City as a School

Imagine the possibilities for Learning. When Every Individual in the City can become a Teacher. 

Imagine the possibilities for Learning. When Every Individual in the City can become a Student.

Mumbai has come alive. 

Over the next twenty days, this city is offering its inhabitants a world class Ideas conference (INK + 60 Talks), a Film festival (MumbaiFilmFest + 170 Films) and a Literature Festival (LitLive + 88 Sessions). Further details are listed below

At another city festival in Jaipur #HappyTimes

Here are three reasons why every Mumbaikar should be excited.

INK Conference Mumbai

Number of Days - 3 Days (October 16th, 2015 to October 18th, 2015)

Number of Speakers - 60 

Number of Talks - 60

Event Schedule Link - http://www.inktalks.com/conferences/ink2015

Tata Literature Live

Number of Days - 4 Days (October 29th, 2015 to November 1st, 2015)

Number of Writers present - 120 (Fiction and Non Fiction)

Number of Sessions - 88 Sessions (Average 1 Hour each sessions. Varied Subjects)

Event Schedule Link - http://tatalitlive.in/schedule/

Jio Mami Mumbai Film Festival

Number of Days - 8 Days (October 29th, 2015 to November 5th, 2015)

Number of Films Screened - 170 Films (Shorts, Feature, Documentary)

Event Schedule Link - http://www.mumbaifilmfestival.com/films.html

A film festival with 170 films being screened

A literature festival with 88 hour long talks

An idea conference with 60 presentations

Each of the above events has taken a considerable amount of time to organize. There was a separate group of organizers for each of these events. These organizers are often specialists in their specific fields. They have spent a considerable amount of time designing the schedule for these events and bringing these field experts together.

All of this is happening in one city (Mumbai) in the space of 20 Days

That is incredible

For the City can become a School

Its People can become Teachers

Its People can become Students

For the City can become a School

These learning events provide us a direction for a very different sort of open source learning experience that is accessible to everyone and anyone that is passionate about learning.

This is a powerful metaphor for what learning can become if we utilize all the resources that a city has to offer us. The people, the diverse culture, the spaces, the stories, the ideas, the professions, the companies, the internet, the government. All of these elements can come together and re-design learning for the future.

For me, it is at such events

Film Festivals

Literature Festivals

Idea Conferences

That Learning is most beautiful

For here

No one is forced to be there

No one is assessed on their performance

No one talks down to you

You just arrive and you learn

You simply learn for the sake of learning

You simply learn because learning is beautiful

Imagine the possibilities for Learning. When Every Individual in the City can become a Teacher. 

Imagine the possibilities for Learning. When Every Individual in the City can become a Student.

What if we now asked a different question

What if schools were spaces that allowed people to come together and learn

About anything under the stars and beyond

Now...

What if your country was a learning space?

What if the internet was a learning space?

What if life could become school?

Let us Learn Together

Tweet at @AbhishekShetty_

Sat-chit-ananda