Dronasagar – A hydrological Disconnect

Introduction

SETU is the annual event of Little Scholar School located in Kashipur, Uttarakhand. Building onto the work done in the previous years, the theme for 2020 SETU was to simulate the native curiosity of young people and foster their active participation in the affairs of the city.And as part of the series of related events, a workshop on Intergenerational Memories on Water was facilitated for interested students from schools in and around Kashipur. Needless to document all the events and workshops were online, considering the pandemic year 2020.

Water in its all forms connect people, places and other forms of life, inspiring and sustaining diverse cultural beliefs, values and the ways of life. The objective of the workshop on Intergenerational Memories was to facilitate students to explore people’s relationships with and through water, directly and indirectly. By mapping narratives of different generations, their associations and their belief systems, it was expected that the stories will bring forth the values that different generations held for the water bodies in and around Kashipur. It was hoped that the students will also capture physical changes in their neighborhood thru observations and by recording memories of different generations grandparent's, parents and their own]. The workshop consisted of two main tasks:

a) Mapping the landscape and the changes in the surroundings by the students using innovative maps/diagrams.

b) Documenting mental and cultural activities that are associated with water and water bodies by the three generations. They are supposed to highlight customs festivals belief and myths associated with water. The students were expected to create a poster/ GIF/ photomontage/ stop motion picture which will be the of their learning and the message that they wanted to share after doing this exercise.

The workshop was initiated on Oct 2, 2020 and continued for two weeks before culminating on Oct 17, 2020. In all, eight teams from 4 schools consisting of more than 100 students participated in the workshop. It consisted of a series of online interactions between students and facilitators. In the first interaction the facilitators gave an overview of the objectives and expectations from the workshop. It was followed by two more interactions whereby students came up with their ideas, discussed their workplan and were given due suggestions and feedback on focus, content and delivery. The final presentation was held on Oct 17, 2020 whereby eight teams presented their work online, followed by the citation ceremony.

The Presentations:

All the teams picked up a topic and were able to work on the key concept of the intergenerational change by collecting data from secondary sources, interviewing people, analysis and presentations in various formats. Special mentions were given to each and every team and three were given citations for overall efforts.

All the presentations are archived at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzRTfT2zh-ajMjMahnM5ElgC2sV1UaRkG

Key Outcomes

The first key outcome was the learning opportunity to the students, to participate in a different kind of activity that allowed them to make a social connect with their immediate surroundings. The connect was not only with the natural environment but also to people they interviewed. It was also an opportunity to learn the “new way” of working, collaborating and communicating using digital tools. The students also benefitted from the interactions with mentors that also provided the opportunity to learn from each other.

Another key outcome was the amount of information and facts collected by the students while documenting waterbodies and their surroundings, very little of which is in the public domain or in the active consciousness of the residents of the city. The work done by the participants give a glimpse of the changing landscape of the city due to rapid urbanizations and the emerging ecological issues that would require careful considerations for the future.

• 

  Ms. ANNANYA TIWARI
  
  

  ANNANYA TIWARI

  Ms. Annanya is a PGT (Physics) at Little Scholars Senior Secondary School Kashipur.

  She has been an integral part of the institution since 2007. She holds her Masters degree in Physics and Sociology with a keen interest in the technical field. She believes in crafting a learning environment where students are able to explore and understand how the physical world works and be able to connect complex scientific concepts to their daily lives.

  She has been a key initiator in introducing IIMUN (India's International Movement to Unite Nations) to the students, have mentored them to do the impeccable and bring home the accolades at International level conferences.

  She is also the incharge/convener of SETU - a social service group of Little Scholars, which aims to simulate the native curiosity of young minds and foster their active participation in the affairs of the city.

• 

  Mr. MANISH CHANDRA SHARMA
  
  

  MANISH CHANDRA SHARMA

  Mr. Manish Chandra Sharma, ICT Head & Post Graduate Faculty in Computer Science

  Done his Bachelor's Degree in Science with Masters in Computer Applications. He has been an asset to the institution since April 2019. His expertise in Computer Science extends to 22 years. Jovial, lighthearted, devoted and keen to assist not only students but compatriots as well. His inspiring presence is most sought after during any event.

  During the present scenario for last almost 2 years, ICT is playing a vital role globally in making possible/ continuing uninterrupted academics activities in ONLINE mode and Little Scholars has been pioneer in the vicinity in almost every aspect of Online teaching/activities/collecting students’ assignment through Google Classroom/ conduction Online Exams/Organising Online Summer Camp and many more.

  ICT department has left no stone unturned in continuing the virtual schooling (through Online mode), pretty close to real schooling (Offline schooling) as we remained stick to our Academic Calendar during the session 2020-21(Complete Online mode) and session 2021-22 (Hybrid mode so far) and conducted every curricular/co-curricular activity with full zeal and perfection.

  We are still committed to provide every best possible service in any adverse condition and let the academic activities continued smoothly, also we are making ourselves future ready in order to adopt NEP successfully in the forthcoming sessions.

  His intellect in organising online academic schedule is certainly laudable. Apart from routine assignments, he is actively involved in the publication of Scholar Times, a quarterly newsletter.

Streets for Me

Introduction

The theme of SETU 2021 is “Streets for Me”. Building onto the multiple editions of SETU over the years and anchored in the broader agenda of sustainable development goals 2030, the overall objective of SETU 2021 was to simulate the native curiosity of young people and foster their active participation in the affairs of the city. Starting September 19, 2021, the event consisted of a series of online workshops and related events, culminating in an offline event on October 2, 2021 at Kashipur, Uttarakhand. Multiple resource persons from all over India anchored and facilitated the workshop for 14 teams consisting of students from around thirteen schools/colleges/institutions in and around Kashipur. In total, 140 students participated in the workshops.

About the Workshop

Sustainable Cities are those that seek to make our cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. It calls for taking steps to simultaneously foster green sustainability, social sustainability and economic sustainability. It also calls for minimizing required inputs of energy, water, and food, and drastically reducing waste, output of heat, water and air pollution by all stakeholders. The objective of the workshop on Streets for Me was to facilitate students to explore people’s relationships with the place, directly and indirectly. By mapping narratives of different stakeholders, their associations and their belief systems, it was expected that the stories will bring forth the values that different stakeholders from various walks of life held for the place Kashipur. It was hoped that the students will also capture physical changes in their neighbourhood thru observations and will present the most desirable outcome on how they perceive the place by presenting the same as artilized. The workshop was organized around the framework consisting of the tasks to observe, relate, design, action:

• Observe -Observe who and what constitute your city and understand its functions. Observing the surroundings using all your 5 senses –

  o What do you see, What are the different sounds, What do the different smells tell us

  o How do you feel when you connect with the social fabric and can you elaborate on the Flavours of the city with the change in season/function

• Relate-Mapping the observations during the visits to the location on a digital map.

  o Relating your city with other similar cases by understanding their methodologies and best practices keeping in mind the SDG goals.

  o Categorizing stakeholders and assessing their integration in the social fabric to promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable growth

• Design-Creating goals for a sustainable growth for an inclusive society

  o Transport – Sustainable transport by ensuring convenience in using public transport and by promoting walking and cycling for last mile connectivity.

  o Management of resources - Sustainable land-use planning and management while integrating provision of environmental infrastructure: water, sanitation, drainage and solid waste management.

• Action-Creating a sustainable solution

  o Addressing the local authorities of the issues identified asking for action to be taken

  o Collaborating with the community to promote Sustainable practice and implementation of design through presentations, art, street play, etc

The Presentations:

All the teams were allotted certain area on the street approx. 50 m to 100 m in a centrally located street of Kashipur (See Map ). They were asked to work on the key concept of "Streets for Me" by collecting data from secondary sources, interviewing people, analysis and presentations in various formats. The workshop consisted of a series of online interactions between students and facilitators. In the first interaction the facilitators gave an overview of the objectives and expectations from the workshop. It was followed by 5 more interactions whereby students came up with their ideas, discussed their workplan and were given due suggestions and feedback on focus, content and delivery.

The final submission consisted of two components. In the first part, students created a story about their part of the street and presented it online along with their plan for creating the offline artifact. On October 2, 2021, fourteen teams presented their final work on the main street in the form of street plays, posters, props and artifacts spreading the message of inclusive, safe, and sustainable streets. In the final event, teams from prominent NGOs and civil society organizations also participated. The final results were a cumulative score of both online and offline presentations along with the score of the stakeholders from various walks of life, who were an integral part of the live voting process. The winners were felicitated and special mentions were given to three teams for overall efforts.

Key Outcomes

The first key outcome was the learning opportunity to the students, to participate in a different kind of activity that allowed them to make a social connect with their immediate surroundings. The connect was not only with the natural environment but also to people they interviewed. It was also an opportunity to learn the “new way” of working, collaborating and communicating using digital tools. The students also benefited from the interactions with mentors that also provided the opportunity to learn from each other.

Another key outcome was the amount of information and facts collected by the students while documenting and mapping areas in the town and their surroundings. The work done by the participants give a clear perspective of how the future generation visualises the current vandalised landscape of the city and the emerging ecological issues that would require careful considerations for the future.

The third outcome was generation of some amount of awareness among citizens and administrations about streets of Kashipur and the urgent need to make them safe and inclusive for all.

• 

  Ms. ANNANYA TIWARI
  
  

  ANNANYA TIWARI

  Ms. Annanya is a PGT (Physics) at Little Scholars Senior Secondary School Kashipur.

  She has been an integral part of the institution since 2007. She holds her Masters degree in Physics and Sociology with a keen interest in the technical field. She believes in crafting a learning environment where students are able to explore and understand how the physical world works and be able to connect complex scientific concepts to their daily lives.

  She has been a key initiator in introducing IIMUN (India's International Movement to Unite Nations) to the students, have mentored them to do the impeccable and bring home the accolades at International level conferences.

  She is also the incharge/convener of SETU - a social service group of Little Scholars, which aims to simulate the native curiosity of young minds and foster their active participation in the affairs of the city.

• 

  Mr. MANISH CHANDRA SHARMA
  
  

  MANISH CHANDRA SHARMA

  Mr. Manish Chandra Sharma, ICT Head & Post Graduate Faculty in Computer Science

  Done his Bachelor's Degree in Science with Masters in Computer Applications. He has been an asset to the institution since April 2019. His expertise in Computer Science extends to 22 years. Jovial, lighthearted, devoted and keen to assist not only students but compatriots as well. His inspiring presence is most sought after during any event.

  During the present scenario for last almost 2 years, ICT is playing a vital role globally in making possible/ continuing uninterrupted academics activities in ONLINE mode and Little Scholars has been pioneer in the vicinity in almost every aspect of Online teaching/activities/collecting students’ assignment through Google Classroom/ conduction Online Exams/Organising Online Summer Camp and many more.

  ICT department has left no stone unturned in continuing the virtual schooling (through Online mode), pretty close to real schooling (Offline schooling) as we remained stick to our Academic Calendar during the session 2020-21(Complete Online mode) and session 2021-22 (Hybrid mode so far) and conducted every curricular/co-curricular activity with full zeal and perfection.

  We are still committed to provide every best possible service in any adverse condition and let the academic activities continued smoothly, also we are making ourselves future ready in order to adopt NEP successfully in the forthcoming sessions.

  His intellect in organising online academic schedule is certainly laudable. Apart from routine assignments, he is actively involved in the publication of Scholar Times, a quarterly newsletter.

Sustainability – A way of life