#coveda

[ugdigital]

L👀k at the lovebirds 🦅... Merry Christmas 🎁 - #Coveda #Shawn (at Willoughby, Ohio) https://www.instagram.com/p/B6jKyHuJiHG/?igshid=uvinehjfwg6i

[kateinindia]

Travel Week, Day Seven: Coveda and Fun!

Friday, March 1

This may have been my favorite day on the whole trip.

We started the morning with breakfast at the hostel again with Yogesh. I felt incredibly well-rested after my night off, and was chipper and ready to tackle the day!

We first went to Coveda, a free progress primary school. Anu, Professor Fluri's friend from grad school and professor at IISER, sends her children there. The school, currently with students from 6-11 years old, lets the children take the reins on much of their education, with some aid from "faciliators" (they aren't called teachers!). If the children agree they want to work with Hot Wheels cars, a project is then designed around them, probably in this case with math, speed, velocity, and those kinds of concepts. Children are also free to progress per their academic levels, and aren't boggled down by the limitations of the formal Indian education system. There is also a great focus on the well-rounded education of the child, including mental, physical, and emotional health. Children get to play a role in their education, take ownership of it, challenge authority in a healthy manner, and find pathways to passionate learning. It's incredible.

After hanging out there for a while, two students from IISER, Vikesh and Abhalasha, met up with us to hang out for the rest of the day! We ate lunch at a great restaurant and had many great conversations. It was so great to compare opinions and experiences with these smart and fun Indian students. After lunch, they took us around town to see the "non-touristy" side of Chandigarh. We first went to a cheap market in Sector 22 where I got some awesome Punjabi shoes called juti. Next, we wandered around Sector 17, the sector designated as the main marketplace of the city. Last, we went to the lake and just wandered around enjoying the beauty of the city. We had a lot of fun - I really enjoy meeting people and getting to know about their lives.

After all this, we returned to IISER to have a fantastic dinner at Anu's house. It was a wonderful atmosphere - us, Professor Fluri, Anu and her husband, and several IISER students. The conversation was happy, flowing, and intellectual; the delicious food, though superb, was secondary to the company. We ate, drank, and talked late in to the night and I went to sleep exhausted but very, very happy.