Weekend I Opener
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Hello dear!
Last weekend I visited a place called "VigyanAshram". It was phenomenal. After I posted a few snaps from the visit on one of he social networking sites, many of my friends asked me what is this place. So thought of scribbling a short writeup on the same...
VigyanAshram is a vocational training institute come research & development lab. Hence the word "Vigyan" - Science... It also inculcates the concept of Gurukul system of education. Thus the word "ashram". It is an outcome of vision set by one man, late Dr. S.S. Kalbaug. It is a place where vocational training is imparted to village youth to make them tomorrow's entrepreneurs across innumerable villages of India!
VigyanAshram is located on the picturesque terrains near Pabal village some 60KM away from Pune on Nashik road. You have to first travel for around 55KM to reach Rajgurunagar and then travel 10-15KM more to reach this place next to Pabal village. The later part of road is a bit narrow n slightly rough. Overall it takes 2 hours to reach the place if you drive at decent pace. You need to inform their operations team in advance about your visit so that they will make the necessary arrangements for you to take a guided tour of their campus. One can even organize a study trip for students of a secondary school wherein specific workshop activities can be organized for the groups of students from std VIII, IX and X. I am going to propose a visit by the SSRVM staff as well as parent & management committee in the next meeting at the school.
It takes anywhere from one hour to four hours to take a look at the various research & development project being carried out at the institute depending on the inquisitiveness of the visitors. I went there with my team of Net Impact Pune Professional Chapter so we ended up spending the whole day there with lots of in depth discussions on the green energy projects being carried out there. As a matter of fact Net Impact Pune is helping out in a couple of research projects being done out there in a pro bono manner.
The major highlights of our tour were visit to the "Fab Lab" setup in collaboration with MIT USA and a discussion with Mrs. Kalbaug who overlooks the project after the founder expired a few years ago. Amma (as she is lovingly called a the ashram) shared with us her valuable insights on practical learning which are worth spreading to every nook & corner of the country if we want to revive the educational system of India. My interest in electronics was tinkered upon playing with the tiny LED battery assembled by one of the students at cost less than a 100 bucks.
If you spot any school dropouts (preferably min. 8th std pass) who got bored by the mark-based theoretical rote learning edu system that we follow in most of the schools and kids who are inclined towards doing practical experiential self-learning, this is the place you want to enroll them into... they will blossom into Einsteins and Kalams of tomorrows India. The institute offers a one year residential course where students learn through practical learning so much so that they can go out and start their own something in the small scale industry with confidence. I strongly believe that this will put checks on the tendency of rural youth running to cities in search of a livelihood which is resulting in a variety of sustainability issues in the country.
This much of intro is enough for now... if you really feel like you want to change the face of education in India especially in rural areas of this country, I suggest you visit the place once with your friends and colleagues. You are welcome to join our Net Impact team to bring in that change through your conscious actions to help such institutes prosper in all parts of India. Besides we are so much fortunate to have a platform like the Art of Living, where we have so many opportunities of empowerment through meaningful service that too in a variety of projects and areas!!! Guys we have the backing of Meditation and Yoga with us, we can "make anything possible" in the words of the MIT fab lab at VigyanAshram. Like they say in YES!+ it's a great idea to implement a good idea!!!
All the Best,
Sandesh
P.S. check out www.vigyanashram.org for more information of the institute. And don't forget to give me your feedback or write me at sandesh dot sawant at gmail dot com.
Last weekend I visited a place called "VigyanAshram". It was phenomenal. After I posted a few snaps from the visit on one of he social networking sites, many of my friends asked me what is this place. So thought of scribbling a short writeup on the same...
VigyanAshram is a vocational training institute come research & development lab. Hence the word "Vigyan" - Science... It also inculcates the concept of Gurukul system of education. Thus the word "ashram". It is an outcome of vision set by one man, late Dr. S.S. Kalbaug. It is a place where vocational training is imparted to village youth to make them tomorrow's entrepreneurs across innumerable villages of India!
VigyanAshram is located on the picturesque terrains near Pabal village some 60KM away from Pune on Nashik road. You have to first travel for around 55KM to reach Rajgurunagar and then travel 10-15KM more to reach this place next to Pabal village. The later part of road is a bit narrow n slightly rough. Overall it takes 2 hours to reach the place if you drive at decent pace. You need to inform their operations team in advance about your visit so that they will make the necessary arrangements for you to take a guided tour of their campus. One can even organize a study trip for students of a secondary school wherein specific workshop activities can be organized for the groups of students from std VIII, IX and X. I am going to propose a visit by the SSRVM staff as well as parent & management committee in the next meeting at the school.
It takes anywhere from one hour to four hours to take a look at the various research & development project being carried out at the institute depending on the inquisitiveness of the visitors. I went there with my team of Net Impact Pune Professional Chapter so we ended up spending the whole day there with lots of in depth discussions on the green energy projects being carried out there. As a matter of fact Net Impact Pune is helping out in a couple of research projects being done out there in a pro bono manner.
The major highlights of our tour were visit to the "Fab Lab" setup in collaboration with MIT USA and a discussion with Mrs. Kalbaug who overlooks the project after the founder expired a few years ago. Amma (as she is lovingly called a the ashram) shared with us her valuable insights on practical learning which are worth spreading to every nook & corner of the country if we want to revive the educational system of India. My interest in electronics was tinkered upon playing with the tiny LED battery assembled by one of the students at cost less than a 100 bucks.
If you spot any school dropouts (preferably min. 8th std pass) who got bored by the mark-based theoretical rote learning edu system that we follow in most of the schools and kids who are inclined towards doing practical experiential self-learning, this is the place you want to enroll them into... they will blossom into Einsteins and Kalams of tomorrows India. The institute offers a one year residential course where students learn through practical learning so much so that they can go out and start their own something in the small scale industry with confidence. I strongly believe that this will put checks on the tendency of rural youth running to cities in search of a livelihood which is resulting in a variety of sustainability issues in the country.
This much of intro is enough for now... if you really feel like you want to change the face of education in India especially in rural areas of this country, I suggest you visit the place once with your friends and colleagues. You are welcome to join our Net Impact team to bring in that change through your conscious actions to help such institutes prosper in all parts of India. Besides we are so much fortunate to have a platform like the Art of Living, where we have so many opportunities of empowerment through meaningful service that too in a variety of projects and areas!!! Guys we have the backing of Meditation and Yoga with us, we can "make anything possible" in the words of the MIT fab lab at VigyanAshram. Like they say in YES!+ it's a great idea to implement a good idea!!!
All the Best,
Sandesh
P.S. check out www.vigyanashram.org for more information of the institute. And don't forget to give me your feedback or write me at sandesh dot sawant at gmail dot com.
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