Architect, visual critic, and anthropologist with interest in exploring linkages between design, culture, and lived experience. Particularly interested in challenges involving behavioural change, ranging from preventing open defecation, adopting good health and hygiene practices, promoting reading at an early age, and reducing air pollution.
More than 6 years of professional experience in addressing social innovation challenges in multiple sectors, such as healthcare, education, financial services, telecommunications, agriculture, across emerging economies using user-centered and participatory design approaches.
Current focus is on helping start ups in India evaluate the effectiveness and refine their business ideas based on the needs and behaviours of target users.
If we use flowers to decorate our homes, will we not harm the trees?
Why is a newspaper a more eco-friendly option to wrap presents when it is made from trees? How do trees help in reducing noise levels?
What will happen to our children if we keep destroying nature?
Many such interesting questions were raised by students of Grade 1,2,3,4 and 5 when we conducted multiple online sessions for a school in Mumbai based on our books ‘City of Stars’ and ‘My Gulmohar Tree.’
Below is the feedback from the teacher librarian:
“Our learners have thoroughly enjoyed the sessions with you and learned a lot about the importance of sustainable living and being observant and preserving the nature around! Our learners were happy to speak their minds and share their outlook. Your stories, insights, and recount of your own experiences are sure to stay with them for a long time to come! We thank you once again for taking out the time to talk to our learners and we hope to see you in our midst once again.”
Conducted two back to back author speak sessions with students of Grade 2 and Grade 3 this week on chapters (Zero-Waste Party & Indoor Air Check) from our book – City of Stars.
Kids were amazed to learn that all paper is not recyclable, scented candles add to indoor air pollution instead of freshening the air and many other such eye-opening facts!
Conducted two author speak sessions and interactive workshops on the topics of Energy Saving and Noise Pollution, from our storybook City of Stars, with Grade 3 and Grade 4 students respectively.
Was overwhelmed by the response of the kids who came prepared for the session by reading our book in advance and shared their actions to protect our environment through posters, paintings and more.
“Reading should not be presented to children as a chore, a duty. It should be offered as a gift,” said a famous author Cate Di Camilo.
But more often than not, we gift our children books by popular authors that we want them to read or other children are reading. Very rarely we gift them what they would actually like to read based on their interests.
When I discovered that my 5 year old sonny boy loved math and talked about numbers all day long, I searched for a related book and was lucky enough to find one that aligned perfectly…
The book ‘THE BOY WHO LOVED MATH’ became a perfect gift that he enjoys reading over and over again to think more and more about numbers!
When the air outside was relatively clean, we spent our week conducting multiple interactive storytelling sessions with Grade 1 and 5 students at the BRITISH SCHOOL, New Delhi, educating them about Indoor Air Check – air monsters (dust, smoke and gases) inside their homes using real-life props based on a story in our book – CITY OF STARS.
Because we believe that children are the key agents of behavioural change we wish to see in our society. Because we want to make them eco-warriors both outside and inside their homes. Because we believe in truly passing on the greatest values to them for the sake of their health and their own future!
The feedback from the school at the end made our day. “Today was fabulous…We enjoyed listening to the interesting story and talk on our current pollution situation. Thank you for reading to us during the Book Week.”
We have all had our fears growing up. Reading this book to my son a night before author speak session at his school reminded me of them…fear of monsters/ghosts, fear of lizards, fear of darkness, fear of scissors used during a haircut…and the list goes on! I also got reminded of some of my own unusual childhood fears – fear of WATER and FIRE.
While my fears were instilled because of some life incidents, more often than not fears in children are instilled by parents. Many of our fears continue till adult age (e.g., fear of lizards) and we often pass them on to our children. We also resort to them to discipline our children (drink your milk or else…) or protect them (beware of strangers).
We often forget that they can deeply impact our child’s psychology, develop into bigger fears when they grow up, such as fear of failure, and come in the way of raising a POSITIVE and HAPPY child. When I realised my 5 year old did not raise his hand when all children were talking about their fears during the session, I thought more deeply about what I had been doing to raise a FEARLESS CHILD…
1. SEE AND TALK ABOUT THE BEAUTY OF ‘UGLY’ THINGS – We often talk about beautiful colours and patterns of masks that adorn the walls of every corner of our house instead of describing them as ugly monsters or ghosts. We observe and enjoy discussing the changing colours of a chameleon. We also read books that portray ‘scary things’- mouse, snakes and lizards – in a positive light.
2. NEVER PUSH YOUR CHILD BEFORE THEY ARE READY – I developed a fear of water which took me years to shed off my skin because I was pushed into the swimming pool by my older brother where I almost drowned. I have never pushed my child into an activity which he is not willing to try himself.
3. DO NOT BE OVERPROTECTIVE – Taking my child up and down narrow and dark alleys of monuments from a young age has certainly helped in preventing fear of darkness or heights. Telling him not to talk to people he has never met before and not how bad things will happen to him if he does, has helped to warn him about strangers without instilling fear.
4. ADDRESS THEIR FEARS FROM A YOUNG AGE – When I realised that he had started fearing dogs a bit because we don’t own a pet, we decided to learn the names of dogs in our building and say hello to them or talk lightly about their moods when they are barking at us during our evening walks.
So what do I do to keep my child off things that can harm him? Simply say NO in a firm voice instead of instilling fear. What do I do to discipline my child when he is not listening to me? Try to lure him in through opportunities he will miss on (e..g, playing with a best friend if he doesn’t finish his milk on time) instead of scaring him with ghosts or lizards! And what do I often remind myself day in day out at work – KEEP MOVING FORWARD FEARLESSLY!
Neil Gaiman, a British fiction writer of children and adult books, in an article highlighting the future of libraries, reading, and day dreaming, emphasizes that children should be allowed to read what they enjoy as opposed to what adults consider good books for them.
“Well-meaning adults can easily destroy a child’s love of reading: stop them reading what they enjoy, or give them worthy-but-dull books that you like, the 21st-century equivalents of Victorian “improving” literature. You’ll wind up with a generation convinced that reading is uncool and worse, unpleasant.”
Here are few stories of parents who developed child-driven love for reading in their bundles of joy! If you have a similar story to share with other parents, please drop us a line at litjoys@gmail.com.
Conducted a session with Grade 2 and 3 students around how to celebrate Green Diwali based on one of the 12 stories in our book – City of Stars!
Was delighted to see children engrossed in storytelling and participate excitedly in a discussion around how to change our habits and convince our friends and family too, to celebrate a truly GREEN DIWALI this year.
At the end of the session, was also happy to share tips on story writing with the budding authors!
