In each edition of this newsletter, I will share some 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 each week. I will continue to write about education and learning as well and hope to be more consistent with the publication of this newsletter this year. We are now 89 subscribers strong!
1. Learning from People
Kunal Shah founded Freecharge and Cred. He is one of my favorite thinkers. He is also an amazing entrepreneur with a passion to solve human problems. He graduated with a degree in Philosophy from Mumbai and briefly studied towards an MBA before dropping out to become an entrepreneur. Kunal’s first startup was Paisaback, which provided cash back promotions for organised retailers. He then founded FreeCharge in 2010 alongside Sandeep Tandon, after observing the potential of online recharges in an emerging market. In April 2015, FreeCharge was acquired by Snapdeal for an estimated amount of $400 million. Kunal remains on the board as Chairman of FreeCharge. He shares some original ideas on his philosophy about wealth creation. I loved his explanation of the delta 4 idea in this video where he explains how humans always want to be more efficient and productive. He also explains how money is basically an exchange for providing people more value for their time.
2. Learning from Ideas
The School of Life is a British multinational social media company founded in 2008 by British author and public speaker Alain de Botton. I love their Youtube channel and here is a video from that channel that got me to ponder about the history of the idea of Art. I learned that humans have come to use Art to tell stories since the start of time.
3. Learning from Books
The Namesake by Jhumpha Lahiri was one of my favorite books from 2023. I read it as part of my 52 book project in 2023 and the video review can be accessed at this link. Here is my review of the book on Goodreads.
I read this book at a time in my life when I was going through some experiences that were similar to the ones the main characters experienced in this book. I recently lost my father and was a South Asian immigrant in North America. Gogol, Ashoke, Sonia and Ashima reminded me of my family and our experience building a life in the middle east. My father immigrated in the 1970's and then my mother moved there in the 1990's. I was born in 1993 and my sister was born in 1990. We grew up with a steady diet of Bollywood, Indian Functions and Cricket. We visited India once every year. This kept us rooted or we believed it did. This book helped me understand that home is the people and not the place. We identify the idea of home with memories related to the people we love and cherish. Our parents have had interesting and important lives before they became our parents. It is important to accept and acknowledge those parts of their identities as much as we accept their roles as our guardians and protectors. Gogol was rebellious towards his parents and their beliefs at the start of the book. He slowly came to accept his parents stories as he grew older and experienced life himself as an adult. He realized that he needed to find a sense of home in himself before he can find it in the people he loves. Ashima also develops a sense of independence and grows tremendously through this book. She moves to a new country, builds a life, starts a new career and raises two amazing children. Ashoke strives hard to provide for his family and also presents a strong emotional front even with all the difficulties he faced and experienced as an immigrant. Each character shows nuance. This book explored the journeys of immigrants and the lasting impact of that first journey on the next generation that calls a new country home. We all have cultural and familial roots that need to be peeled and understood if we want to make sense of our place and identity in the world. Gogol who became Nikhil demonstrated that gradual curiosity by peeling back several parts of his story that included his childhood, his parents backgrounds, his professional identity and his cultural identity. Through Nikhil's journey we also get to reflect and think about our own identity and place in the world. A highly engaging read! A great way to start the new year.
4. Learning from Films
The Namesake by Mira Nair is one of my favorite films. It is an adaptation of one of my favorite books by Jhumpha Lahiri. I share the review in this post and wanted to share the trailer of this amazing film as well. I really think the director did a brilliant job bringing the writer’s vision to life. I learn something new every time I watch this film.
I will share more notes on films and videos that changed my life here on Education Coffee this year. You can follow my film exploration journey on Letterboxd by clicking this link.
5. Learning from Podcasts
I heard 10 podcast episodes this week. My favorite episode this week was this conversation between Prachi Gupta, Dax Shepherd and Monica Padman on the Armchair Expert. This episode was about Prachi’s book titled, They Called us Exceptional and here is an excerpt from the book cover,
Prachi Gupta’s family embodied the American a doctor father and a nurturing mother who raised two high-achieving children with one foot in the Indian American community, the other in Pennsylvania’s white suburbia. But their belonging was predicated on a powerful that Asian Americans have perfected the alchemy of middle-class life, raising tight-knit, ambitious families that are immune to hardship. Molding oneself to fit this perfect image often comes at a steep but hidden cost. In They Called Us Exceptional, Gupta articulates the dissonance, shame, and isolation of being upheld as an American success story while privately navigating traumas invisible to the outside world.
The conversation made me reflect on my own upbringing. It also made me reflect on the burden of expectation and how it can shape young minds in a positive or negative way. Prachi explains how it affected her own life and her family’s life. Dax and Monica jump in and share their own experiences (brilliant hosts). It is an important memoir for parents, teachers and students around the world. Here is Prachi talking about the pressure to achieve in her book trailer.
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. Thank you for subscribing to Education Coffee. You can also review the archive of Education Coffee for free at this link (32 past newsletters).
Please do send me your thoughts and resources on any edition of this newsletter through email at abhishekashokshetty@gmail.com 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.
Abhishek Shetty