As we find ways of surviving in a world rapidly consumed by urbanization, patterns of disconnection from the natural world manifest themselves in several ways. We are almost always glued to technology, we seek quick answers to complex problems, and are racing towards a life of (economic) ‘success’. In this race for survival, we often forget the simple act of ‘living’. How often do we stop to look at the flowers, the swaying trees, or feel the cold wind whooshing past our faces?

Building on the framework in The Connection-Imagination-Criticality Framework, Alive-ah! was a 10-session module developed and run for 13 middle school students of Jnana Jyothi Vidyalaya, Rajanukunte, between October and December 2025. Asking the children to reflect on what it means for the world to be alive, we explored our local natural spaces through nature walks and discussions routed through activities in theater, model-making, scribbling, map-making, and finally, story writing.

The program was designed around four central actions — Observe, Synthesize, Question and Speculate

Some Outcomes

Map of the lake before (left) and after (right) the nature walk

Some of the stories that emerged through the module

Impact

The impact of the program was measured in terms of programmatic and experiential outcomes, and was evaluated qualitatively.

The following shifts were observed:

• The idea of aliveness shifted from being understood in terms of the living vs non-living, to a relational, emotional attachment towards nature
• Understandings and language of space shifted away from objectivity. Nature became home and space for adventure, rather than just inert real estate
• Children began to take ownership of their classroom and became each other’s safe spaces. Those who wouldn’t speak at the beginning, began taking active stances for the stories they grew to care deeply for.