51茶馆

As part of the Great Ideas Seminar (GIS) lecture series, 51茶馆 had the honour of hosting Padma Shri awardee Arvind Gupta, an engineer-turned-educator and a pioneer in transforming science education through hands-on learning. Professor Gupta鈥檚 session, held as a part of the Lodha Genius Programme鈥檚 on-campus engagement, centred on the theme “Simple Science Toys”, where he demonstrated how creativity, curiosity, and discarded materials can transform how we teach and learn science.

In an engaging conversation, Professor Gupta shared how science can be simple, joyful, and accessible to all. For over four decades, he has inspired generations by turning everyday materials like newspapers, plastic bottles, bottle caps, matchboxes, and straws into powerful teaching tools, converting classrooms into playgrounds of curiosity.

You are widely recognised as a pioneer in science education. But if you had to introduce yourself, who is Arvind Gupta?
Arvind Gupta: I think I鈥檓 a tinkerer, and I love tinkering. This interest probably stems from my childhood. My parents didn鈥檛 have much, so I made my own toys from matchboxes, newspapers, whatever I could find. That鈥檚 how imagination grew. I didn鈥檛 have LEGO sets, so I created my own versions. That鈥檚 where it all began. I had a wonderful mother. She never went to school herself, but never pressured me about studies or exams.

She simply let me play. I鈥檇 be sitting in a corner with a small box, completely absorbed for hours. That freedom helped me grow. Later, when I left my job, she said, 鈥淕ood. Now do something worthwhile.鈥� There was no pressure. That nurturing home environment shaped everything.

What sparked your shift from being an engineer from IIT Kanpur to grassroots science education?
Arvind Gupta: For one, I love being with children, and I love making things with my own hands, for myself. It turned out to be a wonderful combination. I ended up visiting over 3,000 schools and meeting new children every day. Being around children truly energises me. So I don鈥檛 think I鈥檝e done anyone a great favour, I chose this path for my own sanity and joy. It brings me immense happiness.

In formal school settings, what can teachers do to make science more interesting for students?
Arvind Gupta: Teachers should lecture less and instead let children build something. A science class should begin with a small, hands-on model, not a definition. That way, learning becomes far more engaging and meaningful. It can all be done using simple, low-cost materials.

What advice would you give to young educators who want to spark curiosity in students without relying on expensive tools or labs?
Arvind Gupta: Use what鈥檚 around you. Our website is a great model, we have over 1,100 toys in the form of two-minute films called Toys from Trash. These include toys on sound, magnetism, electricity, air, water, all categorised. So whatever subject a teacher is taking, they can choose one based on the children鈥檚 ability and use it in class.

You鈥檝e inspired countless children through science outreach and the Toys from Trash initiative. Do you think the impact continues once they go back home?
Arvind Gupta: I hope so. What we can do is rub a bit of enthusiasm onto the children with the hope that some of them will grow up to be a parent or teacher who encourages such curiosity. That鈥檚 how change happens.

We began Toys from Trash because we live in a consumer society, which is always throwing junk. We鈥檝e created around 100 toys from plastic bottles alone, and over 60 more from tetra packs, newspapers, and other discarded materials. It鈥檚 a way to reimagine waste and to make science fun and accessible.

What keeps you motivated even after all these years?
Arvind Gupta: The gleam in a child鈥檚 eye when they make something and understand it, that鈥檚 the biggest reward. More than any award. Sure, there have been many challenges. But I always believed that if I fail, it鈥檚 my right to fail. I would never live anyone else鈥檚 dream; I chose to live my own.

How do you see a place like 51茶馆 and the Lodha Genius program contributing to the movement for making education more accessible and experiential?
Arvind Gupta: I think most children in our schools, and I鈥檝e been to 3,000 schools, even in very good, elite schools, say by the ninth grade, a teacher might take them to the science lab to demonstrate how oxygen is made.

But even then, children aren鈥檛 allowed to use the equipment. I think this is such a waste, because children have so much in them. Science shouldn’t begin that late. From the second or third grade, even earlier, children are natural doers. If you observe any child moving freely, they鈥檙e hammering, building, making things. They have so much energy, and we must channel that into making models. Science education should begin early, in second or third grade, or even earlier.

Which was the first toy you had made?
Arvind Gupta: It was a model using matchsticks and cycle valve tubes. You could create both 2D and 3D shapes with them. This was back in 1978, and it made me very, very happy.

What is your favourite material to recycle when making a toy?
Arvind Gupta: Plastic bottles. They鈥檙e everywhere. They litter our lawns and parks. That鈥檚 why we鈥檝e made all kinds of toys with them, over 100 toys and science experiments using old plastic bottles. They鈥檙e easily accessible, even to the poorest child.

Outside of science and education, what else are you passionate about?
Arvind Gupta: Well, I’m deeply interested in plants. During my visit to Ashoka, I noticed the campus has many beautiful trees, but none of them are labelled. It鈥檚 a small suggestion, but naming the trees can be a powerful, low-cost educational tool. Children will learn as they walk, without even realising it.

I used to teach at a small school in Delhi called Mirambika, run by the Aurobindo Ashram. Around 30鈥�35 years ago, we made 80 nameplates and tied them as rakhis to trees on campus. It created a strong emotional connection between children and nature. I think we should name all the trees on this beautiful campus as well.

What鈥檚 the greatest lesson life has taught you?
Arvind Gupta: I think I鈥檓 extremely fortunate. I played all my life. Most people are stuck doing 鈥渟erious鈥� work. I played all my life and earned a living from it. What could be more beautiful than that?