Happy birthday Kitabkhana

Today is महाशिवरात्री.  3 years ago on the 2nd of March (my mother's birthday) which was also महाशिवरात्री, we inaugurated Kitabkhana (http://www.kitabkhana.in/)

Happy birthday to किताबखाना  today and again on the 2nd of March.  Amrita and I thank everyone for their support and encouragement.

Immersion learning

Learning in the field.

This past month, more than 20 of our students, from Masters in Environmental Science and our Polytechnic visited rural Karnataka, to better understand the issues related to sustainable farming.  And sustainability that is financial and environmental.  And also social.  

The students learned to understand, that there is not always a right answer, and that much depends on the farmer's circumstance, the state of the soil, the crop, and the amount to energy the farmer can or desires to put in.

The students also learned, that they need to engineer, or build biogas plants that are easy to construct and operate.  And they will build such facilities for the farmers, as part of their final year projects.

They all want to go back.  

Great learning all around.

Starting a new Centre in Kutch

We are now going to start a new program working with Indian art and artisans.  There is such a beautiful sensitivity of colour, design, fabric, weave, all over the country.  We will be doing this in Kutch an start with Kutchi art and artisans.  Later, we will expand this to cover other regions.  

Judy Frater http://india.ashoka.org/fellow/judy-frater, who has spent a few decades doing this with Kala Raksha, will be the Founder Director of this institution. 

Football at Somaiya Vidyavihar

Our team from Somaiya Vidyavihar defeated Bombay Gymkhana 2-0 to take first place in the F group of the 2 division of Mumbai District Football league.  Congratulations to the team, and the coach.  It is also amazing, that within 4 years of building a nice football ground, our team has started doing so well.  As a country, we need good infrastructure, and great teaching, and freedom.  Then - the sky is the limit.!!!!!

Nipun Mehta and servicespace

Heard Nipun Mehta of http://www.servicespace.org/ speak on cultivating a habit of generosity at the Indian Merchants Chamber, earlier this February, at a lecture organized by Pradeepbhai Shah in the honour of Amita Momaya.  

Nipun asked a simple question, whether any of us had ever been offered food by someone who had to borrow it, to make that offer of hospitality? And if so, what effect did that have on us?

I had been offered food, bananas in rural Karnataka, by a family, and they had borrowed them to provide me that hospitality.  अतिथि देवो भव 

I was shocked, that someone who had little, had in fact, a lot more than what I had.  So much more to give....

We started http://www.helpachild.in/ soon after that.

And that is still nothing, since we give only a small part of what we have, whereas they borrowed to give..

On Sureshbhai Shah, our friend, philosopher and guide

Our Hon. Secretary, Sureshbhai Shah passed away yesterday.  He was 79.  Our founder, Shri K. j. Somaiya had met him over 40 years ago, and since then, he has been visiting Somaiya Vidyavihar every two weeks to help guide it's course, assisting me, my father before, and my grandfather before that.  

And he did this all in an entirely honorary capacity, with the only desire, to help an institution to create citizens of the future.  While sitting in his living room yesterday, I saw a शेर, that he had displayed on his wall.  I thought that it summed up his own work beautifully.

माना के इस ज़मीं को न गुलज़ार कर सके 

कुछ खार तो कम कर गये गुज़रे जिधर से हम

साहिर

सुरेशभाई, आवजो

Choices in school subjects

Am currently sitting in my daughter's school, J. B. petit, Mumbai, where the school is presenting options for subjects students to take in the 9th and 10th standard.  i am amazed at the marketing effort the teachers are taking to market their course to the students and their parents.  Reminded me of shopping week at Harvard, when great professors including Michael Porter etc marketed their courses to students, to encourage them to take their course.  

We will try and see that Somaiya Vidyavihar institutions also start presenting options for students to choose.