Lakshmi Nilakantan Tuesday, September 23 Leo, Jaidip, and I accompanied the children to Agara Lake. There, the children were introduced to the lake ecosystem through observation. We walked around the lake attempting to identify the various types of birds and to understand how and why the birds clustered together in certain areas; we noticed the inflow and ouflow systems of the lake; and we surveyed the general upkeep of the lake and its surroundings. The children were fascinated by a few fishermen catching fish with nets or homemade fishing reels. We sat down in the tower and discussed the history and the importance of lakes in Karnataka, the traditional methods of harvesting rainwater for agriculture and drinking, the interconnectedness of water bodies, the responsibility of maintaining tanks, and the idea of public resources and spaces. We examined what has changed in government policy with regard to water bodies in India, and in Bangalore in particular, and saw its severe repe...

Usha Mukunda A medley of shapes and sizes tumbled out of the school van. It was a Thursday during Home Term Week and a group of seniors were coming home for a library session. You may well wonder what a library –at-home looks like. So did I! But read on and see what happens. The first thing I wanted was to get a feel of their reading habits. So I asked them to do ‘mad ads’ about any book they had read recently. My challenge was to spot the book. So groups got formed and they disappeared into various rooms to prepare. In a little while, the first group began. Vishnu looked forlornly at me through the grills of my front windows. The rest looked like they were relaxed and killing time. I racked my brains but could only come up with “The Count of Monte Cristo.” A mischievous glint in Prahlad’s eye gave the game away. He had chosen to depict his own story. Not fair!!!! The others did some dumb charades for me and I was able to squeak past with correct guesses. So having established our peck...

It is enriching to be with children in lots of different contexts.