Living In Harmony With Compassion: RP Devgan

What is Education?

Mr. Arthur E Foot, the first Head Master of The Doon School in 1935, explained education as follows:

If, at the time of graduating from school, the student cannot differentiate between what is right and what is wrong, they have had no education.

In today's world, where children chase success and marks, they tend to forget the very basics of education, which are human values and being good human beings.

Success comes to those who are kind and compassionate. We need to be considerate and respectful of our peers and the people around us. We often tend to be very selfish and only care for ourselves. Our first service should be to the community. We need to be grateful for what we have. Very often, gratitude is missing, and we end up complaining about everyone and everything.

I feel there is no excuse for rudeness or obnoxious behaviour; there is no need to insult or shout at others.

One must learn to be tolerant and respect the opinions of others. We live in a secular society, and we must have the patience and understanding to respect the culture and beliefs of everyone. Just because others' opinions and beliefs don't match ours, there is no need to be aggressive or intolerant. For example, a person who is a vegetarian is no better or worse than a non-vegetarian. Diversity is our country's strength, and we are proud of it—something we have always been proud of.

Achievements in academics, games and extra curricular activities are very important but just as important is being kind and generous to others. To live in harmony inspite of all our differences we may have in our cultures, religious beliefs and eating habits.

Our present situation can be summed up by taking the metaphor from the Piano:

You can make music with the white keys, and you can make music with the black keys, but to make music in complete harmony you need the black and the white keys.

RP Devgan is the Chairman of Learning Forward India, a long-serving teacher, and the head of schools worldwide.

Learn Like Sherlock: Priming Your Brain for Smarter Learning

In the world of detective fiction, Sherlock Holmes never walks into a room aimlessly. He enters with a clear goal, scans for clues, and deduces what matters. In doing so, Holmes is priming the case—just as learners should prime their brains before diving into a complex problem.

Solve the Case: Accounting Problem

Step 1: Prime Your Brain – Set the Case

Before diving into the passage, read the question at the end first.

“Prepare Profit and Loss Appropriation Account and Partners' Capital and Current Accounts.”   

That’s your case summary.

Just like Holmes asking, “What am I solving?”, you are now telling your brain:

➢ Recall the formats.

➢ Focus on data relevant to P&L Appropriation, Capital, and Current Accounts

Your brain is now primed—alert, focused, and ready to pick out what matters.

Step 2: Scan the Clues

Skim the passage like a detective scans a crime scene.
What are your clues?

• Capital & Current Balances
• Salary to Varun: ₹5,000 × 12 = ₹60,000
• Commission to Vivek: ₹30,000
• Interest on Capital @ 8%
• Interest on Drawings @ 6%
• Drawings pattern for each partner
• Net Profit: ₹1,20,000

Your primed brain now starts highlighting , categorizing, and organizing information—automatically.

Step 3: Piece Together the Timeline

• Start with the Profit and Loss Appropriation Account
 - Debit side: Varun’s Salary, Vivek’s Commission, Interest on Capital
 - Credit side: Net Profit
• Use this to calculate their final profit share
• Adjust Current A/cs for all income and drawings
• Update Capital A/cs with opening balances and final figures

Outcome: What Changes?

• Reduced mind-wandering
• Focused search
• Improved attention
• Higher accuracy
• Structured thinking

Sherlock Holmes: “Elementary, my dear Watson — the case is solved!”
“It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data.”

That’s exactly why priming works.

It tells your brain what data matters- before it begins. 

Learning strategy draws inspiration from the book Productive Failure by Manu Kapur.