I continue here from my previous article. If you haven’t read that yet, please do. The science behind ಮಕರ ಸಂಕ್ರಾಂತಿ (Makara Sankranti): Indian traditions follow two approaches to the calendar – the sun-based ಸೌರಮಾನ (sauramaana) approach and the moon-based ಚಾಂದ್ರಮಾನ (chaandramaana) approach. The time measured using each approach is based…
View More My journey with Astronomy – Part 2
The fascination: Have you ever wondered that every time you step on the earth, there is a history of 5 billion years under your feet? The environment in which we live has been on earth in different conditions over the last 5 billion years. These were the exact thoughts I…
View More My journey with Astronomy – Part 1
A silver lining to a pandemic like Coronavirus? Coronavirus has been declared a pandemic by the WHO (World Health Organisation). As per WHO a pandemic is the worldwide spread of a new disease. This means every country, every state, and every citizen needs to play their part in checking Coronavirus…
View More The Psychology behind forming Lifelong Habits
“ಸೋರುತಿಹುದು ಮನೆಯ ಮಾಳಿಗಿ, ಅಜ್ಞಾನದಿಂದ… ಸೋರುತಿಹುದು ಮನೆಯ ಮಾಳಿಗಿ!” ಸಂತ ಶಿಶುನಾಳ ಶರೀಫ This is a Kannada folk song written by Santa Shishunala Sharifa in the mid 19th century when India experienced an epidemic of Bubonic plague. In the song, he advises people to be sensible about the disease. He shares insights on…
View More Throwing Scientific Temper out of the window
Learning by being present: It was during June of 1999 that I was approached by a parent to tutor her son for grade 10 Maths. This was purely thanks to the marketing efforts of my beloved mother about my score of 99/100 in my 10th exams. My ever-zealous mother used…
View More How Arithmetic Progression shaped my journey as a teacher
Tickling the brain: I recently read this book – What if the Earth stopped spinning and 24 other mysteries by Roopa Pai. I am currently reading Imperial Earth by Arthur C Clarke. Both these books have evoked a fresh sense of intrigue in me. My curiosity is heightened beyond its…
View More Nurturing curiosity through questions
Introduction Over the last two decades, the internet has revolutionised the way in which we access and consume information. What would take weeks of research in libraries is now available at the click of a button within microseconds. No doubt this kind of access has driven progress in orders of…
View More The vicious effect of clickbait information
My long-standing love story with reading: Ever since my childhood, I have been besotted with reading. It is the only consistent habit that has stayed with me over the last four decades of my life. “Why are you always reading story books? Read your schoolbooks!” This was my mother’s common…
View More 8 ways in which the reading habit has enriched my life
Introduction When people ask me what’s the value of learning Mathematics if you are not going to apply in your job, I say Mathematics is all around you. If you understand Mathematics you can appreciate how nature works, how the celestial bodies work, and how everything we have created so…
View More NumberNagar® Dialogue Series – On Getting Command in Mathematics
Introduction English is as good as my native language and I’m fluent in it. However, I was not always like this. My “mother-tongue” is Hindi. So, when I started getting into debates, elocution, and speeches during my school days, I had to translate the sentences from Hindi to English, many…
View More NumberNagar® Dialogue Series – On Bringing Fluency in Spoken English in Children