Those of us who grew up in India in the 1980s and 1990s would remember this song from ‘Tarang,’ which broadcast every Sunday on Doordarshan. We all remember the man who used to manufacture toys out of everyday household waste and taught us the value of learning through experimentation. Arvind Gupta, who is now well-known throughout the world as a result of his TED-INK lecture, has also received multiple honours for his creations, which include teaching science with rubbish toys. When I initially contacted him, he indicated he has prostate cancer and that extended chats would tear him out, but he provided us enough information to encourage our readers. Arvind is from a low-income family.
There were no books to read when he was growing up, and there were instances when the electricity or phone connection was shut off due to non-payment of bills. “After selling some of her jewellery, my mother was able to send us to the best school in town.” She intuitively knew that a solid education would be our ticket to the future. A Mecanno set was a gift from a wealthy relative. “It was my prized possession, and I played with it for years, inventing many more possibilities than were listed in the brochure,” Arvind recalls from his boyhood. Despite the odds, Arvind finished first in his district in the 12th grade.
Arvind enrolled in IIT Kanpur in the early 1970s. “Unlike scientists in the West, scientists here refused to conduct research that would eventually lead to the production of warheads and bombs; most of them were looking for a meaningful role.” During my five years at IIT, I taught the children of mess employees and students from the neighbouring hamlet of Nankari. This aided me in discovering my passion for teaching. Later, I worked with the Hoshangabad Scientific Teaching Programme (HSTP), which intended to improve scientific instruction in rural schools.” Arvind joined TELCO (Tata Engineering and Locomotive Company) after IIT and worked for two years on Tata Trucks.
Arvind did not enjoy his job and decided to leave after two years. During this period, he realised his genuine interest in building scientific toys out of inexpensive materials. Prof. M. M. Chaudhari, the joint director of the NCERT and one of Arvind’s IIT Kanpur instructors, requested Arvind to create scientific programmes for Doordarshan, which were broadcast under the ‘Tarang’ banner. These videos were first dubbed in seven regional languages. Arvind has created around 125 programmes for ‘Tarang’ that have been widely broadcast on Doordarshan over the last 25 years. “I am very pleased with these videos because they have reached children in remote villages where no other channel is available.” He recorded three to four hours every day.
“I consider myself fortunate to be able to pursue my dreams.” This is a tremendous blessing. When your passion becomes your source of income, there is never a dull day. Every day is exciting and enjoyable. I sometimes joke that I have the most sought job since I can play all day and still get paid! “There could be nothing better,” he says, explaining his motivation. Arvind places a high value on making learning enjoyable for youngsters. “Learning isn’t learning unless it’s enjoyable.” The emphasis should be on comprehension; comprehension occurs when students can link their learning to life – to a larger social context. Then learning takes on a mystical quality.
Arvind is deeply worried about the way science is taught in schools and families, and he feels that sending children to highly costly and prestigious schools does not guarantee a decent education. He believes that parents should spend much more time with their children, engaging them in various activities, taking them to places of interest, and including them in various home tasks such as cooking, maintenance, and shopping. These teach children a variety of survival skills. Arvind gives an intriguing incident in this context. “I sat behind in a class many years ago while visiting a school.”
The following instructor appeared after one period. I assumed that without a teacher, the children would act like children. Instead, the youngsters were deafeningly quiet. Schooling had deprived them of any self-expression. This was very terrifying.” According to him, the government should first focus on teacher training colleges, which have turned into mass factories producing terrible instructors. The government of Maharashtra has introduced a Teacher Eligibility Test; less than 5% of candidates may pass it this year! “How can we have a good education unless we have well-trained teachers?” “The number of students in a class should not exceed 40, and many aids and books should be used to capture the children’s imagination,” he believes.
In terms of the future, Arvind says he plans to leave his position at the Children’s Science Centre at IUCAA on the Pune University Campus and hopes to translate several of his novels into Hindi. Arvind sends a powerful message: “We only have one life.” Follow your heart’s desire. “Life is too short to waste it on someone else’s stale dream.” That reminds me of a line from the film ‘Anand,’ ‘Zindagi badi honi chahiye, lambi nahi, babu moshai’.