Over the years, teaching has evolved tremendously and it was equally important that along with the students, the teachers evolved too. G Plus visited Kathalaya, a national franchise of an institute that has set up base in Guwahati under the leadership of Leena Dutta Baruah (Director, Kathalaya, Guwahati) and Srishti Baruah (Chairperson, Kathalaya, Guwahati). Leena Dutta Baruah is currently the Head Coordinator for International School, Guwahati. Previously, she was a senior teacher at Maria’s Public School, Guwahati.
What is Kathalaya?
Kathalaya was started with the concept that stories can reach out to the minds of the people. “A story lets the imagination fly, lets imagination grow and gives a boost to the soft skills of people. Stories are our connection to the cosmic universe and teaching using stories, that is the concept behind Kathalaya,” says Leena to G Plus. Kathalaya is a school where children are taught soft skills that are required to thrive in the global society which include public speaking and personality development.
What Kathalaya does differently?
Talking about the teaching methods and what Kathalaya does differently, Dutta said that ‘storytelling is an art.’ The approach to learning is different because of the use of various techniques. One of the most popular formats of storytelling is puppetry. The children at Kathalaya are all assigned a ‘puppet buddy’ that helps them pick up certain habits. “We use puppets because that format relates to the age group that we cater to. Interestingly, they learn more and conform better with puppetry because they see the characters playing,” says Dutta.
In puppetry too, there are various techniques that ranges from finger puppets to the use of large marionettes. “The other tool is dramatics. When you are communicating a story to the audience, you emote – that is the skill of drama. We also use a lot of voice modulation that adds to the learning experience for children,” added Dutta.
While words like voice modulation and dramatics could be considered heavy for children, Dutta emphasized that the modules are designed in a way that it communicates with children. “A 12 year old will not do puppetry with their fingers. They would better relate to marionettes. So our modules are designed to cater to different age groups. The entire curriculum is designed to work with the mind of a 6 year old and also for a 40 year old,” said Dutta.
Who can study here?
Kathalaya has its doors open for children between 4-15 years of age. However, Kathalaya is not just meant for young students, it also has corporate batches with special corporate trainers. “I have been a teacher for the past 25 years teaching school children. Since I relate to them better, I am currently focused on the 15 year old group.
What does Kathalaya teach?
For those of you wondering, Kathalaya is not academically inclined. Kathalaya is meant to groom you with the skills of life. There is no academic curriculum. “We believe in imparting skills that will help a child keep up with what’s required in the global society – like public speaking and personality development. The students come in after they attend their regular classes and thus we begin the exercise. We offer the students a certificate for the skills that they acquire with us,” says Dutta.
These certificates have different levels. It is only after the acquisition of this certificate that students can go on to the next level which are more advanced and cater not only to children, but also to adults.
How is Kathalaya’s approach for learning different from other schools?
“Ever since I have been teaching, I have been exposed to different generations of students. A student who I had taught 10 years back and students today have a vast difference. When I talk about books to children today, they talk about e-Books. They are not at all interested in touching the paper of a book or finding that ‘smell’ in a book,” says Dutta.
“What we do here is to try and make the children more humane. Children in schools now learn from smart boards where the modules are prefixed. You just open the board and begin teaching,” she said.
Although children today have become more productive she feels that children have lost the sensitivity. “They are losing the emotional side. They have lost the pulse and this has made them mechanical,” she added.
“There was a time we used to tell children that their parents have raised them with so much hard work and dedication and that if they do not study, how will they be successful in life? But if I tell this to children today, they tell me ‘so what, it is their duty!”
How did Worli Art make way into Kathalaya’s teachings?
“Kathalaya uses Worli Art because Worli Art is a true representation of our roots and Kathalaya is trying to expose everyone to the roots. Without roots, no one can grow. It is one of our aims where we are trying to revive Worli Art,” explains Dutta.
What is the future for Kathalaya?
“I dream to take Kathalaya to the remote villages because that is where the children are deprived of learning. I want them to teach them through stories and to help them to relate to the humane side of human nature. Through Kathalaya, I don’t know if I will be able to break the human psyche suddenly, but it will certainly make people more humane. My aim is to make the society a better place so that I get the children and their innocence back to the world,” she concluded.
