The experiment of Kanku!

It’s been quite some time that I have written. Though there are many subjects or rather thoughts that I wanted to pen down here. While I have been consoling my self that I will do it before my next travel, that is a lame excuse for having been just sheer lazy to share some new finds. Well, if Amitabh Bachchan can find the time to write, I should have no excuse, so I have taken a new year oath that I will make sure there is one everyday….So I start one from today.

This is a great idea - at least I presume it to be so as I know so little about it - on Education. I was talking to a very good friend and my ex-colleague Murali Aiyer the other day. Murali and I have worked together in CRISIL very closely and he is one HR professional I have great respect for. While checking on how things were with each other’s family, he happened to tell me that his son is doing a stint at this place called Shikshantar in Udaipur. He said it was like an experimental education thing and his son wanted to spend a year there. I wasn’t surprised since Murali himself is a Social Entrepreneur now and someone who does not blindly follow tradition. I decided to check out what Shikshantar is all about. And as yet I know very little, but here are some links to more information on the Organization…

http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/udaipur.html

http://www.swarajuniversity.org/co-founders.html

But what attracted me to the concept is this talk that I found on the internet of one of the co-founders of this unique experiment, Vidhi Jain. Here is the link to the video —>

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsBaL2TWMNU

It was amazing to hear that someone had thought so early to keep their child away from the formal schooling system and had been so successful at channeling the energy and curiosity of the child and helped the child find her right talent. I don’t know Kanku, daughter of Vidhi Jain, neither do I know the Jains. But listening to her in the Video has definitely raised my curiosity to visit Udaipur one day and meet Kanku. 

I strongly recommend you check out the video and hear the story of Vidhi Jain and Kanku! 

I am sharing this because we have gone so far from our roots that we have forgotten so many of our basic tenets of life. And when one hears such stories, it reminds us that life is about experiments and questioning our beliefs. I thought you will find this interesting.

Meanwhile, take care until the next time.

Cheers!

H