The Importance of Childcare Homes: Nurturing Today’s Citizens for a Stronger Nation
The Importance of Childcare Homes: Nurturing Today’s Citizens for a Stronger Nation This reflection is rooted in a recent conversation with Ms. Haleema, Director of ICPS. As we spoke about children living in childcare institutions, spaces that society often misunderstands, overlooks, or reduces to charity rather than recognizing as critical ecosystems of care, one thought […]
Curiosity, Exploration, and the First Years of Learning
Remember the movie where a baby outsmarts a city full of adults? Yes, I’m talking about the 1994 film Baby’s Day Out. Often recalled as a light-hearted comedy, the film quietly captures something deeply profound about early childhood. Baby Bink—who cannot speak, read, or follow instructions—navigates an entire city using curiosity, observation, and fearless exploration. […]
How Joyful and Inclusive Classrooms Transform Children
Holding onto a picture card, his heart pounding, Ravi could think of nothing but questions: If I say this, what will the teacher think? Will my friends laugh at me? What if I mispronounce a word? What if they make fun of me? What if… Sensing his hesitation, the facilitator at our learning centre gently […]
Beyond the Wilderness: What an Anganwadi Habba Taught Me About Early Learning
Boarding the traveller from Bangalore to visit a work site in HD Kote felt like stepping into the unknown, a journey toward the wilderness, the lush green, and the quiet that waits beyond the city’s edges. Half of me was excited to soak in this landscape; the other half was focused on documenting the work […]
The Moment That Changed How Arfath Saw the World — and Himself
“I will never underestimate the strength of a girl again.” Arfath said this softly after the Pegasus outbound workshop, almost as if he was speaking to himself. He is 18. And until that moment, he had never questioned a belief he had carried for years — that some tasks were “meant for boys.” During a […]
What If Passing Exams Isn’t the Problem?
Passing Is Not the Same as Learning The Karnataka government has announced that, starting in 2025–26, the minimum pass marks for Class 10 and 12 exams will be lowered. The intention is to reduce dropouts and make education more inclusive. That’s a good step — but it also raises a deeper question: why do we […]
Anganwadi Habba: A Festival celebrating Children, Education and unity of a Community
In every home, a festival begins long before the actual day. It starts with small acts of preparation where someone puts up the decorations, someone arranges the dining area, someone prepares food, and others bring flowers, colours and the warmth of their presence. A festival becomes complete only when every hand contributes and every heart […]
The Importance of Holistic Development and Makkala Jagriti’s SPICE Model
Many children today score well in exams, yet struggle with expressing themselves, working with others, managing emotions, or thinking creatively. This gap isn’t a reflection of their potential — it is a reminder that education focused only on academics cannot meet the needs of the whole child. In India, where education is a fundamental right, […]
The Art of Building Trust, Healing, and Facilitation Inside a Child Care Institution.
A Child Care Institution (CCI) often feels like a world of its own, a contained universe shaped by stories of loss, resilience, disruption, and hope. In the daily rhythm of activities, the emotional labour of facilitators and the depth of children’s transformation can easily go unnoticed. But during my visit to the Bangalore-based CCI, that […]
Anganwadis – India’s most powerful space for early stimulation
The Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme, launched on 2nd October 1975, was one of India’s most visionary steps towards improving the health, nutrition, and education of young children and women. As it completes its fiftieth year this year, it still continues to touch millions of lives across the country. The ICDS has stood as […]