Sharing fond memories from 25 years back—of ice creams, rookies, cow dung, and some cool environment stuff for kids.
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In the summer of 1992, late at night in the basement of the then rented office space of the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), the editorial team of the Down To Earth (DTE) magazine had a very long hot and tiring day putting together their very first issue. Anil Agarwal, the founder editor,...
In spite of all the brickbats and rebukes, a tabloid matures into a magazine as it finds its 'beginners' audience and speaks through quirky cartoons.
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Gobar Times (GT) already had a successful 10-year run before I got on-board. It was always resplendent in a spectacular tabloid avatar, grabbing eyeballs everywhere. But as if this was not intimidating enough, here we were staging the arrival of a new GT. It’s looks? A standard news magazine format. Were we taking a risk?...
Narrating the tale and trajectory of Gobar Times—of how it evolved into a new avatar and gained new characters.
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My association with the Gobar Times will be incomplete without Piu & Pom. We were once working on a comic strip for the magazine.
Piu is the name of my daughter so it was easy to decide the name of one of the characters. But for Pom, there’s an interesting story.
A thoughtful reflection on the value of Gobar Times with an understanding of what it is about, why so, how...and a little bit more.
Dusting off our archives to showcase some of the best stuff we’d published so far.
An opinion on the public schools vs. private schools debate, arguing what’s wrong with the private schools and why the public schools must be promoted.
Classroom experiments for fostering a healthy learning environment—based on ‘community comments,’ cooperative lesson plans, and a ‘mystery person.’
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I believe that the most important aspect in a positive learning environment is the rapport between a teacher and her students. When the students are convinced that their teacher cares for them and wants them to do well, they feel relaxed to open up and ask questions. They no longer hesitate in making mistakes and taking risks. In order to build such healthy relationships, the teacher should take interest in each of her student's and passions, as well as their struggles and frustrations...
Recapitulating the prestigious Green Schools Awards and felicitating the commendable and inspiring work of all the awardees in different categories.
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Ater a three-year hiatus, the Green Schools Programme (GSP) of the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) was back with a bang in February this year – as its annual audit drew to a close, a one-and-a-half day national Green Schools Carnival was announced. The cornerstone of the event was – of course – the GSP Green Schools Awards, but...
A glimpse from the Gobar Times Design Studio, a designing contest organized as part of the Green Schools Carnival 2023, to allow our talented readers to express their vision and version of the Gobar Times by curating two-pages of the magazine—showing what they would like to read and how.
Comments and responses from our students and teachers who attended The Green Schools Carnival 2023.
The Mission and the Mangoes is a work of fiction that sets its premise around a dystopic, water-starved Earth where unrestrained mining, drilling and the exhaustion of earth’s resources is rendering the planet unlivable. The young author of the book, 12-year-old Hena Parveen, tries to marry a futuristic setting where technological advancements such as humanoid robots and regular space exploration are a reality, with the Earth’s ecosystem that is hurtling towards an inevitable collapse. Interestingly, all this does not take place in a far-fetched future...
Summarizing the Union Budget in a cool, simplified, less dreadful, more interesting, nowhere mind-boggling, and in quite a thought-provoking manner.
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11am, 1st February: a moment for which people across the country wait anxiously every year. Why?...
A comprehensive wish-list sent from an avid reader to Gobar Times, providing details on what her dream magazine looks like.
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Gobar Times has been around since 1998, which is a long time. It is an insightful read, for sure. It’s great to find it online as in this way, it is available anywhere and anytime...
A thoughtful and frank perspective on teaching environment education in a classroom, coming straight from the ground level.
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“You cannot protect the environment unless you empower people, you inform them, and you help them understand that these resources are their own…
From food waste composting, avoiding single-use plastics, promoting metal containers, recycling paper, and harnessing solar—this place has it all!
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Environment education does not advocate a particular viewpoint or course of action. Rather, it teaches individuals how to weigh various sides of an issue through critical thinking and enhances their problem-solving and decision-making skills...
A unique experiment in ‘nature-based learning’ is in progress on the banks of the Atreyi River in Balurghat, a small town in West Bengal, near India’s border with Bangladesh.
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It was 2004. I had started teaching in a school close to the verdant Jaldapara National Park. I have always nurtured a deep love and respect for nature and environment (maybe a legacy of my mother), and the natural beauty of Jaldapara was a motivating factor as well...
