Independence Day is a great day for stories- a day when I have heard lot of stories, right from my childhood. Sometimes it is the story of a great leader, of courage and sacrifice. Sometimes it is the story of India herself, sometimes of the constitution, sometimes it is about an unsung hero and sometimes […]
‘Kanavu’ means dreams – an audacious dream of a small team of 4 of us, living and working out of rural Cuddalore; dreaming of a transformed rural India where one’s circumstance doesn’t dictate destiny. Is this really a dream that will see itself unravel into reality, one day? What a tall claim we asked ourselves […]
What if I asked you to guess the profession that faces the highest level of stress? You may have guessed a soldier, a doctor, a policeman or an investment banker and I have done this short experiment with a lot of people and no has guessed the right answer. The profession that faces more stress […]
The day begins with the alarm , singing away early morning. Kitchen comes alive, followed by the laptop. Emails checked and some replies fly out from the kitchen counter, while waiting for the vegetables to cook.“Which one of you is teaching the extra class slot today? Do you need your breakfast before or after?”“Me! I’ll […]
A typical mid-morning in a village; women have sent kids to school, finished cooking and are taking on house chores at a slower pace, while letting Tamil serial dialogues add drama to the otherwise quiet home. Jayanthi walks in to the streets and invites these women “vaanga, school lendu meeting poda vandhirkanga.. Unga nalladhuku dhan..”We’ve […]
3 PM.. the school leader moves the chair slightly back.. stretches her hands up.. adjusts her sari pleats and drinks water.. picks up her lunch box and walks slowly to the shed for lunch… As she walks out, she stops to ask me, “Ma’am can you please just help me with adding all the numbers […]
Kanavu Camp mornings begin with a morning circle – a space where teachers reflect on their experiences and share their leadership stories. In one such morning meeting, teachers were sharing about striving for excellence.Mehar miss started the circle sharing, “I always think, wherever I go, I have to create an impression of mine. I have […]
The room was filled with calm deep breaths – 30 adults breathing in and out in-sync… The gentle breeze added a sprinkle of freshness while the trees swayed in silence – as if they too, were in the meditation space. A soothing voice bloomed out of the silence, asking them to slowly open their eyes […]
Me: Can you please introduce yourself?Sukanya: I am Sukanya; a sportswoman; studied in Cuddalore… I play cricket, kabaddi, and kho-kho…Me: Great, Why do you want to be a PeT teacher?Sukanya: I want to teach because I want to lead by example – I want to make sure girls play sports; I can train them and […]