Upbringing and community

My post on happiness was inspired by a cover story published in The Week - a magazine that I've subscribed to for years now. This post owes its origins to The Week cover story on Dr. S. Somanath, the chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Authored by correspondent Mr. Nirmal Jovial, it paints a nuanced picture of how Somanath became one of ISRO's most influential leaders and drove the creation of some of India's path-breaking rockets and missions.

Here, I will examine how two aspects - upbringing and community - influenced his journey.

(Note: This article is not available online so I have picked out relevant extracts from the physical copy of the magazine.)

Upbringing (parents)

Interest in science from Mr. Sreedhara Panicker (father) - the topics that interested Somanath's father were ones that he talked about at home to his children. This planted the seed for his (Somanath's) inclination towards science. Books that his father brought home further piqued this curiosity. Lastly, shared experiences under the night sky next to his father and sister cemented fond memories about stars and constellations.

Habits from Mrs. Thankamma (mother) - she was an avid reader herself who proactively ensured that her children had a nurturing environment in which to grow and build the right habits.

Hands-on skills from his father - such practical experiences are sure to have sparked an innovative spirit in young Somanath!

Love for music from his father - who could have anticipated that this would lead to a free serving of fish?! 😅 Also, observe how Somanath channelled this love for music to expose his children to music.

~ o ~ x ~ o ~

Community (teachers, relatives, friends)

Teachers - Mr. Paul (mathematics), Mr. Babu (physics), Mrs. Gracy (chemistry) and Mrs. Bhagirathiamma (biology) - this was the most heart-warming part of the article for me (for obvious reasons!). Through his words in the extract above, one can see the important role that these teachers played in how he approached science and math. The pedagogical experiences (for example, being encouraged to experiment and valuing classroom discussions over the textbook) have stood the test of time and are deeply etched into his (Somanath's) memory.

Dr. F. V. Albin (head of department) and Mr. K. Madhusoodanan Pillai (lecturer) - their willingness to go above and beyond to create and offer an elective based on the passionate request of one student (Somanath) was exemplary. As mentioned, this was the early 1980s and there was no internet or technology to help in planning such a course!

Son of a family friend (unnamed) - Somanath's educational path would have been quite different had he opted for pure science/mathematics over engineering. His chances of studying an elective like propulsion engineering would have been practically non-existent! 

~ o ~ x ~ o ~

Through my experiences in the education sector, I realised how a child's upbringing and community impact every facet of his/her life. I wrote about this, in some depth, in my post on Karan back in October 2017 as a reflective piece for one of my courses in graduate school (The Challenges Kids Face: Developmental, Cultural and Contextual Perspectives on Risk & Resilience).

One component of another course called Cognitive Development and Trust in Testimony, which I studied in graduate school, was an essay submission on the role that testimony plays in the moral education of children. In the essay, I shared how my belief in what my parents/teachers said, influenced key decisions and values in my life (for example, becoming a vegetarian at the age of 8 or giving importance to punctuality). My reading of Amanda Ripley's book (The Smartest Kids in the World: And How They Got That Way) led to the posts I wrote in May-June 2020 that described the role of expectations in the South Korean context, the expectations my parents and teachers had of me while I was growing up and the role of parental/community expectations in the lives of the children I taught in Pune.

Over the last 4-5 years, I have hired for different roles in content development (primarily for math, a few for science). Through the 150+ interviews that I have taken, I observed that, in ~80% of the cases, the candidates owe their interest and liking for the subject to one or more teachers that they had at school. Similar to what Somanath shared about Paul (his mathematics teacher), these candidates would describe how their teachers brought the subject to life which, in turn, influenced them to opt for it in college.

This cover story further cemented my belief in how children are deeply influenced by their upbringing and community during their formative years. It isn't "nature versus nurture"; in my view, it's "nature and nurture" going hand in hand to build the foundation for a child's development.

~ o ~ x ~ o ~

References

Jovial, N. (2023, December 24). The Somanath Effect. The Week, Vol. 4, No. 52, 44-53.