Week 34/2026

17th Aug to 23rd Aug 2026

one more week..

I am siting at Adhvan’s place in yelahanka - BLR while writing this weekly note. He is also trying to write weekly note while I am typing this in same room. It is such a joyful moment to meet fellow weekly blogger and becoming friends, sharing life stories & meals.

The whole week I was little bit anxious because I needed to travel for the fellowship residency at coonoor.

This week I did one webinar with CCAC participant schools. it is good start, I am glad that I am getting chance to engage with many school teachers who wants to engage children in nature - environment based activities. This somewhat connected with my personal vision of education that it should be relational, reciprocal and embodied.

UBS Foundation in ahemdabad is running 10 learning centers in ahemdabad and through TIDE I got an opportunity work with their teachers. we exploring storytelling, theater and nature based activities. I really liked the time we spend together during the workshop. Teachers were open for new explorations. It was refreshing for me to do workshop with children after long time .

I took Friday 4.50am flight for BLR. came directly to yelahanka to meet adhavan, after that went to meet roshni at samagata, met antara after long time, in evening I met Aakanksha at her studio in inidrangar, in night I met friends and team mate from adhavan’s workplace. it was bit stretch for me because I was awake whole last night to catch the flight. but somehow I managed to keep awake and meet everyone. I liked it.

next day I went to GKVK farmer’s santhe to see stall of manesiri women producer company. Met Padmini. I remember writing email to her in 2016. After decade I meet her to share my inquires and learning from the field. it was very humbling experience for me.

My inquiry :

I have been working with children for the last 13 years now. I have tried different pedagogies (nature exploration, theatre, project-based learning), and worked with children from different socio-economic backgrounds, in both formal and informal setups. During this journey, the answers to the following questions have evolved:

• Why am I working with children?
• What is education for me / what is the aim of education?

I have documented these through notes, blog posts, and articles. I now want to document them more formally through some medium.

Apart from that, I would like to take up the following inquiry:

How can one be ‘sahaj’ while teaching or facilitating in the classroom? How does one step out of the role of “teacher,” not use one’s power, and instead be present and sensitive? I feel that learning happens in relationships — the relationship between teacher and student, with oneself, and with the more-than-human world. To create a dialogic situation in the classroom, the teacher needs to drop his/her agendas and be present to whatever is happening in that moment, without biases or assumptions.

How can an educator be sahaj — the same person inside the classroom as they are outside it? How can he/she quiet the chatter of the ‘mana,’ and from that sahaj sthiti, that sensitive presence, respond to the children around them?

How as an educator I take one craft or art as a practice to be sahaj ?

last three days were good break from day to day office coordination. still I ended up doing some coordination and check in. but it was necessary. had short call with bansi and mulya foundation team today morning.

BLR’s weather, rain, coffee, tamil songs and gujarati folk..it is healing.. This time I have different peace at my heart. I am excited to share my ideas and plans but I have more listening capacity this time. somehow I am not feeling not restless.

life is same.. uncertainty of development sector, self doubts, friendships, small wonders in day to day life.

I am happy that nidhi is not alone, B is there and nidhi also planning to go pune to meet her collage friends.

I will be at coonoor for fellowship residency (24th to 29th Aug), I might stay back there for one more day.

there is excitement for fellowship but at one side I am worried about changing the whole mindset. I need to come from the role of educator and see things through storyteller’s lens. let’s see how it goes. I am going with open mind.