Harikumar Venkatramani

Hi! This is Hari from 'Singara Chennai!' From being a studious and chubby boy from a typical Brahmin family, my journey into a fellow at The Teachers Lab has been an awesome ride. Four years at college and four years working with NGOs can change you so much.

I yearned for the days spent at school for the quality of teaching that I had. More importantly, I was (and I am) proud of my values that my teachers instilled in me at school. I realised that the best way to show my gratitude to my teachers, would be to pass on the values I learnt to the upcoming generation. I liked the idea!

And so began my journey as a teacher first with SPIRIT-ED (Student Participatory Initiative for Rural IT Education) in college and then with MAD (Make A Difference) and Bhumi, the latter two while working with Athenahealth Pvt. Tech Limited, Chennai. I was also volunteering with CRY (Child Rights and You) Being with children is fun. It is also amazing, beautiful, tricky and mind boggling at times. But a week is never complete without seeing the young faces and having an innocent chat with them! The more I was with them the more I realised how different would things be if they were educated the way they wanted and not how we wanted.

That is when the Teachers Lab fellowship came across my way and I quit my job to take it up gladly. I got to know about Dr. Montessori's philosophy towards education and the more I learn about it, the more I respect it. Now, I live in Mumbai doing the Advanced Montessori Internationale Course for pre primary children (3-6 year olds) as part of my 1st year of fellowship.

To me my teachers are the becnhmark! I'll know I have done well, when one of my children come back to me, sometime down the years, and says 'Anna, I've become a educator'.

Until then this boy will live his dream!

Apart from teaching, I'm passionate about any kind of physical activity. Been on a few treks with the Chennai Trekking Club and few with friends as well. Cycling also is something I enjoy a lot. Football and ultimate frisbee have replaced cricket in the recent past sports wise, though cricket ball cricket is something I can never say no to. I also like to test myself with the marathons.