In Episode 6 of 'From Rudyard to Ruskin', we review a book called ‘All Creatures Great and Small’.

The author of this delightfully descriptive and interesting read is James Herriot, a veterinarian who took to writing when he was in his 50s. His experiences of working with and among animals led to a series of books, which were eventually adapted for both film and TV.

In 'All Creatures Great and Small', we meet Herriot as heads to Yorkshire to begin his career in veterinary medicine. Herriot finds a mentor in the absent-minded Dr Farnon, and thus begins his long, eventful and inspiring life with animals and their humans.

In Episode 5 of 'From Rudyard to Ruskin', we review a book called ‘Saving the Dalai Lama’s Cranes’.

This story is inspired by real-life events from the majestically beautiful state of Arunachal Pradesh in Northeast India. In this book by Neeraj Vagholikar, a young monk and his friends race against time to save the winter habitat of a rare and revered bird species: the black-necked crane.

The book also features beautiful illustrations by Niloufer Wadia.

Tune into Episode 08 of Nakshatragalu in which Umashankar Periodi (Head, Karnataka State, Azim Premji Foundation) takes us through a journey of grit and determination of Vani M L (Teacher, Harebappanahalli Government Higher Primary School, K.R. Pete, Mandya, Karnataka).

She transformed her school through remarkable dedication. When she was posted there, the school was in poor condition, with no compound wall, large rocks littering the campus, and only 12 irregularly attending students.

Vani collaborated with Grama Sabha members to clean the compound and construct a wall. She planted greenery, including jackfruit, mango, teak, and medicinal plants, and established a thriving kitchen garden that now supplies vegetables for midday meals. The students actively care for the plants and learn from them.

She set up a corridor library for the students and initiated a community library under a tree on the campus, managed by the children for the villagers. Additionally, Vani secured corporate funding to create a play area and brought an Aanganwadi into the school compound. Vani believes in starting projects with her resources, inspiring others to join in later. Her proactive approach and passion have revitalized the school and created a vibrant, engaged community.

Tune into Episode 07 of Nakshatragalu in which Umashankar Periodi (Head, Karnataka State, Azim Premji Foundation) takes us through a journey of grit and determination of Venkatesh D S(Teacher, Hiregowdana Koppalu, Pandavapura taluk, Mandya, Karnataka).

He has transformed his school and community with his relentless efforts. Through initiatives like inclusive school annual meetings and educational tours, he fostered community involvement in school activities. These meetings became a platform to review progress and set 10 actionable goals for the next year, inspiring collective responsibility.

Venkatesh’s innovative school tours enriched learning experiences for students, parents, and community members, earning widespread appreciation.

Beyond education, his research on flower cultivation helped villagers grow high-quality flowers, boosting their livelihoods and financial stability.

Venkatesh’s impact extends far beyond the classroom, earning him the title of 'Teacher Beyond the School.

Tune into Episode 06 of Nakshatragalu in which Umashankar Periodi (Head, Karnataka State, Azim Premji Foundation) takes us through a journey of grit and determination of Shivabasappa (Teacher, Hulikere Higher Primary School, Mandya, Karnataka).

Shivabasappa transformed the school after being posted there when it was in poor condition. With few students, no infrastructure, and little learning happening, he worked with the community to improve enrolment, leading to the closure of a nearby private school.

Shivabasappa secured CSR funds from local companies to upgrade the school and focused on child-centered, experiential learning. He introduced English-speaking classes, which quickly gained the school a reputation as an English-speaking institution. He also started successful pre-primary classes, which became the foundation for the district's "Makkala Mane" pre-primary program.

This episode is about a book called "Po Tricks His Foe". Po, the protagonist of the book, is a pangolin, who sets out in the jungle in search of a hearty meal. On the way, he meets other creatures in the jungle who make fun of his appearance. However, Po has the last laugh because he not only manages to find his favourite food, but also wards off a deadly predator.

Tune into Episode 05 of Nakshatragalu in which Umashankar Periodi tells us about the Dharm Vishnu Nayak, a teacher in Uttara Kannada, Karnataka, who transformed education at his school.

It is here that thousands of government school teachers are profoundly committed to improving the lives of the children in their care. Nakshatragalu by Podcast Azim Premji University brings to you stories of resilience, dedication, and compassion of these individuals who have gone the extra mile to defy all odds stacked against them and make sure that the children in their schools and localities are well cared for and are learning well.

The stories in this podcast series are inspired from the book Ordinary People, Extraordinary Teachers by S. Giridhar, whose work with the Azim Premji Foundation led him to travel to remote corners of the country and observe the public education system.

In this podcast, we speak to Kavitha Krishnamoorthy, where we explore how childrens playgrounds in public parks as common spaces. In this podcast we speak about how playgrounds were reclaimed as inclusive spaces which are accessible to all children.

Kavitha Krishnamoorthy is creating India’s first “barrier-free” public play spaces that are inclusive to children with physical and developmental disabilities. Kavitha’s entrepreneurial journey began with a simple question: “Why were they no disabled children in public parks?” During visits to the park with her son, Ananth, who is autistic, she noticed that there were very few disabled children like him who shared spaces with their peers without disabilities.