly (Leptosia nina). The reported host plants of Psyche included Cleome (Cleomaceae), Creteva and Capparis sp. (Capparidaceae) but recently, the entire life cycle of Psyche was observed on Cardamine, a member of closely related family Brassicaceae, by CUBists. All these plants species are known to produced Glucosinolates, which are generally toxic to many other butterflies. The Psyche butterfly has evolved to detoxify the glucosinolates and survive on these plants. Plants and butterflies have co-evolved for their survival. Plants release glucosinolates to protect themselves from herbivores, whereas Psyche caterpillars survive on plants by producing Nitrile Specific Proteins (NSP) which breakdown glucosinolates, neutralizing their toxic effect. Besides, the caterpillars also store toxic glucosinolates as a defence against predators. Our finding suggests that Psyche butterfly has evolved to complete its lifecycle on all plants producing glucosinolates.\nCardamine Psyche interaction poster ISEB4 (1).pdf (1.3 MB)\n2nd Poster\nAbstract\nCombating first ever known horizontal gene transfer between plant and whitefly, Bemisia tabaci to develop pest control strategies\nIchha shah.,Arunan M.C.,Theertha M.D.,Lakshmy P.J.,KiranY.,Chitralekha P.,Himanshu J Adithya J.,Abhijeet S.,Smiti G,\nPlants produce secondary metabolites as defence against pests. Yet, most plants serve as food for insects. Phyllanthus is a plant which belongs to the family Phyllanthaceae and it is known for producing secondary metabolites of medicinal importance. We observed that Whitefly, Bemisia tabaci, can infect Phyllanthus plants inspite of presence of secondary metabolites. As per recent publications, Whitefly has been shown to have acquired a gene, coding for melonyl transferase from plants through horizontal gene transfer which can detoxified secondary metabolites. This evolution of white fly through acquisition of the gene has enabled it to infect a large number of plants. We proposed to confirm this, and if found to be true, then suggest a model for combating many insect infestation of crop plants through RNAi technology.\nISEB 2023_Whitefly-4.pdf (663.5 KB)\n3rd Poster\nAbstract\nA study to understand the factors involved in regulation of circadian rhythm in different organisms\nSmiti G., Sharma Shalini., Sonavane Shraddha V., Theertha M.D., Lakshmy P.J, P. Chitralekha\nMost living organisms, including animals, plants, and microbes, are impacted by circadian rhythms. The objective of our study was to understand the role of factors in maintaining circadian rhythm in organisms like Drosophila and Phyllanthus with respect to their evolution over the time. Although our project was done collaboratively by people from all over India, similar results were obtained; consistently two peak activities were seen, one before noon(9-11 am) and one in the evening (4-6pm). In case of Phyllanthus, the leaves unfold during day time and remain folded during the night, However our experiments showed that this rhythm could be disrupted on exposure to continuous light and darkness. Not only light but adverse conditions such as high light intensity, high temperature and low soil water content can also initiate leaf folding. Our results clearly indicate that both Drosophila and Phyllanthus have evolved circadian rhythm to better adapt to the environment.\nISEB CIRCADIAN RHYTHM.pdf (2.9 MB)\nClick on the given link below to know more about ISEB Conference ISEB\nProf. MC Arunan from Kishore Bharati along with Prof. Milind Watve and other evolutionary biologists at ISEB Conference during plenary session on the topic: What is wrong with how we teach Evolution and how to fix it? (The picture in background on screen from book by Prof. Karen Haydock named: How do they evolve?)\nPlenary Session at ISEB Conference on Evolution\nKishore Bharati-CUBE/CURE Fellow Ms. Theertha presenting her poster at ISEB Conference at Ahmadabad University\nKishore Bharati-CUBE/CURE Fellow Ms. Shraddha Sonawane presenting her poster at ISEB Conference at Ahmadabad University\nCubist Ms. Lakshmy presenting her poster at ISEB conference at Ahamadabad University\n","date":"February 17, 2023","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/blog/cube-kishore-bharati-at-the-4th-conference-of-the-iseb-indian-society-of-evolutionary-biologists-at-ahmadabad-university/","section":"Blog","summary":"CUBE students were invited and participated in Indian Society of Evolutionary Biologists (ISEB) Conference at Ahmadabad University from 9th to 11th February, 2023. Cubists @Theertha @Shraddha276 and @Lakshmy attended the conference and presented posters on their work in the…","title":"CUBE-Kishore Bharati at the 4th Conference of the ISEB (Indian Society of Evolutionary Biologists) at Ahmadabad University","type":"blog"},{"content":"","date":"February 17, 2023","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/events/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Events","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"February 17, 2023","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/home-labs/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Home-Labs","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"February 17, 2023","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/iseb/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Iseb","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"February 17, 2023","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/scientists/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Scientists","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"February 17, 2023","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Tags","type":"tags"},{"content":" Sharad Chandra Behar, Bhopal, Former Secretary, Education \u0026amp; Chief Secretary, M.P. Govt.\nJBG Tilak, Professor, Council for Social Development \u0026amp; NIEPA\nSatyajit Rath, IISER Pune, AIPSN\nVivek Monteiro, Navnirmiti\nMilind Watve, Professor, IISER Pune\nAnil Sadgopal, Founder of Kishore Bharati, Former Professor Delhi University\nAnil Gupta IIMA, Honeybee Network\nArvind Gupta, HSTP, Kishore Bharati\nNiranjanaradhya V.P, National Law School of India University, Bangalore.\nJohn D’Souza, Centre for Education and Documentation\nPrince Gajendra Babu, SPCSS, Chennai, Tamil Nadu\nHaragopal E, Central University Hyderabad \u0026amp; Kishore Bharati\nUsha Ramanathan, Human Rights Activist, Delhi\nBhas Bapat, IISER Pune\nG. Nagarjuna, Kishore Bharati, Former Professor at HBCSE, TIFR\nJayashree Ramadas, Former Director, HBCSE, TIFR\nKishore Darak. Tata Trusts\nK J Joy, Society for Promoting Participative Ecosystem Management (SOPPECOM)\nKamal Mahendroo, Ex-Kishore Bharati, Hoshangabad Science Teaching Program (HSTP)\nM C Arunan, Former HOD Sophia College \u0026amp; Kishore Bharati\nShamin Padalkar, TISS \u0026amp; IISER Pune\nUrmi Chanda, Researcher, Navodaya World\nRafikh Shaikh, Tata Institute of Social Sciences\nJeenath Rahaman, Tata Institute of Social Sciences\nJaikishan Advani, Research Associate, Kishore Bharati\nSahamatha, Research Associate, Kishore Bharati\nAjay Singh, Professor at IGNOU\nRitu Bala, Assistant Professor, Delhi University\nYogesh Kulkarni, Executive Director, Vigyan Ashram\nKarthick Balasubramanian, Agarkhar Research Institute\nAnirban Hazra, Associate Professor, IISER Pune\nBaswant Vithabai Babarao, Center for Environment Education\nMichelle, Tamarind Tree\nHemant, Tamarind Tree\nPrajwal Shastri, Indian Institute of Astrophysics\nAnusha Ramanathan, Tata Institute of Social Sciences\nNootan Bhakal, Indian Women Scientists’ Association (IWSA)\nMs. Vijayalakshmi Tilak, Indian Women Scientists’ Association (IWSA)\nMs. Tripta Tewari, Indian Women Scientists’ Association (IWSA)\nVickram Crishna, Navodaya Network Forum\nDurga Prasad, Former Research Scholar, HBCSE, TIFR\nMohammad Sajid Hussain, Founder, Schoolasium\nKetan Premani, Kishore Bharati\nRajendra Hardenia, Kishore Bharati\nAmit Dhakhulkar, Researcher at North-West University, Former Research scholar HBCSE, TIFR\nSurendra Ghaskadbi, Agarkhar Research Institute\nSurjit Thokchom, Founder \u0026amp; Director SST\nSharad Javadekar, Akhil Bharatiya Samajwadi Adhyapak Sabha (ABSAS)\nSourav Dutta, Content Writer, Film Maker\nCharudatta Naware, Research Scholar, HBCSE, TIFR\nMeera Sanghamitra, NAPM\nUma Ranade, Pratham\nVikas Gupta, Kishore Bharati\nMadhu Prasad, Kishore Bharati\n","date":"February 4, 2023","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/list-of-participants-for-chintan-shivir/","section":"Living Academy in Pune","summary":"Sharad Chandra Behar, Bhopal, Former Secretary, Education \u0026 Chief Secretary, M.P. Govt. 300×225 88.7 KB Sharad Chandra Behar, Bhopal, Former Secretary, Education \u0026 Chief Secretary, M.P. Govt. JBG Tilak, Professor, Council for Social Development \u0026 NIEPA 500×375 214 KB JBG Tilak,…","title":"List of participants for Chintan Shivir","type":"page"},{"content":"","date":"January 28, 2023","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/anil-sadgopal/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Anil-Sadgopal","type":"tags"},{"content":" Chintan Shivir Poster\nOn the occasion of 50 years celebration of Kishore Bharati organization, a two day critical reflection session (Chintan Shivir) is organized by in association withIndian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Pune on reimagining education, in the context of resolving the dilemmas and paradoxes of current education, and its role in a democratic republic.\nTwo observations we cannot ignore about India (also true of several other countries):\nA farming family doesn’t want their children to be farmers, and doesn’t want their children to be natives of rural India. An educated rural Indian doesn’t want to be a native of a village but seeks to migrate to urban settlements, even if it means living in slums. Similar observations can be made about tribal communities, but most often they are forced to migrate. Though the reasons for this are not entirely due to education, the kind of aspirations that get imbibed during school and college education are also responsible. No doubt there are socio-cultural, economic, and political reasons. Still, in this brainstorming session, we will try to focus on what kind of reforms in the curriculum and the learning environments we need to bring in reshaping education that addresses these issues head-on.\nDuring the recent pandemic, we have witnessed massive return migrations to rural homes from the temporary urban settlements, as an indication of the inhuman model of development. If this is an indicator of 75 years of Independent India, many things went seriously wrong. People who were *living independently,*the farmers and tribals, became dependent, though we have seen partial relief from the feudal structure in the rural landscape. The mainstream school and college education system has successfullyalienated and devastated the lives of our rural and tribal population. Despite being the producers of the major wealth of the country, their lives and aspirations are systematically diminished, altered and fractured. Most disappointed communities live in this country’s villages and hamlets.\nKB was founded with the belief that an effective educational system can only be assessed by how well it enhances the quality of life in rural India. Several programs that KB undertook over the years reflect this engagement. This agenda is unfinished, but it is as relevant as it was in the 1970s. A recent publication by Kishore Bharati Paradoxes of Rural Development, exposes the dilemmas and paradoxes of education and rural development. It is written by one of our founder trustees, Late Suresh Suratwala, and has a lengthy foreword by Anil Sadgopal, (Download the PDF of the book).\nToday’s educated Indian is unfit to be a native in rural India. The mediated world, created largely by the formal and informal educational and cultural institutions of this country, is predominantly engulfed by rituals, tools and narratives that promote us to be consumers, and not producers. The existing academies (schools, colleges and universities), and the national education policies do not consider this as an issue, far from a critical and constructive engagement.\nThe markers of authentic education (Asli Talim): No education is meaningful if it cannot provide a clear direction to alleviate poverty, make people creative and happy, address social justice, maintain a habitat for the coexistence of all creatures, and inculcate the values of respecting human rights. And most importantly, if education cannot make a citizen understand the relevance of the principles and rules encoded in the constitution and be able to judge the actions of themselves and others, it cannot be considered complete. As educationists, if we cannot promise this, we cannot confidently claim to seek “education for all”.\nChintan Shivir is going to take place on 25th and 26th March 2023 at IISER Pune campus with educationists, researchers and activists to participate in a critical reflection, addressing the issues mentioned above and to arrive at a refreshing, alternative model of education.\nAs a volunteer driven and donor-supported organization, Kishore Bharati has limited resources to finance the event fully. As a host, the Department of Science Education, IISER Pune will take care of local hospitality (lodging in the Institute guest house, boarding and meeting rooms). We therefore request you contribute to the event by taking care of the travel expenses. In some exceptional cases if you could not take care of travel expenses either personally or through your organization, please do write to us. We will explore the ways of finding support, particularly if you write to us in advance.\nWe expect that all the participants will attend the event on both the days. We are also exploring ways to obtain your inputs to the agenda of the event, both prior to the event and just in case you cannot participate in person. Your contribution in any way to this critical reflection is valuable to us. Our research team is also curating and documenting the already published literature on the issue, please do send your recommendations, including your own writings, to us to facilitate the creation of a digital library. We will also send you some questions to shape the debate and discussions, which will help us set the agenda for each session and structure the proceedings for a fruitful outcome.\nTo find the list of Participants for Chintan Shivir Click Here\n","date":"January 28, 2023","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/blog/chintan-shivir-a-critical-reflection-session-on-re-imagining-education-announcement/","section":"Blog","summary":"Chintan Shivir Poster 1080×1080 241 KB Chintan Shivir Poster On the occasion of 50 years celebration of Kishore Bharati organization, a two day critical reflection session (Chintan Shivir) is organized by in association with Indian Institute of Science Education and Research…","title":"Chintan Shivir: a critical reflection session on re-imagining education (announcement)","type":"blog"},{"content":"","date":"January 28, 2023","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/chintan-shivir/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Chintan-Shivir","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"January 28, 2023","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/education/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Education","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"January 28, 2023","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/education-and-societ/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Education-and-Societ","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"January 28, 2023","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/science-education/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Science-Education","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"January 28, 2023","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/society/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Society","type":"tags"},{"content":" Collaboratively Understanding Biology Program of Kishore Bharati completed 1000 days of its Chatshaala and Home Labs on 14th December, 2022. The Home Labs model was exiting in CUBE even before pandemic however after Covid-19 Pandemic the Home Labs model become dominant in CUBE-KB along with online Chatshaala discussions and on its 1000 days occasion celebration took place by participation of Cubists from different parts of the country. In the celebration CUBE students prepared presentations and presented them to all audience in Chatshaala. The 1000 days celebration stated that its not a celebration for a day but a season which will continue as more participants join in Home Labs activities and create newer Home Labs and thus making it a Home Lab Movement.\nThe presentations took place on the topics of Moina, Butterfly and Phyllanthus model systems. These are commonly found organisms around us, and CUBE students are culturing them at their home labs and asking several interesting research questions. The presentations are example how frugal science labs can be developed in home conditions. How several experiments students perform are related to their curriculum and also how community can be build using online video conferencing and social media means to involve several students to get involved in learning science by doing. 1000 days of Home Labs is a Home Lab Movement which demonstrates how science can be done without any much sophistication from any part of country, at the same time a scientific culture and scientific temperament can be built through collaborative interactions, engagements, participation and practicing science from anywhere even beyond boundaries of classroom.\nPoster of 1000 days Celebration of CUBE Chatshaala and Home Labs\nGroup Photographs of Celebration of 1000 days Chatshaala and Home Labs event\nPhoto of 1000 days Chatshaala session\nVideo Recordings of Sessions from the Celebration\nSauraya and Lahari explaining how they designed the experiment for studying phyllanthus sleep-wake cycle: The Phyllanthus is a small plant that grows to a height of 15-20 cm and we often find phyllanthus plant In our nearby surroundings or along the sidewalks of the road\nSakshi is interested in studying the sleep wake cycle pf phyllanthus plant, during her observations she discovered a caterpillar on her phyllanthus and started cultivating it in her Home lab\nCubists are studying lifecycle of worms which sometimes you can find inside the pea pods, cabbage leaves bun while peeling them off. There are several stages of these worms (caterpillars) that one can study even at home labs, these caterpillars become adult like beautiful butterfly or moth or any other insect after few days\nSeema is explaining how she collected water from pond in order to culture water flea Moina, the video shows how Cubists are finding possibilities to culture organisms in frugal conditions in home labs\nIn her presentation, Archita makes the following crucial points that distinguish Daphnia from Moina which are two different types of water flea, in the observations they made in their frugal home labs\nThe program saw an enthusiasm in students to continue the momentum of CUBE Home Labs activities and involve their friends, colleagues also in the movement.\n","date":"December 18, 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/blog/celebration-of-1000-days-of-cube-chatshaala-home-labs/","section":"Blog","summary":"Collaboratively Understanding Biology Program of Kishore Bharati completed 1000 days of its Chatshaala and Home Labs on 14th December, 2022. The Home Labs model was exiting in CUBE even before pandemic however after Covid-19 Pandemic the Home Labs model become dominant in…","title":"Celebration of 1000 Days of CUBE Chatshaala \u0026 Home Labs","type":"blog"},{"content":"","date":"December 18, 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/chatshaala/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Chatshaala","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"December 18, 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/scientific-temperame/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Scientific-Temperame","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"December 15, 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/cesi/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Cesi","type":"tags"},{"content":" Kishore Bharati presented a paper on the topic ‘Extending Community of Practice (CoP) beyond Institutes to Inculcate STEM Habits in Society’ in 12th International CESI Conference at Maulana Azad National Urdu University, Hyderabad, 9th-11th December, 2022.\nThe paper included example of Kishore Bharati-CUBE Home Labs where community of practice of science is created from across different Home Labs across country which interact everyday in an online Chatshaala platform as well as using social media applications. The scientific practices which take place in this community interactions were the focus of the paper. STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) Habits are essentially habits which are needed for developing scientific attitude. The study focused on what all STEM habits are being developed in community of practice and how they are essential for shaping the scientific temper in students. The study essentially uncovers and describes what actually Scientific temper means and demonstrates possible environments which can help to develop those habits in order to culture scientific temper.\nA list of STEM Habits were developed at Gnowledge Lab, HBCSE, TIFR based on the practices and habits which scientists follow, the list of STEM Habits can be found here: https://metastudio.org/badges the list was employed in the study to characterize which all STEM habits are developed in CUBE community of practice. Examples from CUBE social media interaction, CUBE Chatshaala interactions and inscriptions as well as Case studies were used to understand STEM habits developed in the community, the theoretical framework of Pierre Bourdieu of Cultural Reproduction was used in order to demonstrate reproduction of STEM habits as a culture in CUBE community. The link of the abstract and presentation can be found here: Extended Abstract and Presentation\nThe presentation received good response from audience and some points for more reflection. Below are some of the pictures of Mr. Jaikishan Advani who presented the paper in collaboration with Mrs. Shraddha Ghumre from Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education, TIFR.\nThe conference had several other presentations on various topics from policy levels analysis, cultural aspects of education, privatization and its implications, access to education, teacher education, alternative methods in education, technology in education, impact of digitalization on education, comparative education in different contexts, etc.\n","date":"December 15, 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/blog/presentation-on-scientific-temper-at-comparative-education-society-of-india-cesi-conference/","section":"Blog","summary":"Kishore Bharati presented a paper on the topic ‘Extending Community of Practice (CoP) beyond Institutes to Inculcate STEM Habits in Society’ in 12th International CESI Conference at Maulana Azad National Urdu University, Hyderabad, 9th-11th December, 2022. The paper included…","title":"Presentation on Scientific Temper at Comparative Education Society of India (CESI) Conference","type":"blog"},{"content":"","date":"December 15, 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/stem-habits/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Stem-Habits","type":"tags"},{"content":" Prof. Anil Sadgopal presented his series of talks at IISER Pune organized by Disha organization on the occasion of 75th anniversary of Independence Day .\nThe first talk was delivered on 17th August, 2022 on the theme, ‘Pre-Independence Discourse: Laying the foundation for the constitutional vision of education‘\nThe Video of talk is available on this link\nThe second talk was delivered on 19th August, 202 on the theme, ‘Post-Independence Discourse on Education and the Constitution’\nVideo of the talk is available on this link\nClick on this link, to find the detailed abstract of the talks.\nThe material used for second talk on Post-Independence discourse on education and the constitution can be found in this link\n","date":"September 1, 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/blog/education-and-the-constitution-talks-at-iiser-pune/","section":"Blog","summary":"Prof. Anil Sadgopal presented his series of talks at IISER Pune organized by Disha organization on the occasion of 75th anniversary of Independence Day . The first talk was delivered on 17th August, 2022 on the theme, ‘Pre-Independence Discourse: Laying the foundation for the…","title":"Education and the Constitution Talks at IISER, Pune","type":"blog"},{"content":" The paper was written by Prof.Anil Sadgopal for presentation at 17th All India People’s Science Network Conference organized in Bhopal from 6th to 9th June, 2022. The paper was read in workshop at AIPSN conference which was participated by Kishore Bharati members Prof. Arunan and Prof. G.Nagarjuna. The paper gives a brief introduction on the history of Indian education system from the colonial times, highlighting the socio-political character of knowledge in education questioned by Jyotirao Phule in 1882. Further, with the Macaulay this socio-political character become more enslaving and subjugating with English language imposed on education thus cutting Indians from their native roots and their own knowledge and history. Gandhi openly opposed the colonial domination on education and separation of brain-work from hand-work, Gandhi’s Nai Taleem demonstrated a model in which hand-work and brain-work can be merged and how social transformation and social development can be linked with education. This showed a way for an alternative pedagogical paradigm which will be free from exploitation and production of knowledge for social transformation. The paper also highlights on how Post-Independence India education policies ignored Nai taleem model and carried on with Macaulay education model now for profits through privatization and commodification of knowledge for global market. The paper presented at All India Peoples’ Science Network (AIPSN) Conference gives a historic overview of education system of India from colonial period to post-independence period, and how social character of education which can lead to social transformation and eradication of poverty, discrimination, break social hierarchies, and create an equal society is still an unfinished agenda.\nThe text of full paper read and presented at 17th AIPSN Conference is as follows;\nAIPSN Conference at Bhopal (6-9 June 2022)\nEngaging with the Pedagogic Essence of Nai Taleem\n(Presented at Workshop on Education on 7th June 2022)\nMahatma Jotirao Phule’s historic Memorandum to the Hunter Education Commission in 1882 questioned the socio-political character of knowledge in education imparted by the British Raj. It lamented that almost all the teachers employed in the primary schools were Brahmins, not used to productive manual labour. Their students in turn imbibed “inactive habits” and tried to obtain government service. Instead, Phule proposed that the primary school teachers should be those “who will not feel ashamed to hold the handle of a plough or the carpenter’s adze . . . who will be able to mix themselves readily with the lower orders of society.” Evidently, the alienation of the peasantry from the knowledge and pedagogic content of colonial education became the focus of Phule’s critique.\nPhule’s critique appears to be a trailblazer of the civilizational debate that Gandhi’s Hind Swaraj initiated a quarter century later, questioning the ideology of colonial hegemony and exploitation. Gandhi asserted that,\n“. . The foundation that Macaulay laid of education has enslaved us . . .”\n“. . . by receiving English education, we have enslaved the nation. Hypocrisy, tyranny, etc. have increased; English-knowing Indians have not hesitated to cheat and strike terror into the people.”\nGandhi’s conceptualization of education, therefore, emerged organically from his critique of the exploitative and violent character of modern industrial civilization. It encompassed a range of critical civilisational, philosophical, and moral concerns, as is apparent from such observations:\n“What is the meaning of education? If it simply means knowledge of letters, it is merely an instrument, and an instrument may be well used or abused. . .”\nGiven the insight gained from his educational experiments in South Africa – first at the Phoenix Settlement before writing Hind Swaraj and later at the Tolstoy Farm (1911-13) – Gandhi could offer a constructive alternative to replace colonial education.\n“I would develop in the child his hands, his brain and his soul. The hands have almost atrophied. The soul has been altogether ignored . . . The utterly false idea that intelligence can be developed only through book reading should give place to the truth that the quickest development of the mind can be achieved by the artisan’s work being learnt in a scientific manner. . .”\nGandhi’s New Education or Nai Taleem\nDeeply shaken up by the Jaliawalan Bagh massacre, Gandhi gave a clarion call in 1920s to set up National Universities and Colleges for instituting sites of resistance to the Macaulayian framework and also for reconstruction of an anti-imperialist alternative model of national and social development. A series of such institutions, later called Rural Universities, came up in different parts of the country. Reflecting the Gandhian vision, whereby all levels of education were seen as an organic whole for catalyzing social transformation, such Rural Universities invariably promoted pre-primary and school education as well.\nIn his address on 22nd October 1937 at the All-India Education Conference held at Wardha, Gandhi unfolded the pedagogic essence of Nai Taleem:\n“What I am going to place before you today is not about a vocation that is going to be imparted alongside education . . . whatever is taught to children, all of it should be taught necessarily through the medium of a trade or a handicraft . . . Look at takli [spindle] itself, for instance. The lesson of this takli will be the first lesson of our students through which they would be able to learn a substantial part of the history of cotton, Lancashire and the British empire . . . When he is asked to count the number of cotton threads on takli and he is asked to report how many did he spin, it becomes possible to acquaint him step by step with good deal of mathematical knowledge . . . While playing around and singing, he keeps on turning his takli and from this itself he learns a great deal.”\nGandhi further elaborated:\n“The brain must be educated through the hand**.** If I were a poet, I could write poetry on the possibilities of the five fingers. Why should you think that the mind is everything and the hands and feet nothing? . . . Mere book knowledge does not interest the child . . . The brain gets weary of mere words, and the child’s mind begins to wander. The hand does the things it ought not to do, the eye sees the things it ought not to see, the ear hears the things it ought not to hear, and they do not do, see or hear, respectively what they ought to. . . . An education which does not teach us to discriminate between good and bad, to assimilate the one and eschew the other is a misnomer.”\nNai Taleem as the Spear-head of a Silent Social Revolution\nThe civilizational, philosophical and moral context of the struggle for swaraj thus formed the bedrock for the Gandhian pedagogy. The Gandhian proposal of Basic Education was to place productive manual work at the centre of the school curriculum from which would organically emerge knowledge, values and skills. This pedagogy would also link education to rural economy, ensuring that the villages do not become “a mere appendage to the cities” and are not exploited by the latter. Gandhi believed that Nai Taleem would “check the progressive decay of our villages and lay the foundation of a juster social order . . .”\nIndeed, Nai Taleem was an anti-imperialist construct that countered hegemony and called for building a civilisational critique of colonial education. It, therefore, aimed at preparing young people from the community as ‘organic intellectuals’, almost in the Gramscian sense, to initiate and lead social transformation. This is why Gandhi viewed Basic Education “as the spear-head of a silent social revolution fraught with the most far-reaching consequences”\nThe Nai Taleem vision was defined by four elements. First, “its holistic approach underscoring the integration of head, heart and hand. . . A proper and harmonious combination of all the three is required for the making of the whole man and constitutes the true economics of education.”\nThe second element emphasized productive manual labour as a pedagogic medium. Gandhi’s proposal to place productive manual labour at the centre of curriculum, to view it as a moral and transformative force and to use it as a pedagogic medium was truly a revolutionary concept. It provided a materialist and scientific basis for constructing knowledge, evolving values and building multiple skills. The pedagogic potential of productive work made the educational establishment of the British Raj as well as the elite sections of Indian society, embedded as they were in Brahminical-cum-colonial paradigm, visibly uncomfortable.\nThe third element of Nai Taleem was the essentiality of mother tongue. Gandhi contended that “We have to make them [i.e. Indian languages] true representatives of our culture, our civilization, of the true genius of our nation.” He warned that education through English medium has resulted in “a permanent bar between the highly educated few and the uneducated many” In Gandhi’s perception, “the foreign medium has caused brain fag, put an undue strain upon the nerves of our children, made them crammers and imitators, unfitted them for original work and thought . . . prevented the growth of our vernaculars. . .”\nThe fourth element of Nai Taleem was the principle of self-supporting education. This element perhaps became the most controversial element in Nai Taleem. However, Gandhi defended the principle of self-support by stating: “That will be the test of its [i.e. productive manual work’s] value.” This assertion indeed has far-reaching pedagogic implications. Any productive engagement implies pre-planned, disciplined, assiduous and scientific work with tools and materials until the intended product of social utility is ready!\nSocial Character of Productive Work and Knowledge: Implications\nNai Taleem constitutes a radical departure from the Brahminical-cum-colonial paradigm insofar it challenged the dichotomy between work and knowledge by placing productive manual work at the centre of school curriculum itself. Thirty years before Gandhi’s Wardha Conference address, the American philosopher, psychologist and educational reformer John Dewey (1907) advanced a social theory calling for introducing occupations into school for educational purposes and advocated a radical revisioning of the social function of schooling. But the difference was the social character of the occupations that Gandhi envisaged for introduction into the curriculum. These occupations included Spinning, Weaving, Cloth Dying, Tailoring, Leather Curing (Tanning), Shoe Making, Pottery, Carpentry, Ironsmithy \u0026amp; Metal Work, Tool Making, Printing, Farming, Animal Husbandry \u0026amp; Dairying, Manual Agro-processing, Horticulture, Forestry, Gathering \u0026amp; Using Minor Forest Produce, Construction, Sanitation and Creating Alternative Energy [e.g. Gobar Gas Plant] Sources. Without exception, all these occupations involved manual work and were undertaken primarily by the lower and oppressed classes/castes viz. Dalits, tribals, OBCs and Muslim artisans, with the women among them playing a significant role.\nThe political message is inescapable: Accord these occupations and the communities engaged in them a central place of dignity in the education system that was never their destiny in Indian history. Gandhi had invariably recognized, as did Dewey too in 1907, that all such productive tasks had a strong knowledge-cum-skill and value content, including scientific, besides their socio-cultural history. This provided a rich pedagogical base for acquiring knowledge, value formation, and building skills in schools. A recent study of similar traditional occupations by Kancha Ilaiah substantiates Gandhi’s rationale for selecting these productive tasks of the lower social order for educational purpose. Significantly, educationist Krishna Kumar noted that “a low-caste child would feel far more at home than an upper-caste child” in schools pursuing the Gandhian curriculum, thereby making “the education system stand on its head.” In other words, the so-called ‘front benchers’ in most of the contemporary classrooms – hailing from the upper classes/castes – would become the ‘back-benchers’ in Nai Taleem, since the Bahujan children (95% of population) with a rich legacy of productive work in their families would naturally take over the leadership of the knowledge acquisition process.\nThere was, however, a catch. The above expectation could be sustained only if the present multi-layered school system rooted in discrimination is transformed into a fully state-funded Common School System based on Neighbourhood Schools aimed at guaranteeing free education of equitable quality to all. And for this to happen, the pre-condition would be to reverse the neo-liberal policy of promoting commercialization of education and handing over government schools and other public educational institutions to private players for profiteering under Public Private Partnership (PPP) – an agenda that constitutes almost the raison d’etre of NEP, 2020.\nNCF, 2005 offered a historic opportunity to challenge the Manuwadi conception of knowledge rooted in caste and patriarchy as well as the neo-liberal framework of converting education into a commodity in the global market. The core challenge was to view education as an intervention for social transformation. Keeping this in mind, the National Focus Group on ‘Work and Education’ constituted by NCERT as part of NCF, 2005 exercise, submitted a comprehensive action plan for radical transformation of the education system through Nai Taleem. However, as was the experience since 1937 Wardha Education Conference, we could not break the shackles of Brahminical-cum-Neo-liberal capitalist ideology.\nHopefully, this AIPSN Conference would give us yet another opportunity to rejuvenate the 140 years old debate, initiated by Mahatma Phule in 1882 and carried forward by Mahatma Gandhi in the 20th century, on the role of education in re-imaging and reconstructing India in consonance with the Constitutional framework of social transformation!\nIt is never too late to realize that the core battle for India’s masses is the battle for the social character of knowledge!!\n– Anil Sadgopal, Bhopal\nJune 7, 2022\n","date":"August 13, 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/blog/paper-on-work-and-education-presented-at-aipsn-conference-bhopal/","section":"Blog","summary":"The paper was written by Prof.Anil Sadgopal for presentation at 17th All India People’s Science Network Conference organized in Bhopal from 6th to 9th June, 2022. The paper was read in workshop at AIPSN conference which was participated by Kishore Bharati members Prof. Arunan…","title":"Paper on Work and Education presented at AIPSN Conference, Bhopal","type":"blog"},{"content":" CUBE Awards are awarded each year in the name of acclaimed scientists and personalities to the selected CUBE members who stood out in various aspects in the award categories.\nThe list of CUBE awards for the year 2022 is as follows,\nDD Kosambi Award 2022 Veronica Rodrigues Award 2022 Anil Sadgopal Award 2022 SK Mahajan Award 2022 KS Krishnan Student Mentor Award 2022 Obaid Siddiqui Award 2022 CUBE Kishore Bharati Assistantship 2022 CUBE Regional Resource Centre Award 2022 STEM Leadership Award 2022 We are happy to announce the awards to recipients under each category, we congratulate each awardee and wish success for each awardee in their endeavor in science.\n","date":"August 13, 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/blog/announcement-of-cube-awards-to-the-selected-recipients-for-the-year-2022/","section":"Blog","summary":"CUBE Awards are awarded each year in the name of acclaimed scientists and personalities to the selected CUBE members who stood out in various aspects in the award categories. The list of CUBE awards for the year 2022 is as follows, DD Kosambi Award 2022 Veronica Rodrigues Award…","title":"Announcement of CUBE Awards to the selected recipients for the year 2022","type":"blog"},{"content":" ","date":"August 12, 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/map-of-area-around-kishore-bharati/","section":"Living Academy in Pune","summary":"1237×827 218 KB","title":"Map of Area around Kishore Bharati","type":"page"},{"content":"","date":"July 15, 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/2022/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"2022","type":"tags"},{"content":" Popularizing Science Education through HOME LAB Network\nCUBE National Meet was conducted from 28th June to 2nd July, participants from all across country who are working on several science projects in their home labs joined and presented their work. CUBE national meet gave students the platform to interact and share their work with others and build further collaborations to learn. Home Labs has become a way to popularize science education by coming out of classroom boundaries and bringing science to home.\n“Science is no longer in boundaries of closed confined Labs. CUBE is showing the path to engage in Science learning in home environment by building a network of Home Labs across the country.”\n","date":"July 15, 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/blog/commencement-of-cube-national-meet-2022-28th-june-to-2nd-july-2022/","section":"Blog","summary":"Popularizing Science Education through HOME LAB Network CUBE National Meet was conducted from 28th June to 2nd July, participants from all across country who are working on several science projects in their home labs joined and presented their work. CUBE national meet gave…","title":"Commencement of CUBE National Meet 2022 (28th June to 2nd July 2022)","type":"blog"},{"content":"","date":"July 15, 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/cube-national-meet/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Cube-National-Meet","type":"tags"},{"content":" We are happy to announce that CUBE-Kishore Bharati is collaborating with All India Peoples’ Science Network (AIPSN) to celebrate upcoming National Scientific Temperament Day which is going to take place across different regions in Maharashtra.\nThere are several science organizations including Maharashtra Andhashradha Nirmulan Samiti (MANS) as a part of this forum, the theme for this times National Scientific Temperament Day celebration is “Freedom from Blind Belief, Freedom from Pseudoscience”\n","date":"July 15, 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/blog/cube-kishore-bharati-collaboration-with-all-india-peoples-science-network-for-national-scientific-temperament-day-events/","section":"Blog","summary":"We are happy to announce that CUBE-Kishore Bharati is collaborating with All India Peoples’ Science Network (AIPSN) to celebrate upcoming National Scientific Temperament Day which is going to take place across different regions in Maharashtra. There are several science…","title":"CUBE-Kishore Bharati collaboration with All India Peoples’ Science Network for National Scientific Temperament Day Events","type":"blog"},{"content":"","date":"July 15, 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/national-scientific-/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"National-Scientific-","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"July 15, 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/peoples-science/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Peoples-Science","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"April 13, 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/ambedkar/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Ambedkar","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"April 13, 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/democracy/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Democracy","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"April 13, 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/national-convention/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"National-Convention","type":"tags"},{"content":" In Commemoration of the 132nd Birthday of Babasaheb Dr. B.R Ambedkar, National Convention on “Education and Democracy through the prism of Constitution”\nA national convention was organized on ‘Education and Democracy through the Prism of the Constitution’ in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, on the occasion of Birth Anniversary of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, where Prof. Anil Sadgopal and Prof. G. Nagarjuna from Kishore Bharati are presenting their talks. Prof. Anil Sadgopal is presenting his Keynote address on the topic “NEET-CUET phenomenon an Assault on Constitutional vision of education and Existing Level-playing field with the agenda of Exclusion, Corporatization and Enslavement”. Prof. Nagarjuna is presenting his talk on the topic of “How Centralized regulation of education destroys quality and equity in education”.\nPoster of National Convention on “Education and Democracy through the prism of Constitution”\n","date":"April 13, 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/blog/state-platform-for-common-school-system-tamil-nadu-spcss-tn/","section":"Blog","summary":"In Commemoration of the 132nd Birthday of Babasaheb Dr. B.R Ambedkar, National Convention on “Education and Democracy through the prism of Constitution” A national convention was organized on ‘Education and Democracy through the Prism of the Constitution’ in Chennai, Tamil…","title":"State Platform for Common School System- Tamil Nadu (SPCSS-TN)","type":"blog"},{"content":" CUBE entered into its 3rd year of continuation of Home Lab movement, on this occasion an event was planned to celebrate Home Labs with presentations by Cubists of Elphinstone college, Mumbai. Several model systems like Earthworm, Hydra, Fruit Fly, Moina, Phyllanthus and so on were presented by Cubists, and it was presentated how these model systems can be cultured without much sophistication in Home Labs, and several topics of biology can be understood, studied and researched using them. These lab setups in Homes provide a readily available context to perform science, design experiments, understand concepts, as well as learn scientific methodology through involving in investigations. The demonstration that one can can create a Lab in Home is a fabulous innovation which was appreciated by participants from different colleges of Mumbai, and several participants were excited to initiate their own home labs. CUBE fresh participants who joined the event were invited to join CUBE community groups, where they are currently being engaged. A feedback response from the participants was invited post-event which showed several positive responses towards Home Labs Movement… This celebration exhibits that creating a lab at Home without much sophisticated facilities is possible, and proves Obaid Siddiqi’s idea about science that ‘Sophistication is required in mind, not in lab’.\nPoster of Event for Celebrating CUBE Home Labs Anniversary\nGroup Photo of Participants from different parts of country who joined the event to celebrate Home Labs Anniversary\nhttps://webinar.hbcse.tifr.res.in/playback/presentation/2.3/e6b01e59b0589f5a624ad1f4aaf5f6b2d025611c-1647957571604\nVideo recording of Celebrating CUBE Home Labs Anniversary Event\n","date":"March 25, 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/blog/celebrating-cube-home-labs-anniversary-home-labs-are-possible/","section":"Blog","summary":"CUBE entered into its 3rd year of continuation of Home Lab movement, on this occasion an event was planned to celebrate Home Labs with presentations by Cubists of Elphinstone college, Mumbai. Several model systems like Earthworm, Hydra, Fruit Fly, Moina, Phyllanthus and so on…","title":"Celebrating CUBE Home Labs Anniversary: Home Labs are Possible","type":"blog"},{"content":"","date":"March 25, 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/elphistone-college/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Elphistone-College","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"March 25, 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/model-systems/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Model-Systems","type":"tags"},{"content":" Kishore Bharati expects that the donors will exercise due care and diligence while making donations. In case of an unintended donation made by mistake or change of mind, we can process refund requests of donation if the requests reach us with all the details within 30days of the transaction, and in any case not later than 20th March of the same financial year. We must have received a request preferably through email addressed to office@kishorebharati.org with all the details: Name of the donor, date/time of the transaction, transaction ID, bank details, and PAN number, with a clearly specified reason on why a refund is requested. In case the transaction charges for the refund are more than Rs.50/-, we shall deduct the amount from the refund.\nIf we have already issued an 80G certificate for the amount, we will not be able to refund without a declaration that no tax exemption will be claimed for the amount, along with the original 80G receipt/certificate.\nIf you have ordered books from Kishore Bharati, you may cancel the order before it is dispatched. The refund will be initiated within seven days after cancellation. Cancellation requests with full details to Office@kishorebharati.org.\n","date":"March 25, 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/cancellation-and-refund-policy/","section":"Living Academy in Pune","summary":"Kishore Bharati expects that the donors will exercise due care and diligence while making donations. In case of an unintended donation made by mistake or change of mind, we can process refund requests of donation if the requests reach us with all the details within 30days of…","title":"Cancellation and Refund Policy","type":"page"},{"content":" In the times of pandemic and when all across world science and education was at standstill, cubists innovated a way to do science, by converting their homes into labs, and carrying ahead with scientific explorations and discussions through Home Labs.\nHere is the story of the making of HOME Labs shared during “Chai and Why Session”\n","date":"March 4, 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/blog/chai-why-session-on-home-labs/","section":"Blog","summary":"1280×720 180 KB In the times of pandemic and when all across world science and education was at standstill, cubists innovated a way to do science, by converting their homes into labs, and carrying ahead with scientific explorations and discussions through Home Labs. Here is the…","title":"Chai \u0026 Why Session on Home Labs","type":"blog"},{"content":"","date":"March 4, 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/chai-and-why/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Chai-and-Why","type":"tags"},{"content":" Conference on Integrating Science with Society, 15-16 December 2018, Jadavpur University, Breakthrough Science Society\nSession 4: Reforming Science Education\nThe session was chaired by Prof. Narayan Banerjee, Professor, IISER Kolkata.\nProf M C Arunan, CUBE Lab, Homi Bhabha Center for Science Education, TIFR, Mumbai\nIn India, there is a serious dearth of spectators for Science, unlike, say, in a game of cricket. A game like Cricket is a rule-following activity where the players as well as the spectators are immersed in it. The idea was to see if Indian science can learn anything from Indian street cricket. With this aim a new model of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education called CUBE (Collaboratively Understanding Biology Education) was launched 6 years ago at the Homi Bhabha Center. STEM is taken as a set of games scientists, engineers and mathematicians play. The idea is to develop groups of people who understood some rules of the game and they would constitute the STEM spectators. For creating the STEM spectators, groups of students and teachers working in collaboration were encouraged to do experiments using the resourcesin their neighborhood on problems that they observe in their everyday life. Several such groups in under graduate colleges and schools across the country were set up. Prof Arunan narrated examples of such experiments as the pea study, the Dafnia study, the flowering patterns of mangoes in different geographical locations etc. It was observed that some of these studies matured from curiosity to frontier sciences.\nBreakthrough Science Society – 14 Jun 19 National Conference on ‘Integrating Science with Society’ - Breakthrough... The two day National Conference on ‘Integrating Science with Society’ was held at Jadavpur University, Kolkata on the 15th and 16th of December, 2018. The conference had sessions on the Philosophy of Science, Cultivation of Scientific Temper, Ethical...\nEst. reading time: 30 minutes ","date":"March 4, 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/blog/populating-india-with-stem-spectators-gully-cricket-model-of-spreading-stem-culture/","section":"Blog","summary":"Conference on Integrating Science with Society, 15-16 December 2018, Jadavpur University, Breakthrough Science Society Session 4: Reforming Science Education The session was chaired by Prof. Narayan Banerjee, Professor, IISER Kolkata. Prof M C Arunan, CUBE Lab, Homi Bhabha…","title":"‘Populating India with STEM Spectators: Gully Cricket Model of Spreading STEM Culture’","type":"blog"},{"content":"","date":"March 4, 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/gully-cricket/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Gully-Cricket","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"March 4, 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/spectators/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Spectators","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"March 4, 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/stem/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Stem","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"March 4, 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/darwin/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Darwin","type":"tags"},{"content":" CUBists presenting their work to fresh participants of ZSK National Webinar on CUBE: A new approach in Biology Education as a part of Darwin day celebration, 2022\nPlease watch this video to know about CUBE’s Gully Cricket Model: An Approach to Biology Education \u0026amp; Research\n","date":"March 4, 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/blog/darwin-day-celebration-2022/","section":"Blog","summary":"CUBists presenting their work to fresh participants of ZSK National Webinar on CUBE: A new approach in Biology Education as a part of Darwin day celebration, 2022 Please watch this video to know about CUBE’s Gully Cricket Model: An Approach to Biology Education \u0026 Research","title":"Darwin Day Celebration, 2022","type":"blog"},{"content":"","date":"March 4, 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/zsk/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Zsk","type":"tags"},{"content":" Annals of Neurosciences, Volume 20, Issue 4 (October), 2013 by M.C Arunan \u0026amp; Gadiraju Nagarjuna\nObaid Siddiqi too was re-born more than once, if his research work of about 60 years in biology tells us anything. First, as a molecular geneticist: in analyzing the fine structure of gene and also in developing the concept non-sense codons by identifying the suppressor of non-sense mutations during the late 1950s and early 60s. Then, as a neuroscientist at the cutting edge areas, from 1970s onward; all the while clearly conscious of the importance and the suitability of the model organisms that he was choosing to work with. In earlier times if the model organisms were fungi (Aspergillus) and bacteria (E.coli), later it was the fruit fly Drosophila: all easy to maintain and very amenable to work with. In one of our last meetings, Siddiqi was effusive on our proposed program of introducing collaborative research at the undergraduate level vertically integrating with the schools and advanced research centers, across the country. When one of us raised the issue of poor facilities in the more than 26,000 undergraduate colleges in India, Siddiqi said leaving no scope for any pessimism: “sophistication should be in the mind; not in fancy gadgets or in laboratory space. Just look around; for a biologist, there can be innumerable lab settings; almost every where”, he added. He was also overtly supportive and keen to empower teachers at all levels. He famously said: “teachers are at a great advantage in comparison to us, scientists. At any given time, l have only a handful of students; you teachers have them in hundreds!”\nannalsofneurosciences.org Arunan ","date":"March 4, 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/blog/simple-model-systems-and-sophisticated-questions-the-scientific-legacy-of-obaid-siddiqi/","section":"Blog","summary":"Annals of Neurosciences, Volume 20, Issue 4 (October), 2013 by M.C Arunan \u0026 Gadiraju Nagarjuna 212×278 54 KB Obaid Siddiqi too was re-born more than once, if his research work of about 60 years in biology tells us anything. First, as a molecular geneticist: in analyzing the…","title":"Simple model systems and sophisticated questions the scientific legacy of Obaid Siddiqi","type":"blog"},{"content":"","date":"March 4, 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/simple-model-systems/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Simple-Model-Systems","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"March 4, 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/indiabioscience/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Indiabioscience","type":"tags"},{"content":" The Biology we teach should authentically reflect the biology we do: In the current scenario of the undergraduate education, colleges and research centres work in isolation with each other. It is not uncommon that individuals within the same institute too do not collaborate and communicate, unlike in the west. Moreover, what goes on in the name of college laboratories is largely based on cookbook recipes. Thus what we witness is ​‘non-active functional linkages’ amongst colleges and between the colleges and the research centres. As a result, a majority of the undergraduates entering universities remain unmotivated or come away with only a traditional, descriptive model of biology. https://indiabioscience.org/columns/indian-scenario/transforming-undergraduate-science-education-collaborative-undergraduate-biology-education-cube\n","date":"March 4, 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/blog/transforming-undergraduate-science-education-collaborative-undergraduate-biology-education-cube/","section":"Blog","summary":"The Biology we teach should authentically reflect the biology we do: In the current scenario of the undergraduate education, colleges and research centres work in isolation with each other. It is not uncommon that individuals within the same institute too do not collaborate and…","title":"Transforming Undergraduate Science Education: Collaborative Undergraduate Biology Education (CUBE)","type":"blog"},{"content":"","date":"March 4, 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/ug-education/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Ug-Education","type":"tags"},{"content":" In September 2007, a bilingual (Hindi and English) Documentation Centre was set up for use by individuals and social organizations, particularly in Madhya Pradesh, engaged in struggles for protecting and establishing the rights of the marginalized sections of the society to jal-jangal-jameen-jeevika (water, forest, land and livelihood)\n","date":"March 2, 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/documentation-centre/","section":"Living Academy in Pune","summary":"In September 2007, a bilingual (Hindi and English) Documentation Centre was set up for use by individuals and social organizations, particularly in Madhya Pradesh, engaged in struggles for protecting and establishing the rights of the marginalized sections of the society to…","title":"Documentation Centre","type":"page"},{"content":" As a result of the in-depth experience of educational interventions both within and outside the school system, Kishore Bharati’s representative (Dr, Anil Sadgopal) was nominated by the respective Prime Ministers of India to be a member of two major policy-making bodies viz. National Commission on Teachers (1983-84) and later the National Policy on Education Review Committee (1990). In both of these instances, the KB Group, along with several others, intervened and turned these formal bodies into major opportunities for engaging the public (particularly the students and teachers) in policy analysis and debate. These early initiatives in building a policy discourse lay the ground for evolving a methodology for policy analysis in the 1990s and deciphering the nature of the neoliberal assault on our education system. All this has contributed to the present engagement of the KB Group in seeking alternative legislation for the Right to Education rooted in the framework of a Common School System Based on Neighbourhood Schools.\n","date":"March 2, 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/education-policy-interventions/","section":"Living Academy in Pune","summary":"As a result of the in-depth experience of educational interventions both within and outside the school system, Kishore Bharati’s representative (Dr, Anil Sadgopal) was nominated by the respective Prime Ministers of India to be a member of two major policy-making bodies viz.…","title":"Education Policy Interventions","type":"page"},{"content":" In the early 1980s, the KB Group provided core support in organizing a state-level democratic and human rights movement. In 1985-87, we undertook documentation and other such tasks in support of the movement of Bhopal gas victims in seeking justice from the Union Carbide and scientific medical treatment and rehabilitation from the central/state government.\n","date":"March 2, 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/democratic-human-rights/","section":"Living Academy in Pune","summary":"In the early 1980s, the KB Group provided core support in organizing a state-level democratic and human rights movement. In 1985-87, we undertook documentation and other such tasks in support of the movement of Bhopal gas victims in seeking justice from the Union Carbide and…","title":"Democratic \u0026 Human Rights","type":"page"},{"content":" KISHORE BHARATI organized a popular mobile library going through the surrounding villages over a bicycle. Hundreds of children and youth became its regular subscribers. This encouraged us to join hands with the educated youth of the nearby town of Pipariya and organize the ‘Shaheed Bhagat Singh Pustakalya’ which also acted as an active children and youth centre for various activities. A newspaper called Bal Chiraiya was edited and brought out regularly by a team of children for several years. The local youth used the books and documentation in the Pustakalyato to organize awareness-building exhibitions and meetings on socio-political issues. A popular progressive Lecture Series was also organized by the Pustakalaya for several years during the 1980s, which became the fertile ground of progressive ideas in a kasbai environment, otherwise dominated by the big peasantry and grain traders.\n","date":"March 2, 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/libraries-documentation/","section":"Living Academy in Pune","summary":"KISHORE BHARATI organized a popular mobile library going through the surrounding villages over a bicycle. Hundreds of children and youth became its regular subscribers. This encouraged us to join hands with the educated youth of the nearby town of Pipariya and organize the…","title":"Libraries \u0026 Documentation","type":"page"},{"content":" In 1981, the small and marginal farmers along with the landless of village Palia Piparia were mobilised in a mazdoor sangathan (a sort of peasant organization) to protest against the almost century-old feudal oppression over their lives. They identified issues relating to public distribution system, wages, forest resources and encroachment of revenue land as the central issues of their struggle for justice and equality. Apart from changing their equation with the feudal forces in the village, they also negotiated with the KB group for right to cultivate the government land given to Kishore Bharati and share its forest resources. This led to the creation of a 40-acre mixed forest which yielded produce thtoughout the year for the members of the mazdoor sangathan and as a result of its collective wisdom.\n","date":"March 2, 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/peasant-mobilisation/","section":"Living Academy in Pune","summary":"In 1981, the small and marginal farmers along with the landless of village Palia Piparia were mobilised in a mazdoor sangathan (a sort of peasant organization) to protest against the almost century-old feudal oppression over their lives. They identified issues relating to…","title":"Peasant Mobilisation","type":"page"},{"content":" Our engagement with the dais helped focus attention on some of the critical issues of reproductive health. A village-level study entitled, “Phool To Jharte Hi Hain” (“Flowers are Bound to be Shed) revealed that the high infant mortality rate had been accepted as part of women’s destiny, rather than being realted with poverty leading to malnutrition, unhygienic conditions and lack of public health services. All this raised problems relating to reproductive health, particularly women’s lack of scientific understanding of reproduction and how they become pregnant and babies are born. The KB Group researched and evolved simple methods of pursuing the monthly reproductive cycle and organized training camps for women. The women learned to record their monthly cycle in a calendar on their own, thereby identifying their fertile periods. However, this scientific method did not give them the control obvr the decision to become pregnant or not since it was the man who had the ultimate control. THis realization of inequality in sexula relations led to a radically transformative discourse on gender equality and involved men too. All this is recorded in a detailed bound report entitled, “Janjeeron Ko Todkar” (“Breaking the Shackles”), published by Kishore Bharati in 1990 (available on request).\n","date":"March 2, 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/reproductive-health-and-the-gender-issue/","section":"Living Academy in Pune","summary":"Our engagement with the dais helped focus attention on some of the critical issues of reproductive health. A village-level study entitled, “Phool To Jharte Hi Hain” (“Flowers are Bound to be Shed) revealed that the high infant mortality rate had been accepted as part of women’s…","title":"Reproductive Health and the Gender Issue","type":"page"},{"content":" Our interest in the issues of Public Health grew in late 1970s with the realization that both the infrastructure and the quality of service at Primary Health Centre at the Block level was deteriorating rapidly. This phenomenion caught our attention when reports piled up in 1978 that the patients in the National TB Education Programme were not receiving regular medication, thereby severely suffering and even dying. We responded to this crisis by organizing a youth awareness camp where scientific aspects of TB and its medication were shared and the related socio-economic and political issues were raised. This led to social action in several villages of Bankhedi Block in both persuading the TB patients to seek regular medical support and building public pressure on the Primary Health Centre to respond appropriately. Later, in early 1980s, the lady doctor in the KB Group organized zaroori dawai suvidha engaging village women and men as barefoot paramedics to attend to the common ailments in the villages. Among other measures, it included an active home-based oral rehydration programme to provide relief in cases of dysentery. This led to a training programme with the village dais (village-level traditional mid-wives) and long-term involvement with them to make them more effective in providing medical support to pregnant women. In the process, the dias shared their invaluable traditional knowledge with us.\n","date":"March 2, 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/public-health/","section":"Living Academy in Pune","summary":"Our interest in the issues of Public Health grew in late 1970s with the realization that both the infrastructure and the quality of service at Primary Health Centre at the Block level was deteriorating rapidly. This phenomenion caught our attention when reports piled up in 1978…","title":"Public Health","type":"page"},{"content":" Exploring low-cost and sustainable techniques of water conservation for farming became an existential question for Kishore Bharati as the revenue land given to it by the state government had sandy soil (sehra) which had extremely low capacity to hold water. Most of the soils of the Banjhedi Block also had similar characteristics, thereby resulting in the generally impoverished economy of the region. Two important lines of exploration were pursued in developing ways and means of water conservation. First, in a ten-acre sandy plot of fruit-bearing trees, an earthen picture (matka) was placed half under the surface near the root system of the trees. once filled up with water from the ring wells flowing in open channels covered with a plastic sheet, the water would trickle down slowly out of the natural pores of the pitcher to the root system. There would be no wastage as the rate of flow of water out of the pitcher would be automatically regulated by the water tension built up in the soil due to both evaporation and seepage. The water in the pitcher would last as long as a week, while the irrigation channel would dry up within a few hours of the water supply being stopped. The low-cost technology was later extended to the plantation of saplings in developing a 40-acre mixed forest. This technology became an effective alternative to the costly and complex drip-irrigation system. Both the 10-acre orchard and the 40-acre mixed forest attracted wide public attention. The second line of exploration grew out of the crisis of fodder for the cattle. We adopted the technology of developing a drought-resistant pasture from the Indian Grassland and Fodder Research Institute, Jhansi (U.P.). This involved planting a row of drought-resistant varieties of grass alternating with a row of drought-resistant legumes. In the early stages, we used the low-cost technology of pitchers to ensure that the loss of plantation would be minimized but it became unnecessary later since both the grasses and the legumes could survive well due to their drought-resistant characteristics. Finally, we had a flourishing pasture of nutritious fodder despite the sandy soil with low water-retention capacity.\n","date":"March 2, 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/water-conservation/","section":"Living Academy in Pune","summary":"Exploring low-cost and sustainable techniques of water conservation for farming became an existential question for Kishore Bharati as the revenue land given to it by the state government had sandy soil (sehra) which had extremely low capacity to hold water. Most of the soils of…","title":"Water Conservation","type":"page"},{"content":" Right from the beginning of its rural campus in 1972, Kishore Bharati started promoting the appropriate technology of constructing pre-fabricated cement concrete rings (4 feet diameter) for making ‘mini-tubewells’, popularly known as Ring Wells. Nine live models of Ring Wells, each as an effective source of irrigation and potable water, were displayed on the campus. Pre-fabricated cement rings were made available at a ‘no loss, no profit’ basis to farmers along with training in the technique of digging and construction. Its low-cost easy-to-dig and easy-to-maintain technology enabled the relatively poor peasants of the adjacent region to have access to irrigation for the first time in the living memory of their family’s economic history. With this intervention, the irrigation potential of the Bankhedi Block increased several-fold, transforming its primarily rain-fed agricultural economy into a two- or three-crop economy. The major beneficiaries were small and marginal farmers for whom the tube-wells with submersible pumps were beyond reach because of their unaffordable cost and complicated technology of both digging and maintenance. Approximately five thousand farmers and other residents belonging to the eastern region of Hoshangabad District and the neighbouring Narsinghpur and Raisen Districts were benefited, who constructed Ring Wells for the purpose of irrigation as well potable water.\n","date":"March 2, 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/irrigation/","section":"Living Academy in Pune","summary":"Right from the beginning of its rural campus in 1972, Kishore Bharati started promoting the appropriate technology of constructing pre-fabricated cement concrete rings (4 feet diameter) for making ‘mini-tubewells’, popularly known as Ring Wells. Nine live models of Ring Wells,…","title":"Irrigation","type":"page"},{"content":" HSTP program also created its own curriculum and books, the uniqueness of these books was that these were workbooks in contrast of textbooks, all the books demanded exploring, performing activities, experiments to come to answers, in this process students curiosity used to get triggered and they used to come up with plenty of questions on daily basis, to address these answers a fictitious character called ‘Sawaliram’ was created who answered questions by thousands of children by mail each day! Students used to write postcards with their questions and several academicians, scientists from different parts of country took an active part to answer these questions.\nAt Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education, TIFR, the ‘Shanka-samadhan’ (‘Curiosity satisfied’) program addressed questions mailed in by children. In Kerala members of ‘Kerala Shastra Sahitya Parishad (KSSP)’ who were also publishing magazines for children also used to respond to their questions. KSSP’s ideal of a ‘People’s Science Movement’ was adopted by popular groups in other States of India, leading in 1988 to the ‘All India People’s Science Network’. Currently, an online site, especially for Sawaliram, is created by HBCSE, TIFR former Director Jayshree Ramdas, which archives questions which were asked by students and their responses, the site (https://sawaliram.org/) is a current online version of Sawaliram where student’s questions can be submitted, viewed, answered, queried and analyzed.\nHere is a video on Sawaliram from NROER repository\n","date":"March 2, 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/sawaliram/","section":"Living Academy in Pune","summary":"HSTP program also created its own curriculum and books, the uniqueness of these books was that these were workbooks in contrast of textbooks, all the books demanded exploring, performing activities, experiments to come to answers, in this process students curiosity used to get…","title":"Sawaliram","type":"page"},{"content":" CUBE Chatshaala are innovation of CUBE mainly developed during pandemic era to connect to students across country and carry forward science endeavour and research projects of students even during lockdowns. Chatshaala sessions take place every day in evening in online mode where students from across country and different colleges and schools participate to present their work, which they performed in the home labs. The discussions take place daily which are helpful in developing ideas, clearing concepts, developing research questions, getting help from each other through collaboration and networking.\nChatshaala is very crucial and has become an integral part of CUBE as it provides the platform to young minds to develop their curiosity, understand scientific research, and become part of science practitioners themselves.\n","date":"February 9, 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/cube-chatshaala/","section":"Living Academy in Pune","summary":"CUBE Chatshaala are innovation of CUBE mainly developed during pandemic era to connect to students across country and carry forward science endeavour and research projects of students even during lockdowns. Chatshaala sessions take place every day in evening in online mode…","title":"CUBE Chatshaala","type":"page"},{"content":" CUBE projects are connected to curriculum and many times are beyond curriculum as well, CUBE discussions help students to understand concepts in real lives, and how science is done in real world, and provides real life contexts to their curriculm, therefore CUBE uncovers the curriculum and also addresses aspects where the regular school and college-based science teaching to make students learn and understand science.\nFollowing are some of the examples what all curriculum topic are addressed by CUBE model projects:\n**\n","date":"February 9, 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/cube-context-to-curriculum/","section":"Living Academy in Pune","summary":"CUBE projects are connected to curriculum and many times are beyond curriculum as well, CUBE discussions help students to understand concepts in real lives, and how science is done in real world, and provides real life contexts to their curriculm, therefore CUBE uncovers the…","title":"CUBE Context to Curriculum","type":"page"},{"content":" CUBE Home Labs are innovations by CUBists to perform experiments in their homes using frugal and simple home replacements for laboratory science. CUBE Home labs are showing how science doesn’t need sophisticated laboratory setups, it can also be done in-home and in the environment around students, with collaboration. Home labs also show how science can become part of our daily lives, and science is in any and every aspect surrounding ourselves, provided we look at things curiously.\nFruit fly culturing medium prepared in kitchen in their home; by students Plant model being studied by student in Kerala in home lab Butterfly life cycle and culturing experiment in-home lab by Cubists\n","date":"February 9, 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/cube-home-labs/","section":"Living Academy in Pune","summary":"CUBE Home Labs are innovations by CUBists to perform experiments in their homes using frugal and simple home replacements for laboratory science. CUBE Home labs are showing how science doesn’t need sophisticated laboratory setups, it can also be done in-home and in the…","title":"CUBE Home Labs","type":"page"},{"content":" Evening discussion sessions also known as Causerie at Collaboratively Understanding Biology Lab at Homi Bhabha Science Centre, TIFR, are regular point of meeting and engagement for students across different colleges and schools. The students visit lab, work on several projects and have regular discussions on the science projects.\nStudents explaining their project ideas and topics in Causerie\nStudents presenting in Causerie\nSchool and colleges student observing under microscope and working on a project together Students working on several projects\nStudents performing experiments Discussion between a senior researchers and school students\nCubists engaging in hands-on experimentation\n","date":"February 9, 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/cube-lab-engagements-causerie/","section":"Living Academy in Pune","summary":"Evening discussion sessions also known as Causerie at Collaboratively Understanding Biology Lab at Homi Bhabha Science Centre, TIFR, are regular point of meeting and engagement for students across different colleges and schools. The students visit lab, work on several projects…","title":"CUBE Lab Engagements \u0026 Causerie","type":"page"},{"content":" ","date":"January 24, 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/kishore-bharati-irrigation-work/","section":"Living Academy in Pune","summary":"2560×1692 628 KB 1671×918 246 KB 2495×1686 694 KB 2560×1733 705 KB 968×683 1.04 MB 1410×935 207 KB 2560×1716 703 KB 1422×955 244 KB 1498×959 302 KB 1551×969 257 KB 1503×935 263 KB 712×1050 1.14 MB 704×1063 1.14 MB 1074×717 1.22 MB 2546×1821 800 KB","title":"Kishore Bharati Irrigation Work","type":"page"},{"content":" ","date":"January 24, 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/awards-to-kishore-bharati-ugc-award/","section":"Living Academy in Pune","summary":"1858×1218 254 KB 2069×1190 184 KB","title":"Awards to Kishore Bharati (UGC Award)","type":"page"},{"content":" ","date":"January 24, 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/awards-to-kb-rathindra-award/","section":"Living Academy in Pune","summary":"1850×1254 390 KB 1848×1274 365 KB","title":"Awards to KB (Rathindra Award)","type":"page"},{"content":" Farming was undertaken on a substantial scale on the Kishore Bharati Campus land. This gave opportunity to all the Team members to learn the art and science of farming so that we come to appreciate the problems faced by the village community and help them to resolve the problem. On the other hand, the villagers with generations of farming-related knowledge also visited our fields and taught us how to improve our own farming operations. Thus it became a two-way learning process and enriched our dialogue with them..\nकिशोर भाारती परिसर में काफ़ी बड़े पैमाने पर खेती की जाती थी। इसके दो मकसद थे। पहला, किशोर भारती टीम के सभी सदस्यों को खेती के काम में हिस्सा लेने व उससे सीखने का मौका मिले ताकि अगर गांव के लोग कुछ जानना चाहें या बताना चाहें तो हम संवाद कर सकें। दूसरा, गांव के लोगों के पास पीढ़ी-दर-पीढ़ी से इकट्ठा किया समृद्ध ज्ञान था जिससे हम भी कुछ सीख सकें। इस तरह खुद खेती का तज़ुर्बा लेने से हमारे और गांव के बीच का आपसी संवाद सार्थक होता था और समृद्ध भी।\nएक और ज़रूरी बात। नई तालीम कार्यक्रम के तहत बच्चे और उनके शिक्षक यानी किशोर भारती टीम के सदस्य मिलकर खेती के प्रयोग और उत्पादन करते थे जिसका हिसाब-किताब और बाज़ार में बिक्री का काम खुद ही रखते थे जिसके ज़रिए ज़मीन का रकबा नापने, तोलने, खाद का प्रबंधन व खर्च, सिंचाई में बिजली खर्च और बाज़ार में बेचने का काम और मुनाफ़े-घाटे का हिसाब भी करते थे।\nSprinkling Fertilizer खाद छिड़कते हुए Preparing land for the sowing season by ploughing it with two pairs of bullock-driven ploughs. The bullocks and the ploughs were normally rented from the farmers of Palia Pipariya village where Kishore Bharati campus was located. At the back, the building is the Office block. The ready-made concrete rings, made for Ring Wells at Kishore Bharati, waiting to be sold to farmers can be seen. The big heap at the back is of Gitti (small pieces of stone) brought from the river bed of a village about 10 km away for making the concrete rings.\nTitle:\nDescription:\nPaddy Transplantion which is a highly technical and back-breaking laborious task, calling for expertise. Women are traditionally considered as experts. Hence, Kishore Bharati would enter into a negotiated contract every year. Negotiations were invariably done with the women who would know the total time and labour involved in the task just by looking at the area to be covered and argue for every paisa which they deserved to earn. On behalf of Kishore Bharati, these negotiations were conducted by Devta bhai, the senior-most member of the Kishore Bharati team, was from a village in U.P. and old enough to have a rich experience in negotiations.\n","date":"January 24, 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/farming-horticulture/","section":"Living Academy in Pune","summary":"Farming was undertaken on a substantial scale on the Kishore Bharati Campus land. This gave opportunity to all the Team members to learn the art and science of farming so that we come to appreciate the problems faced by the village community and help them to resolve the…","title":"Farming \u0026 Horticulture","type":"page"},{"content":" ","date":"January 24, 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/kishore-bharati-campus-pictures/","section":"Living Academy in Pune","summary":"This is alt text 1377×924 239 KB 1455×922 223 KB 1594×978 283 KB 1546×964 215 KB 1530×886 217 KB 1478×896 197 KB 1530×959 355 KB 1857×2560 483 KB 1500×900 220 KB 2550×1750 414 KB","title":"Kishore Bharati Campus Pictures","type":"page"},{"content":" ","date":"January 24, 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/kishore-bharati-field/","section":"Living Academy in Pune","summary":"1555×973 215 KB 2469×1727 771 KB 2490×1696 723 KB 2545×1763 984 KB 2560×1740 735 KB","title":"Kishore Bharati Field","type":"page"},{"content":" ","date":"January 22, 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/grassland-fodder-development/","section":"Living Academy in Pune","summary":"1922×1276 353 KB 1882×1319 349 KB 1723×1283 358 KB 1057×708 219 KB 1881×1298 498 KB 1182×693 274 KB 1076×718 285 KB 1851×1270 370 KB","title":"Grassland \u0026 Fodder Development","type":"page"},{"content":" Classes, in \u0026amp; out schools (replace this text with some description for this bunch of photos)\nReplace with caption text Replace with caption text Replace with caption text Replace with caption text Replace with caption text Replace with caption text Replace with caption text Replace with caption text Replace with caption text\nReplace with caption text Replace with caption text Replace with caption text Replace with caption text\na_Dreaming, Designing \u0026amp; Negotiating ideas for HSTP (replace this text with some description for this bunch of photos)\nMatchsticks to Maths \u0026amp; Science (replace this text with some description for this bunch of photos)\nReplace with caption text Replace with caption text Replace with caption text Replace with caption text Replace with caption text Replace with caption text Replace with caption text Replace with caption text Replace with caption text\nReplace with caption text Replace with caption text Replace with caption text Replace with caption text Replace with caption text Replace with caption text Replace with caption text Replace with caption text Replace with caption text Replace with caption text Replace with caption text\nPart 3- HSTP teachers, science educators, co-workers (replace this text with some description for this bunch of photos)\nPart 4 (replace this text with some description for this bunch of photos)\nReplace with caption text Replace with caption text Replace with caption text Replace with caption text\nReplace with caption text Replace with caption text Replace with caption text\nPart 5- HSTP extension from 16 schools to Hoshangabad district (replace this text with some description for this bunch of photos)\n","date":"January 2, 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/hoshangabad-science-teaching-program/","section":"Living Academy in Pune","summary":"Classes, in \u0026 out schools (replace this text with some description for this bunch of photos) Replace with caption text 646×657 540 KB Replace with caption text Replace with caption text 1082×725 1.35 MB Replace with caption text Replace with caption text 711×1055 1.23 MB…","title":"Hoshangabad Science Teaching Program","type":"page"},{"content":" By Abhijeet Singh, Saida Sayyed and Smiti\n13th November 2021\nThe story of the new BPCV (Banana, Potato, Custard apple, Vinegar) media for culturing Fruitfly in home labs is very interesting! Smiti, a first-year B.Sc student from Elphinstone college, Mumbai wanted to study the life-cycle of fruitflies for which she needed to culture them in her home lab. Other CUBists have been culturing fruit flies in their home labs since the start of the lockdown using the TSRV (Tomato, Rava, Sugar, Vinegar) media which was made possible through Chatshaala Discussions. CUBists found home-based alternatives to the ingredients found in a standard medium used in fruit fly labs called the Standard Cornmeal agar media.\nSmiti unknowingly made a media by putting custard apple, mashed potato and banana (BPCV) in a jar and kept that for trapping fruitflies and got 80-100 fruitflies on 8th October 2021. However, this medium turned liquid within a few days of the flies using it. The original TRSV medium developed by CUBists last year used rava as a component to turn the medium solid. Taking clues from the TRSV medium, Smiti replaced the custard in her medium with rava. BPCV thus became BPRV (Banana Potato Rava Vinegar) medium.\nBut Smiti faced another issue. The medium turned liquid and had fungal growth. So through discussions in Chatshaala, CUBists developed on her media and added vinegar to avoid fungal growth. That gave us the new BPSRV(Banana, Potato, Sugar, Rava, Vinegar) media. But again some complication arose, so in the end, potato as a component was dropped from the composition of the medium to finally give us the BSRV media which is now used for culturing fruitflies in home labs.\n","date":"November 14, 2021","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/blog/fruit-fly-food-menu-has-one-more-addition/","section":"Blog","summary":"By Abhijeet Singh, Saida Sayyed and Smiti 13th November 2021 The story of the new BPCV (Banana, Potato, Custard apple, Vinegar) media for culturing Fruitfly in home labs is very interesting! Smiti, a first-year B.Sc student from Elphinstone college, Mumbai wanted to study the…","title":"Fruit-fly food menu has one more addition","type":"blog"},{"content":" This is a page that contains a few scanned images\nRegional Resource Centre Award 2020 Sree Narayana College, Thrissur, Kerala Acharya Narendra Dev College, New Delhi\n","date":"October 7, 2021","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/blog/cube-awards-2020/","section":"Blog","summary":"This is a page that contains a few scanned images Regional Resource Centre Award 2020 Sree Narayana College, Thrissur, Kerala Acharya Narendra Dev College, New Delhi 1759×1243 175 KB Regional Resource Centre Award 2020 Sree Narayana College, Thrissur, Kerala Acharya Narendra…","title":"CUBE Awards 2020","type":"blog"},{"content":" Late Prof. Obaid Siddiqi: Personal Memoirs – Anil Sadgopal/27-28 June, 2021\nMemoir No. 1 (687 words) It was sometime towards the closing months of 1967. I was struggling round the clock at CalTech (California Institute of Technology, Pasadena) to finish my PhD research and submit my thesis. I had already taken a bit too long to do this. Late Dr. Pushpa M. Bhargava, Founder-Director, Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad was visiting Prof. James Bonner, my PhD guide. Prof. Bonner asked him: “Would you like to meet an Indian student doing PhD under me?” My lab was adjacent to Prof. Bonner’s lab. Dr. Bhargava walked into my lab and introduced himself. He asked me about my plans after finishing PhD (then about 6-7 months away). I said: “I would go back to India but do not know where.” He offered to introduce me to Prof. Obaid Siddiqi, saying, “TIFR, Mumbai is by far the best place in the country for Molecular Biology. Obaid’s leadership has made it an inspiring place for the young people to pursue ideas that excite their imagination.” I was well aware of Obaid’s then internationally renowned work on ‘nonsense’ mutations.\nOn his return to India, Pushpa wrote a letter to Obaid about his meeting with me at CalTech. A couple of months later, I received a formal letter from Obaid, written in a personal (‘Dear Anil’) style, inviting me to join the Molecular Biology Unit, TIFR as a Fellow, after my PhD. I agreed spontaneously and speeded up my work to wind up thesis writing. In early 1968, I appeared for my PhD viva-voce and left for India shortly thereafter. The next thing I knew that I was asked to pre-visit TIFR to deliver a talk based on my PhD thesis to the Molecular Biology faculty and research scholars. This meant travelling by train from Delhi (where my parents lived) to Mumbai without reservation. I undertook the journey literally standing for 24 hours in the packed compartment and that, too, in the May heat. I reckon that this invited talk was the only ‘test’ I was asked to undergo to make sure that I am the right person. The talk at TIFR was in a very relaxed informal atmosphere as if I was talking to friends. The talk was followed by ‘free for all’ questions. I recall Obaid inquiring, “Anil, why did you not take the next obvious step to reach a finer understanding of the precise role of histones in DNA replication? It looks like that you just stopped when the next exciting and decisive step was so obvious to you.” I responded, “I would have done that had you not invited me to join TIFR in such a friendly manner. I was more excited to come back home and join your team!” Everybody laughed and I passed my ‘test’. Someone asked “When would you join us?” I told them, “After my wedding in Delhi later this month.” Obaid invited all of us for a cup of coffee in the West Canteen to celebrate my forthcoming wedding. I was to discover later that\nTIFR’s West Canteen was the legendary space where inspiring and unbounded scientific dialogues took place, leading to path-breaking research projects, not just in science but also in education and social action.\nAfter another month, I formally joined TIFR in June, 1968. I don’t remember even applying for this job! Later, Obaid told me that he had presented Pushpa’s letter about me in the TIFR faculty committee meeting chaired by the then Director Prof. MGK Menon, the renowned physicist. This was adequate. Prof. Menon asked Obaid to proceed ahead. That was it! Whither India’s defamed bureaucracy: No signs of it at least in TIFR in late 1960s! Of course, this method of democratic functioning based on trust and mutual respect, rather than on outdated bureaucratic rules, was missing in most of the country. I learnt from the senior scientists at TIFR that the seeds of this open-ended transparent ambience were sown by the Late Prof. Homi Bhabha who was invited by the then visionary PM Jawaharlal Nehru in 1946 to start laying the foundation of nuclear science in India, even before the formal independence.\nMemoir No. 2 (423 words) Within a couple of days of joining TIFR in June 1968, Obaid invited me and my wife, Mira, for dinner at his house. He and his wife, Asiya, welcomed us as friends without the remotest hint that I was the junior-most faculty in the Molecular Biology Unit founded by Obaid himself in 1962. On the dinner table, Asiya announced that only vegetarian dishes had been served since Obaid told her in advance that we were both vegetarians. Both of them were deeply interested in our respective personal backgrounds. They were keen to know why we decided to move to India despite Mira being a born US citizen (who acquired Indian citizenship a few years later) and we could have comfortably settled in US, like most of the Indians end up doing after PhD. It was in this conversation that I revealed my intention to Obaid for the first time to shift to a rural area ultimately with a view to experiment with the Gandhian Nai Taleem (New Education) model of rural development. Mira told them about her decision to acquire MBBS degree in Mumbai with specialization in rural health and join me later. This plan of ours naturally intrigued them. Obaid particularly probed me about my perception of the Gandhian vision of Nai Taleem and its continuing relevance to India. I was amazed at Obaid’s deep understanding of the Gandhian philosophy, especially in the context of education. He had studied Gandhi’s original writings extensively, far more than I had. Not once I felt that I was talking to one of the greatest scientific minds in the world of his times. He appeared instead to be a social scientist with philosophical orientation, referring to the contribution to social transformation made by various thinkers, saints, fakirs and Gurus in the history of India, from the time of Buddha onwards. I could not but be tempted to inquire how and\nwhen was he initiated in studying such literature. He smiled and said, “Of course, my father at Aligarh initiated me who himself was a scholar of Indian history and had a vast collection of such books.” We returned to our home with a feeling that Obaid and Asiya represented the finest of the India’s traditions of secular and composite culture.\nAt the same time, it seemed to me that Obaid did not reckon that I was really serious about shifting to rural work and might not continue at TIFR for too long. He had to wait for almost three and a half years for this shock.\nMemoir No. 3 (792 words) Obaid’s Office as Head, Molecular Biology Unit was on the same floor as the office rooms of his faculty colleagues like me as well as the spacious laboratory equipped with the latest research facilities. Next to his Office was a modest meeting room with an oval shaped table. He would often walk to the laboratory to speak with the faculty colleagues and the young research scholars, inquiring as a curious colleague into the status of the various experiments, proposing new hypotheses and leaving each of them with questions and ideas to ponder over. One could often see him pulling a stool near the lab table and discussing the data. None of us ever felt that we had been visited by a Boss. Instead, when he left after a discussion, there was a feeling that we have been enriched and some new paths have been opened up for exploration.\nSimilarly, he would also peep into our office rooms and inquire politely whether he can come inside for a discussion. About a month after my joining TIFR, he visited me in my office room on a forenoon. He wanted to know if I had made up my mind on the area of research I would pursue and what additional facilities I may require. I explained to him how I had planned to pursue the questions that were not resolved in my PhD work at CalTech. These related to the role of histones (a component of chromosomal proteins in humans) in DNA replication, including the question he himself had raised after my invited talk in early May. I handed over to him a write-up on my proposed research plan. This research would call for, I informed him, a separate room as a Human Cell Culture Lab and would need help from TIFR’s workshop to construct the specialized Cell Culture Equipment designed by me. He asked me to visit him in his office the next morning with a budget estimate.\nNext morning, he told me that his Secretary is already engaged in providing for a separate room for the Cell Culture Laboratory on the same floor and had also spoken with the Manager of the Workshop in the basement to allocate the required lathe machine and technicians for constructing the Cell Culture Equipment. A written request for this purpose along with my design and budget estimate would be sent to the Workshop\nManager on the same afternoon, with copy to the TIFR Director’s Office. Finally, he suggested that I go to the basement and meet the Manager and get the construction work started. I just could not believe that all this would be so simple in a government-funded institute. Even CalTech would have taken more time. As I was walking out of his Office, he said, “I hope you realize that yours would be India’s first human cell culture Lab! You now have to carry forward your research to fulfill its objective.” Feeling the weight of this moral responsibility, I wondered about its implications for my plans to quit TIFR three years later and shift to a rural area.\nThe TIFR Workshop turned out to be an amazing space for engineering work of the highest quality. The whole floor was covered with modern machinery and young technicians busy on their respective machines. The Manager introduced me to a young technician hailing from a village in Western Maharashtra and asked me to discuss my design with him. The young technician started the work on the lathe machine without delay but was keen to know what the proposed machine was meant for. When I explained the purpose, he realized that he was on to something of great significance and felt it a privilege that he was allocated the task. Within a month, though with some glitches, the Cell Culture Lab was ready and my research work was on its way!\nIn the process, the lathe technician and I became friends. He soon found out that my long- term interest lay in shifting from TIFR to villages and work for rural development. He invited both me and my wife to his village so that we get acquainted with agriculture. We accepted the invite happily. I informed Obaid of this development too. He was beginning to see signs that I was serious about my intention which I had shared with him and his wife over the dinner at his home. Being a wise administrator of research, he assigned a PhD scholar and a Research Assistant to work with me and learn the intricacies of the Human Cell Culture Lab. Obaid’s foresight was invaluable. The facility created by me continued to function and be utilized even after I resigned from TIFR in December 1971 and moved to Hoshangabad Distt. in Madhya Pradesh.\nMemoir No. 4 (611 words) It was in early 1971 that I approached Obaid with great hesitation and self-doubt. By this time, the spade work for the rural program based on the Gandhian Nai Taleem model of education was in fairly advanced stage, though most of it still on paper and in our core team’s collective mind. The core team of volunteers and supporters from Maharashtra (Mumbai and elsewhere), Gujarat (Distt. Surat and elsewhere) and Madhya Pradesh (Distt. Hoshangabad) was beginning to take shape. A Society had been registered in Mumbai in November-December 1970 under The Societies Registration Act, 1860 as\nwell as under the Bombay Public Trust Act, 1950. Donations were being collected from friends and well-wishers from various parts of the country.\nThe news of this endeavour somehow reached Late Prof. J. P. Naik, then Education Advisor to the Govt. of India and the Founder-Secretary of the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR). Honestly, I was then quite ignorant of Prof. Naik’s historic contribution to educational planning and policy-making (later he became my Guru and Kishore Bharati’s patron). Prof. Naik wrote a letter to me at the TIFR address wherein he stated that he had come to know of my plan to institute a Gandhian Nai Taleem program in some rural area. Further, he wishes to talk to all the core members of the team since he had some crucial suggestions that need urgent consideration. The letter was followed up with a telegram asking for a date, time and the venue of the meeting so that he will schedule his flight from Delhi to Mumbai just to meet us. Someone in our core team knew of Prof. Naik and suggested that we should certainly accept his offer. This was my first contact in life with any person in the government of such seniority and access to official power. Our 20-member core team had people from different parts of Maharashtra and Gujarat, though most of them from Mumbai itself. Not knowing any venue that would be appropriate to meet Prof. Naik, I decided to speak to Obaid.\nAfter hearing this story, Obaid pointed out that Prof. Naik is doyen of Indian education and talked of his decisive role in Kothari Commission as its Secretary. He opined that there is every reason to accept Prof. Naik’s offer. He readily offered the meeting room next to his office as venue for this purpose. When I wondered whether it is OK for holding such a meeting in an official space of TIFR, his response is worth recalling even half a century later. He said, “TIFR is an institution supported by government funds which means people’s money. You are planning to do something for the welfare of the people and Prof. Naik, GoI’s senior functionary and a visionary in his own right, is going to fly to Mumbai to discuss your plan. Why can’t a government facility be used for this consultation? What else the government buildings are meant for, if not for acting for people’s welfare? Go ahead and invite him. I will arrange for tea and some snacks at my personal cost. If you would prefer, I would welcome him formally and then leave you people with him.”\nI had no words to thank Obaid. Nor did I then have any idea that a scientist of his stature and heavy engagements could entertain such thoughts though now I know of many scientists (and social scientists too) of similar social commitments. I would not hesitate today to assert that Obaid, a person with Insaaniyat, was moved by thoughts and emotions similar to those of Albert Einstein who was as much a scientist as he was a socialist!\n[Footnote: The meeting with Prof. Naik went on for three hours. While appreciating our commitment, he criticized our idea of setting up a campus for Nai Taleem model of development and pleaded that we drop the idea altogether. Instead he proposed that we set up a Rural University with the same purpose, rather than setting up an isolated Nai Taleem experimental model in a village. Lost in our dream and ill- informed enthusiasm,we completely failed to see the sense in Prof.Naik’s proposal but we now know that he was speaking with insight in similar experiments all over the country, including Gandhi’s own experiments. But this debate is not the focus of the present write-up and would be elaborated in Kishore Bharati’s ongoing documentation.]\nMemoir No. 5 (935 words) Now, I come to the most precious part of my Memoirs of Obaid.\nIt must have been towards the closing months of 1971. By then, our effort to procure 150 acres of the state government land in Distt. Hoshangabad to set up the rural campus had crossed major political hurdles. The ground work for initiating the Hoshangabad Science Teaching Programme (HSTP) in Madhya Pradesh government schools had also moved forward. A group of science faculty members from Delhi University and scientists like Prof. Yash Pal and Prof. V. G. Kulkarni from TIFR as well as two leading members of the All India Science Teachers Association had offered to contribute time and energy for HSTP. My wife, Mira, was engaged in the 3rd year of MBBS program at JJ Medical College, Mumbai. She told Kishore Bharati’s core team, “Anil should not wait at all for me to finish my medical course and instead may proceed to become a full-timer with Kishore Bharati right away.” Mira’s bold decision gave me the confidence in December 1971 to resign from TIFR.\nGathering all of my moral courage, I went to Obaid’s office to hand over my Resignation Letter to be duly recommended and forwarded to the Director Prof. MGK Menon for approval. Being aware of the various stages of my steady preparation towards this point for the previous three and a half years, Obaid was not exactly shocked but indeed sufficiently disturbed. Offering a cup of coffee, he asked me to relax. He collected his thoughts for a few seconds and said what I could have never anticipated, “Look, according to our ancient culture, there are four stages of human life – Brahmacharyashram, Grihasthashram, Vanaprashtashram and Sanyasashram. You, at the age of 31 years, are presently in the 2nd stage i.e. Grihasthashram when you are expected to fulfill your duties towards family life and also perform your social functions like being an active scientist. It is only when you are 50 years old that you would enter Vanaprashtashram when you may cease to be part of your family life but spend your time and energy serving the society until age of 75 years. Contrary to these ancient norms, you are escaping from your family life like being with your wife and bringing up children as well as fulfilling social duties like earning your bread and performing your role as a\nscientist for which society spent money on you. I would suggest that you postpone your resignation until you are 50 years old and then you can do what you have planned to do in Madhya Pradesh villages.”\nFor a while, I was stunned and did not know how to respond. I asked him, “How do you know all this about the Hindu concept of four Ashrams.” He smiled like always, “I have told you before too that, while I was a child in Aligarh, my father engaged a Pundit to teach me Sanskrit.” The Pundit taught me about the four Ashrams. I also learnt Sanskrit reasonably well.” However, justifying my decision, I asserted, “I don’t want to wait until I am 50 years old when I would not have adequate energy to pursue the idea of translating the Gandhian concept of Nai Taleem for rural development. I want to give the best years of my life – physically, emotionally and intellectually – to fulfill this unfinished educational agenda of the Freedom Struggle. If my physical health would permit, I would definitely continue to work beyond the age of 50 years as well.” Before giving up, he tried another route, “Your wife is mid-way her MBBS Course. In addition to her living expenses like house rent, food and maid, she would have to pay her medical course fees as well. How would she manage all this when you won’t be earning anymore?” I shared our joint thoughts, “There is some saving from my CalTech fellowship. My parents also promised some help. This should suffice until she finishes her medical course and joins me at Kishore Bharati in Madhya Pradesh.” Obaid reluctantly gave up, “As wished by you, I will recommend your Resignation as a TIFR Fellow to the Director. The decision is up to him.” And then he added quickly, “I am sure you would handover the charge of the Human Cell Culture Lab to the Research Assistant and provide guideline for pursuing research to your PhD scholar.” I added, “Of course, I will do it and give you a written report too.” As I made moves to leave the room, Obaid stood up and wished me well, “Do let me know if I can be of any help in your work. Mira should feel free to contact us whenever she needs our help.”\nI left the room with tears rolling down my eyes. Here was a wonderful human being who built up the then finest Molecular Biology Lab which the whole country could be proud of. The team of brilliant and dedicated faculty members, PhD scholars and research assistants he put together and guided meticulously had no parallel then in Molecular Biology elsewhere in not just India but the entire South Asia as well. I would dare add that even CalTech had a lot to learn from Obaid in providing leadership in scientific research. Later, Obaid shifted his attention to research on behavioural neurogenetics and became the Founder-Director of the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS) at Bangalore under the aegis of TIFR.\nToday, in particular, I salute his well-informed nuanced perception of India’s history and culture and his unassuming and transparent way of life.\nBut there is more to this story.\nMemoir No. 6 (360 words) A few days after submitting my Resignation from TIFR in December 1971, Obaid called me and asked me to note down a telephone number. He then told me that this is the telephone number of the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust. He had spoken to the Trust’s Chairperson Prof. Rustom Choksi about me and my plans to work for rural education and development in Madhya Pradesh villages. Obaid suggested that I meet Prof. Choksi and it is quite possible that the Trust may support my work. Prof. Choksi turned out to be an unexpected person sitting in a corporate office. He inquired into my background and the reason for resigning from TIFR and moving to Madhya Pradesh villages. I gave him a copy of our Project Report which he set aside and said I prefer to talk to you instead. Finally, he inquired about the kind of support we expect from the Trust. I asked him, “Can you support 5 workers @ Rs. 500/month for five years?” Bewildered, he asked, “Are you serious? How can anyone live in this frugal sum? Have you done your computation carefully?” I assured him, “Yes, we know what we are talking about. If you provide this support, we would have a nuclear team, including myself, that would lead Kishore Bharati’s crucial initial years and set the tone for future years as well.” He agreed despite his doubts and the support of Rs. 30,000/year came to us regularly not just for 5 years but until mid-1980s! In return, Prof. Choksi set a unique condition, “Once a year, whenever you visit Mumbai (then, Bombay), come and have a cup of coffee with me and tell me what all has happened in Kishore Bharati.” I inquired whether we can send a written Report instead. He laughed and added, “That you may send to our Finance Office for their records.” As far as I am concerned, he asserted, “I want to know your grassroots experience and what you are learning, directly from you.” This is what I did once in a year at my convenience for the next several years. The coffee was invariably served with delicious Parsi cake!\n[Footnote: What more can I say about the deep sense of humanity (Insaaniyat) that characterised Obaid. I never even remotely hinted to him that we need any financial support. Yet, he was genuinely concerned. His credibility was so high in the world of science that one phone call from him was adequate to move the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust to ensure enviable support to us for more than a decade. There is much more to this story about Sir Dorabji Tata Trust’s support. There were serious ups and downs too but that has nothing to do with Obaid. All this would be recorded and analysed in the ongoing Kishore Bharati’s documentation.]\nMemoir No. 7 (326 words) In March 1972, the idea of HSTP was permitted to be introduced on a trial basis in 16 government middle schools (Class VI-VIII) of Hoshangabad District. Six years later in 1978, the state government agreed to expand the program to all the 280 middle schools of the District, along with major structural changes in the concerned administrative institutions as well. In 1979, we invited Obaid to visit the schools and meet the teachers of the Bankhedi Block (where the Kishore Bharati campus was located) and the adjacent Pipariya Block. He addressed 3 to 4 meetings of the teachers in two days either in open air or in government school/college Halls. The meeting at Kishore Bharati campus was under a large Neem Tree with 150 plus teachers drawn from the entire District. In each meeting, speaking in colloquial Hindi/Hindustani and using anecdotes, Obaid would explain ‘What is science?’ and the social implications of scientific temper. He would answer questions with such simplicity that no one could imagine that they were listening to a brilliant scientist of international repute. On average, each meeting would be attended by 150 to 200 middle school teachers. The government college in Pipariya insisted that he visit the college as well and speak to the teachers of both science and social science. Despite the stress of continuously addressing back-to-back meetings, he agreed to adjust the college request with his characteristic humility. He was a hit there too. There would be only handful of scientists in the country who could switch so comfortably from their high profile sanitized academic discourse in English to one in colloquial Hindi/Hindustani or other Indian languages. This can only happen if the scientist loves and respects the masses and has the passion to communicate science and explain its role in social transformation. The Bankhedi and Pipariya experience provided adequate evidence that Obaid had both love and respect for the masses and passion for science and scientific temper in abundance!\n[I am tempted to record an interesting anecdote at the meeting with teachers held on the Kishore Bharati campus. Obaid was talking about the role of scientific temper in social interaction. A lady teacher from the government girls school in the far away Hoshangabad town felt uncomfortable and pointed out that such a stance may disturb some of the established cultural norms and lead to tension. Obaid smiled and politely said,“यह तो बहस का मामला है” (“This is a matter of debate”). For some reason, the teacher heard ʼबहसʼ (‘debate’) as ʼभैंसʼ (‘buffalo’) and inferred that Obaid has called her ’भैंस’(‘buffalo’), thereby insulting her! I intervened and explained to Obaid why the teacher is so upset with tears in her eyes. Obaid addressed the teacher directly,“बहन जी, मै आपको ʼभैंसʼ क्यों कहूँगा? मैंने तो महज़ कहा था की “यह तो बहस का मामला है” यानी इस पर और बात करने की ज़रुरत है क्योकी आपने अच्छा मुद्दा उठाया था। मैं आपके नज़रिये की इज्जत करता हू और आपको चोट पहोचाने के लिये माफ़ी मांगता हू। (“Sister, why would I call you a buffalo? I only pointed out that it is a matter that calls for debate and further discussion because you raised an important issue. I respect you viewpoint and tender my apologies for hurting you.”A wave of low-decibel laughter changed the tense mood of the meeting.The embarrassed teacher settled the matter,“हेमे आपका व्याख्यान बहोत पसंद आया। आप दोबारा आइएगा – अगली बार हमारे स्कूल मे। (We liked your lecture alot. Come again next time to our school).”The meeting ended with tea and the teachers, including the lady teacher, surrounding Obaid with plenty of bonhomie!]\n","date":"June 30, 2021","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/blog/anil-sadgopal-on-obaid-siddiqi/","section":"Blog","summary":"Late Prof. Obaid Siddiqi: Personal Memoirs – Anil Sadgopal/27-28 June, 2021 Memoir No. 1 (687 words) It was sometime towards the closing months of 1967. I was struggling round the clock at CalTech (California Institute of Technology, Pasadena) to finish my PhD research and…","title":"Anil Sadgopal on Obaid Siddiqi","type":"blog"},{"content":"","date":"June 30, 2021","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/obaid-siddiqi/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Obaid-Siddiqi","type":"tags"},{"content":" By Anil Sadgopal\n17th October 2021\n1972 में मित्र मंडल केंद्र रसूलिया और किशोर भारती के संयुक्त प्रयास से मध्य प्रदेश के होशंगाबाद जिले के सोलह सरकारी उत्तर-प्राथमिक (मिडिल) स्कूलों में विज्ञान शिक्षण को गतिविधि-आधारित बनाने तथा स्थानीय परिवेश से जोड़ने का प्रयोग शुरू हुआ। अगले पांच वर्षों तक दिल्ली विश्वविद्यालय के कई वरिष्ठ विज्ञान शिक्षकों और उनके शोध विद्यार्थियों की पूरी एक टीम एवं टाटा आधारभूत शोध संस्थान (टाटा इंस्टिच्यूट आफ फंडामेंटल रिसर्च), मुंबई, और इंडियन इंस्टीट्यूट ऑफ टेक्नॉलाजी, कानपुर, जैसी अन्य संस्थाओं के वैज्ञानिकों की मदद से रूढ़िगत विज्ञान शिक्षण को बदलने की एक साहसिक प्रक्रिया शुरू हुई। इस प्रक्रिया में स्कूली शिक्षकों एवं बच्चों की भागीदारी बढ़ाने के ऐतिहासिक अनुभव प्राप्त किए गए। इस अनुभव को स्वयंसेवी मंच से सरकारी शिक्षा तंत्र में हस्तक्षेप के प्रयोग के रूप में व्यापक मान्यता मिली। 1978 में इन दोनों संस्थाओं ने जिले के सभी 220 उत्तर-प्राथमिक स्कूलों में विज्ञान शिक्षण के इस नए स्वरूप के अनुसार तंत्रगत ढांचे और प्रक्रियाएं खड़ा करने का काम भी किया। इस जिला स्तरीय प्रसार के कुछ महीने पहले पांच साल के अनुभव पर एक विहंगम दृष्टि डालने वाला यह विवरण ‘होविशिका’ (होशंगाबाद विज्ञान शिक्षण कार्यक्रम) की ओर से किशोर भारती की चार-सदस्यीय टीम द्वारा दर्ज किया गया था। मध्य प्रदेश के होशंगाबाद जिले में काम कर रही मित्र मंडल केंद्र रसूलिया एवं किशोर भारती नामक दो स्वैच्छिक संस्थाओं ने विगत पांच वर्षों में जिले के सोलह ग्रामीण मिडिल स्कूलों में विज्ञान शिक्षण के क्षेत्र में पथ प्रदर्शक प्रयोग किए हैं। इन प्रयोगों में उन स्कूलों के शिक्षक और बच्चे सहभागी बने। इस पहलकदमी की आधारशिला गतिविधि-आधारित शिक्षण है। इसमें बच्चे निष्क्रिय होकर केवल व्याख्यान सुनते रहने के बजाए सक्रिय रूप से ज्ञान के सृजन में हिस्सेदारी करते हैं। लेकिन बहुत जल्द ही हमने अनुभव किया कि यदि इस शैक्षिक नवाचार को करते हुए सामाजिक-आर्थिक कारकों को ध्यान में नहीं रखा गया तो ये विचार आकर्षक मुहावरे मात्र बनकर रह जाएंगे।\n","date":"June 20, 2021","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/blog/hoshangabad-science-teaching-program-2021-post/","section":"Blog","summary":"By Anil Sadgopal 17th October 2021 1082×725 1.35 MB 1972 में मित्र मंडल केंद्र रसूलिया और किशोर भारती के संयुक्त प्रयास से मध्य प्रदेश के होशंगाबाद जिले के सोलह सरकारी उत्तर-प्राथमिक (मिडिल) स्कूलों में विज्ञान शिक्षण को गतिविधि-आधारित बनाने तथा स्थानीय परिवेश से जोड़ने का…","title":"Hoshangabad Science Teaching Program (2021 post)","type":"blog"},{"content":"","date":"June 20, 2021","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/hstp/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Hstp","type":"tags"},{"content":" By Aashutosh Mule\n30th October 2021\nIt was a winter month of 2011. I had finished my post-graduation and was looking forward to pursue a PhD degree in neuroscience. I had heard of the Masters in Neuroscience course at the Life Science department of Sophia College. I went to meet the HOD, Dr. Medha Rajadhyaksha. “Unfortunately we do not have any current openings for PhD”, she sighed. But in the very next moment, with a gleam in her eyes she suggested me of a neuroscience project taking place elsewhere for which I might take interest. She took the name of Dr. M.C. Arunan and shared me his contact.I was amazed that all I had to do was tell him I was interested to know of his project in my first call, and this person started talking to me with such great enthusiasm, giving me so many different examples of how cognition could be studied in animals, almost as if he knew me since quite a time. He told me of how sparrows hop and never walk unlike crows and how this differing degree of freedom of movement could have a correlation with the complexity of their brains. Drawn by this enthusiasm of the mentor, I went to meet him to know more of the project. The collaborative model of learning called CUBE was just taking shape then. I cleared the interview and was recruited on the project at Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education. In my project work, an important practice that Dr. Arunan carried out was to ask me to go to the blackboard and explain the work I was doing. He never gave direct answers, but through intensive discussions helped me arrive at them. But I failed to notice it then. Three months into my tenure, I was required to train a batch of 12 young undergraduate students on various projects involving simple model organisms. It was once when I saw Arunan’s disappointed face on seeing me instruct the students, that I, for the first time, understood that what he sought. He always wanted knowledge to be constructed through discussions and not be instructed. Four years later I joined as an Assistant Professor at the Biotechnology department of Elphinstone college. I used to take lot of efforts at simplifying concepts so that most students understand my teaching. I was doing good. Students used to understand my lectures well (or so I believed), and soon started looking forward to my lectures. I had gained some popularity as a favourite teacher among the students. In the Diwali vacations, I got to know of the CUBE winter workshop and thought that this would be a good opportunity to expose my students to research activities. So, I encouraged them to participate for the workshop. I used to be there along with the students to see how they find it. The students very excitedly participated in many different projects. Like it was with me four years ago, I saw my students go to the board to describe their project and participate in a discussion. On one given day, the discussion brought up the topic of estimating volumes of liquids while preparing culture media. The moment I realised that this topic has been taken up, I leaned forward with confidence. Just a month ago, as a prelude to one of my practicals with these students, I had very nicey explained to them about making unit conversions. I remembered it as one of my best lectures at college. My confidence that, if not for anything else, my students would certainly be able to answer these questions, was shattered within minutes, as I saw my students fumble miserably with the concepts taught to them in the best of my lectures. And then they learned the same concepts, but this time not by being instructed by their favourite teacher, but rather by constructing the knowledge themselves through a two-way discussion. Four years ago, I did have a taste of this constructive way of learning when I was working under Dr. Arunan for the CUBE project. But inspite of knowing that constructive learning is better than the instructive mode, I simply followed the instructive approach when I took up to teaching myself. After all, we all are products of the same old system of instructive learning. We all have spent hours learning through powerpoint presentations or diagrams on the blackboard. The instructive way of learning is so ingrained that when we ourselves take up teaching, we find better organization in such structured mode of teaching. But as I sat that day among my students during an active causerie at the CUBE workshop, I realized how unstructured but facilitated discussions are way more effective than any instruction we do with the aids of presentations. I realized how effective CUBE is as a model of learning, not when I was a student myself, but when I turned a teacher.\n","date":"June 20, 2021","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/blog/cube-from-a-teacher-s-perspective/","section":"Blog","summary":"By Aashutosh Mule 30th October 2021 It was a winter month of 2011. I had finished my post-graduation and was looking forward to pursue a PhD degree in neuroscience. I had heard of the Masters in Neuroscience course at the Life Science department of Sophia College. I went to…","title":"CUBE from a teacher’s perspective","type":"blog"},{"content":" By Aashutosh Mule\n2nd September 2021\nProfessor Anil Sadgopal, known for revolutionising the education sector in Madhya Pradesh, was on Friday felicitated with the Homi Bhabha Award in Science and Education 2018. The award is presented every alternate year by the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research for exemplary contribution in the field of science education. Friday’s award was presented by Professor K. Subramaniam, director of the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education, for Prof. Sadgopal’s lifelong contribution to the systematic rethinking of science education in India, including impactful experiments and teachings at the grassroots level. Prof. Sadgopal designed and organised a rural education programme through Kishore Bharati in Hoshangabad district of Madhya Pradesh. In collaboration with Friends Rural Centre Rasulia, he initiated the Hoshangabad Science Teaching Programme (HSTP), which was a historic intervention in the government school system of Madhya Pradesh. Prof. Sadgopal dedicated the award to his team. “The entire effort is invariably a team effort even if the award is given to an individual. It wouldn’t have been able to conceive HSTP without them,” he said. The HSTP sought to reconstruct education’s status-quoist discourse over three decades. It introduced an experiment-based and inquiry-oriented teaching of science in 16 middle schools of Hoshangabad. Students learned science by either conducting experiments or going out on field trips. Over three decades, the government of Madhya Pradesh also accepted the programme and backed it with financial grants. Prof. Sadgopal spoke at length about Hoshangabad Vigyan in government schools with anecdotes, which delighted the audience. Speaking about the first time he met the District Educational Officer of Hoshangabad, he said, “I didn’t even know the meaning of Bachelor of Education, which made everyone very angry. After that I learnt a lot and today I know everything about the Indian education system. I actively intervene to change the curricula of schools and universities,” he said. In 2002, under the State government’s orders, HSTP was closed as the government was no longer able to fund the programme. Even after its closure, however, HSTP continued to revolutionise science education in India. “Prof. Sadgopal and HSTP remain a beacon of light in our field. In our recent programme, Vigyan Pratibha, we were designing experiments with electricity. We consulted the Bal Vaigyanik workbooks of students from HSTP and the experiments were very well structured even though they are almost half-a-century old,” Prof. Subramaniam said.\n","date":"June 20, 2021","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/blog/anil-sadgopal-awarded-homi-bhabha-award-for-science-education/","section":"Blog","summary":"By Aashutosh Mule 2nd September 2021 654×329 214 KB Professor Anil Sadgopal, known for revolutionising the education sector in Madhya Pradesh, was on Friday felicitated with the Homi Bhabha Award in Science and Education 2018. The award is presented every alternate year by the…","title":"Anil Sadgopal awarded Homi Bhabha award for science education","type":"blog"},{"content":"","date":"June 20, 2021","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/homi-bhabha/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Homi-Bhabha","type":"tags"},{"content":" By Aashutosh Mule\n29th September 2021\nClose to a hundred students from across the country bagged awards during the National Meet 2020 for their innovative home-lab activities during the pandemic imposed lockdown. The online National meet was organized to celebrate the spirit of CUBists to continue with their project work inspite of the restrictions imposed by the lockdown. When the lockdown robbed students of their access to the college labs, these students turned their kitchens into labs. Continuing their work in these home labs meant that they had to come up with innovative ways to do experiments with resources available at home. They had to find home-based alternatives to ingredients otherwise found only in a lab. They had to innovate simple ways of investigating their model organisms. Students put to use the collaborative spirit of CUBE to engage in productive discussions that yielded solutions to these new challenges. This spirit of the students certainly deserved to be awarded. Six months into running the show, the students bagged various awards under nine separate categories for their innovative work at the National meet. We list below all the awards received:\nAnil Sadgopal Award 2020 for Popularization of Science \u0026amp; Contribution to Science Outreach: Anil Sadgopal was one of the first persons to start Science outreach programs in the country and these awards are offered under his name for the efforts put in for outreach of CUBE-based and associative studies. The persons receiving thw awards have contributed by connevting with other people and increasing the reach of the CUBE program.\nKS Krishnan Student Mentor Award 2020: The CUBE program would have never happened without students who gain experience and begin to play the role of mentors for the new recruiting students. This award is to acknowledge these mentoring efforts put in by these students at making the CUBE model work. The duration taken by to turn into a mentor may differ from one awardee to the next, being anywhere between 6 months to even just a week after joing the program.\nVeronica Rodrigues Award 2020 for Perseverance in the Pursuit of Science: This award is offered under the name of the late TIFR stalwart Veronica Rodrgigues who…. It would have been difficult to bring about the level of activities that we mangaged during the lockdown period without these very crucial contributions by the awardees under this category. Their perseverance have been evident by the frequency at which they actively participate in the daily ChatShaala sessions and their enormous writing contributions on the metasudio platform and on the CUBE social networking groups.\nDD Kosambi Young Scientists Awards 2020: DD Kosambi was a mathematician and a statistician in TIFR who contributed immesely to the field of biology, particularly in the domain of population genetics. This award is offered under his name to all the upcoming CUBists who hold the promise of carrying the flag forward for CUBE as well of turning into a good scientists themselves in their career ahead.\nSK Mahajan Award for Popularization of Scientific Pursuit: TThe late S.K. Mahajan has contributed a lot both by his high level work at BARC in molecular biology and also by his efforts on promoting science and scientific temper. This ward is offered in his name for the for efforts put in by people in popularizing science and science education.\n","date":"June 20, 2021","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/blog/award-winning-work/","section":"Blog","summary":"By Aashutosh Mule 29th September 2021 Close to a hundred students from across the country bagged awards during the National Meet 2020 for their innovative home-lab activities during the pandemic imposed lockdown. The online National meet was organized to celebrate the spirit of…","title":"Award winning work!","type":"blog"},{"content":" By Saida Sayyed\n24th September 2021\nWorking from Home-Labs continued for the CUBists. While they continued on making innovations, they did not treat their older innovations as some finished products. In fact we saw CUBists bring in more refinements to their older innovations such as the TRSV medium, .\nNational CUBE Meet 2021 Events DAY 3, Presentations. Moina https://youtu.be/zc2u9ToXzEA Snail https://youtu.be/GvadT0IJwr8 Nematode https://youtu.be/vFMIoi66P9E Mosquito https://youtu.be/UaRb-EXc3GY Ant https://youtu.be/oqVHsE7H93U Pigeon https://youtu.be/G06SsdKhSbA ","date":"June 20, 2021","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/blog/national-annual-meet-2021/","section":"Blog","summary":"By Saida Sayyed 24th September 2021 Working from Home-Labs continued for the CUBists. While they continued on making innovations, they did not treat their older innovations as some finished products. In fact we saw CUBists bring in more refinements to their older innovations…","title":"National Annual meet 2021","type":"blog"},{"content":" By Saida Sayyed\n15th September 2021\nWhen the lockdown was imposed last year, many students working under the CUBE program of Kishore Bharati lost access to their school and college labs. It seemed that their project work would halt as long as the lockdown sustained. However, these students quickly rose to the challenge, and innovated what they today call the Home Labs. Yes, they turned their homes into labs. Innovations have always been a part of the CUBE culture. For example, even since before the lockdown students, though having access to their school/college labs, preferred to use a pressure cooker for sterilizing their culture media instead of using the sophisticated lab instrument, the autoclave. Instead of feeding Moina its usual diet of bacteria, students established a self-sustaining ecosystem for the crustacean by adding milk in de-chlorinated water to nourish bacteria to feed Moina.\nHowever, the lockdown demanded a new set of innovations to make it happen with all the things available to them at home. In place of the Standard Cornmeal Agar, a culture medium for growing fruit-flies and which can be made using the analytical grade ingredients available in a lab, students innovated the Tomato-Rava-Sugar-Vinegar (TRSV) medium using kitchen ingredients and on which the fruit flies grow equally well. They used potato to isolate and culture nematodes instead of the usual agar medium made in a a lab. With no access to the lab microscope, students innovated phone microscopy to be able to identify fruitflies.\nThe National Annual Meet was a celebration of a period of more than six months of such students continuing on their project work at home. Students from across the country shared their Home lab work in the meet. Know in full detail at: {Annual National Meet 2020)\n","date":"June 20, 2021","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/blog/national-annual-meet-2020/","section":"Blog","summary":"By Saida Sayyed 15th September 2021 When the lockdown was imposed last year, many students working under the CUBE program of Kishore Bharati lost access to their school and college labs. It seemed that their project work would halt as long as the lockdown sustained. However,…","title":"National Annual Meet 2020","type":"blog"},{"content":" Phase VI (2003-15): Re-defining KB’s Role in Social Transformation Beginning in 2003-04, the EC undertook a detailed analysis of the post- globalisation education policies and evaluation of neoliberal impact on Indian polity, in general, and education, in particular. It was understood that the rising educational crisis as a result of neoliberal economic order called for a major people’s movement to resist its attack. In 2006-07, a decision was taken by EC to redefine KB’s role such that its institutional structure can provide critical support to building a people’s movement in education with a view to redeem India’s education as well as sovereignty from neoliberal assault and, in the process, also reconstruct the education system for future generations as per India’s Constitution. This must be recorded as an unprecedented decision for a voluntary organisation in India’s history of the upsurge of voluntary movement since early 20th century.\nAlso, it was decided to involve younger people in KB’s work and EC itself in order to broaden the scope of KB’s programmes. Accordingly, in 2008-09, a rigorous exercise was undo:rtaken to revise KB’s Memorandum of Association in order to attract younger people to associate with KB as per their particular interest areas.\nSince 2007, KB has provided critical support to building a people’s movement in education against the neoliberal policies. From June 2009 onwards, this support has been provided to the All India Forum for Right to Education (AIFRTE) in particular through provision of critical fellowships and stipends; partial financial support to training programmes, workshops, conferences, documentation and publication; and strengthening the general process of raising people’s consciousness regarding how neoliberalism is distorting and destroying the education system, thereby building an alternative education system based upon the Constitution through a people’s movement.\nIn the same vein, since 2011-12, KB has provided subtle but critical support to the task of building people’s consciousness against the privatization of water, through PPP or otherwise, in Madhya Pradesh due to the neoliberal water policy of the centre.\n","date":"June 19, 2021","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/phase-vi/","section":"Living Academy in Pune","summary":"Phase VI (2003-15): Re-defining KB’s Role in Social Transformation Beginning in 2003-04, the EC undertook a detailed analysis of the post- globalisation education policies and evaluation of neoliberal impact on Indian polity, in general, and education, in particular. It was…","title":"Phase VI","type":"page"},{"content":" Phase V (1992-2003): Hibernation and Introspection The EC decided to hibernate and introspect in the wake of winding up KB’s rural campus, before undertaking any further programme.\nA decision to document KB’s history was taken but, unfortunately never carried out.\nThe EC continued to hold its meetings regularly as per law but no programme was undertaken during this hibernation period except for extending financial support to some selected organisations periodically out of its left over funds after winding up the rural campus.\n","date":"June 19, 2021","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/phase-v/","section":"Living Academy in Pune","summary":"Phase V (1992-2003): Hibernation and Introspection The EC decided to hibernate and introspect in the wake of winding up KB’s rural campus, before undertaking any further programme. A decision to document KB’s history was taken but, unfortunately never carried out. The EC…","title":"Phase V","type":"page"},{"content":" Phase IV (1988-92): Towards Winding Up of the Rural Campus A major debate ensued from 1988 onwards around the following questions:\nWhat are the limits of institutional framework (particularly its campus-based form) and its organizational implications in catalyzing social transformation? What are the limits of role model (i.e KB’s various programmes) as a tool of social transformation? What are the limits of building public pressure, both from within (through Govt. Committees like the Teachers’ Commission) and without (HSTP; EKLAVYA)? Isn’t KB becoming a NGO and losing its missionary zeal by becoming trapped in internal squabbles and petty issues? Isn’t KB likely to become a Mathh (WS) like institution, just like various Gandhian AShrams, Religious Centres or Ramakrishan Missions, if we continue like this? After in-depth prolonged debates with KB staff and well-wishers and examination of various creative alternatives, the EC finally decided in 1989-90 to wind up the 150-acre rural campus and hand over the land along with all the immoveable assets (amounting to more than 30 Lacs) to the state government.\nThis decision was implemented by 1991-92.\n","date":"June 19, 2021","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/phase-iv/","section":"Living Academy in Pune","summary":"Phase IV (1988-92): Towards Winding Up of the Rural Campus A major debate ensued from 1988 onwards around the following questions: What are the limits of institutional framework (particularly its campus-based form) and its organizational implications in catalyzing social…","title":"Phase IV","type":"page"},{"content":" Phase III (1982-88): Bold New ‘Adventures’ but Without Organisational or Ideological Preparedness Reproductive Awareness and Women’s Health; Involvement in women’s movement across the country (1980s onwards). Formation of EKLAVYA and Expansion of HSTP beyond Hoshangabad District (1982 onwards). Involvement in National Teachers’ Commission. (1983-84). Bhopal Disaster — Pro-active support to the Victims’ Struggle against the Collusion of Indian State and Union Carbide (1984-87). (The Bhopal struggle constitutes the first major engagemCnt of KB whose focus v•as outside the campus, raising questions regarding the re1e›•ance and limitations of carrying the complex responsibility of campus maintenance and management of the contingent development progiainmes.) Water Testing Programme with Higher Secondary Students of Chhindwara Government School (1986-87). Children’s Pedagogic Programmes, with emphasis on language development (1987 onwards). Engaging with Narmada Dam Issue (1988 onwards) and extending support to the first public protest at Harsud. By this time, the NGO culture spreading all over the country started being reflected in KB too, leading to incremental distortion and attrition of KB’s voluntary spirit, along with a dangerous trend of depoliticisation. The KB group was quite ill-prepared both ideologically and organizationally to deal with this early neoliberal impact during the late 1980s. Consequently, disarray, ad-hocism and adventurism in work styles and priorities led to attrition of the overall sense of purpose, though somewhat restrained by KB’s history of rich experience.\n","date":"June 19, 2021","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/phase-iii/","section":"Living Academy in Pune","summary":"Phase III (1982-88): Bold New ‘Adventures’ but Without Organisational or Ideological Preparedness Reproductive Awareness and Women’s Health; Involvement in women’s movement across the country (1980s onwards). Formation of EKLAVYA and Expansion of HSTP beyond Hoshangabad…","title":"Phase III","type":"page"},{"content":" 50 years of KB Freeing itself from the clutches of British rule, an Independent India envisioned to build free India’s education in a manner that would spearhead a silent reconstruction of our society and would also be linked to the developmental aspirations of the people. The Kishore Bharati (KB) Group emerged during 1969-70 out of a deep concern for the way this vision was side-lined to push Macaulay’s model of colonial education for maintaining status quo. Early in its inception, KB Group realized the priority of intervening in the established school system. Children of the upper primary stage (Classes VI-VIII) would learn science by conducting experiments with their own hands , recording their observations, collecting and analyzing data, discussing among themselves, inferring and thereby understanding scientific concepts and acquiring knowledge. Textbooks were replaced by workbooks, teachers were reoriented to a radically changed culture of learning and, most significantly, the government persuaded to ask no question in exam papers that is based on rote learning. Only such questions were promoted that would test the children’s ability to question, observe, explore, analyse and infer.\nWhat started as a small hesitant step in 16 government schools in May 1972 in two Blocks (Hoshangabad and Bankhedi) of Distt. Hoshangabad of Madhya Pradesh, became known later as the Hoshangabad Science Teaching Programme (HSTP). In 1990s, HSTP engaged about 1,000 schools and one lac students in learning through experiments and more than 1,000 teachers in challenging the unscientific, undemocratic and anti-child pedagogy of rote-learning. When HSTP was at its peak, there was not a single school in the country outside this programme- neither any of the famed Central Schools/ Navodaya Vidyalayas nor any of the elite expensive ‘public’. The 6-year old HSTP succeeded in establishing the basic validity of both the radical pedagogy of science education as well as of the crucial role of pro-people intervention in government school system.\nInterestingly, KB’s efforts at intervening in the established school system also involved experiments of working with the school students outside the system. About a dozen school dropouts belonging to landless and marginal farmer families. learned to acquire knowledge, build human values and develop multiple skills by growing groundnuts, managing animal husbandry, doing carpentry and selling their products in the local market. What Gandhi said in his historic address to the Wardha Conference (1937) was concretized as a pedagogy in this programme during 1972-78. Nai Talim experiment taught KB how to interweave productive work in the curriculum. The rich experience of the 5-6 years long experiment unfolded a range of radical pedagogic possibilities that seem to transcend even Gandhi’s own ideas, at least as far as practiced by his followers since early 1940s. It was again through the Nai Talim experiment that the KB group could discover the Freirian pedagogy of social transformation that awakened it to a new educational discourse in the post-emergency period.\nRead More on history\n","date":"June 19, 2021","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/about-kishore-bharati-2021/","section":"Living Academy in Pune","summary":"50 years of KB Freeing itself from the clutches of British rule, an Independent India envisioned to build free India’s education in a manner that would spearhead a silent reconstruction of our society and would also be linked to the developmental aspirations of the people. The…","title":"About Kishore Bharati (2021)","type":"page"},{"content":" Phase II (1972-82): Engagement with Reality — Multi-Dimensional Response Even before the work on the Palia Pipariya rural campus in Foshangabad Distt. took off the ground, the sustained questioning by Sudarshan Kapoor of Friends Rural Centre, Rasulia (1971-72) began to influence our original thoughts. This is the story of how the idea of setting up an isolated Nai Taleem experimental school was being questioned on the ground of it having, at best, only a marginal impact on the prevailing education system, apart from the possibility of dying its ‘slow death’ as has been the case with thousands of such attempts in the recent past. At the same time, the questioning emphasized the priority of intervening in the established school system, being essentially a government school system at that stage of pre- globalisation Indian economy. The outcome was the plan to intervene in 16 Government middle schools of Hoshangabad and Bankhedi Blocks, later to be termed the Hoshangabad Science Teaching Programme (HSTP). The work on the rural campus also started around the same time. The form and content of the rural campus along with the Nai Taleem experimental school was further influenced by the addition of a significant minor irrigation programme based on the appropriate technology of Ring Wells as well as a cattle breeding-cum-animal husbandry programme. That these programmes also enriched the Nai Taleem idea, is a different matter. Soon, a set of agricultural innovations aimed at engaging with cultivation in sandy soil began to occupy the central stage due to the physical and social reality of the campus. KB’s attempt to set up a cottage industry — production of electrical chokes for tubelights and training programme for repair of electrical motors of pump sets — is yet another evidence of how the Nai Taleem idea was being transformed into a multi- dimensional rural development programme.\nIn terms of phasing, HSTP preceded the Nat Taleem experiment (the first teacher- training was held in May 1972) and rapidly overtook all other priorities. By 1973, the Nai Taleem experiment also took shape in this vibrant milieu of rural development, on the one hand, and HSTP, on the other. This experiment with a handful of school drop-outs from poor peasant families, though lasting only for 5-6 years, was unexpectedly a rich experience that unfolded a range of radical pedagogic possibilities that seemed to transcend even Gandhi’s own ideas, at least as far as practiced by his followers since early 1940s. It was through this experiment that we could discover Freirian pedagogy of social transformation well before it became known in the Indian educational ethos. The formal introduction to Freire’s ‘Pedagogy of the Oppressed’ by Datta Savle, the radical pedagogue of the tribal movement in Maharashtra awakened us to a new educational discourse in the post-emergency period (from 1977 onwards).\nBy the time, the political emergency ended, the 6-year old HSTP had succeeded in establishing the basic validity of both the radical pedagogy of science ediication as well as of the crucial role of pro-people intervention in government school system. The time was ripe to convert the pilot-scale lntervention into an institutionalized intervention calling for major structural changes w’ithin the school education system. A joint FIIC, Rasulia and KB proposal to the state government set the ball rolling. In 1978, HSTP expanded from a 16-school intervention to all the 280 odd middle schools of Hoshangabad District, touching all structures and processes of school education — from teacher education, school time table and textbook writing to evaluation and assessment. By 1981, with FRC, Rasulia having withdrawn from HSTP, KB was leading the programme from village schools and teachers to the corridors of Government Colleges in M.P., Delhi University, IITs and NCERT/ UGC/ Ministry of Education— something entirely unanticipated in the original scheme of things.\nPublic health was then emerging as a national issue. KB, too, set up a mini- experiment called ‘Zaroori Dawai Suvidha’ involving the oppressed classes and castes in the village, particularly women. By early 1980s, investigations into the people’s perceptions of fertility and child birth became new concerns in KB’s consciousness. Thus KB way initiated, though reluctantly, into the feminist discourse then beglnning to capture the attention of the progressive sections of society, at least among metropolitan middle classes.\nHSTP also drew KB into People’s Science Movement led by Kerala Shastra Sahitya Parishad (KSSP), opening up new possibilities of people’s education.\nKB had by then become virtually a ‘pilgrimage centre’ of the progressive lntelligentsia from all over the country — a role for which we were most ill- prepared ideologically as well as strategically. Yet, the KB ambience was then pregnant with optimism and faith that “education in this wider sense can lead to social transformation”. Nothing could then diffuse the enthusiasm of the young highly educated ever-expanding team then gelling around KB.\nKB also decided to support the then nation-wide endeavour to resist assault on people’s democratic rights and civil liberties. Beginning in 1980, we played a key role in building up the state PUCL and working with PUDR, Delhi in carrying out investigations of violations of the Constitutional rights of the masses, not just in M.P. but beyond in neighbouring states like Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh as well.\nGrounded in KB’s own rich campus-based library and documentation centre, a series of mobile libraries started functioning in the surrounding villages. Shaheed Bhagat Singh Pustakalaya Evam Sanskritik Kendra, supported by the youth inspired by the ideology of Lohia and Kishen Patnaik, was set up in Papiaria town. This Kendra undertook intensive work with both village and kasbai children outside the schools which included a newspaper edited by the children themselves. The Kendra’s progressive lecture series organized in Piparia became the fertile ground of progressive ideas in a knshni environment, otherwise dominated by the big peasantry and grain traders.\nA study group began to function by 1982 to study ‘The Capital’ by Marx.\nKB was no more a naive romantic experiment in rural development, Nai Taleem, HSTP or otherwise!\n","date":"June 13, 2021","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/phase-ii/","section":"Living Academy in Pune","summary":"Phase II (1972-82): Engagement with Reality — Multi-Dimensional Response Even before the work on the Palia Pipariya rural campus in Foshangabad Distt. took off the ground, the sustained questioning by Sudarshan Kapoor of Friends Rural Centre, Rasulia (1971-72) began to…","title":"Phase II","type":"page"},{"content":" Phase I (1969-72) : The Emergence of an Idea and Birth of Rural Campus In the late 1960s, a group gradually took shape in Mumbai, doubting the correctness of the post-independence model of development. Rural development was essentinlly a plan of shifting rural poverty into urban poverty, with increasing inequality and discrimination in society. This understanding became the basis of viewing education as a major tool of social transformation. A series of deliberations, famously termed ‘chai-bhajia’ meetings were held. The Gandhian model of Nai Taleem, aimed at demolishing the dichotomy between productive work, on the one hand, and knowledge, values and skills on the other, became the central inspiration of the group. The success of AMUL as a co-operative endeavour of the farmers, was yet another important source of inspiration. Hence, the decision to set up a rural campus, based on agriculture (including animal husbandry) in combination with cottage industries, built on a co-operative mode, was taken. The Nai Taleem experiment will be at the centre of rural development programme. Thus the search in rural Gujarat and Maharashtra for a rural campus began in all earnestness. It is a different story how the search instead ended in Hoshangabad District, Madhya Pradesh.\n","date":"June 13, 2021","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/phase-i/","section":"Living Academy in Pune","summary":"Phase I (1969-72) : The Emergence of an Idea and Birth of Rural Campus In the late 1960s, a group gradually took shape in Mumbai, doubting the correctness of the post-independence model of development. Rural development was essentinlly a plan of shifting rural poverty into…","title":"Phase I","type":"page"},{"content":" History Phase I (1969-72) : The Emergence of an Idea and Birth of Rural Campus In the late 1960s, a group gradually took shape in Mumbai, doubting the correctness of the post-independence model of development. Rural development was essentinlly a plan of shifting rural poverty into urban poverty, with increasing inequality and discrimination in society. This understanding became the basis of viewing education as a major tool of social transformation. A series of deliberations, famously termed ‘chai-bhajia’ meetings were held. The Gandhian model of Nai Taleem, aimed at demolishing the dichotomy between productive work, on the one hand, and knowledge, values and skills on the other, became the central inspiration of the group. The success of AMUL as a co-operative endeavour of the farmers, was yet another important source of inspiration. Hence, the decision to set up a rural campus, based on agriculture (including animal husbandry) in combination with cottage industries, built on a co-operative mode, was taken. The Nai Taleem experiment will be at the centre of rural development programme. Thus the search in rural Gujarat and Maharashtra for a rural campus began in all earnestness. It is a different story how the search instead ended in Hoshangabad District, Madhya Pradesh.\nTo Read More on Phase-1 Click Here\nPhase II (1972-82): Engagement with Reality — Multi-Dimensional Response Even before the work on the Palia Pipariya rural campus in Foshangabad Distt. took off the ground, the sustained questioning by Sudarshan Kapoor of Friends Rural Centre, Rasulia (1971-72) began to influence our original thoughts. This is the story of how the idea of setting up an isolated Nai Taleem experimental school was being questioned on the ground of it having, at best, only a marginal impact on the prevailing education system, apart from the possibility of dying its ‘slow death’ as has been the case with thousands of such attempts in the recent past. At the same time, the questioning emphasized the priority of intervening in the established school system, being essentially a government school system at that stage of pre- globalisation Indian economy. The outcome was the plan to intervene in 16 Government middle schools of Hoshangabad and Bankhedi Blocks, later to be termed the Hoshangabad Science Teaching Programme (HSTP). The work on the rural campus also started around the same time. The form and content of the rural campus along with the Nai Taleem experimental school was further influenced by the addition of a significant minor irrigation programme based on the appropriate technology of Ring Wells as well as a cattle breeding-cum-animal husbandry programme. That these programmes also enriched the Nai Taleem idea, is a different matter. Soon, a set of agricultural innovations aimed at engaging with cultivation in sandy soil began to occupy the central stage due to the physical and social reality of the campus. KB’s attempt to set up a cottage industry — production of electrical chokes for tubelights and training programme for repair of electrical motors of pump sets — is yet another evidence of how the Nai Taleem idea was being transformed into a multi- dimensional rural development programme.\nIn terms of phasing, HSTP preceded the Nat Taleem experiment (the first teacher- training was held in May 1972) and rapidly overtook all other priorities. By 1973, the Nai Taleem experiment also took shape in this vibrant milieu of rural development, on the one hand, and HSTP, on the other. This experiment with a handful of school drop-outs from poor peasant families, though lasting only for 5-6 years, was unexpectedly a rich experience that unfolded a range of radical pedagogic possibilities that seemed to transcend even Gandhi’s own ideas, at least as far as practiced by his followers since early 1940s. It was through this experiment that we could discover Freirian pedagogy of social transformation well before it became known in the Indian educational ethos. The formal introduction to Freire’s ‘Pedagogy of the Oppressed’ by Datta Savle, the radical pedagogue of the tribal movement in Maharashtra awakened us to a new educational discourse in the post-emergency period (from 1977 onwards).\nBy the time, the political emergency ended, the 6-year old HSTP had succeeded in establishing the basic validity of both the radical pedagogy of science ediication as well as of the crucial role of pro-people intervention in government school system. The time was ripe to convert the pilot-scale lntervention into an institutionalized intervention calling for major structural changes w’ithin the school education system. A joint FIIC, Rasulia and KB proposal to the state government set the ball rolling. In 1978, HSTP expanded from a 16-school intervention to all the 280 odd middle schools of Hoshangabad District, touching all structures and processes of school education — from teacher education, school time table and textbook writing to evaluation and assessment. By 1981, with FRC, Rasulia having withdrawn from HSTP, KB was leading the programme from village schools and teachers to the corridors of Government Colleges in M.P., Delhi University, IITs and NCERT/ UGC/ Ministry of Education— something entirely unanticipated in the original scheme of things.\nPublic health was then emerging as a national issue. KB, too, set up a mini- experiment called ‘Zaroori Dawai Suvidha’ involving the oppressed classes and castes in the village, particularly women. By early 1980s, investigations into the people’s perceptions of fertility and child birth became new concerns in KB’s consciousness. Thus KB way initiated, though reluctantly, into the feminist discourse then beglnning to capture the attention of the progressive sections of society, at least among metropolitan middle classes.\nHSTP also drew KB into People’s Science Movement led by Kerala Shastra Sahitya Parishad (KSSP), opening up new possibilities of people’s education.\nKB had by then become virtually a ‘pilgrimage centre’ of the progressive lntelligentsia from all over the country — a role for which we were most ill- prepared ideologically as well as strategically. Yet, the KB ambience was then pregnant with optimism and faith that “education in this wider sense can lead to social transformation”. Nothing could then diffuse the enthusiasm of the young highly educated ever-expanding team then gelling around KB.\nKB also decided to support the then nation-wide endeavour to resist assault on people’s democratic rights and civil liberties. Beginning in 1980, we played a key role in building up the state PUCL and working with PUDR, Delhi in carrying out investigations of violations of the Constitutional rights of the masses, not just in M.P. but beyond in neighbouring states like Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh as well.\nGrounded in KB’s own rich campus-based library and documentation centre, a series of mobile libraries started functioning in the surrounding villages. Shaheed Bhagat Singh Pustakalaya Evam Sanskritik Kendra, supported by the youth inspired by the ideology of Lohia and Kishen Patnaik, was set up in Papiaria town. This Kendra undertook intensive work with both village and kasbai children outside the schools which included a newspaper edited by the children themselves. The Kendra’s progressive lecture series organized in Piparia became the fertile ground of progressive ideas in a knshni environment, otherwise dominated by the big peasantry and grain traders.\nA study group began to function by 1982 to study ‘The Capital’ by Marx.\nKB was no more a naive romantic experiment in rural development, Nai Taleem, HSTP or otherwise!\nTo Read More on Phase-2 Click Here\nPhase III (1982-88): Bold New ‘Adventures’ but Without Organisational or Ideological Preparedness Reproductive Awareness and Women’s Health; Involvement in women’s movement across the country (1980s onwards). Formation of EKLAVYA and Expansion of HSTP beyond Hoshangabad District (1982 onwards). Involvement in National Teachers’ Commission. (1983-84). Bhopal Disaster — Pro-active support to the Victims’ Struggle against the Collusion of Indian State and Union Carbide (1984-87). (The Bhopal struggle constitutes the first major engagemCnt of KB whose focus v•as outside the campus, raising questions regarding the re1e›•ance and limitations of carrying the complex responsibility of campus maintenance and management of the contingent development progiainmes.) Water Testing Programme with Higher Secondary Students of Chhindwara Government School (1986-87). Children’s Pedagogic Programmes, with emphasis on language development (1987 onwards). Engaging with Narmada Dam Issue (1988 onwards) and extending support to the first public protest at Harsud. By this time, the NGO culture spreading all over the country started being reflected in KB too, leading to incremental distortion and attrition of KB’s voluntary spirit, along with a dangerous trend of depoliticisation. The KB group was quite ill-prepared both ideologically and organizationally to deal with this early neoliberal impact during the late 1980s. Consequently, disarray, ad-hocism and adventurism in work styles and priorities led to attrition of the overall sense of purpose, though somewhat restrained by KB’s history of rich experience.\nTo Read More on Phase-3 Click here\nPhase IV (1988-92): Towards Winding Up of the Rural Campus A major debate ensued from 1988 onwards around the following questions:\nWhat are the limits of institutional framework (particularly its campus-based form) and its organizational implications in catalyzing social transformation? What are the limits of role model (i.e KB’s various programmes) as a tool of social transformation? What are the limits of building public pressure, both from within (through Govt. Committees like the Teachers’ Commission) and without (HSTP; EKLAVYA)? Isn’t KB becoming a NGO and losing its missionary zeal by becoming trapped in internal squabbles and petty issues? Isn’t KB likely to become a Mathh (WS) like institution, just like various Gandhian AShrams, Religious Centres or Ramakrishan Missions, if we continue like this? After in-depth prolonged debates with KB staff and well-wishers and examination of various creative alternatives, the EC finally decided in 1989-90 to wind up the 150-acre rural campus and hand over the land along with all the immoveable assets (amounting to more than 30 Lacs) to the state government.\nThis decision was implemented by 1991-92.\nTo Read More on Phase-4 Click Here\nPhase V (1992-2003): Hibernation and Introspection The EC decided to hibernate and introspect in the wake of winding up KB’s rural campus, before undertaking any further programme.\nA decision to document KB’s history was taken but, unfortunately never carried out.\nThe EC continued to hold its meetings regularly as per law but no programme was undertaken during this hibernation period except for extending financial support to some selected organisations periodically out of its left over funds after winding up the rural campus.\nTo Read More on Phase-5 Click Here\nPhase VI (2003-15): Re-defining KB’s Role in Social Transformation Beginning in 2003-04, the EC undertook a detailed analysis of the post- globalisation education policies and evaluation of neoliberal impact on Indian polity, in general, and education, in particular. It was understood that the rising educational crisis as a result of neoliberal economic order called for a major people’s movement to resist its attack. In 2006-07, a decision was taken by EC to redefine KB’s role such that its institutional structure can provide critical support to building a people’s movement in education with a view to redeem India’s education as well as sovereignty from neoliberal assault and, in the process, also reconstruct the education system for future generations as per India’s Constitution. This must be recorded as an unprecedented decision for a voluntary organisation in India’s history of the upsurge of voluntary movement since early 20th century.\nAlso, it was decided to involve younger people in KB’s work and EC itself in order to broaden the scope of KB’s programmes. Accordingly, in 2008-09, a rigorous exercise was undo:rtaken to revise KB’s Memorandum of Association in order to attract younger people to associate with KB as per their particular interest areas.\nSince 2007, KB has provided critical support to building a people’s movement in education against the neoliberal policies. From June 2009 onwards, this support has been provided to the All India Forum for Right to Education (AIFRTE) in particular through provision of critical fellowships and stipends; partial financial support to training programmes, workshops, conferences, documentation and publication; and strengthening the general process of raising people’s consciousness regarding how neoliberalism is distorting and destroying the education system, thereby building an alternative education system based upon the Constitution through a people’s movement.\nIn the same vein, since 2011-12, KB has provided subtle but critical support to the task of building people’s consciousness against the privatization of water, through PPP or otherwise, in Madhya Pradesh due to the neoliberal water policy of the centre.\nTo Read More on Phase-6 Click Here\nAwards to Kishore Bharati:\nAwards to KB (Rathindra Award)\nAwards to Kishore Bharati (UGC Award)\n","date":"June 10, 2021","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/history/","section":"Living Academy in Pune","summary":"History Phase I (1969-72) : The Emergence of an Idea and Birth of Rural Campus In the late 1960s, a group gradually took shape in Mumbai, doubting the correctness of the post-independence model of development. Rural development was essentinlly a plan of shifting rural poverty…","title":"History","type":"page"},{"content":" The Living Academy project is operating in association with Saans Foundation at Bhavani Peth in Pune. It is a club-house for the kids and youth living in the largest urban basti (slum) in Pune at Bhavani Peth. It is a life-long Kindergarten for any community members and the entry is free of charge. The making of the academy is documented at https://www.livingAcademy.org and also as blogs by the students at the chatShala: metaStudio.org.\nAbout Kishore Bharati Kishore Bharati is a 54-year-old volunteer-driven organization founded in November 1970 in Mumbai by a group of activists and professionals with roots in science, social science, social work, engineering, medicine, law, management, mass communication, and education. The initial group was ignited by the Gandhian vision of reconstructing India’s education system to catalyze social transformation and self-reliance and, most importantly, liberate villages from their endemic poverty.\nAnil Sadgopal the founding member and architect of Kishore Bharati engaging with children\nTo meet the objectives, Kishore Bharati conceived and implemented a spectrum of ideas during the 52 years of its existence. Most notable among them are:\nSetting up a sprawling 150 acre rural campus in the Village Palia Pipariya on the eastern end of the Hoshangabad district of Madhya Pradesh (1972-91), which hosted various programs inspired by Gandhiji’s*Nai Taleem* and other linked ideas of Rural Development and social transformation\nAgriculture (including Animal Husbandry and Cross Breeding Horticulture)\nIrrigation (by promoting Concrete Ring Wells in collaboration with Friends Rural Centre Rasulia, Hoshangabad)\nPublic Health (through village women and traditional Dais and in collaboration with Medico Friends Circle)\nYouth Conscientization for Social Change \u0026amp; Development\nNai Taleem Experiment with School Push-Outs/Walk-outs at the Rural Campus (1974-77)\nCycle-borne Mobile Library in villages Library and Documentation Centre at the Rural Campus\nShaheed Bhagat Singh Pustakalaya \u0026amp; Sanskritik Kendra at Pipariya town (30 Km from Rural Campus) organized by the local socialist youth\nEngagement with Peoples Movements (from 1977 onwards)\nMazdoor Sanghatan at Village Palia Pipariya\nInterfacing with tribal and trade union movements in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh (then in Madhya Pradesh)\nSocial Forestry at the Rural Campus\nGender Equality and Women’s Liberation\nFertility Awareness Education Program for both women and men\nChildren’s Activity Program in neighbouring villages and government schools\nPeoples Science Movement in Rural Areas\nHoshangabad Science Teaching Program (HSTP) in govt. middle schools, Class VI-VIII (1972-1982) in collaboration with Friends Rural Centre Rasulia, Hoshangabad\nCreation of Ekalavya (1983) to continue and extend HSTP program to Social Science and to Primary and Secondary Stages as well.\nJoining the Struggle for Scientific Relief and rehabilitation of Bhopal poisonous gas victims \u0026amp; Justice from Union Carbide Corporation (1984-87)\nEnvironmental Education in collaboration with Eklavya) in Govt. Secondary School of Chhindwara polluted by Coal Mining (1985-86)\nEducational Policy for Systemic Transformation of Education:\nNational Commission on Teachers (1983-84)\nEducation Policies of 1986, 1992\nCampaigning for Common School System and Equitable Free \u0026amp; Compulsory Education as a Fundamental Right (From 2004 onwards)\nWork-Centred Education in National Curriculum Framework 2005\nPublic campaign for rectification of flawed RTE Act,2009\nPeriodic support for All India Forum for Right to Education (AIFRTE)\nCollaboratively Understanding Science Education (From 2015) in collaboration with the gnowledge.org lab of Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education, TIFR\nHome Labs in collaboration with several schools and colleges across the country\nChatShaala https://metastudio.org, an online platform to inculcate STEM Habits\nMaking of a Living Academy\nInterfacing with All-India People’s Science Network (From 2022)\nPublications: Several books/booklets and essays were published (1980s to date): Please see Publications page.\nPeople (Please see the page of the people who participated in various roles over the years)\nJoin and support Kishore Bharati\nHSTP students learning in the field. Learning happened in the local context where children live\nThe Nai Taleem model\nIt has been a custom to capture a group photo of all participants during each CUBE meet. This still continues in the online CUBE meets where all participants turn on their cameras when a group photo is to be clicked\nOn the occasion of 50 years celebration of Kishore Bharati organization, Chintan Shivir: A critical reflection session on re-imagining education is going to be organized by Kishore Bharati in association with IISER Pune, in the context of issues such as rural to urban migration and resolving the dilemmas and paradoxes of current education\nChintan Shivir Poster\n","date":"June 10, 2021","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/","section":"Living Academy in Pune","summary":"1024×483 724 KB The Living Academy project is operating in association with Saans Foundation at Bhavani Peth in Pune. It is a club-house for the kids and youth living in the largest urban basti (slum) in Pune at Bhavani Peth. It is a life-long Kindergarten for any community…","title":"Living Academy in Pune","type":"page"},{"content":" A warm smile, a sharp vision, a simple personality, a courageous soul, and a revolutionary outlook, this is what Obaid Siddiqi was all about to his many students and admirers! With the patience of a snail and the astuteness of an ant, with the spontaneity of a fruitfly and live curiosity like a firefly, stood this man, tall as a beacon-light in the Society of Science! He was, perhaps, one of the first few to notice the social life of Science! Many stalwarts and doyens, before him, had confined themselves to the Scientific Societies, but he was the one who caught the pulse of the True Science and marvelled in the beauty of the idea of “Societal Science“.\nesocialsciences.org Tribute: Obaid Siddiqi: Bringing Science to Society ","date":"August 4, 2014","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/blog/tribute-to-obaid-siddiqi-bringing-science-to-society/","section":"Blog","summary":"A warm smile, a sharp vision, a simple personality, a courageous soul, and a revolutionary outlook, this is what Obaid Siddiqi was all about to his many students and admirers! With the patience of a snail and the astuteness of an ant, with the spontaneity of a fruitfly and live…","title":"Tribute to Obaid Siddiqi: Bringing Science to Society","type":"blog"}]