NB: Arvind Gupta combines humility, enthusiasm, energy, love and creative intellect in a character all his own. He’s the Pied Piper of India’s children, one who can quieten a noisy class of children in two minutes, by showing them the wondrous ways of nature. He never sought glory, and I suspect his numerous awards indicate the award-givers’ motives in gaining a name for themselves. This is wonderful and revealing interview. Keep going Arvind, and god bless you. Dilip

Arvind using ” Matchstick Mecanno “, one of his ways to create teaching aids from domestic items. Source: Wikipedia

Padma Shri awardee Arvind Gupta- toy maker and science educator – joins us in the second episode of Ashoka University’s #TheScienceofIt podcast. How did he create 138 science films with NCERT? Why did an IIT Kanpur engineer choose a path that took him to 3,000+ schools across India? Why does he believe science must be playful and accessible for every child? And what hope does he see in the youth of today?

The Science of Toys | Padma Shri Arvind Gupta | The Science of It Ep. 2

Tune in for some inspiration and a masterclass in what it means to dedicate your life to creating true impact. This episode has landed – now streaming on YouTube and several audio platforms.

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7b8uc2t…
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast…

New episodes launch every Monday. Follow the journey on the platforms above.

Navigate this episode through these chapter markers:
0:00 What to expect
1:09 Who is Arvind Gupta?
2:17 Humble beginnings of Arvind Gupta
4:41 Early days at IIT Kanpur
5:50 Arvind’s life changing moment at IIT Kanpur
7:12 Early career
8:34 Working with NCERT and Doordarshan
11:05 Why did he go to IIT Kanpur?
12:59 Key challenges in his work
14:05 Working at IUCAA
16:43 How to popularise science?
20:24 Arvind shows some of his toys
25:23 Arvind’s student has a meteorite named after her
28:16 – Arvind’s favourite book
29:15 – Arvind’s favourite film
29:49 – Most important scientific discovery
30:15 – What would you title your autobiography?
33:01 – Final inspirational words

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Toys from Trash: Teaching kids science using everyday objects / Visit Arvind Gupta’s Archive