Conversations with Teachers in India – Part 6 - A heated discussion

This was in Chittorgarh, Rajasthan. I was working with an institution there, for some training sessions for the students.

Every Teacher has a wealth of
 knowledge we must tap into

A former IAS officer, was one such individual. We had several heated discussions over meals on that trip. Most of the time I was just listening. The individual had so much knowledge about such a large variety of issues. 

We discussed Subhash Chandra Bose and his role in the freedom struggle. We spoke about the political history of our country and all the parties that were part of it. He narrated stories of meetings with top politicians and leaders of the country. He shared his thoughts on books and movies that had an influence on him. The discussion got so heated and intimidating at one point, that I felt like I was part of the group and ideologies that he was against. I also found out about a,

A College Club

I found out about this club, while speaking to the director of training of the institute. . He told me about his passion for metallurgy and about learning societies he was part of in college.

College Clubs are a great way to explore a subject in an
encouraging Learning Environment

He described one such club, that he and his friends had formed in college called, ‘Beacon of Light’.They arranged a hall in their college and once every week, a group of them would meet up at this hall. Each student there would make a presentation about any subject that interested him or her at that point of time for five minutes. 

Start a  Club on Metallurgy or Comics.
It does not cost a penny. But the
 community is worth much more

They discussed several engineering concepts here and also spoke about Lennon, Photography and World Issues here. It reminded me of the movie, ‘Dead Poets Society’ where a group of young boys formed a poetry club that met every fortnight and read the great poets together.

Passion Professors

You always have that one teacher that make you go 'Wow'

In a conversation with the professor in charge of the PHD program of the college, I discovered another passionate soul. The professor had prepared his own PHD Thesis that was an ‘Empowerment Program for the People of the country’ For a whole hour he described the program to me. I knew all he shared with me, would be extremely hard to implement on such a large scale. But I felt so much hope, just sitting there and listening to a citizen of our country, take full responsibility for the plight of the whole nation. He had solutions for almost every issue from education to poverty. He also had a list of celebrities that he wanted to invite for the national event.

We discussed the project for two hours and noted down ways we could collaborate and work on it together. I knew that only he could bring the project to life and what happened to it, was dependent directly on how much effort he put into it. But I felt so secure, walking away to my room that day. I felt so secure because, I realized that day, that if our country had teachers and educators like him, in every corner and in every district, we were in safe hands.

The session at the institute in Chittorgarh, Rajasthan

I packed my bags that night, and took the hour long drive to the Chittorgarh station. I had an overnight train journey to my next destination Kota that night. I looked back at the university as the car left the campus. The experience I had there would stay with me for a lifetime.

Let us Learn Together

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