Week 26/2025

23rd June to 29th June 2025 (Monday to Sunday)

We watched Sitare Zameen Par on Monday. It was a nice film. I just wish the narrative had been a little subtler—it felt too direct for me. But still, it’s a really important subject that needs to be talked about in mass media.

For the first time, I tried kneading roti dough—with Nidhi’s help. I wasn’t confident at all, but somehow, I managed. I want to explore this more. This week Nidhi made some awesome pasta and experimental bharva taroi sabji :)

On Friday, we facilitated a session on Nature-Based Learning with research and curriculum team at my office. We both enjoyed it.

Saturday evening, we went to Priti Ben’s place. It was rainy, but we enjoyed the metro ride.

On Sunday, we visited a nearby sports campus called Eklavya Sports Academy. It’s a lush green space. We went for a morning walk for the first time. As expected, Nidhi got completely engaged in observing trees and greenery—she was more interested in looking at trees than walking! But still, we managed a nice 3–4 rounds of walking. After that, we went to DVG Benne Dosa. The food was nice but a little pricey. We had ghee masala dosa and palak paddu. We always look for good, authentic South Indian places. After living in Bangalore, we can’t eat dosa at just any regular place. In Gujarat, dosa and sambar are something else altogether. I want to make a list of places in Ahmedabad where you can eat good dosa.

In the evening, we watched a Malayalam film called Hridayam. It was a beautiful film, though it felt a bit long—it runs for 2 hours and 51 minutes.

This week, I also listened to some old Gujarati songs and watched Marathi short film.

This weekend, we had a negotiation around time. Nidhi wanted to spend more time with me, while I wanted some alone time. We somehow figured out a temporary middle path.

Apart from that, I’ve been daydreaming about something strange—I’m dreaming of getting admission into a university. I’ve never been a full-time student at a college or university. I started working when I was 19. Now, I feel this strong craving to live as a student—without tension, experimenting and researching new ideas… a curiosity-driven life.

I’ve been re-reading the PhD thesis of Jay Silver(Makey Makey, MIT Media Lab) and wondering if I could also write something about the learning experiments I’ve done with children and teachers over the past 12 years. How my philosophy of education and life has changed. How my understanding of learning has evolved. I want to document and reflect on all my past projects.

Academia scares me with its rigidity, but these days I’m thinking more about independent research—something related to nature education, experiential learning…is there something like a practicing PhD?

Sometimes, I also feel like doing something entirely different from education. I feel saturated. At times I think I should move into the livelihoods sector or ecological restoration—maybe work with farmers…

Or maybe I should take a break and just focus on writing, doing theater, learning music, studying design, aesthetics and philosophy —something for the soul. Not for money. Not to prove anything.

My relationship with money is also changing radically. Now, I spend without overthinking. I don’t ask whether something is expensive—I ask:

• Is it useful?
• Is it solving a real problem?
• Is it sustainably made?
• Is it an impulsive buy, or something I truly need?
• Even if it’s impulsive, is it eco-friendly or socially just?
• Do I want to support this kind of business?

For example, if I’m buying a pair of chappals made from sustainable materials, designed well, and if the brand promotes justice—and if I can afford it—I won’t obsess over the cost. I mean, I won’t judge it only by the price.

Even with all this reflection, I’m still in a grey zone. I’m not very clear about my relationship with money right now. From childhood, we’re taught to save, to not spend much on things or experiences. But once you start earning, once you live in a city, your relationship with money shifts.

What if I want to eat 200 benne dosas in Ahmedabad? I’ll buy them. Food should be good. Living spaces should be good. Spend money on books, travel, meeting people, hosting friends, sending gifts… doing experiments… everything that nourishes your soul.

My mental health hasn’t been great. I’ll seek help soon. My back pain has returned—possibly due to driving and sitting too much. I need to start exercising again and using a hot bag.