2 October, Mumbai - photo
Before guiding me through a public school in the outskirts of Mumbai, a teacher graciously performed a traditional welcoming ceremony for me. She lit a small lantern and applied a colored dot ("bindu") to my forehead, then pressed a few grains of rice there (for prosperity). I was quite moved.
On the blackboard, the name of the organization I am studying, "Parisar Asha," is written in both English and Marathi. The name means "Hope for the Environment." The organization seeks to replace rote-learning and memorization commonly found in Indian schools. Parisar Asha helps teachers link students' understanding of academic subjects to things, plants, and animals found in their everyday worlds. If you look closely, you can see a drawing of Gandhi in the lower left corner.