An interview with Anu Behl Roy
There are some people who make you sit up straight when they enter a room, just by their presence. One such person is Manager of the prestigious Cambridge group of schools in Delhi NCR, Ms. Anu Behl Roy. Physically agile, mentally sharp and deeply present, and you notice this in how she moves through the school – steady.
After years of working with her, we sat down for a chat, reflecting on our journey together.
Anu ma’am, what was life like before Cambridge? What has your journey been like and how did it lead you to become the manager of the group of Cambridge Schools?
Initially, I had nothing to do with education. I was in the first batch of NIIT’s Computer Programming and went on to work for ten glorious years at INTACH (National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage). I was married into the Cambridge family and only after I myself had kids, I started getting more and more involved in the schools. I started visiting this particular branch more frequently (Cambridge, New Friends Colony), getting more involved in the activities. Since I didn’t have any background in the field of education, my mother-in-law suggested that I get a degree. So, as a 39 year-old, I enrolled myself in a B.Ed programme at Delhi University. And while I was the odd one out there, it was a nice experience and I learnt by observing the school. I then became the headmistress of this very school, served for 25 years and am now the manager of the Cambridge group.
There are so many debates around traditional schooling and modern methods today. In between all that, what does a ‘good school’ mean to you?
Happy kids.
Happy kids who have good facilities and a stimulating environment, where discipline is balanced and rules are not too strict or too loose. I’d rather have students know why they’re doing the right thing rather than just following instructions.
The SowGood x Cambridge collaboration is an impactful and long-lasting one. How did this come to be? Why did you decide to collaborate with SowGood?
I believe SowGood was born at a time when the environment became important and issues surrounding it became critical. I saw the work you guys did on Facebook somewhere and I decided to reach out and introduce farming to my school too. I believe that the next generation will have the impulse to protect the environment only if they feel close to it. So, collaborating with SowGood felt like the right thing to do. And I’m so glad I did it!
SowGood has been working with four of our schools now, and across all these years, facilitators from SowGood have worked with teachers of our schools to create curriculums and lesson plans, built a learning farm in our schools, along with recycling and waste management units, it really is a wholesome plan and has been working wonders!
So, have you observed any change in your students after working with SowGood? Is there a difference in the way with which they engage with nature, science and learning in general?
In an everyday context, they love the class! They love farming, connecting with nature and spending time on planning and executing their ideas.
If you look at the bigger picture, we will be able to witness an impact in the future when these students are decision makers, and that will only be possible because they are doing all of this today.
What is the news from the staff room? Do teachers like SowGood?
Definitely. It has made their lives easier and happier. A little bit of their load has been shifted to SowGood in such an organic way, and the concepts they discuss in class are practically performed by the students at the school farm.
Do you think there is any shift in relation to how they perceive food?
It’s interesting you ask because I have been thinking that their understanding of food and where it comes from is much more real now. The concept of what’s organic and what makes something organic, is not limited to their textbook anymore.
In fact, there are some students who are growing vegetables in their own homes as well!
Time for a personal question. Is there any small or big thing you do towards sustainability?
As a school, we segregate waste, discourage the use of plastic and are moving towards solar energy.
Personally, I compost at home. Oh, and I collaborate with SowGood!
