Arvind Gupta - An Unsung Hero of India

Heroes are an inspiration for everyone. Here, I will introduce you to unsung hero of India. An IIT Kanpur Engineer who quit his job at Telco and began teaching science to the children of India. When Arvind Gupta quit his job, his mother came to his defence stating ‘good, now he will do something noble with his life’. He has been inspiring generations of students to learn science with their own hands on ‘Tarang’, the DD show, since the 1980s.

Gupta, who started toy-making a decade before he appeared on the science show, has made 6,200 short films on toy-making in 18 languages in the last 35 years that are available on his website and YouTube, all to prove a point that science cannot be learnt by rote, mugging up definitions and formulae.


He is still working to make education more accessible. He has so far uploaded around 4,000 books and articles on his website. Even with his failing health, at present he is busy translating books in Hindi. He has already translated over 175 books till date,most of which he has translated himself.

Sudarshan Khanna, former chairman of education and research at the National Institute of Design (NID) in Ahmedabad, admits to have been inspired by Gupta’s "indigenous, innovative and freely available art".


Impressed by Gupta’s work, Khanna, in 2001, set up a toy innovation centre at the NID and followed by a full-fledged post graduate programme in toy and game design in 2002.

He also distributes CD’s packed with a massive collections of e-books and videos to the schools he visits. He has been recognized by organisations such as UNESCO, UNICEF, International Toy Research Association, Boston Science Centre, Walt Disney Imagineering and Research.



His popular TED Talk: Turning Trash into Toys for learning gives an insight into his work and philosophy. This talk was among the 10 best TED Talks compiled by Sir Ken Robinson and Sugata Mitra's 5 favorite education talks.

To take the DIY movement and learn science with fun, an organisation called TechShiksha runs Science, Electronics and DIY clubs across various locations in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai. TechShiksha is an IIT Bombay Alumni initiative working with young innovators to create an atmosphere for creative learning and innovation throughout India.We believe that education should be more hands on and students should get a platform to discuss, create and build. Visit their website to acquaint yourself with the innovative courses they offer

To know more -

Techshiksha

Arvind Gupta: Teaching Science by Creating Toys from the Trash Can - The Better India

Meet Arvind Gupta, a toy-maker who proved science is fun

Arvind Gupta - Wikipedia

The Leicester City of India

Everyone loves a good underdog story. Last year in May 2016, Leicester City scripted history by becoming the EPL champions and it was talked about for months. We can now say that history has been made in India too. Aizwal FC have become the first team from the North-East to win the I-League and they've really made India proud. Aizawl FC won their maiden I-League title following a dramatic season finale, which saw them going toe-to-toe with Kolkata giants Mohun Bagan. On the final day of the season, Aizawl, who had 36 points from 17 matches, needed only a draw to be crowned champions ahead of Bagan, who trailed them by three points. Their 1-1 draw against another club from the Northeast, Shillong Lajong, confirmed the stunning achievement for Aizawl FC, who, in the process, became the first team from the Northeast to win the national championship.

What was the journey of Aizawl FC like?

It’s an incredible tale at many levels, not because Aizawl were relegated to the second division last year. That was their debut season and Aizawl’s young, untested players were seen as not good enough at this level and the team’s nightmare ended with them being bundled out of the league. This season, as the clubs from Goa boycotted the league due to a tiff with the All India Football Federation (AIFF), Aizawl were brought back, just to make the numbers. The reinstatement happened barely a month before the start of the new season in January.

Every great team needs a great coach. Khalid Jamil was appointed as Aizawl FC’s head coach just before the start of the 2016-17 season and he delivered it for them. Jamil, born in Kuwait to Indian parents, had been sacked by Mumbai FC last season after a seven-year stint with the team. The club thought he wasn’t ambitious enough and termed his seven years with the team “a failure”. A similar scenario was observed with Claudio Ranieri too.

At the start of this season, Aizawl’s target was to avoid relegation, which was understandable for a club with modest means. In Mizoram, they joke about how one Mohun Bagan player can pay for the entire Aizawl team. Unofficial estimates put their annual budget at Rs 1.25 crore, which includes players’ fee, food, travel, stay and medical expenses. That is one crore less than what Bagan reportedly pays its costliest player, Haiti’s Sony Norde.

But just like Bengaluru had shown three years ago, Aizawl too have proven that teams with virtual unknowns can win big. And win in style. Every match day, sceptics waited for this bunch of novices to trip but they have played on. They remained unbeaten at home and played a brand of football that is synonymous with teams from the Northeast – attacking, yet sublime. The packed stands, even on weekdays, were testimony a state that is crazy about its football. The culture and passion of the states like Mizoram, Assam & Shillong have created an example for others to follow.

Hilex Water Tank Overflow Talking Alarm

The road ahead for Aizawl FC looks very bright and the recent decision that the I-league and ISL merger won't be happening for at least 2-3 years gives them hope to carry forward their legacy and provide a platform to showcase North East football.

What if Indian states were kids at school?

1. Andhra Pradesh : The hardworking boy who does all the work assigned to him sincerely. He is taking engineering after school.
2. Arunachal Pradesh : The girl who sits quietly, lost in her own world, in a corner of the class.
3. Assam : The jovial guy who is always cheerful. And yes, he prefers tea to coffee.
4. Bihar : The boy who always makes the loudest noise in the absence of the teacher, but has a kind heart.
5. Chhattisgarh : The introverted guy who always listens to the crowd and seldom speaks.
6. Goa : One of the most popular guys. He parties all day and night.
7. Gujarat : The guy who lends his pen to others, and never forgets to take it back. He has visited the bank more than the school canteen.
8. Haryana : The guy who has the ability to scare juniors by his accent. People try to imitate him to get some quick popularity points.
9. Himachal Pradesh : That fair girl in the class who is approached by everyone - be it for homework, or for club events.
10. Jammu And Kashmir : The girl who tried to do everything right, but is almost always sad because of in-school politics.
11. Jharkhand : The new comer boy in the class. He is the wicket-keeper captain of the school cricket team. ;)
12. Karnataka : The tech-savvy boy in the class who introduces trending technological topics in class.
13. Kerala : The one with the most likes on his Facebook profile picture! He sits in the very back, but almost always performs well in exams. He also has awesome football skills.
14. Madhya Pradesh : The person who sits in the middle of the class! He is friendly with both the first benchers as well as the back benchers.
15. Maharashtra : That social person in class whom everyone loves. He is the most vibrant guy in class.
16. Manipur : The girl who is full of grit and determination and is representing the district in boxing
17. Meghalaya : The girl who always is staring at clouds! Okay, bad pun. The silent girl who likes the smell of soil during rain.
18. Mizoram : Awesome person. Does his work quietly and that’s it.
19. Nagaland: The person obsessed with cultural fests. Dances amazingly.
20. Odisha: Nagaland’s best friend. Has won many medals in cultural activities.
21. Punjab: The most swag guy in the house. The party animal, who is sometimes seen with Goa.
22. Rajasthan: When most of the classmates get uncomfortable or when the day is too hot in summer, or too cold in winter, this guy relaxes.
23. Sikkim: The guy who stands behind Goa in ‘line’ during assembly.
24. Tamil Nadu: Brings amazing dosa to class. Totally obsessed with films. Absolute Rajini fan. Make friends with him, and he will remain friends with you throughout your life.
25. Telangana: New admission. Also, a first bencher. Definitely engineering after school.
26. Tripura: Sincere and hardworking. First bencher.
27. Uttar Pradesh: Back bencher who has ideas that are going to be successful outside the class. One of the best athlete in the class.
28. Uttrakhand: Himachal Pradesh’s best friend. Hardworking and sincere.
29. West Bengal: One of the best literary-oriented guys in class. The ‘dada’ of the class. The only person to be in both cricket as well as football teams in school.
30. Delhi: The best batsman in the school cricket team right now. Make him angry, he will cuss you. Make him angrier, he will sit for protest in front of you!

Source - Quora