Author Archives: Purnendu Ghosh

Though I am not a keen walker, I am fully convinced of the virtues of walking. Thoreau said, walking  awakens our spiritual values. I have started taking short walks at my rooftop, not to awaken my spiritual values, but to listen some old Hindi film songs. This is the time I connect with my essentialContinue reading “WALKING”

In the age of anxieties, our list of fears is expanding. Our neural worry engine is always on. It is always in search of the next target. Are all our worries worth worrying? Should we believe in what we read? Of course, some amount of worry is needed. Overwhelming worries are dangerous. Fear of theContinue reading “ARE ALL WORRIES WORTH WORRYING?”

I recently read a book by Viktor Frankl – Saying yes to life in difficult times. I had already read Frankl’s Man’s search for meaning. Frankl’s books raises hope. It is about human dignity. Frankl was an Auschwitz survivor. Both his books depict a psychologist’s experience in the concentration camp. The books are about theContinue reading “LIFE IN DIFFICULT TIMES”

The Covid pandemic has exposed our fragility at several fronts. It concerns our health. It expects us to learn new ways to treat our planet. Community life is experiencing a vigorous resurgence. The pandemic expects us to make personal sacrifices for the benefit of the society. “Self-isolation and social distancing are not about you; they’reContinue reading “DON’T CREATE PANIC”

Travelling home a sunny afternoon we stopped at the nearby village. At the tea-stall, tea did not taste like tea; even tea doesn’t survive in bad water. We asked the Chaiwala, if there was any Dawakhana, any Pathshala. There was none, there were children, loitering rather aimlessly, and a few Bekaars. Their eyes said, don’tContinue reading “THE SCHOOL MASTER”

Many things are happening simultaneously. Standard of living is going up. There is mood of enhancement as well as disenchantment. There is progress and there is disillusion. In some sectors there is an increase in job opportunities, while in some sectors job opportunities are dwindling very fast. There is economic growth as well as inequity.Continue reading “NO TECHNOLOGY CAN REPLACE A TEACHER”

The aim of education has not changed since the ancient time. It has never been merely the acquisition of knowledge. It has always been preparation for life and liberation of the self. We can’t ignore what our predecessors believed. Education is based on four pillars, says an UNESCO report. The first pillar acquires knowledge andContinue reading “THE PILLARS”

The first teacher of my school of life once told me that I am not a bad student. She said this when I informed her that I haven’t done well in my exam. She said I can do much better, only if I want to. I once asked my first teacher, how she knows meContinue reading “THE FIRST TEACHER”

How unprepared I was when I began teaching! Soon I understood there is no better way to learn how to teach than through teaching. I don’t claim to be a great teacher but I got the opportunity to interact with the brightest minds. In one sense I am successful, as I have received more fromContinue reading “HOW UNPREPARED I WAS WHEN I BEGAN TEACHING”

SOUL, the School of Upna Life, is a school where minds meet and ideas mate. It is not a conventional age stratified school. It is a school where knowledge is not a burden. It is a school where no problem is trivial, learning is not dictation, and incoherence is heard. It is a school whereContinue reading “The School of Upna Life”