Learning Life
Nestled in the Sindhudurg district in the state of Maharashtra is a picturesque Konkani village, Dhamapur, where students acquire life skills outside the confines of the traditional classroom environment. Syamantak, a ‘contemporary ashram’ or a community of students, and also called the ‘University of Life’ is founded by Sachin and Meenal Desai, who quit a city life to settle down in their ancestral village. Inspired by Dr. Srinath Kalbagh, a scientist turned educator, the university is closely aligned to the principles of nai talim but follows its own educational approach. All learning in this residential commune is directed by the students, for the students. With spirituality as a base, students benefit by doing things, by using real life activities as a medium. Sachin insists that this is not vocational education. In an email interview, Sachin answered a few questions about this wonderful school without walls. What is the essence of nai talim? Do these ideas still hold? If so, how and in what context?