When and why did you decide to take up education as your career?

The kind of experience that I gained by moving from one place to another, I thought the best way to spread my knowledge is through teaching. I have experienced mountaineering, paragliding, horse-riding, you name it and I have done it. It was way back in 1997, I wanted to do something which keeps me motivated and when I come to school I see that in  the children, who are going to shape our nation and they’re the ones who needs to be motivated day in and day out. This was the thought which provoked me to take up education.

As an educationalist, you are touching many human lives directly. Do you think educational institutions can play a significant role in overall development of students by encouraging them to take up co-curricular interests like Music, Art, Dance or Sports?

For me, curricular and co-curricular work hand in hand.  A school cannot only run on academics, it has to be a balanced approach of having curricular and co-curricular together. These are the things which let children come out of the frustration and stress and children always eagerly look for that PT period when they can play. In every school, PT teacher becomes the favourite of students. Children needs to play because not everybody is good at academics. If we are not providing them a platform to showcase their talent, then we are restricting them to a particular level. MADS plays a very important role in developing a child. Team building, stage confidence, exercise, synchronisation, bonding, and many more skills are instilled in a kid. Without these activities, I think the school will become very dry.

What are some of the most important initiatives related to co-curricular that you have taken in the institutions you have served?

We have eliminated the term ‘Extra Curricular’ and replaced it with ‘Co-Curricular’. We have a dedicated dance room, music room, indoor sports room, outdoor sports area, Taekwondo or self-defence sessions, artistic gymnastics, yoga, ability building exercises and many more.  Nowadays sport has become a full-fledged career. We give option to children if they wish to take up career in sports. We invited a musician to tell our children how to pursue a career in the music industry. We call various experts to orient our children, as there are various professions our children are not aware of. We keep on giving exposure to our children.

In the days when most people measure success only by academic score, how would you convey to the parents of your students that co-curricular education is not something to be looked down upon?

I feel the mindset is being changed and parents are more looking towards the holistic development of children. I believe we have to prepare our children in terms of intelligence quotient, emotional quotient and social quotient and all these cannot be nurtured only by academics.  Children feel lively when they come out the four walls of their classrooms and go the fields to explore totally new things. If we correlate and integrate academics and MADS, children will definitely learn through lots of fun.

If you were to suggest one major change in perspective of co-curricular education, what would that be?

Gone are the days when only academics brilliance was measured, these days children are getting inclined towards MADS and we do not want them to be restricted to become doctors or engineers. I want the education department to divide timetable of schools in such a way that out of 6 hours, 3 hours to be given for academics and the rest 3 hours should be given for the cocurricular activities.

Please let us know about some key achievements of your institution and/or your student(s) in MADS at national/international level?

One of our students represented India in Chess at Spain. Few of the children are budding athletes. Our school is till grade 7th so we still have a long way to go.

What are your personal interests in Music, Art, Dance or Sports and how do you continue to pursue them?

As I mentioned earlier that I have done lots of things such as gliding for 3 years, paragliding parasailing I was in NCC and many more things. Every year I take up one activity during summer break and learn its basics.  This is how I have a basic knowledge of various dance forms. I have also learned the basics of table and guitar as well.

Any other thoughts you may want to share.

Giving children wings to explore and evolve in the era of automation with skills and values is what they need to prosper. If we empower our children with all these then I’m sure nothing is going to stop them.