Centre For Learning

Arthi Saktheeswaran has a BA in psychology and a BSc in life sciences. She has worked with children with special needs and learning disabilities, and she has run her own playhome in Bangalore. She works with the younger age groups in CFL.

Ashok Biradar obtained a B.Com. from Bangalore University. He currently coordinates administrations and the work of developing the new campus.

Diba Siddiqi has an undergraduate degree in Anthropology (Bryn Mawr) and a Masters in Public Health (Johns Hopkins). She worked for five years with the Urmul Trust, a development organisation in rural Rajasthan. She is a keen photographer.

Kamala Mukunda completed her Ph.D. in educational psychology from Syracuse University, has taught at the undergraduate level for four years, and is interested in music.

Kavya A Biradar has an MA from Dharwad University. She teaches languages at CFL. She is interested in the literatures of various languages.

Keerthi Mukunda received her Masters in education from the University of Massachusetts and taught for a few years in a public school in Amherst before joining CFL. She has a particular interest in teaching and developing curricula in the areas of  English and social studies.

Krishna H has a Masters in Psychology. After 3 years of working in a Therapeutic Community that works with adults with Schizophrenia and other psychiatric diagnosis, and children with Autism, he took to teaching psychology. He is interested in exploring the process of learning with children. Other areas of interest include Culture Studies, theatre, music and wood-carving.

Lalita Manjunath took a degree in education after a B.Com. She is interested in craft, pottery and music and has developed pottery as a major activity in CFL.

Nagini Prasad has a masters in sustainable development and conservation biology. She was in the corporate and NGO sectors prior to joining the field of education. Apart from the junior school, Nagini is also interested in pottery, art, craft and exlporing the landscapes around campus.

Radhika Neelakantan studied biology for her degree. She taught at The Blue Mountain School, Ooty, before coming to CFL. She has a keen interest in drawing.

Raghuram studied computer science in Allahabad and completed his Masters at the University of Texas at Austin. In CFL, he is currently teaches maths and environmental management.

Rina D’Souza has done an undergraduate degree in commerce and has a diploma in Montessori techniques. In addition to teaching for over six years, she has worked in the development sector for a year and has volunteered with an environmental group for a year. She is interested in dance, loves to travel and is learning music.

Rupa Suresh has a Masters in Human Resource Management and a Diploma in Montessori Studies. She enjoys working with children and is most fascinated by the young ones’ urge to learn. She has worked with children between 2 and 9 years of age over 6 years before becoming a part of the CFL community. Her areas of interest include pottery, craft, music and dance.

Shashidhar Jagadeeshan has a Ph.D. in mathematics from Syracuse University. He has taught mathematics to students from middle school to undergraduate level.

Srinivasan K obtained a Ph.D in Astrophysics from IUCAA, Pune after an M.Sc. in Physics from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras. He teaches Mathematics, Physics and General Science in CFL. He is interested in Yoga and plays the Mridangam.

Thejaswi Shivanand was educated at the University of Mysore and National Centre for Biological Sciences (TIFR). At CFL, he teaches biology, statistics and environmental science to older students and enjoys long walks with the younger ones. He is interested in natural history, travel, music and more recently, pottery.

Vandana Srivastava worked in the private sector for a few years after completing the MBA program at the Asian Institute of Management, Manila. She worked in the junior and middle school at CFL for several years. Currently, she helps in looking after one of the four hostels on campus while pursuing interests in pottery and dhrupad.

Venkatesh Onkar completed his A levels at CFL and went on to obtain a BA in Literature from the University of London and an MA from Fordham University, New York. He teaches English and Sociology at CFL. He has a keen interest in music.

Venu N has degrees in Engineering from the University of Madras and Management from the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta. He worked for many years in the private business sector.

Yasmin Jayathirtha has an M.Sc. from I.I.T., Bombay and a Ph.D. in chemistry from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. She did post doctoral work at the University of Louisville and the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.

Leela Garady has an M.A. in Hindi from Bangalore University. She has developed new ways of teaching language to children. She has written and directed plays in Kannada and Hindi for the students at CFL.

Richard Fernandes has an M.Sc. in Physics from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur and a Ph.D. from the Raman Research Institute, Bangalore. He was a research associate at the University of Louisville and later worked at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.

Usha Mukunda studied English literature in Calcutta and later took a post graduate degree in Library Science from the Bangalore University. She is deeply interested in nurturing discerning readers and users of the library, not only at CFL but in all places where children abide.

Valli Seshan has spent a large part of her working life with non governmental organisations engaged in development work. She has worked for Action Aid, helped start SEARCH and coordinated the International Resource Centre of Service Civil International.