Tagore and Shantiniketan Education – Part 3 - Activites, Schools and Student Experience

 Activities at the Shantiniketan

Sahitya Sabhas -  These were literary and musical evening that took place every Tuesday. Students would present their own literary work, dance, music and short skits among themselves and the community. They were also given a chance to perform these plays at the annual Rabindra Saptaho event with all other bodies of the Visva Bharati University. The other activities were...

Importance to extra-curricular activities – Students engaged in lots of physical activities in their time there. There were annual competitions in the areas of music, dance and recitation held there.

Lectures by professionals – Various professionals in the fields of sciences were invited to the school and university. Evening discussions of contemporary scientific and social issues where held along with the students.

Travel – Excursions and trips were organized to parts of West Bengal including Bardhaman, Malda, Purulia and Chittaranjan. There was a yearly picnic (Barshik Bonobhojan) as well.

Student Committees – The school had several student run communities that make and govern decisions related to student body. These committess teach students to take their own decisions and take self-responsibility for themselves.  Some committees were:-
-Environment Committee ("Paribesh Bibhag"),
-Health Committee ("Swastho Bibhag"),
-Justice Committee ("Bichar bibhag")
-Food Committee ("Ahar Bibhag")
-Literary Committee ("Sahitya Bibhag") etc. that govern and make decisions on matters related to student body.

Student Publication – Students were allowed to express their opinions through a quarterly news-paper, “Resonance”, which is planned and exceuted by senior students

10th Grade - Board Exams – Failing and Falling in Love with my Subjects

First Semester Horror

In the Indian Education System, the tenth standard is a very important year. The marks you score as a student in the annual board exams of the CBSE system, often determine what subjects you pick in the future. So what happened that year?

12 Hours of Classes Everyday. I barely had time for myself.

Learning through Cricket - Living a Childhood Dream

You wanted to play cricket for India?

Love Letter to a Game I Love

I enjoyed playing cricket from a young age. So did a group of friends that stayed in my neighborhood. We would play a good three hours of cricket before sunset in a ground nearby. We would get all the cricket material. We would also get water and snacks for a break in between play. Then by seven in the evening, I would go and play some more cricket with my building friends. On weekends, we would go to a local club and play the game with friends late into the night.

I played cricket, whenever I got a chance too

At school, we would make a list of every single cricket match happening around the world. We would watch the games on television and then come to school and deconstruct them. I also started playing cricket for the school team. I was introduced to leather ball cricket at school and became an active member of school practice sessions and matches during the week.

For a long time, all I could think about was Cricket. I was in love with the game. I dreamed a big dream. To play for the country someday. I did not get there. But I loved every moment of the journey. A few lessons I learned along the way :-

Kota – Part 3 – Life in Kota from a Student Perspective

Photo - Pradeep Gaur (Mint). Read Article Here

I was in Kota for two days. After a training session with an institute on the first day, I had the evening and the whole next day free. So I decided to walk around the streets of Kota. I wanted to understand how this city created an ambience for Engineering Education.

The plan was to visit all the headquarters of the top coaching institutes in Kota, speak to a few students and just observe the student lifestyle in this factory for Indian engineers. I tried speaking to as many students as possible. It seemed like shopkeepers and local businesses also supported this culture and did everything to let the students focus on their learning. These were some the things I noticed and some of the insights I recorded, after exploring the city for over five hours:-