Life in places - Aati Pema

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My memory was very feeble when I went there, but I will tell you what I still remember. On a calm summer afternoon, the air blew lazily, and the local dry fruits and vegetable sellers who had all settled down at early dawn were now taking turns looking after their produce while some went to rest in the comfort of stores. There was a restaurant on the store's second floor beside a highway; it was no special occasion. l had a holiday, and my mother took me to that place; the aromatic ambience of the restaurant reached me before I even got near the foot of the cold iron staircase. 

I held my mother's hand and took help in climbing the steep steps of the store. When we entered, there was no worry about not getting a seat as almost the whole hall was empty. The window curtains were translucent, letting light pass while giving it a reddish hue. We sat near one of the windows and ordered our lunch. My mother had a plate of fried noodles while I thought of having them boiled, which my mother protested, saying it's too hot to eat such food, but after a while, my mother let my stubbornness win.

We could hear the wind whisper through the open windows as we waited for the meal to arrive. I talked with my mother casually as I sat lost in other thoughts. Now it's a useless regret that I had not been there with my mother even though her life was on such a tight schedule, but my mother had given her well-earned moments with me. After I had left the restaurant then, I had not realized anything of such, but that place still hold those memories, and I am grateful to have them. 

Aati Pema
Pestalozzi Children's Village India

Meet and Greet with Bhairavi Jani

Learning Forward Podcast Season 10 Episode 14, we try to understand India's strategy for unleashing its innate greatness: Ms Bhairavi Jani, the author of Highway to Swades. Join Anvesha and Rishona on this marvellous trip to rediscover India's superpowers. In a country overflowing with its culture, a nation intertwined along with its love for heritage and a place blossoming in its beautiful diversity. We belong to India, the land of differences, but these differences act as a binding force for each of us. India is indeed a great country, full of stories to tell and experiences to share. Indeed, all the powers mentioned in the book have their unique meaning.

Photo courtesy: timesnownews.com

Letter from Bhairavi Jani with ❤️

Dear Leaders and Members of My Good School, 

My school’s motto was: “Youth Shall Rebuild the World.” Our entire education process and curriculum was centered around the thought that learning is a life-long activity and schools must prepare students to be life-long learners. Understandably, the teachers too would teach with a method that nudged curiosity in us and inspired action. Often, the learning was done outside the classroom with well curated,long or short excursions. We had our own student parliament, elected by the students, every year. We fought elections with much fervor and the elected student government was given significant empowerment to decide on school rules, holidays, academics and student festivals and activities. 

 

When at school, India was not some distant idea for us, she was a person, fully present in our lives. We understood our relationship with our country from experiences both academic and otherwise. I think our founder’s vision was to prepare the young to act constructively for society, nation and the world, whenever and however the opportunity presented itself.

 

What I learnt at school became my talisman in life. I looked at each opportunity professionally or personally to unlearn and learn constantly. Life has now become my school. Therefore in 2014, when I decided to drive across India for 51 days with three friends, there was not much hesitation in my mind and heart. I had done this kind of learning for several years, through travel and meeting people everywhere. What I discovered in those 51 days and also from my travels for over two decades form the beating heart of my first book: “Highway to Swades – Rediscovering India’s Superpowers.”

What Highway to Swades expedition taught me was that our country is full of amazing people and their wonderful stories. Stories of love, harmony, peace, enterprise, nature, creativity, knowledge, commitment, inclusion, heritage, culture, assimilation, individualization, community, wellness, beauty, sacrifice, rituals, food and the arts. I call them India’s superpowers and the book tells stories of Indians from across the country and all walks of life who live and strive for these superpowers. 

 

What writing this book taught me was that we each have our own superpowers and we can call them to action for ourselves, our loved ones and for society at large. One of my superpowers is to listen and the other is to write and therefore I continue to engage with Indians everywhere and of all ages to understand more about who they, what they do, why they do it, what are their aspirations and dreams etc. This gives me immense hope as I think as a people we may be content but at the same time we are ambitious for our future as individuals and as a nation.

 

It is with this thought, that I want to engage with all of you, to listen more, to have meaningful dialogues and to see if individual or collective action is possible for what we care deeply about.

 

Looking forward!

 

Love,

Bhairavi

Find it all in this journey across 🇮🇳 

The River of Dreams

Power of Enterprise

Power of Nature

Power of Heritage

Power of Creativity

Power of Knowledge

Power of Food

Power of Beauty

Power of Wellness

Power of Assimilation

Power of Inclusion

Power of Individual

Power of Community

Call to Action

More when we meet Bhairavi at My Good School