Mrs. Rupa Bhattacharya
Managing Consultant
Learning Link Foundation

Every thought we think is creating our future.-Louise L. Hay 28 years is a long time….or shall I say, is 28 years a long time? That’s exactly the mathematical figure of years spent in classroom teaching and moving on to training/facilitation. Born into a family of soldiers, little did I know that service to the nation & patriotism had so many faces to it. With multiple options to choose from for my career, I chose to be a ‘humble teacher as that was what I felt I was best at. This also gave me an opportunity to nurture my dream of serving my fellow countrymen. A battle against illiteracy. Starting from the toddlers to teaching high schoolers’ every bit of the journey was a joyful moment. What made my class always distinctively different from the rest was my sense of humor and theatrical streak. But still somewhere deep down the sense of fulfillment was yet to come. What next? Was always flashing before me in my reflection times. That’s when I decided to combine my skills of a teacher and facilitator and explore the vast world of trainers. A journey that began not more than 5 years back has successfully reached more than 2oo destinations as a senior trainer in the field of pedagogy and English language. What made my classrooms with students lively are now the highlights of my training sessions. I still propagate humor and theatre into my sessions for a simple reason that the journey which began to serve the nation should find its path in making a noticeable change in every classroom via the teachers who stand and deliver there. My journey continues because I know deep down a lot needs to be changed still. My students in the countless government schools still need ‘me’ and wait for me with stars in their eyes as their teachers step into their class to teach. They wish to experience laughter, they wish to explore role play in everyday life through the classes. I continue to bring that into my sessions for my ‘teacher ambassadors’ to take back into their classes, so that my children all across the country experience ‘me’ in each of their teachers. That is why I believe in the quote-which I started my story with. The facilitation skills that I find myself gifted with have been the outcome of a large number of teachers whom I interact with during my sessions – be it in renowned private schools, a government school, the team training of my company’s CSR projects, or the prestigious master training of English language proficiency. Every opportunity for me is a way to come close to my dream of fighting the battle of illiteracy and provide every student with the gift of laughter and joyful learning in their classroom. And…….. I continue on the path, as a soldier, in order to hear the classrooms in every corner of my country bursting with laughter and every class having a bunch of actors performing. A change, I dream the teachers I train will one day bring.