For this year’s annual conference for teachers of Krishnamurti Schools— held at Rajghat Besant School, Varanasi —the theme chosen was Creativity and Insight. A very challenging theme indeed! And yet it is one that cuts through to the heart of our educational endeavour. A group of around 60 to 70 participants were engaged over three days in an imaginatively designed programme. This included talks and discussions that unfolded the wide scope and urgency of the theme; interactive workshop sessions that gave teachers an experiential feel of the creative experience in education; as well as subject-based sessions where new directions in curriculum and teaching were explored. Most important there was space created for participants to absorb the ambience of the ancient, leafy campus by the banks of the Ganga and to reflect on questions raised and suggestions offered, so that they might leave the conference with a richness that would stay with them.

We have two articles here that have been drawn from the conference. The first is based on a talk by Dr. Shailesh Shirali in which he explores the conference theme and its application to our daily lives. The second is a reflective piece by Dr. Neerja Raghavan, the chief organizer of the event, on what the conference meant to her.

Creativity and Insight in Daily Life
Shailesh Shirali

When does the Seed Sprout?
Neerja Raghavan