Vidyavani Community Radio (107.4 FM) aired my interview on 27th November 2019 Wednesday at 10.30AM-11.00AM as part of the series 'My Research'. This interview was in Marathi. English transcript is made available by Ms Manasi Barmecha.

THE WORLD’S A SCHOOL

An interview with Sachin Mohite

In this honest interview, Mr Sachin Mohite traces back his footsteps on the path of his extensive educational journey as he continues forward. He talks of his research topic for the government scholarship he recently achieved, the whereabouts of an ‘Active Citizenship’ and his hope in the youngsters of this country. Stay tuned and read this translated version of a featured radio interview aired as part of My Research programme on Vidya Vani Samudayik Radio 107.4FM.

- Translated from Marathi by Manasi Barmecha.

Welcome all.

In the next section, we are going to listen to the program ‘My research’. We are going to find out about Sachin Mohite’s research. Sachin Mohite has bagged a government scholarship for meritorious students for higher studies abroad. Dhananjay Zombade ( DZ) has discussed the following with him. Come let’s find out what it’s all about.

Program: MY RESEARCH

Hello everyone and a heartfelt welcome to Vidyavani community radio. Today, we are in the company of a distinct personality and we have called him, Sachin Mohite here to get to know him. He has recently been awarded a scholarship and firstly, we would like to congratulate him and then ask a few questions to find out his story so far. This example throws light on something Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar once said, “A human is always a student, till the day he dies.” In a lot of endeavours, great personalities, saints and poets have iterated that the world is a school. These sayings are relevant as Sachin Mohite is currently working with Shantilal Muttha Foundation at a high post but that has not deterred him from keeping his journey of education activities. Several years of relentless hard work has led to the achievement of this scholarship. Let's get introduced.

DZ: Sir, a very warm welcome in our studio. I have tried to introduce you briefly to our audience, but we would love to hear more about your educational experience from you.

SM: I have studied up to 12th standard in a very small town called Bhusawal. After that, to have better prospects for IITs, I moved to Pune. I began doing a BSc in Physics in Modern College. while preparing for the IITs simultaneously. Well, I did not get selected for IIT, but the decision of coming to Pune has proved worthwhile in many ways. I completed my BSc and then gave the MCA entrance where I ranked 29th in all of Maharashtra, due to which I got into a very good college, VIT- Vishwakarma Institute of Technology and there I completed my MCA smoothly. Because of my degrees, I immediately got placed and I worked as a professional during 2007-2014. I pursued another master in Education from Azim Premji University in Bangalore after which, my journey in the social sector took off.

DZ: Wow, sounds brilliant. You told us of the several varieties of your education. As you said, you are currently working with the social sector. I now want to know that after studying and working in the fields of information and technology, where did you get the inspiration to learn and work within the social realm. And how did the turn to this path occur?

SM: That’s a good question. I believe this was not a sudden shift or decision. Unknowingly, my uncle and aunt guided towards this. They have been involved in the Jayprakash Narayan Movement and later Yuva Sangharsh Vahini- I have seen them- that was one of the inspirations. When I joined my job in the field of IT, at the same time, me, along with a few friends from VIT began doing some kind of social activities. Sometimes, we would go to a place, gather all the children around and do some activities. We hadn’t really decided the nature of those activities. We slowly realized that there is a need to go in-depth and tell the students what they need to know. I am of the belief that it is of utmost importance to focus our attention on children at an early age, where they can grow into responsible citizens and they will be aware and willing to take on social work and even, engage and solve problems in that area. That’s when I moved my interest into the field of education and side by side, I did work in two fields. Eventually, I realized that I needed more knowledge in this field if I want to do better. That's when I did my Postgraduate Diploma in Child and Adolescent Psychology from Jnana Prabodhini Institute of Psychology in Pune. I also got a diploma in CSR from Karve Institute of Social Sciences, Pune. I kept trying in various allied fields, and slowly I found myself working full time in this field.

DZ: Your example is truly one of a kind. Despite having studied a professional degree, yet working in the social sector has different principles attached with it. And for sure, you have achieved success in it.

Going ahead, we notice that there has been a rise in the number of youngsters with a similar journey like yours. They get an education in the IT field and then changes gears. They are technology-loving and work in social sector as well.

But when they go to do such work, through an NGO or otherwise in smaller villages, there is a certain perception of the new generation as ‘ laptop-carrying social workers’ that has emerged. The older generation who have worked earlier, the kind that carry Shabnam bags around and work at the ground level see them as separate and believe that they are doing it to get better jobs. Hence the term has become famous. There is a certain amount of cynicism attached to it. What is your experience of the same? How do you see it?

SM: This is a very important question. I am of the opinion that there is equal significance to both kinds of work, the kind that happens on field at the ground level and that of the so-called laptop carrying workers. In the world today, merely working is not enough- along with it we must be able to measure the work through some parameters and make it reach more beneficiaries. So, for that- these laptop carriers are pivotal and it is necessary that both these skills be combined to work better. I remember, during my IT days, I used to set time aside to go to villages and I would make it a point to stay there. When I began working at SMF, I used to spend 15 days in office and 15 days in a village. One must of course be on field and have practical knowledge and work, but it is equally important to be up to date with the technological advances. The advantages being that our work becomes much simpler, it reaches several more people.

DZ: So you’re saying that traditional social service must join hands with current technology.

SM: Absolutely.

DZ : Okay, moving on, the reason we are all here together to talk about your educational journey is this scholarship you have achieved, let's throw some more light on this. It is a very narrow selection criteria for this scholarship and you have made it, where you’ve gotten this opportunity and you will be now going abroad for studies. Can you tell us more about the nature of this fellowship?

SM: ‘Rajyashasanchi gunavant mula-mulinasaathi paradeshi uccha shikshannasathichi shishyavrutti’ is what the scholarship is called. It is a government scholarship for meritorious students for higher studies abroad.

It began in the year 2018. It’s available for people from the open category as well. The nature of it is such that the government of Maharashtra will bear the entire cost, including air travel, tuition fees, accommodation and food there. Everything is taken care of except the visa costs. It is available for those who wants to do their masters and PhD. What’s also important is that there is a specific quota for women.

But few of the rules are not clear and due to which several people who got that scholarship did not accept it. Some of the reasons for this are- it is necessary for the student to come back to India as soon as the degree there is complete. Another thing is that 10% of the amount needs to be given back to the Maharashtra government and there is a third condition for which terms are not as clear. It is expected that once the person comes back, they will have to work in a field that aids the government in some or the other way. There isn't much clarity regarding the nature of that job. Does it have to be a government job or is it okay to do a related job and so on.

Some students have several questions regarding the same. But personally, I agree with all three conditions and am okay with accepting them. I actually like this scholarship due to these reasons.

DZ: So you've accepted it, congrats again. Taking this ahead, I would like to ask you about the topic of your research abroad. Have you figured out what you will be researching on?

SM: I'm going to be conducting my research at the University of York in the UK. the conditions for doing research is such that one must know exactly what the topic of their research before applying here. So, the proposal for my research was ready about a year back.

My topic deals with the current social situation. We are all aware that there are several areas where work can be and should be done. But these issues cannot be begun to be solved merely by the government, or any other body like the UN being formed. Each of us has to be responsible and take action in the desired direction. In a domain term, this can be called ‘active citizenship’. There are already some subjects like Civics which have become part of the curriculum to prompt students to think in that direction and become better citizens. In the MulyaVardhan program implemented by SMF in public schools, there are topics about democracy, the constitutional values, traffic rules and safety and so on. My inquiry will deal with whether these topics are truly enabling the children in the expected role of a good citizen. I believe that there is a need for a separate evaluation for the same. Such an evaluation has never been done in the Indian context till now and the prospects of its possibility is going to be my primary topic of research. It will be possible for me to do this study in Europe as there is quite a lot of work that’s already been done on this topic there. This is what I had in mind when I was thinking of research. Then I found a professor from there, Professor Ian Davies, who had been working on the topic of my interest from several years. And now I’ve decided to take this topic for my PhD forward with him.

DZ: So, from what I gather, you have picked a topic that is rooted in reality. So what exactly are the benefits that one may see in India, in the social and educational realms?

SM: Let me explain why I think this is an extremely important topic. Till now, I have spoken of an evaluation. Even if the scope of my PhD is limited to evaluation, such a thorough study will yield results that will empower us, as educational institutes to introspect and think of other subjects of importance that's should be included in the curriculum in all stages of schooling, be it primary, secondary or higher. I believe it would provide us with relevant information to make changes or take better decisions in the field of policy. Another thing is that this study is going to be comparative study where different countries of the world- some from Europe, some Asian countries and India will be included. I believe that we will have a lot to learn from the educational practices abroad as well as vice versa. There will be several things that others can learn from us.

DZ: Definitely. I see that it is your hope that an exchange between these countries be made.

To get to know you, I spoke to a few of your coworkers like Mayur Karjatkar, Sukhada Lodha, Swapnil Karva, Ganesh Meher and they all said that you have been studying and making efforts to get this scholarship from a very long time. You kept trying with such dedication and finally got it after your relentless efforts. I want to ask you about other scholarships that several people try for these things but usually give up after a year or two. What is the advice you would give them?

SM: I think that instead of trying for other scholarships, one should focus on their topic of research- it will definitely lead to a higher possibility of success. In the three years that I was trying for this scholarship, I got a couple of really good opportunities. For example, I was able to present a study at the Hawaii International Conference on Education, USA solely because I had been working on it. I got funding from my own company as well as some other sources. Why was this possible? Because I was not single-minded focus on getting the sponsor. My main concern was ‘how can I present my work in a better way?’.

Similarly, I think the same thing happened here. I have only been trying to better my proposal, bring more clarity to my own thoughts and hence, it was perhaps possible for me to get this. I would have gotten some other scholarship long back if not this. But my point is that throughout I have only been trying to improve my own work. If you ask me what I want to say to them, it is to keep working, keep making your own work better.

DZ: Don't stop trying

SM: Yes, don't stop trying and the main question is ‘What do I want to really work on?’. Think about this and keep doing it. All the opportunities I got, if I really think about it, the reason for that is only my manner of work and the way I could present it. I even got offers from several professors and one from the University of Glasgow in Scotland. They were interested in my work, and we used to discuss it over Skype calls.

DZ: So one hand you’d applied for this scholarship and on the other hand, you were looking for sources, getting in touch with people with similar interests and looking for more prospects. So your preparation has been thorough.

SM: Exactly. Another condition to qualify this specific scholarship was such that whatever foreign university you pick must be ranked in the top 200. And there is a rising concern about our own Indian Universities. Even some of our best IITs and IIMs are falling quite low on this ranking. So, because I got admit from those high ranked universities, my way to the scholarship was already getting paved. So, keep trying on the work that you want to do, scholarships will come to you.

DZ: You spoke of the Indian Universities, so I want to ask you one short last question. You said that you are going to be in the UK and work on the mentioned topic. Did you not feel like working in any of the Indian institutes? Why so?

SM: I don’t think it was a choice to not do it in India. I had some other criteria to make this decision. For me, there were three things that were important parameters, first being how much of the work in the field that I have chosen has been done in that university, second being the professor I want to work with, what kind of background do they have and thirdly, the person I want to work with should be okay with me bringing in the Indian context to the study. And that they should be able to aid me in the same. And it happened such that this work has been going on in Europe already for several years, in a study called International Citizenship and Civic Education Study (ICCS, 1996). So everything fell in place and happened with ease.

DZ: Sachin sir has told us a lot of information. He has persistently been trying for long which meant filling the form diligently every year, once it got rejected, to try again the next year and so on. But he was never disheartened and his excellence has finally prevailed.

There are two lines in Hindi by Harivanshrai Bachchn-

Leheron se darkar nauka paar nahi hoti

Koshish karne walon ki kabhi haar nahi hoti.

(Fear of waves will never let the boat cross

Those who try shall never be defeated.)

He has told us about his journey in brief. Coming from a modest family and going abroad to do research that has effects on the national level is a very big move and we wish the very best for his research. Thank you and loads of best wishes from us and our audience.

SM: Thank you :)