It has been a while since I’ve even had a chance to visit this site, much less update it. But that’s because we’ve had a few busy months here at the Academy. So, what’s been going on?
Well, in addition to the eight batch of PDM students, we have a new batch of students—PDM 9—who have been busy learning the ins-and-outs of everything at the Academy, including non-curricular activities. First, there was the “sports fortnight” during which students got to show off their athletic abilities in sports such as badminton, table-tennis, and volleyball. There were other activities such as chess and carrom for participants who didn’t feel like breaking a sweat during the fortnight.
After the sports fortnight, we had another ethnic dinner, this time highlighting the culture and cuisine of Karnataka. The event also doubled as the awards ceremony for the sports fortnight champions.
PDM 9 also recently returned from their first Participatory Learning Methods (PALM) visit—a three-day field lab during which they were exposed to different participatory rural appraisal techniques such as social mapping, transect walk, timeline, and seasonal mapping. (I’ll post some pictures later when the internet seems to be more reliable.) Unfortunately, rain interferred with many of the processes, but it was still a pretty productive three days.
PDM 8 has also been busy. Upon returning from their Development Practice Segment, we organized a photo exhibit (see this post) to go along with all of their presentations and report writing, and the photos can now be found decorating the outside walls at the Academy.
They also have, in their fourth term, a chance to specialize in a subject of their choice by completing an independent study assignment. About a week ago, each student gave a brief introduction to their studies—I’m happy to say that everything sounded quite exciting, with topics ranging from intellectual property rights, to developing mass-communication materials such as posters and videos.
So, until the next time….
The DHAN Academy 