Hello, This is Nivedha, a city dweller from the Southern coast of India now living in a Midwest town. I am a science enthusiast and an education researcher who values the strong connection we all have to our places.
Imagine Chennai during a hot summer – the air is full of mild burnt gasoline, where smells of tender coconut, dried streetside tree flowers, fried tea shop onion fritters and ripe mangoes and jackfruits play peekaboo in the occasional breeze. You arrive and finally enter the house – you will be offered water first as a rule, if the next thing they offer is tea, know they have adopted city as their natural habitat! We beat the heat with the heat – that is what the city folk say! Of course, we do not run short of the soothing buttermilk and koozh (millet porridge).
Just imagine the number of things we can discuss and investigate scientifically here! What molecules in the air create that distinct “beachu kaatthu” – that salty, slightly fishy aroma of sea breeze – when we walk along the seashore in summer? Next time you’re there, close your eyes and try to identify each scent. What role does the humidity play here? When we say tea or coffee is “soodu” – foods that generate body heat according to our traditional food wisdom – what does that really mean? Maybe keep a simple food diary for a week and notice how different foods make you feel, especially during hot weather. How do the mango and jackfruit trees know when it is summer and produce fruits at the right time? I bet if you start observing the trees in your neighborhood, you’ll begin to spot patterns you never noticed before.
What if these questions drive how we learn science concepts, instead of learning abstract contents in some order fixed by someone else and somewhere else?
A child would describe how their family ferments and consumes thayir (curd) in their home better than if you ask them to give a definition of fermentation. As a science teacher or an educator, what if we ask them “Why is the milk and old curd culture left outside instead of being stored in the fridge?” You could try leaving milk out at different temperatures yourself and see what happens. “Why does mom or dad ask you to wait till the rice has cooled down to eat with curd at the end of the meal?” Ask your family members about their fermentation tricks – I guarantee they have stories! “How are we able to pickle fish and lemons and so many other food items?” These ponderings and subsequent investigations would take them closer to an authentic and personal scientific inquiry.
Think about it – what everyday process in your home have you never questioned but always wondered about?
This is the approach towards learning and doing science I advocate for – and hence, the pedagogical approach you will see on this website. We’ll explore science through the lens of our lived experiences, our kitchens, our neighborhoods, and our cultural wisdom.
Are you ready with your questions? 🙂
Sci Pattanam 