Experiential Learning: Experiments in the Indian Context

Issue #006, Autumn, 2020                                                                       ISSN: 2581- 9410

The Impetus and My Journey

On one of many trips to Rajasthan, my family and I were taking a tour of the Amer Fort. Little did I know that this day would become a catalyst that would push me to become an educator passionate about experiential learning. As a 14-year-old standing in the Sukh Nivas (Hall of Pleasure), I learned about the water system piped through the edifice to keep the hall cool like an air-conditioner. The architects had meticulously planned this space. Summer winds blew through grass curtains kept damp through a drip system. An open water channel infused with fragrant rose and jasmine blooms flowed through the room into the garden to create an aesthetically beautiful space that brilliantly combatted the hot desert summers in the 16th century. It was a moment that would make me question the entire practice of conventional classroom education. Why did we learn about scientists from Europe but not about these brilliant architects and engineers from India? Why were we only taught the history of wars and not the history of peace when arts, architecture, poetry, literature, and technology flourished? Why did we as modern designers, manufacturers, entrepreneurs and scientists not look at these brilliant technologies of our past to find more sustainable design solutions for the present and future? Why was our education so boring and disconnected from the rich experiences all aro...