There is a mountain. The mountain is an adventure. But if you remove the spirit of
adventure from the mountain, you are left with just a mountain.“ An
insurmountable mountain.”
The mountain here, dear reader, is a metaphor for education. Education is an
adventure. It’s a journey full of exploration, curiosity, and observation.
But when we remove the spirit of adventure from education, we are left with
something dry and rigid—a set of facts to memorize, tests to pass (with not very
pleasant grades, whoops), and a bunch of rules to follow. Without the adventure,
education becomes an obstacle, much like an “insurmountable mountain,” as
expressed by Manu Prakash, an Indian scientist who is also a professor of
Bioengineering at Stanford University.
An insurmountable mountain is a mountain with steep sides, no trees, and no life.
Something that’s impossible to beat. It is a challenge that no longer excites us,
rather overwhelms us, and takes away the joy of learning. Likewise, in education.
Education isn’t about sitting in closed classrooms, memorizing formulas, or appearing for exams. It’s about the journey of figuring out what
excites you, what interests you, who YOU are, and how you see the world. It’s about stepping beyond blindly copying blackboard notes and embracing the creative side in you. Unfortunately, as children grow older in their journey
from being pre-adolescents to teenagers, they start to lose their spirit for life and sense of
adventure. They stop being curious. Confidence is gone for a toss, and they start
adhering to prescribed textbooks. Perhaps because of the evolved meaning of
education. Education is now simply viewed with a series of tasks—grades, college,
job, salary, at a relatively large scale in higher classes, each leading to the next with no break to breathe. And thus, many
take it to becoming what the world demands of them rather than being themselves.
Mulikavana, Campus Creativity Lab, Agastya
When done right, education is like climbing a mountain—reaching new heights,
feeling energized and exhilarated. It’s hard work, yes, but also deeply
rewarding. This is something difficult to attain after years of being told, “It’s a
(insurmountable) mountain, climb it!” yet hundreds of kids from Agastya have
proven otherwise! How, you ask. It is simply with their potential, their sharp
minds that have not once let loose of their curiosity in their learning curve. And
Agastya makes sure of that and maintains the spark by making the process of
learning more fun and less ponderous. Because it’s the process that’s important,
not the fruit, as Mallika Sarabhai expresses, who is an Indian classical dancer and
an actor from Gujarat. It instills in them the courage to ask questions—why
certain things happen; how they happen—when the sky rains, it’s not just a fact
to accept—it’s an opportunity to ask: why does it rain? Additionally, at
Agastya, students also embrace failure and mistakes, because they are just proof
that they’re trying.
This spirit of adventure is what separates real learning from the conventional way
of learning. When education turns into a checklist of tasks, it loses its spark. The
joy of discovery fades. But with a zest for life, the mountain doesn’t
seem so impossible. It feels alive, exciting, and worth climbing.
Of course, learning is'nt straight away jumping to exploration, it’s also about
having a perspective. A willingness to learn. To want the fruit at the top of the
mountain. That’s where it starts. With this, the mountain stops being something
to fear. It becomes something you want to climb—no matter how high.
At the end of the day, education isn’t a race to the summit or a battle to
overcome—it’s a relationship you build with the mountain itself. It’s the way the
climb shapes you, the strength it gives you, and the stories you gather along the
way. Perhaps it’s not even about reaching the top, but about finding meaning in
the journey. Every step becomes a part of who you are. And maybe, just maybe,
the true purpose of education isn’t to conquer the mountain, but just to see the
world differently from where you stand.
