1 week ago
Devdutt Pattanaik Urges Schools to Prioritise Understanding and Curiosity
Devdutt Pattanaik spoke to school leaders about how children learn.
He said memorising facts is not the same as understanding them.
He remembered memorising school subjects and still becoming a top student.
He said real understanding helped shape his later life.
Pattanaik wants schools to encourage children to ask questions and stay curious.
Curious children may choose to read and learn without being frightened into it.
Joseph Emmanuel said sustainability should be part of everyday actions, not just lessons.
He mentioned caring for the environment, peace and harmony, education, and healthcare.
The speakers shared these ideas at an education event called Conversations 2026.
Devdutt Pattanaik told school leaders that understanding matters more than memorising information.
Pattanaik said he once memorised mathematics, physics and chemistry without understanding them, yet became a topper.
He urged schools to build children’s curiosity so they read and learn willingly.
Joseph Emmanuel said sustainability should be practised, not taught only through textbooks.
The remarks were made at Conversations 2026, themed “Sustainability Reimagined,” attended by more than 200 school leaders.
- Who
- Author, mythologist and illustrator Devdutt Pattanaik; Joseph Emmanuel of the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations; and other education-sector panellists.
- What
- They discussed the need to replace a narrow focus on memorisation with understanding, curiosity and practical sustainability.
- Where
- At the Conversations 2026 event; the articles do not specify a location.
- When
- At Conversations 2026, held in 2026; the articles do not provide a specific date.
- Why
- Pattanaik said understanding supports lifelong growth, while Emmanuel said sustainability must be practised rather than confined to textbooks.
Key facts
- Event
- admissiontree.in Conversations 2026
- Theme
- “Sustainability Reimagined”
- Attendance
- More than 200 school principals and heads of institutions
- Main education message
- Understanding and curiosity should receive greater emphasis than memorisation.
- Sustainability message
- Sustainability should move beyond textbooks and become a practice.
- Presented by
- SIP Abacus
- Powered by
- Vidya Mandir Society and JD Birla Institute
Quotes
Devdutt Pattanaik
Author, mythologist and illustrator speaking about memorisation-based education
“All of us teach children about the 17 sustainable development goals, but there is a huge gap between teaching and practice. We don’t practise sustainability.”
telegraphindia.com
“The biggest learning I have had in the last 30 years of my life is that schools give information to children, but we don’t develop curiosity.”
telegraphindia.com
Sources
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