In her book, How Art Works, psychologist Ellen Winner describes a prison program, aptly named, Shakespeare Behind Bars, where inmates, convicted of serious crimes, spent many months rehearsing for a Shakespeare play. Apparently, the recidivism rate of those who took part in…
Whether it’s asking your boss for a raise, a colleague on whether he can fill in for you this week or someone who reports to you to take on more responsibilities, many interactions at work involve skills of negotiation. As…
Being proactive and with high self-control can boost one’s wellbeing Avinash is off for his early morning run even before most people’s alarms whirr them awake. He then practices the violin for half an hour, before jumping into the shower….
While old-age homes are mushrooming in metros and smaller cities, most elderly folks continue to maintain ties with their offspring. That the family is the most central and cohesive unit of our Indian social fabric is practically indisputable. Though the…
Last month, I delineated the skills and dispositions that children acquire when they engage in the visual arts. In this, the second of a four-part series on creative pursuits, I discuss the benefits of music on developing minds. Before diving…
Email is probably among the more prosaic communication tools we have today. Despite its stodginess, it still remains indispensable in the professional domain whether you are in IT, law, banking, writing or social work. Though email is ubiquitous in t…
Tips to ensure that face-to-face meetings are both deep and meaningful Given that our social interactions have reduced considerably since the pandemic, many people may be craving company. Small pleasures like a coffee with a close friend, lunching with colleagues…
In the year gone by, we have witnessed seemingly endless streams of suffering. First, multitudes of people in distant lands succumbed to the dreaded Coronavirus. Slowly but surely, those far-off statistics morphed into people we knew, as Covid-19 spread its deadly…
While children are engaged with online classes for a few hours every day, many of them have ample amounts of free time. As their usual routines have been disrupted by the pandemic, their once harried schedules of school, tuition, and…
In the conventional mode of education, still prevalent in our digital age, teachers elucidate a concept and then pose questions to students. Pupils are expected to answer queries after listening to the teacher’s explanation. At times, teachers stop f…
Aruna Sankaranarayanan is the author of Zero Limits: Things Every 20 Something Should Know. She was the Founder & Director of PRAYATNA, a centre for children with learning difficulties in Bengaluru & Chennai for 22 years.