Moths of Agastya, by R. Bhanumathi. Published by Agastya International Foundation. 2025. Reviewed by R. J. Ranjit Daniels Moths are as fascinating as are butterflies. Yet, they are rarely taken into account in biodiversity documentation. Despite being ten times more diverse than butterflies, moths have historically aroused relatively less scientific interest, except in those who are concerned with crop and forest insect pest management. As a result, moth diversity continues to remain grey. Moths can therefore be described as ‘bats of the insect world’. The book under review concerns an institutional campus. Throughout the world, institutional campuses are gaining greater ecological significance as ‘refuges of biodiversity’ in otherwise hostile, human-dominated landscapes. Agastya is apparently one such institutional campus with remarkable biodiversity. Despite being less than a square kilometre in extent and being located in a dry zone that receives less than 500 mm of rainfall annually, the campus is home to 550 species of plant, 155 species of bird, 21 species of reptile, 55 species of spider, 107 species of butterfly and maybe scores of not-yet-documented species of invertebrate. This richness may be because the campus is at an elevation of 733 m ASL. Or because it is a part of the Eastern Ghats landscape. Or it may have something to do with its diverse vegetation. Or it may even be its past history. All these assumptions provide more opportunities for future research. R. Bhanumathi has made a noteworthy contribution on moths. She has meticulously documented 653 species with good-quality photographs. The photographs have been presented in a user-friendly format. This is a remarkable feat and commendable, considering the general paucity of information on Indian moths, their local diversity and how they fare in specific habitats, and the fact that the author is not a moth specialist. Further, she has taken the trouble to introduce the readers to the various aspects of moth research and the associated challenges. Challenges mainly arise in the correct identification of species, especially due to the lack of authentic field guides that focus on specific regions. And as has been evident from the book, identifying every species (including those exhibiting sexual dimorphism and only using photographs) will remain a challenge for many years to come. It is therefore understandable that 50 species have not been identified and that for a handful of others, the specific identity is missing. The author has broadly categorized the 653 species into micro- and macromoths. She has also provided a classified checklist going down to the level of tribes under which the respective species are listed. The book includes an index to scientific names. The most useful section is, however, the detailed description of methods used in documenting the species. That moth researchers should have a lot of patience becomes evident, especially when it is said that moths arrive at the source of light in waves. Not all species come together, nor at the same time. There is a clear rhythm in moth arrival, and the researcher should be aware of the most appropriate time of the night when particular species of moth can be seen. This information is very useful and will greatly help in reducing sampling biases during serious moth research. Six hundred and fifty-three species of moth documented in four years from a small campus is only indicative of the much greater diversity of moths in the landscape. Moths, being highly mobile, can be attracted to light from sources that are quite far away. And as some of the species listed, such as fruit-piercing moths and stem-borers, are also pests in agriculture, it would not be naive to speculate that the landscape matrix within which Agastya is located has had some cultivation. Landscape ecologists are well aware of the fact that a patch of habitat such as that in Agastya is never free of biotic influences from the larger landscape matrix. Therefore, if the author plans a second edition of the book, it would be best if she provides more details of the landscape and the type of land use outside the campus. This can be easily done using a map and GIS. It will add immense value to any future edition of the book. Another aspect of interest for future editions would be to compare the moth diversity of Agastya with other localities. For instance, how does it compare with a place of comparable size in the Western Ghats? Moths in general being heavierwinged (more densely coated with powdery scales) than butterflies, may not tolerate very wet conditions as found in the Western Ghats. Is Agastya more suited because it is dry? It is well-known that many species of moth that are pests in agriculture pupate under leaf litter and organic debris. Wet litter such as that in rainforests may attract more predators such as ants. It can also be infested with fungi that can harm the pupae. Can this be a reason why dry habitats are more conducive to moths? Moths of Agastya has no doubt opened a new avenue for biodiversity research in general and moth-watching in particular. It will be of great interest to young naturalists and curious nature-lovers. It will also be useful to serious moth researchers. More than anything else, this book will motivate field biologists of the future to include moths in biodiversity assessments. How can a group of terrestrial animals that is more diverse than butterflies, birds and plants be ignored? A wonderful book indeed, and it is my sincere wish that the author bring out a future edition addressing some of the concerns discussed in the foregoing. No book can be hundred per cent correct or complete. Each book makes a new beginning, and Moths of Agastya has just done that.

For millions of children in rural India, science has been limited to textbooks, with little chance to see or do experiments. Agastya’s Mobile Science Labs (MSLs)  change that by bringing fully equipped science labs on wheels to the doorsteps of schools and villages. Children explore models in physics, chemistry, and biology, discovering that science is not about memorizing but about questioning and experimenting. Sangeetha’s Journey of Learning | Daan Utsav For Sangeetha, like many children in rural schools, science was once intimidating. Textbook diagrams and theoretical explanations felt disconnected from reality. But when Agastya’s Mobile Science Lab arrived at her school, she got the chance to see  and do  the experiments herself. Suddenly, the subject made sense. Not only did her confidence grow, but preparing for exams became easier because she now understood, not just memorized. Sangeetha’s story is just one of thousands where a simple, hands-on approach turned fear into curiosity and confusion into clarity. Agastya has already reached 31 million children  and 300,000 teachers , but with Agastya 2.0 , we aim to impact 100 million children and 1 million teachers by 2032 . Mobile Science Labs are key to achieving this vision, taking curiosity and innovation to the most underserved communities. The Joy of Giving Meets the Joy of Learning This Daan Utsav, your support can send more Mobile Science Labs to children who need them most.

Electronics on Wheels Agastya, with support from Sony , has launched two Electronics Lab-on-a-Bike (E-LOB)  programs at the Government Higher Primary School, Heggere, Tumkur, Karnataka. The LOBs bring hands-on electronics learning to children, introducing them to circuits, sensors, and microcontrollers in an engaging way. By making electronics education accessible and interactive, the E-LOB is sparking curiosity and building skills for the future. Learning after Sunset A parent meeting for the Anjani  program was recently held at the Operation Vasantha , Night Village School in Kadlimatti, Karnataka. The session offered parents a window into their children’s progress and learning journey. This month, the Anjani program is reaching over 340 Night Village Schools, continuing to make education accessible after hours for eager young learners. Hands-on Science Reaches Pune A Science Center along with an Integrated Mobile Science Lab was inaugurated at Shri Mhalsakant Secondary and Higher Secondary School, Akurdi, in collaboration with the Pune District Education Board. Supported by HDFC Bank’s Parivartan initiative , these facilities open new doors of learning for children in and around Pune. To build a new world of tinkerers, creators, innovators, and solution-seekers who are humane, creative, and connected. Celebrating India's 79th Independence Day Agastya celebrated India’s 79th Independence Day with a spirit of joy and creativity. Across states, the occasion was marked by activities like a mini science fair and a drawing competition, where participants expressed their love for the nation. The celebrations were filled with colors, curiosity, and pride, capturing the true essence of freedom.

A Motif of Agastya. Located in Campus Creativity Lab Gudivanka, Andhra Pradesh There is a mountain. The mountain is an adventure. But if you remove the spirit of adventure from the mountain, you are left with just a mountain.“ An insurmountable mountain.” The mountain here, dear reader, is a metaphor for education. Education is an adventure. It’s a journey full of exploration, curiosity, and observation. But when we remove the spirit of adventure from education, we are left with something dry and rigid—a set of facts to memorize, tests to pass (with not very pleasant grades, whoops), and a bunch of rules to follow. Without the adventure, education becomes an obstacle, much like an “insurmountable mountain,” as expressed by Manu Prakash, an Indian scientist who is also a professor of Bioengineering at Stanford University. An insurmountable mountain is a mountain with steep sides, no trees, and no life. Something that’s impossible to beat. It is a challenge that no longer excites us, rather overwhelms us, and takes away the joy of learning. Likewise, in education. Education isn’t about sitting in closed classrooms, memorizing formulas, or appearing for exams. It’s about the journey of figuring out what excites you, what interests you, who YOU are, and how you see the world. It’s about stepping beyond blindly copying blackboard notes and embracing the creative side in you. Unfortunately, as children grow older in their journey from being pre-adolescents to teenagers, they start to lose their spirit for life and sense of adventure. They stop being curious. Confidence is gone for a toss, and they start adhering to prescribed textbooks. Perhaps because of the evolved meaning of education. Education is now simply viewed with a series of tasks—grades, college, job, salary, at a relatively large scale in higher classes, each leading to the next with no break to breathe. And thus, many take it to becoming what the world demands of them rather than being themselves. Mulikavana, Campus Creativity Lab, Agastya When done right, education is like climbing a mountain—reaching new heights, feeling energized and exhilarated. It’s hard work, yes, but also deeply rewarding. This is something difficult to attain after years of being told, “It’s a (insurmountable) mountain, climb it!” yet hundreds of kids from Agastya have proven otherwise! How, you ask. It is simply with their potential, their sharp minds that have not once let loose of their curiosity in their learning curve. And Agastya makes sure of that and maintains the spark by making the process of learning more fun and less ponderous. Because it’s the process that’s important, not the fruit, as Mallika Sarabhai expresses, who is an Indian classical dancer and an actor from Gujarat. It instills in them the courage to ask questions—why certain things happen; how they happen—when the sky rains, it’s not just a fact to accept—it’s an opportunity to ask: why does it rain? Additionally, at Agastya, students also embrace failure and mistakes, because they are just proof that they’re trying. This spirit of adventure is what separates real learning from the conventional way of learning. When education turns into a checklist of tasks, it loses its spark. The joy of discovery fades. But with a zest for life, the mountain doesn’t seem so impossible. It feels alive, exciting, and worth climbing. Of course, learning is'nt straight away jumping to exploration, it’s also about having a perspective. A willingness to learn. To want the fruit at the top of the mountain. That’s where it starts. With this, the mountain stops being something to fear. It becomes something you want to climb—no matter how high. At the end of the day, education isn’t a race to the summit or a battle to overcome—it’s a relationship you build with the mountain itself. It’s the way the climb shapes you, the strength it gives you, and the stories you gather along the way. Perhaps it’s not even about reaching the top, but about finding meaning in the journey. Every step becomes a part of who you are. And maybe, just maybe, the true purpose of education isn’t to conquer the mountain, but just to see the world differently from where you stand.

Idol of Sage Agastya Muni at Agastya International Foundation Across the sweep of Indian history, Agastya Muni stands as a figure of incredible wisdom and quiet strength. A sage, a scholar, and a problem-solver, he is remembered to be the bridge between the two worlds, natural and human. His legacy is not just one of intellectual pursuit but of action of taking knowledge beyond the confines of the self and using it to bring about change. He ensured that knowledge was not static, but constantly evolving, and this spirit of application and accessibility is what makes his influence so relevant to modern education, particularly in the work of the Agastya International Foundation. Agastya Muni is believed to have contributed to early advancements in medicine, botany, and engineering and he did not keep this knowledge to himself or within a select group—he shared it with those who needed it the most, ensuring that communities could use it to improve their own lives. In the same way, the Agastya Foundation does not limit knowledge to traditional classrooms. It brings science and learning to rural communities, empowering children with tools and ideas that can be applied in real-world contexts. Beyond his contributions to knowledge itself, Agastya Muni was also known for encouraging collaboration. His work was not about isolated wisdom but about bringing together different streams of thought. He interacted with scholars, kings, and local communities alike, ensuring that learning was not just a one-way process but in fact, an exchange. This belief in collaboration is something Agastya International Foundation carries forward. Not just teaching but also listening, learning from the children it works with, and adapting its methods to better suit their needs. Education, in this sense, is not a fixed entity but something that evolves through dialogue and shared discovery. The essence of Agastya Muni’s legacy lies in his ability to make knowledge travel, breaking barriers of geography, language and tradition into the hands of those who could use it to create change. In doing so, he warranted that knowledge was not concentrated in the hands of a few but was made available to those who had previously been excluded from it. This idea of taking learning beyond fixed institutions is exactly what Agastya International Foundation strives to do. Instead of waiting for children to come to Agastya, the Foundation takes science to them—through mobile labs, interactive experiments, and creative engagement that meets them where they are. This way the foundation is not just teaching, it is keeping alive a tradition of learning that is dynamic, inclusive, and deeply rooted in the needs of the people it serves. Agastya Muni’s legend is also tied to resilience. He is more often than not, depicted as a lone traveler, someone who kept moving forward despite challenges, adapting to new environments and circumstances. What is so powerful about this image is that someone carrying knowledge, no matter the odds, has found a true purpose of their life, which is something we all struggle with on a daily basis grinding away as corporate slaves, desperate in need of good life away from any form of poverty, while we fail to recognize our true fundamentals. Education in rural India faces its own challenges—lack of infrastructure, trained teachers, or basic resources. As someone having experienced, relatively speaking, quality education, a conversation I was a part of really drove this disparity home for me. The gist of the conversation was about the different schools we attended and their dynamics – the fee, the class strength, the syllabus. Interestingly enough, and to my shock, I found out there were schools with classroom strengths of 200 students with only one teacher and some with no teachers. This reality is not just a statistic, rather a reflection of the larger systemic issues that hinder learning for millions of children. Yet, while inadequate facilities and resources are often seen as insurmountable barriers, true education is not solely dependent on ideal conditions. Holistic growth does not come from extravagant infrastructure alone but from values that can thrive even in the most modest settings. The Agastya Foundation, similarly, much like its namesake, does not wait for ideal conditions to go ahead with the vision it has for children. It works with what is available, creating solutions that are simple, mobile, and impactful. And perhaps, the most heart-warming part of this is witnessing the transformation in the children. A quiet child who once hesitated to ask questions or hated math, begins to confidently present their ideas or fall in love with numbers. These small victories are more than educational milestones, and nothing short of magical. To conclude, Agastya Muni remains an inspiration for all, his legacy living on through those who learn and those who teach, all for the love of knowledge and life :)

Classrooms Beyond Chalk and Talk Agastya Virtual School (AViS) hosted a one-day workshop from June 23 to 30 across eight blocks in Ghaziabad and Gautam Buddha Nagar, Uttar Pradesh. The workshop brought together 425 teachers for a day of ideas, inquiry, and investigation. The session provided interactive approaches to make classrooms more lively and interesting, breaking away from traditional methods. With each lesson, educators rediscover the joy of learning, this time from a different perspective. AI Meets Creativity in Sikkim Curiosity met code at the AI-on-Wheels summer camp in Ahopul Kishan Secondary School, Pakyong, Sikkim, where children explored how AI shapes the world around them. From creating animations on Scratch to understanding responsible AI use, the camp made tech fun and relatable. A poster-making competition introduced children to AI-powered image generation through prompt design. The winning entry stood out for its creativity and smart use of prompts, showing a clear grasp of how to interact with AI. Hands-On STEM in Kokrajhar As part of an ongoing effort to reconnect with over 300 teachers previously trained in Bengaluru, Agastya International Foundation conducted two-day STEM workshops in Kokrajhar and Gossaigaon, Assam, in collaboration with the BTR Government and Infosys Foundation. Teachers from surrounding areas came together to explore hands-on STEM concepts, share experiences, and learn equity-focused teaching approaches. The workshops focused on practical science topics aimed at encouraging student engagement, with sessions in Chirang, Baksa, Tamulpur, and Udalguri.

A Summer of Innovation and Climate Action This summer, two teams from Creative Inquiry at Lehigh University partnered with Agastya to strengthen hands-on learning across two critical fronts: innovation and climate education. The Future Makers Unlimited team focused on India’s Atal Tinkering Labs (ATLs) , conducting fieldwork at Agastya’s Kuppam campus. They hosted a two-day workshop with Agastya ignators, simulating ATL teacher training with sessions on electronics, CAD, and 3D printing. Their learnings are being shaped into a practical manual, a teacher support network, and a simplified platform for ATL usage. Meanwhile, the Climate Change Learning Center team collaborated with Agastya’s ignator to co-create a pilot-ready climate change workbook, hands-on learning kit, and plans for a large-scale learning center. Their resources, which were created during fieldwork in Bengaluru, Karnataka, and Kuppam, Andhra Pradesh, will be made available in the upcoming months though Agastya's scientific centers and mobile labs. Stories on the Move! In collaboration with the Learn Through Stories Foundation , Agastya’s Mobile Labs are carrying 900 storybooks to children across Dharwad (Karnataka), Mumbai and Pune (Maharashtra), Gujarat, and Hyderabad (Telangana). These storybooks are reaching children who have limited access to engaging reading material, bringing joy, imagination, and the love of reading to every stop. Here’s to stories written by children sparking curiosity and lighting up young minds across India! Sparking Aah! Aha! Ha-Ha! in Highly-Able Children Since 2023, Agastya has collaborated with institutions IIT Madras , IISc Bengaluru , and IIT Kanpur to host summer research camps for highly able children from Navodaya Vidyalayas. The camps included bootcamps, lectures by faculty of theses institutions and Agastya Ignators, lab visits, and hands-on project work designed to deepen understanding and spark curiosity in STEM. Children were selected through school nominations, a written test, and interviews. The initiative offers a valuable platform for them to explore research-led learning and imagine future careers in science and innovation.

Dr. Aniruddha Malpani What an inspiring book - please read this ! Moving Mountains – The Story of Agastya’s Ethical and Frugal Growth Moving Mountains is an inspiring story that tells the remarkable journey of the Agastya International Foundation, an unique educational organization that has transformed learning for disadvantaged children in India. The title is a clever reference to the legendary Indian sage Agastya, who humbled the mighty Vindhya mountains through wisdom and purpose — a fitting metaphor for the seemingly insurmountable challenges Agastya Foundation faced in its mission to revolutionize education. At the heart of Agastya’s journey lies a profound sense of purpose — the unwavering commitment to making high-quality education accessible to underserved children. The founders believed that India's future could only be shaped by igniting curiosity and creativity in young minds, especially those in rural areas. This powerful sense of purpose drove them to challenge traditional educational methods and introduce experiential, hands-on learning to children who had limited access to quality resources. The book emphasizes how this clarity of purpose became a guiding force, helping the organization stay focused despite financial constraints, bureaucratic hurdles, and logistical challenges . Mission-Driven Innovation Rather than replicating conventional school models, Agastya innovated with unique learning methods — mobile science labs, interactive workshops, and creative learning spaces. By challenging the assumption that education must be expensive or resource-heavy, Agastya demonstrated how frugality can fuel creativity and drive impact. The Moving Of Mountains The book vividly illustrates how Agastya's success was not built on vast financial resources but rather on innovative thinking, resource optimization, and an unwavering commitment to its mission. Culture of Integrity and Frugality A standout theme in the book is Agastya’s emphasis on building an ethical and frugal culture. The organization resisted the temptation to chase flashy solutions or unsustainable expansion. Instead, they focused on maximizing the impact of every rupee spent. By cultivating a culture of responsibility and accountability, Agastya ensured that its growth remained sustainable and aligned with its core values. The book highlights how this culture of simplicity fostered trust within the organization and earned respect from donors, educators, and community members alike. Employees were encouraged to innovate within constraints, turning limitations into opportunities for creative problem-solving. Teamwork and Collective Vision The Agastya story is also a testament to the power of teamwork. The organization attracted a diverse group of passionate individuals — scientists, educators, and volunteers — who shared the belief that learning should be joyful and accessible. The book reveals how Agastya’s collaborative environment encouraged individuals to contribute ideas freely, building a dynamic and flexible organizational structure. Agastya's leaders empowered their team members, allowing them to take ownership of projects and drive impactful change. This decentralized approach ensured that innovation flourished at every level of the organization. A Mind-Boggling Vision Perhaps the most striking element of Agastya’s journey is the sheer audacity of its vision. Setting out to impact millions of underserved children in rural India with experiential learning seemed like an impossible task. Yet, through resilience and ingenuity, Agastya steadily expanded its reach, touching countless lives. The book captures this seemingly impossible journey in rich detail, showcasing how Agastya defied conventional wisdom to achieve what many believed was unattainable. https://amzn.in/d/bkdhT5J

This is a transcript of the podcast Learning From The Mavericks: Sardar Vallabhai Patel by Ramji Raghavan Nearly a century ago, on Saturday, 23rd July 1927, it began raining heavily in Gujarat in India. Private and public offices had closed for the weekend. People hoped that the rain would stop or subside by Sunday evening. The 52-year-old president of the Ahmedabad Municipality was uneasy and restless. He couldn’t sleep. Way past midnight, he decided to do a round of the city. Walking alone on Gandhi Road in the dark, menacing night and pouring rain, he came to the conclusion that Gujarat was heading towards calamity. He knocked on the door of his friend, Harilal Kapadia, who was shocked to see his friend drenched. He ushered him in, gave him a hot cup of tea, and persuaded him to change into a fresh set of clothes. The men set out street by street, first-hand knowledge of the situation. They woke up the municipal engineer and formed a team at the municipal office. By daybreak, they had made arrangements for the drainage of the rainwater that had accumulated in the low-lying areas of the city. Over the course of the next few days, Gujarat experienced unprecedented rainfall. Rainfall like it hadn’t seen in the past 50 years. Kheda District alone had 100 inches of rainfall. Thousands of villages were marooned or destroyed. People had to live on treetops for survival, without food or water for four to five days at a stretch. Older people and children would often fall off the treetops into the raging current from exhaustion. In the midst of a seemingly insurmountable crisis, the president of the municipality had gathered over 2000 volunteers who went from village to village, sometimes risking their lives, swimming across deep waters, providing vital help to starving villagers marooned in their homes. Working round the clock, they provided food grains and clothes at low prices, distributed seeds to plant after the rainwater receded to revive agriculture, and rebuilt 72000 houses. It was a tremendous and stupendous example of leadership on the edge by the president of the municipality, who won great praise from not only his colleagues and friends but also from the government, which was persuaded to release 13 million rupees, a large sum of money then, for the relief efforts. Two decades later, Jane Mooney went to see the former president of the Ahmedabad municipality, and said, “ You’ve led a great and interesting life. Why don’t you write a book about it?,” and Sardar Patel, now independent India’s first Deputy Prime Minister, who along with Gandhi and Nehru had led India to her independence smiled and said, “We do not write history. We make history.” These words so inspired me that when we produced the first brochure for Agastya Foundation in the early 2000s — a lovely blue brochure with an orange A on its cover — the back cover carried the Sardar’s quote: We do not write history. We make history. People call Patel Sardar, or chief, and India’s Iron Man. Patel had made a stupendous commitment to serve his country, to help it win its independence from a great power. Julius Caesar famously said of his great rival Pompeii, “Pompeii has merely done something. I stand for something.” Patel stood for his people and their independence from colonial rule. As Patel said, “our delight is in doing service to people.” Patel had a genius for detail. He got information from on the front lines and often from walking on the streets and villages. This helped him build his intuition, his feeling for a situation. He could see something at the smallest level and imagine what it might become, and take actions to preempt a problem or seize an opportunity. Patel had a tremendous bias for action, for hands-on immersive engagement backed by immense will, which he brought to play again and again, in times of uncertainty and crisis. Like, during the Gujarat Floods, he always set a great personal example. As the Deputy Prime Minister of India, he acted decisively with an iron will to politically integrate the princely states into the federation. Patel had a great ability to bring people together as a unified team. He once said, If you can give me only a hundred true men who will fight until death, I assure that success is certain. In his biography title Sardar Vallabhai Patel, India’s Iron Man, author B Krishna writes that Patel had the unique ability “to make his people exude courage, hope and buoyancy. An ability in great demand at every level, everywhere in today’s Covid 19 Crisis. He had extraordinary persuasive skills which he demonstrated on numerous occasions, as well as in his pivotal role in managing the Gujarat Floods. In his eulogy, delivered after Patel’s death by GS Bajpai, the Secretary-General of India’s Ministry of External Affairs, paid tribute to “a great patriot, a great administrator and a great man.” A rare combination of qualities in any historic epoch in any country. We do not write history, we make history. Great and inspiring words from a great man. Listen to this episode of the podcast Learning From The Mavericks here: https://youtu.be/nzjPt-8oFCg

Rakesh Jhunjhunwala Was A Great Social Investor by Ramji Raghavan   I have known stock market billionaire and social investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala for two decades as a friend, adviser, supporter and trustee of the Agastya International Foundation in its mission to spark and spread curiosity and creativity among underserved and underprivileged children in India. Less well known than Rakesh’s widely recognized prowess in investing, was his desire to make a positive social difference to India. He saw this as essential to India’s economic success, and was willing to invest a great deal of time and money in her social and educational development. My first meeting with Rakesh happened in the early 2000s with investment banker Pankaj Talwar, in Rakesh’s office opposite the Bombay Stock Exchange. I described to Rakesh my motivation to quit my job as a banker in London, and return to India with a vision to spark curiosity and nurture creativity among India’s children and teachers. He listened patiently, gaining the measure of me, and quoting more than once from the book The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari by Robin Sharma, “a book about a lawyer forced to confront the spiritual crisis of his out-of-balance life, and the subsequent wisdom that he gains on a life-changing odyssey that enables him to create a life of passion, purpose and peace.” In our second meeting, Rakesh said he was intrigued with my idea of the Mobile Science Van for children and would sponsor one van. I was thrilled. Later, he said he would sponsor three mobile science vans and “that was that.” Reading my mind, he said that he could visualize hundreds of science vans crisscrossing India, a giant-sized project that only the government could fund. Not to be discouraged, I showed him a map for a dream creative campus in Andhra Pradesh in a village two hours by road from Bangalore. With an exasperated air he said, “Every time we meet, you come up with something new!” Then, one evening, Pankaj and I were walking out of the Hotel Marine Plaza in Mumbai’s Marine Drive, when we saw a silver Mercedes pull up, from which emerged Rakesh. Surprised to see me, he asked me what I was doing in Mumbai and why I had not called him. I said that if I called him, he would think I was after his money! With a laugh and a wave, he invited me to his Nariman Point office the following day. “What’s new?” he asked. I replied that I was returning from a visit to The Exploratorium in San Francisco and would like to create one for rural kids on the upcoming Agastya campus. He listened intently and nodded as I described the uniqueness and benefits of the project that would offer village kids and teachers an opportunity to engage with large interactive, hands-on learning models and exhibits to stoke their curiosity and creativity. Staring all the while at several whizzing stock market ticker screens on his desk, he turned around and asked me to come back to him with a plan. A few weeks later he agreed to fund the first stage of what was to become the Jhunjhunwala Discovery Centre, Agastya’s first significant creative learning investment on campus. A year or two passed until one day, as I was escorting London-based investment banker Alok Oberoi on a tour of the still nascent 172-acre Agastya campus, we stopped at a vista, facing a picturesque lake, to observe the construction of the Jhujhunwala Discovery Centre. Alok’s phone rang. It was Rakesh. Rakesh asked Alok where he was and seemed surprised when Alok replied he was standing outside the upcoming and rather magnificent looking Jhunjhunwala Discovery Centre. The same evening, Rakesh said to me on the phone that he didn’t believe Agastya could achieve its vision through piecemeal funding. “Why don’t you come up with a long-term plan, which I might be willing to fund?” These were indeed super glad tidings for a struggling social entrepreneur! Over several months, working with ex-BCG consultant Manish Gupta from Rakesh’s office my colleagues Mahavir, Bala and I came up with a ten-year plan to raise INR 90 crores to impact six million underprivileged children. I vividly recall what would become a watershed meeting with Rakesh. He mentioned that he could think of few, if any, individuals in India who would give INR 9 crores a year (roughly USD 2 million then) to a charitable education foundation that they did not own or control. Somewhat deflated, I offered to sell my house in Bangalore and give him the money I raised to manage, and suggested I would write a check every year to Agastya from the returns that he would generate. “Please don’t insult me” he said. “Why would I ask you to come to my office only to have you sell your house?” and added “It is not easy to make money” (“Paisa banana utna aasaan nahin hai”). As I continued making the case for the plan, he stopped me and, to my unbelieving delight, said he would give Agastya INR 50 crore (USD 12 million then) over ten years. He explained his reasoning. “I believe in your vision, which means I must go in whole hog to make sure you achieve it. Use my money as you see fit, leverage it to attract other funders to scale Agastya.” He asked me if I was happy. I said yes! and we shook hands. Six million underprivileged kids would benefit from his decision. It was as simple and profound as that. Shortly afterwards on a visit to the barren and imposing Agastya campus, we escorted Rakesh, Titan CEO Bhaskar Bhat, Manish Gupta of RARE Enterprises and others up a hill to see an Agastya hands-on science session in action. Rakesh spotted a small village lad with unkempt hair, in an untucked shirt with snot running down his nose and remarked "I can see in his eyes that you have lit his curiosity!"  Rakesh once told me that the reason for his success was that his father had encouraged him to be curious as a child, and that Agastya, being curiosity-driven, was one of the best social investments he had ever made. Indeed, we had honored his father's memory with a bust at the Jhunjhunwala Discovery Centre, which he had agreed to unveil. Alas. But more on the man's legacy. A measure of Rakesh's x-ray vision, and capacity to take big bets, was his willingness to invest in Agastya’s idealistic vision in the early 2000s when hardly anyone showed interest. Indeed, as a social entrepreneur with an ambitious, if quixotic, vision I felt that Rakesh had almost got into my brain and seen the future as I saw it. He had this vicarious ability to see what others saw (or didn’t see) and the smarts to decide if he wanted to be a part of their vision. As with his business investments, ‘the crusade and the crusader’ were two indispensable conditions that needed to meet his approval before he made his social investments. In October 2019, Rakesh, his wife Rekha and their sons, Aryavir and Aryaman, participated in the first Agastya Innovation Fair in Mumbai. Rakesh spent several hours in the oppressive heat, quizzing the Agastya instructors and watching his sons and other students from Mumbai’s municipal schools engage with the innovative models and projects on display. He looked at me through the throng of exuberant young visitors and with his fingers gave an “O” sign of approval. As a board member of Agastya, Rakesh always spoke about “our vision for Agastya.” He lived and breathed it as much as anyone else in Agastya did but never interfered in Agastya’s work. “I don’t want to tell you what to do, and I trust you and your team to deliver” he told me. Rakesh brought foresight, insights, focus and optimism and constantly encouraged us to strive to do better. “Be ambitious and be patient” he would tell me. At an interaction meeting with social investors and NGOs arranged by the Edelgive Foundation in Mumbai, I remarked that Rakesh’s early investment in Agastya “was unprecedented in scale for that time.” He replied “and what Agastya has achieved is unprecedented.” Desh Deshpande told me recently that of the few million NGOs in the US and India there were about thirty that were doing great work at scale and Agastya was among them. Rakesh’s investment in Agastya – and that of the other individuals and institutions that followed him - were key and instrumental in enabling Agastya to unlock the creative potential of 17 million children and 300,000 teachers nationwide, and inspire educators, scientists and innovators from across the globe. The once barren Agastya campus has become a biodiverse ecological preserve and world class center for creative experiential learning. That was the stupendous scale and intensity of the impact that Rakesh, and the many partners who joined forces with Agastya after him, had! I met Rakesh on July 28, 2022 and was impressed as usual by his clear thinking, vision, and remarkable ability to connect the dots. He quizzed me about my recent fundraising visit to the US. When I told him about the name Indians were making in the world in mathematics, he charmingly showed me a marvelously appropriate video song on his cellphone from the movie Purab Aur Paschim ("Jab Zero Diya Mere Bharat Ne..."). I thought, "This man is a patriot to the hilt!" Alas, his life was to end so prematurely. Emerging from Covid, we articulated an ambitious Agastya 2.0 vision to impact 100 million children and 1 million teachers. Inspired by Rakesh''s turbocharged life, his unwavering support, and the support of Agastya’s partners, the Agastya Team is determined to make our distinctive and creative dream for India’s children and teachers, come true. To quote an African proverb, "It is better to live one day as a lion than a hundred years as a sheep." In his short and remarkably impactful life, Rakesh lived and roared like a lion. Agastya and I will greatly miss his presence, friendship and counsel.

Written by Amna Majeed Roald Dahl’s Matilda (1988) is a canonical book that is read widely across the world by all age groups. The book follows the story of a young girl who is born with supernatural powers but is neglected and misunderstood by her family. In the initial years of her life, she yearns for friends and companionship but remains forlorn. It is during this time that Matilda finds solace, comfort and extreme intellectual stimulation in books. She reads widely and exhaustively, reading scholars such as Herman Melville and Charles Dickens, and even as a toddler travels to the library daily to issue books and magazines. What do books mean to children? What purpose do they serve? How is that purpose different from the reason that adults read books? What is the significance of reading during childhood? The eminent American poet and civil rights activist, Maya Angelou said, “Any book that helps a child to form a habit of reading, to make reading one of his needs, is good for him”. Reading is truly an irreplaceable habit for children and becomes a turning point in one’s life. It inculcates the practice of introspection, individual thinking and of understanding and grasping the world personally, slowly and intimately. Mana Nestham: A Mobile Library During the pandemic and the recurrent lockdowns, Agastya devised several ways to tackle the sudden loss in learning opportunities. We launched the WeLearn application on Google Playstore in seven languages and also launched the ActiLearn book in order to encourage self-reliance and learning in students. As things moved towards digital education and distance learning, we tried to keep up with the times. We also preserved and re-instituted the more organic forms of learning and erudition. We invested in the initiative “Mana Nestham” (a Telugu word that translates to “Our Friend”)with an aim to provide free access to books. Mana Nestham operated outside of the Kuppam campus in Andhra Pradesh, and functioned as an outreach program. It conducted a 45-day extensive pilot study that reached 67 different schools, of which 56 were primary schools. Through concerted and dedicated efforts of our instructors, we could reach 6115 exposures¹. Mana Nestham focused on reading practices, story writing, origami, and kirigami, Word games, Read and Share and many more engaging activities. With the ubiquity of digital technology, the form, content, and style of reading books have changed drastically in the past decade. Through initiatives such as Mana Nestham, Agastya is attempting to preserve more focused and established practices of reading, writing, and collective thinking. The astrophysicist and science communicator Carl Sagan once said, “one of the greatest gifts adults can give, to their offspring and to their society, is to read to children”. The companionship one finds in a book is rare and irreplaceable and allows for contemplation and self-analysis. These are values that Agastya constantly attempts to inculcate as well. Our broader aim, that of instilling the ethic of “ Aah! Aha! Haha! ” in our students, is reflected in Mana Nestham as well. Through a mobile library, as we introduced children to books in their routine, we develop novel pedagogical styles and modes of rumination. Preserving Reading As children are now learning and growing up in an environment where digital modes of education are becoming increasingly prevalent, we must introspect on what practices we may have left behind and how and in what ways they applied to our lives and our education. The diverse and heterogeneous purposes that books serve, the solace they provide in tough times, and the unimaginable source of introspective thought that they are- all these form critical reasons to preserve both individual and collective reading practices. Through mobile libraries and constant efforts to read for our students and also with our students, we are trying to conserve reading as a holistic and central practice in our pedagogical endeavors. Exposure is used to measure Agastya’s reach. It can be defined as the number of times Agastya has face-to-face interactions with an individual (child/teacher/community member). Each exposure is 2–3 hours in duration.

Will We Use Technology In The Classroom Or Technology As The Classroom? Written by Nethra Singhi Teaching methods constantly adapt to changing technology and social environments. Thus, in tune with the pandemic halting and uprooting traditional schooling, the current buzzwords related to teaching methods are online learning and virtual education. The pedagogical implications of virtual classrooms versus classrooms with virtual applications are now an ongoing discussion in academia. This article examines the benefits and drawbacks of using technology in the classroom (i.e. combining physical and digital learning) compared to using technology as a classroom (i.e. virtual classrooms). Technology in the Classroom In the last decade, the use of technology in the Indian education space has rapidly amplified, with digital learning tools (like computers and tablets) and online modules. Mobile learning apps are being used alongside textbooks and virtual discussion rooms to follow up in case of doubts. This method of ‘phygital learning’ has gained popularity, where both physical and digital mediums are used for maximum emphasis on learning. (Agastya has been using this method for a long time. To learn more, see Agastya’s TechLaTab initiative .) Is Blended Learning the Way Forward? Popularly called ‘blended learning,’ this combination of online learning with school-based learning has many advantages. Using the internet in classrooms expands course offerings and learning materials since teachers can link outside resources supporting the topic being covered. They can also use multimedia formats to accommodate auditory, visual, hands-on, and other types of learners. Students using a tablet in the lab. Technology also helps teachers and students connect outside the classroom to clear doubts and personalise learning. Teachers can also reach out personally to struggling students and provide more personalised teaching than a traditional classroom allows. The blended learning strategy can accommodate students’ diverse learning styles, as it helps students learn at their own pace. It enables them to work before or after school in ways not possible with full-time conventional classroom instruction. However, before teachers can look at incorporating online resources, all their students must be able to access the online learning environment. Lack of access, whether for economic or logistic reasons, excludes otherwise eligible students from the course, especially in rural and lower socioeconomic neighbourhoods. The other disadvantage of introducing technology in a classroom is that it increases the instructors’ workload. They have to design modules for offline as well as online mediums and flesh out activities suitable in each space, which requires more time and input. Technology as the Classroom With the pandemic, classrooms have been forced to fully digital spaces, with Zoom meetings and breakout rooms serving as primary learning spaces. This, although being a rushed process, has now become a hot topic whose utilisation and impact needs to be examined. Students using the myagastys.education platform. How Effective is Virtual Learning? The most significant advantage of online learning is that it can be Anywhere, anytime, and at any pace. The online format allows a dynamic interaction between the instructor and students and among the students themselves. Ideas are shared. Each individual can contribute to the course discussions with much more forethought instead of immediately answering like in a conventional classroom discussion. The synergy in the student-centred virtual classroom is its most vital trait and advantage over the traditional classroom. As discussed before, it also allows much greater access to information, with resources from all around the world. The other advantage is that children are more prepared to face the world that is rapidly becoming increasingly reliant on technology. They have a good foundation in understanding standard technological devices and their applications. Technology also allows for more active teaching and learning. This is because engagement can be increased through immediate polls and quizzes, and teachers can also receive immediate feedback and track their students’ progress. However, similar to blended learning, a significant disadvantage of entirely virtual learning is the access to the internet and a laptop or tablet. While phygital learning can provide learning opportunities for students who cannot afford or are not exposed to digital technology, they are severely disadvantaged in access to instruction and participation. The other requirement is that both the students and teachers must be digitally literate enough to take advantage of virtual learning fully. If there is no access, there is little hope for digital literacy, and in turn, digital learning. Moreover, if the instructor is not equipped to teach in a virtual environment, it disrupts the learning process. Virtual learning is also dependent on the student’s maturity and ability to self-regulate their time and self-discipline to utilise these tools entirely. There is a greater responsibility on their part, compared to the conventional classroom where the teachers play a greater role than students. Thus, online learning is not for younger students (like elementary, primary or secondary schools) who have not developed these qualities and are not ready for assuming the responsibility that non-traditional learning requires them to shoulder. Tangentially, the younger students also require more hands-on learning, which is quite challenging to impart or monitor via virtual lessons. This is also true for subjects for older students, like science experiments, public speaking, and sports. Many aspects of such subjects are best learnt face-to-face, in a traditional learning environment. Although, the most feared aspect of online learning is children not being prepared for social interactions. Studies have suggested that more individuals throughout society are becoming disconnected and isolated because of technology’s links through social networks. Young children who spend more time engaging with devices may not spend as much time interacting with their peers. This can affect their social and emotional growth. Implications As can be seen, technology in the classroom might be more effective than being wholly dependent on technology as a classroom. It allows for maximum flexibility and accommodation of learning styles while providing a relatively more equitable environment for students who may not necessarily have access to the tools required for proper online learning. Ultimately though,​​ technology is just a piece of hardware or software that is merely a tool to help the teacher deliver the lesson. The teacher’s skill in presenting and connecting content material to their individual students is imperative for the best learning experience.