Soumya Gupta at the EBD for “Bharat Bluff”

Most of us believe we're too careful to get scammed and we know not to click suspicious links, share OTPs, or trust strangers on the internet. We tell ourselves that scams happen to people who aren't familiar with tech or who simply weren't paying attention but, somewhere thats what makes us vulnerable. That was one of the things that came up while speaking with Soumya Gupta, author of Bharat Bluff, at the English Book Depot today. 

Published by Roli Books, as she spoke about the book, it became clear that Bharat Bluff isn't just about scams but also about the way they work, why people fall for them, and why none of us are as immune as we'd like to believe. 

One observation she shared was particularly striking that we often assume scams happen only through technology and mostly target older people who aren't digitally savvy but that's no longer true. Today's scams are designed for everyone, a convincing message that appears to come from your bank, a fake investment opportunity, or someone posing as a trusted official, they can happen to anyone, anyone can be deceived. 

Sometimes all it takes is catching someone at the right moment with the right amount of urgency, pressure or trust. And the book, Bharat Bluff explores the world of scams and fraud through real experiences, including incidents that Saumya and her husband encountered themselves and which is why meeting an author is always interesting,hearing the experiences that shaped a book adds another layer to the reading experience. It reminds us that behind every published work is a person who has observed, experienced, and chosen to turn those moments into something others can learn from. 

Thanks to Bookstores, they often introduce us to new books, stories and people.

Perhaps that's the biggest takeaway from today's meet and greet - Awareness isn't about being suspicious of everything. It's about knowing that anyone can be caught off guard and that staying informed is one of the simplest ways to protect ourselves. 

 -Sneha

Teachers emerging for one thing - joy!

This Saturday, a teacher had a baby in a milk bottle on her lap while she talked about her pedagogy to the group. Are we aware of the different contexts our teachers come from? A lot of teachers in the country are most likely waking up hours before school to cook for the family, wake their children up for school, have a tiffin ready for their spouse, deal with 2-3 tantrums, and then make their way to school. She might get to school late, arrive a bit tired, and not be motivated enough to be herself in class. There has to be more space for teachers in our education system, for their well-being and for them to express themselves. 

This week's happenings included Learning Forward Saturday, which explored how we can encourage teachers to talk more and share classroom moments and reflections. One beautiful instance that a teacher shared was when she was sitting in a garden with her young students. Basking in the warm sun. A butterfly came and sat on her. She asked her students everything they knew about a butterfly – shapes, form, habitat, colours, and lifespan. We discussed how cold books cannot bring to our learning what an experience of sitting together, observation and reflection can. Driving home this point may or may not be easy. Not because the teacher, as an individual, does not realise the importance of real experience; she is often a mother or has had children growing up around her, but it is a systemic failure. Do books hold everything that a student wishes to learn? More importantly, how do they want to know? 

Schools should take the teacher's word more seriously and invite her to the discussions about curriculum and teaching. The system can value her word and empower her. When we have teachers reading with us or them reading by themselves, we are creating a moment of revolution, reflection and unlearning. 

On a different note, I love classroom libraries. There are always moments when you see young minds engage with thoughts, climax and emotions- a way to enter into a deep relationship with them and their learning.  

Neelashi Mangal

What are we teaching in the classroom

There were endless moments where the question 'What are we teaching in the classroom?' hung above my head. Travelling from Delhi to Bandarjhund was a change in environment, food, and the general pace of life. Are our classrooms teaching only the spelling of 'responsibility' rather than its essence? A visit to Arthur Foot Academy (GSA Special Project) is set in a beautiful village under a blue sky. It might have fewer computers, but clean air to breathe. This visit to AFA was to set up the library, attend their Founder's Day, and meet the teachers we see online for the teacher training sessions. 

The training sessions (Learning Forward Saturday) have become an interesting space. Teachers are warming up to us, adapting to this form of communication, and sharing their classroom stories. We dwelled on the theme: How does the teacher take care of oneself in the classroom? We brainstormed lesson plan ideas that are collaborative, creative, and artistic, so the teacher can have a moment of silence without interrupting the learning. This is essential for the classroom space: we are humans in front of our students who need rest on days, and we are modelling that to them. 

This brings me to another conundrum that Brewing Knowledge Friday brought to our group. We have been reading about moral development. It brought to our attention the hypocrisy we adults exhibit toward our children about humility, yet we punish them if they help their classmates. An eighth-grade student shared a real-life example from her class about how her teacher discouraged her from sharing stationery with her friends in the classroom. This is important and pertinent to our group and readers since it sheds light on the hypocrisy of being an active part of our school environment. Are we walking the talk for our young minds? Are we just teaching them the word, not the ways of the world, which require more compassion, consciousness, and responsibility at the moment? Ending the week on a note that we can reflect on in these spaces together, share gently what can be done at an individual level, what we can do as educators, and what is essential right now. 

Neelashi Mangal

Editor and Host Brewing Knowledge Friday