What We Forgot About Play: On the Quiet Wisdom of Children and the Adult Fear That Gets in Their Way
Play. It’s everywhere, yet somehow never enough. That’s really the heart of this work we have been doing at Bachpan Manao (BM). We didn’t begin with a new programme or […]
Lullabies, Masculinities & Care: Looking at fatherhood through the everyday act of a lullaby
What can a lullaby reveal about how fathers care? This study began with a simple question—do you sing to your children?—but it opened the door to something deeper. We spoke […]
Learning Takes Time. Experts Know It
As remembered by Vibha Once while chatting with Nachi (10) about his English/Art project I asked him about his love for bird watching. “How did you develop an interest in […]
Thriving Childhoods: What We Remember, What We Dream
It was the kind of May morning many of us know too well — sticky, heavy, with the air thick from the night’s heat, and everyone quietly wondering, Will it […]
Building Inclusive Classrooms with Dhwani- Voices of Practitioners
What does it take to create classrooms where every child feels seen, supported, and valued? Dhwani (which means sound or voice) is a thoughtfully crafted teacher resource toolkit led by […]
In Praise of Doing Nothing: Why Kids Need a Slow Summer
Every May, without fail, someone asks: “Will you run a summer camp this year?” And every May, my answer is the same: No. Not because I lack “business sense”— But […]
Let them Pluck Flowers
I often find myself at the receiving end of raised eyebrows when I say this — Let them pluck flowers! Yes, you read that right. During many of our […]
Roots of Care, Surrounded by Leaves of Coffee
In Coorg, where coffee shrubs stretch endlessly across the hills, caregiving is not a task—it is a way of life, stitched into every fold of the landscape. It begins before […]
The End of Joint Families – What Are We Losing, What Are We Gaining, and What Are We Failing to Rethink?
For centuries, the joint family was India’s default model for living, caregiving, and even economic security. It wasn’t just about cohabitation—it was an intricate system of shared labor, emotional interdependence, […]
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