Jammu Literacy Project Workshop and reading ‘Disillusionment’ from ’21 Lessons for the 21st Century’

Recording Summary

A Masterclass session on Emerging Literacies, hosted by Sandeep Dutt on July 11, focused on financial, food and digital literacy for teachers. The session commenced with Kunal providing updates from their recent workshop in Jammu where they had successfully conducted financial and food literacy programmes at Jodhamal Public School. Sandeep then outlined the background of the Learning Forward India Foundation, which began in 2020 with a single school in Bali (Rajasthan) and has since expanded to nearly 100 schools across India. The main portion involved reading from Yuval Noah Harari’s book 21 Lessons for the 21st Century and discussing the loss of faith in the liberal narrative that has dominated global politics in recent decades. This is attributed to the convergence of biotechnology and information technology, which presents unprecedented challenges. The session concluded with panellists Dr Deep Khare and Ms Amita Arora sharing their reflections on the importance of expanding education beyond academic learning to include critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and communication skills that will prepare teachers for the future.

Welcome to Ballia - Literacy Project for Educators Episode 1/10

Date: 4th July 2026 Time: 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Venue : Sunbeam School, Ballia

Welcome to Sunbeam School, Ballia.

Today is not an ordinary Saturday.

Today — for the very first time — this school, this city and these teachers become part of something much larger than any one of us in this room.

We gather here today for the Inaugural Chapter of the Literacy Project for Educators — a nationwide initiative by the Good Schools Alliance under the Learning Forward India Foundation. This movement has spent over four decades asking one simple question:

Who invests in the teacher?

Today — we answer that question.

Through sessions on Financial Literacy and Food Literacy — led by some of the finest minds in their fields — we begin a journey that will travel from Ballia to across India.

And it all begins here.

It all begins today.

It all begins with you.

Ballia Event Presentation 4th July 2026 by Kunal Rajpurohit

Isn't that a little strange?

 We Use Money Every Day. We Eat Food Every Day. Yet We Rarely Learn About Either.

Isn't that a little strange?

We learn how to solve equations, write examinations, and remember formulas. But when it comes to money and food—two things that stay with us long after school—we are often expected to learn from experience, mistakes, or whatever advice happens to come our way.

One example shared during a session really stayed with me. Many mothers and families save money carefully at home and feel happy knowing it is there for the future. Saving is a wonderful habit. But what if that money could do more? What if understanding money was just as important as saving it?

That is what Financial Literacy is really about.

Not brands. Not advertisements. Not being told where to invest.

In fact, one of the speakers clearly said that he was not there to promote any company or scheme. He was there to help people understand how to save their money, use it wisely, and make decisions according to their own comfort and needs.

The same goes for Food Literacy.

We all eat food every day, but how often do we actually think about it? Understanding food, nutrition, and healthy habits is not just useful knowledge—it is a life skill.

And maybe that is why teachers are at the centre of this initiative.

Teachers shape future generations. If teachers become aware of these skills, students naturally learn from them too. A lesson taught in one classroom can travel much further than we imagine.

What I find exciting is that this is not just a workshop. It is an opportunity to explore new places, meet educators from different schools, learn from professionals, earn certifications, exchange ideas, and build meaningful connections.

Of course, information is available online. Almost everything is. But learning alongside other people, asking questions, discussing doubts, attending online meetings, researching tasks, and growing as a community is a different experience altogether.

Perhaps the best part is that nobody is expected to know everything before joining.

Just bring your curiosity.

The conversations, the people, the questions, and the learning will take care of the rest.

- Akanksha Rai, My Good School Intern 

We must think about the human love that is neither divine nor animal

Masterclass with Sandeep Dutt

Discussing Adlerian psychology and the nature of love from The Courage to be Happy.

Key Takeaways

• Adler’s “Community Feeling” vs. Freud’s “Death Drive”: Adler’s psychology, formed while a WWI medical officer, proposes that conflict is prevented by seeing others as comrades—a direct counterpoint to Freud’s theory of an innate destructive impulse.

• “Give, and It Shall Be Given”: True respect is earned by giving it first, not by demanding it. This “giving conduct” requires a spirit of abundance, not a “beggar of the spirit” mentality that waits to receive.

• Love as a “Human” Task: Love is not a passive “falling into” but an active “building up” through will and effort. This “human love” is distinct from both “divine” (lofty, impractical) and “animal” (instinctual) forms.

• “The Literacy Project”: A new initiative to extend the NEP’s focus on quality literacy. It has three pillars: Financial Literacy, Food Literacy, and the Human Edge in AI.

Topics

Adler’s “Community Feeling”

• Adler’s psychology was shaped by his WWI service as a medical officer, where he felt like a “prisoner” treating soldiers to return them to the front lines.

• This experience led him to propose “community feeling”—the awareness of all people as comrades—as a way to prevent conflict.

• This contrasts with Freud’s “death drive” (Thanatos), which posits an innate destructive impulse.

• Core Principle: “The important thing is not what one is born with, but what views one makes of that equipment.”

• Actionable Advice: Start building community feeling with the person in front of you, regardless of their cooperation. This small, everyday accumulation of confidence is the only place to begin.

“Give, and It Shall Be Given.”

• The text addresses a teacher’s feeling of being disrespected by students and society.

• Analogy: Giving respect is like giving money. Only those with an abundance of spirit can give freely; waiting to receive first is being a “beggar of the spirit.”

• Adlerian Principle: “Give, and it shall be given unto you.”

• Outcome: Feeling useful through contribution provides intrinsic respect, eliminating the need to seek external validation.

The “Literacy Project”

• A new initiative to extend the NEP’s focus on quality literacy, driven by the Principle that “joy of giving will translate into joy of learning.”

• Three Pillars:

  1. Financial Literacy: Understanding money, saving, and giving.

  2. Food Literacy: Understanding food choices and their impact.

  3. Human Edge in AI: Exploring the unique human skills that remain vital.

• Partnerships: Surya Kant will collaborate on financial literacy; other partners will focus on food literacy. A school from Vatrali will also participate.

Love as a “Human” Task

• The discussion shifts to love as the final, most difficult life task.

• Common View: Love is a passive “falling into” an uncontrollable impulse.

• Adlerian View: Love is an active “building up” through will and effort, not a prescribed destiny.

• Three Types of Love:

  • Divine: Lofty, impractical, religious.

  • Animal: Instinctual, driven by subconscious urges.

  • Human: A practical, active choice that is neither divine nor animal.

• Key Quote for Reflection: “We must think about the human love that is neither divine nor animal.”

Next Steps

• Gurdeep Kaur: Write a reflection on the quote, “We must think about the human love that is neither divine nor animal.”

• All Participants: Share reflections on the quote in the masterclass group.

• Sandeep Dutt: Post the quote in the group to prompt discussion.

• Sandeep Dutt & Surya Kant: Meet in Dehradun to strategise the Financial Literacy pillar of the Literacy Project.

FATHOM AI-generated notes.

Happy Teachers

The Literacy Project for Educators is an initiative by the Good Schools Alliance, powered by the Learning Forward India Foundation, intended to equip teachers with essential life skills that extend beyond textbooks—helping them grow both professionally and personally.

Centred around the idea of “Happy Teachers,” the project emphasises empowering educators with practical knowledge in areas that affect daily life, including:

- Financial Literacy

- Food Literacy

- Emerging Literacies such as AI and more

Find out more, connect with our Projects Manager, Kunal, at KR@LearningForward.org.in

Cashing in on Confidence: Masterclass Saturday March 01, 2025

Chapter 16 Cashing in on Confidence: The Man Who Saw Tomorrow by Naga Tummala

Q1. The founders refused unethical shortcuts, such as buying leaked exam papers. How can integrity and ethical leadership shape an institution's long-term success, and how do we instill these values in students?

Q2. Overcoming financial struggles and setbacks required persistence and adaptability. As teachers, how can we model resilience in our profession and help students develop perseverance when they face academic or personal challenges?

Q3. The curry-leaf plant analogy emphasizes patience and long-term rewards. How can educators help students shift their focus from instant gratification to long-term success in academics and life?

Q4. The authors emphasize their goal of serving the community. How can teachers integrate community service and social responsibility into their teaching to inspire students to contribute positively to society?

Gurdeep Kaur
Ambassador The Teacher's Academy

Making Others Happy - Pinkee Chouhan

Happiness is liked by every person, and it is also the right of every person to be happy. Making others happy is the greatest thing in the world. To see someone smile, inspire someone or make their day is really something to live for.  If you try to keep others happy and yourself, then positive emotions will remain around you and the happiness doubles.  It gives you a sense of accomplishment and purpose, to know that you have made someone else's life a little easier.  It helps to defeat your own bad days, depression and sadness.  We can give happiness to our family members, friends and people around us even with small efforts.  As a teacher, I keep making similar efforts in general.  I definitely give chocolates, toffees to the children for their excellent work.  I pat the children of my class on the back, listen to them, praise them, help them on many subjects, support them emotionally, and always try to make them happy with new ideas.  .  Believe me, happiness infuses inspiration in children, and their joy fills us with energy and fun.

I would like to tell you about my attempt to give happiness to others through an example from my life. Some time ago, a labourer family came and settled near my house.  The family consisted of a husband, wife and their three daughters.  The age of the daughters was between 7 and 11.  The father of the children used to go to work, and his mother used to clean the surrounding houses.  The three girls used to spend their entire day playing around the hut made of tarpaulin.  I came to know from their mother that due to the Corona epidemic, those children have missed school, and the education, has completely stopped. Parents being illiterate were unable to help them in teaching, and online education was out of their control due to financial weakness.  Then I decided to help them.  I arranged clothes and books for them and took care of their studies till the school opened.  I did many creative activities with my children, gave them free tuition in all subjects, which is still going on.  Now his parents are very optimistic about his future.  My small initiative brought a smile to his face. Today everyone in the whole locality helps him in one way or another, and I feel immense joy seeing the happiness of that family.

People are happy when their expectations are fulfilled; we can make others happy by fulfilling their expectations.  Sometimes happiness is found in even the most minor things; your one effort fills someone's life with joy.  Happiness and joy are what others need.  If our surroundings are pleasant, then it is also very beneficial for our mental health. By giving happiness to others, we also fill ourselves with happiness in a way, our kindness can become such a virtuous circle that lasting happiness and benevolence promote unity.

American researcher Mila Titova says that giving happiness to others makes you happier than giving yourself.  Making others happy is more meaningful to people than just socializing with them or doing something to improve their happiness.  When we aim to please others, we feel connected to them, our individual needs are better met by those that are important to us.  She suggests that if you are not having the best day, then instead of focusing on yourself, think about doing something nice for your significant other or your peers.  It is effective for giving happiness and also for one's own happiness.

Pinkee Chauhan

The Fabindia School

pco@fabindiaschools.in

Handling Pressure - Prerna Rathod

Pressure means stress that affects us in different ways.  It also affects a person at work or home.  There are different types of stress like physical stress, emotional stress, psychological stress and behavioural stress. Some of the causes of stress are as follows :

1. When we do non stop work without taking rest then it  leads to physical stress. It causes body ache and headache.

2.  If we take less sleep or stay awake till late night, our eyes become red. Our mind does not get any rest and it can lead to psychological stress.

3. Sometimes, we keep on thinking  or worry on certain matters which affects us both physically and mentally and can lead to stress.

4. Sometimes due to financial crisis or loss of a beloved or unpleasant work  environment can also lead to  stress.

 Following steps can be taken to keep away stress:

1. You need to take proper care of yourself, i.e. proper diet and rest.

2. Talk to others to divert your mind from the thing that can cause stress.

3. Do  activities like reading, painting, dancing, playing games, listening music.

4. Do yoga, exercise, meditation daily. 

As educators we must make our students understand what is stress, how it is caused and how to deal with it. If stress is not handled properly, then it can lead to dangerous consequences. Each one of us must try to handle stress in a positive way and get it out of our life to lead a happy and stressfree life.

Prerna Rathod 

The Fabindia School 

prd@fabindiaschools.in

Shout For Help - helping the distressed through online platform!

As part of giving back to the Society, Abhiram Kandoor <abhiram@shoutforhelp.org>  has formed a Charitable trust in the name of 'LK FOUNDATION TRUST' (LKF). Under this TRUST they wish to help the distressed people by connecting them to the Philanthropists Experts like you through our online portal www.shoutforhelp.org (SFH).

LKF found that when a ‘Help Seeker’ is in distress & wanted help, at that point he would not know whom to contact and also how to contact the right Philanthropist Experts for seeking their advice & help; likewise ‘Philanthropists Experts like you who are always willing to help the needy / Help Seeker may not be able to reach out to them as there is no formal & neutral medium to do so - although traditionally it is being done through reference, more often than not, the needy would not get timely help or correct advice !!!

LKF believes that we can bridge this gap by creating a platform, connecting both Philanthropists Experts and Help Seekers so that the needy can be served in a transparent, democratic way through selfless service - Seva. We strongly believe that Seva should be selfless without expecting anything in return so that the Help Seeker can lead a dignified life as he would not have any obligation towards the help giver (Philanthropists) and history says a  mutually interdependent society becomes stronger and stronger than a dependent or independent society which has always led to exploitation & weakening of the Nation.

As a first step, before we launch this portal to the Help Seekers, we are reaching out to Philanthropist Experts like you with a request to register under any of the four categories (Legal / Financial / Healthcare / Educational) so as to be able to extend help in the chosen areas of expertise.

LKF earnestly request you to be a part of our endeavour in giving back to the Society by registering yourselves in our portal SFH which provides easy access to reach out to the registered Help Seekers and render help appropriately. Together let us make our Nation a HAPPY Nation!

For registering yourselves as a PHILANTHROPIST EXPERT in your field of expertise, you shall visit our Portal https://www.shoutforhelp.org/ register yourselves, further if you have any issues in registration, please do not hesitate to reach out to me on my Whatsapp (98492 56919) or do mail me at abhiram@shoutforhelp.org.

Sincere thanks in advance for joining us in our social initiative to give back to the Society to help the distressed and to make a difference in the lives of the needy!



Note: THIS PORTAL IS COMPLETELY ON CHARITABLE BASIS & IT MAY BE NOTED THAT UNDER THIS PLATFORM PHILANTHROPIC EXPERT SHALL OFFER FREE ASSISTANCE TO THE HELP SEEKER.