Assuming that you would have read Sonia’s blog, I wouldn’t get into the ‘how it all began’ story. Rather I would like to share the ‘what we do’ story. And before I get to that let me just go back to my childhood and share some thoughts!
I studied in a convent - St. John the Baptist - Thane. There was this song we performed in a group somewhere [don't remember exactly where] - anyways, the song - ‘We are the World’ by ‘Michael Jackson’. It was the first English song that I had heard or sung and for no particular reason that I could understand at that age; I just fell in love with the song.
As a child I hadn’t grasped the complete meaning of the song and thought that it was just a church song sung by children, something about charity and all. Many years later did I truly understand the depth of the lyrics. Yes, it’s a beautiful and inspiring song! For those who haven’t heard the song, please go to YouTube and search ‘we are the world’. The point is - the thought of ‘making the world a better place’ was seeded within me at a very young age.
Music and song writing attracted me at a very early stage. I still sometimes go back to my age-old 200 page notebook, which has my very initial song compositions and poems written in break period for my favourite Teachers. Year after year I kept admiring different class teachers - the way they would talk, present themselves, encourage us, and guide us.
I was extremely happy with the way things were going until I hit engineering! It was at this stage that I realized the importance of practical education! Almost zero exposure to application based learning during schooling had its toll on engineering. The perception of what Mechanical engineering is was in contrast to what it actually was. I went into a phase of pointing out problems in the educational system but not thinking of doing something to solve them.
As any other youth I fell in love with movies. The ones which ended with a meaningful thought or social message touched me more - be it Raj Kapoor’s ‘Shree 420′ or Aamir Khan’s ‘Taare Zameen Par’. Movies like Ashutosh Govarikar’s ‘Swades’, Rakeysh Om Prakash Mehra’s ‘Rang De Basanti’ - did have lot of influence on my thoughts.
It was only later in my final year of engineering, that I realized ‘To bring about a change, you have to be that change!’
The Magic Tree is that change; a positive change in the field of education. We take children beyond the classroom and textbook. Seeing children make or break stuff, using our kits gives me extreme joy. It lets me know that these children now have the skill of converting theory into lively applications. Whether they make or break the kit, either ways they know how not to fail!
‘I have missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I have lost almost 300 games. On 26 occasions I have been entrusted to take the game winning shot… and I missed. I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that’s precisely why I succeed’ - Michael Jordan
The Magic Tree provides means for practical, application based learning. It produces educational kits and games that we would have loved to have in our school days. It allows the child to experience the feel of being an inventor or a discoverer. It boosts their curiosity, their nature to learn through asking questions and not by being fed with answers. It helps children to explore their potential and unlock their genius.
While researching, unlearning and then re-learning and training myself not to teach but to be able to make students to think, I have come across the likes of Don Herbert, Robert Krampf, Arvind Gupta, Steve Spangler and many more. Had it not been for the internet, I would have known all this at the age of 50, what I know at the age of 25! I look forward to the day when all human knowledge will be accessible by everyone at the speed of thought! Undoubtedly that will be the most important, exciting and dangerous phase of human civilization!
I wish someone had started The Magic Tree a hundred years ago, and that there would be hundreds of them by now in every part of the world.
The Magic Tree that gives, unconditionally,
The Magic Tree that provides knowledge and information, eternally.
Now in its second year of business I can proudly say,
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
I took the one less travelled by,
And that has made all the difference…
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