#61 - Notes on Development, History and Podcasts
Education Coffee is a 2xWeekly Newsletter on People, Ideas and Culture.
In each edition of this newsletter, I will share five inspiring web resources that I have curated after hours of research to ensure that you have the best education coffee in your inbox. In upcoming editions, I will focus on sharing insights, notes and realizations that I gather from people, ideas, books, films and podcasts.
1. Learning from People
Rishabh Rajendra Pant is an Indian international cricketer who plays for the Indian cricket team as a wicket-keeper batter. In December 2022, Pant was seriously injured in a horrific car crash but he returned to the game 15 months later, in the 2024 IPL, leaner and more fit, his attacking fervour undiminished. In this video he talks about how the accident changed his life and how he thought he would never play again after the accident. My favourite memory of him was his match winning knock of 89 against Australia in a test match in 2021 before the accident. Today, he is back to being India’s number 1 wicketkeeper in all formats. This video documents his story and includes interviews with loved ones who saw him overcome this challenging time in his life.
2. Learning from Ideas and Questions
Molly Wright, a student from Queensland, Australia, is a passionate advocate for early childhood development and wildlife conservation. She's one of the youngest people ever to give a TED Talk. In this talk she emphasizes the importance of quality in person time with your child when they are young. She shares her five top tips of supporting healthy child development by connecting, talking, playing and building community with your child. It is a refreshing and positive outlook on child development. A lot of her tips apply to adult relationships as well.
3. Learning from Books, Websites and Blogs
I have been a cricket nerd by whole life. Yes, I am the kind of person that would watch five days of a test match and read essays and opinion pieces about the game later. I got really excited when I came across Boris Majumdar’s book titled, Eleven Gods and a Billion Indians. Here is a passage from Simon and Schuster in their introduction to the book on their website
Eleven Gods and a Billion Indians goes deep into every Indian cricket tour since 1886—taking the reader backstage to when India played its first test in 1932, and bringing the story forward to the more contemporary IPL—to provide a complex and nuanced understanding of the evolution and maturity of the game.
Equally, it comes with material that has have never entered the public domain so far—going behind the scenes of cases like Monkeygate, the suspension of Lalit Modi, spot-fixing, and the phase of judicial intervention. It carries not just reportage and analysis, but also player reminiscences, personal interviews, photographs and letters never known or discussed so far in Indian sporting discourse.
As a cricket fan, I really enjoyed reading essays on important cricket matches, conversations between different cricket professionals, the cultural impact of cricket, the role of coaches, fan support and the influence of media. My favourite essays were the ones on Ranjitsinghji, the IPL, growth of test cricket and the role of the ICC.
4. Learning from Films, Videos and Shows
I love movies that focus on extended dialogues between individuals where they engage, appreciate and challenge each other’s world views. Sonata (2017) is one such film. It is like a cool breeze on a fall evening. Set in the recent contemporary past, it is about 3 friends, their lives, ups and downs, the men in their lives and a twist in the tale. It is a subtle, cosmopolitan, contemporary, film on women and the uncertainties of life, based in an urban scape. It stars Aparna Sen, Lillete Dubey and Shabana Azmi in the leading roles and has music by Neel Dutt.
5. Learning from Podcasts and Music
This was such a honest and vulnerable conversation on love and loss between Rhea Chakraborty and Aamir Khan. Aamir Khan is an Indian actor, filmmaker, and television personality who works in Hindi films. He speaks openly about how he inability to find a way to balance his personal and professional life. He shares his perspective on how feedback from his wife and son helped him change his approach to doing things. Rhea is a patient and curious host and intervenes when needed. He has made many of my favourite films including Dil Chahta Hai, Taare Zameen Par, 3 Idiots and Laal Singh Chaddha. He ended the conversation with a mission to use the last ten years of his career to create a platform that supports new talent. Here is a trailer of Taare Zameen Par to give you a glimpse of his vision as an artist. This film did partly inspire me to become a teacher.
Thank you for reading this edition of #EducationCoffee. I look forward to writing weekly editions of this newsletter this year. I hope to continue to share resources that will add value to your life. You can also review the archive of Education Coffee for free at this link (60 past newsletters). You can subscribe to this newsletter for more such recommendations on people, ideas and culture.
Please do send me your thoughts and resources on any edition of this newsletter through email at abhishekashokshetty@gmail.com, Linkedin or on twitter @AbhishekShetty_. You can find my work online at https://abhishekshetty.carrd.co/. If you would like to read pieces in the future please do consider subscribing to this newsletter by clicking the button below. I love taking these discussions forward on those platforms and look forward to hearing your feedback.
Abhishek Shetty