Digital Education News | Expert Analysis and Commentary - Edinbox Editorial

Close your eyes for a second; you’re a five year old kid again. You have just returned from  nursery school  humming “Baa Baa Black Sheep”, and giggling not because you understand it, but because it sounds soft, safe, and silly. The same nursery rhyme your parents sang, the same one you’ll probably pass down and feel nostalgic every time you hear it. 

But what if those innocent little lines, the ones stitched into our childhood memory, were never meant for children at all? 

And what if the rhymes we sing so proudly in English-medium schools are actually the colonial rulers’ witty way of slipping their history into our lullabies or making their history look like a fairytale?

Based on the insightful research on the topic Nursery Rhymes and the History Behind Them by Dr. Atiqa Kelsy (2016), let’s take a closer look at some well-known rhymes, deconstruct their possible histories, and discuss what we, as teachers, parents, influencers, and people, may be missing. Continue reading. 

Baa Baa Black Sheep

Baa baa black sheep,

Have you any wool?

Yes sir, yes sir,

Three bags full.

One for the Master,

One for the Dame,

And one for the little boy And none for the little boy

Who lives  cries down the lane.

Sounds harmless, right? Beyond the sheep-stately response though, is one of the worst economic facts of medieval England.

According to Dr. Atiqa Kelsy, such rhyme could be dated as the year 1275, The Great Custom, a wool tax levied by King Edward I. The three bags full which allegedly represented wool collected by the King (the master), the Church (the dame) and the poor farmer left with none.

So when little kids in Indian classrooms sing it today, what are they really singing? Nursery rhyme or an old tale of slavery and exploitation?

Should we continue smiling when they sing it, or stop and say: Whose wool are we continuing to pay?

Jack and Jill

Jack and Jill went up the hill

To fetch a pail of water;

Jack fell down and broke his crown,

And Jill came tumbling after.

It sounds like a harmless nursery rhyme, two friends, a hill, and a fall. But Jack and Jill might be hiding much more.

One story says it began in the English village of Kilmersdon, where a young couple secretly met on a hill in 1697. Jill got pregnant, Jack died in an accident, and she passed away soon after, turning a love story into tragedy.

Another version links it to King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette during the French Revolution. Jack’s “broken crown” is said to represent the King losing his head, and Jill “tumbling after” refers to the Queen’s execution later that year.

But the most believable theory comes from England’s own history. Under King Charles I, taxes on drinks were changed, a “Jack” (half-pint) and a “Gill” (quarter-pint) were both reduced in size, though the tax stayed the same. So “Jack fell down” and “Jill came tumbling after” might just be a witty protest against unfair taxation.

Whatever the truth, this little rhyme isn’t as innocent as it sounds, it’s a tiny tale of love, loss, power, and politics disguised as a children’s song

Humpty Dumpty 

Humpty Dumpty was his name.

Humpty Dumpty sat on the wall

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall

All the King’s horses and all the King’s men

Couldn’t put Humpty Dumpty together again!

We have all been raised imagining Humpty Dumpty to be a fat little egg who fell off a wall. But the fact is that Humpty was not an egg! And guess what, Humpty Dumpty was not even a person. He was a cannon of the supporters of King Charles I in the English Civil war of 1648.

This cannon, named Humpty Dumpty, was apparently attached to the tower of the church of St. Mary at the city of Colchester. From this high perch, it helped the King’s men fend off the Roundheads (the Parliamentarian forces) who were laying siege to the town. But fate had other plans.

The Parliamentarian army seized the opportunity to retaliate furiously, striking the tower of the church with the cannonballs of their own. The building collapsed, and down fell Humpty in the marshy bottom. On attempting to drag it back up, the Royalists discovered the weapon to be foolishly shattered, thus the line, “King horses and King men couldn’t put Humpty Dumpty together again!”

The original rhymes went like: 

In sixteen hundred and forty-eight

When England suffered pains of state

The Roundheads laid siege to Colchester town

Where the King’s men still fought for the crown.

There one-eyed Thompson stood on the wall

A gunner with the deadliest aim of all

From St Mary’s tower the cannon he fired

Humpty Dumpty was his name.

Humpty Dumpty sat on the wall

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall

All the King’s horses and all the King’s men

Couldn’t put Humpty Dumpty together again!

Centuries later, in 1871, writer Lewis Carroll included Humpty Dumpty as a character in his book Through the Looking-Glass. Illustrator John Tenniel drew the scene, in a humorous manner, into which he simply gave Humpty a round egg-shaped form, possibly because the rhyme never specified what Humpty looked like. Such a simple artistic choice made the difference.

Within a generation, children all over the world stopped imagining a cannon on the wall and began to think of a funny egg on a wall. And that’s how a weapon of war had turned into a cartoon of a child; a fragment of bloody history, sanded down and made a bed-time song.

It makes you wonder, doesn’t it? How many of our sweet old innocences that we were brought up with, were really created in blood and fighting, and only to be re-created as nursery stories in another generation?

Little Jack Horner

Little Jack Horner

Sat in the corner,

Eating a Christmas pie;

He put in his thumb,

And pulled out a plum,

And said, “What a good boy am I!

On the surface, it reads like a child trying to get dessert before dinner but under the sheets this cute, cheerful nursery rhyme lies a tale of betrayal, greed, and one of England’s darkest church scandals.

Little Jack Horner is thought to be the name of Thomas Horner, steward to Bishop Richard Whiting, the last abbot of Glastonbury Abbey - at one time the wealthiest monastery in England. In 1536 he, Henry VIII, ordered the Dissolution of the Monasteries (1536-1540) to confiscate their gold, land and wealth when he broke away from the Catholic Church.

The Bishop is said to have attempted to bribe the King with a dozen deeds to property, concealed in a Christmas pie, the sender being Horner. But on his way to London, Horner allegedly “put in his thumb” and pulled out one of the deeds to the Manor of Mells, the most valuable of them all.

That was his “plum.” The Bishop was later accused of treason, brutally executed and Glastonbury Abbey destroyed. And who gained? Horner, who moved into the Manor of Mells conveniently afterwards.

It is a mystery whether he stole it or was rewarded due to his betrayal. However, the smug line of rhyme What a good boy am I unexpectedly is chilling, right?

Ring Around the Rosie

Ring a ring a roses,

A pocket full of posies

A-tish-oo, a-tish-oo

We all fall down.

(To use the original ending)

Ashes ashes

We all fall down.

For decades, people believed this rhyme was born from the Great Plague of London (1665). The “rosie,” they said, referred to the rash that bloomed on victims’ skin.  “Posies” the herbs people carried to mask the stench of death.  And “we all fall down”? The ultimate end, a nation collapsing under a wave of disease that killed nearly 15% of England’s population.

Sounds hauntingly poetic, doesn’t it?  A children’s song turned into a mass graveyard echo. But here’s the twist you probably didn’t know, it’s actually not true. According to folklore expert Philip Hiscock, and verified by Snopes.com, the plague interpretation didn’t appear in writing until centuries later.

He suggests something far less morbid and yet, oddly revealing. In 19th-century Protestant Britain, dancing was banned in many communities. So young people invented “play parties”  group games that looked innocent but cleverly mimicked the rhythm and joy of dance. “Ring Around the Rosie,” he argues, wasn’t about death but about rebellion.

It was how people danced without dancing. How they sang without singing. And how joy, even when suppressed, found its way back into motion. Maybe the real meaning is that we don't just “fall down.” We rise again in rhythm, in song, in secret. 

London Bridge is Falling Down 

London bridge is falling down,

Falling down, falling down,

London bridge is falling down,

My fair lady.

Build it up with wood and clay,

Wood and clay, wood and clay,

Build it up with wood and clay,

My fair lady.

Wood and clay will wash away,

Wash away, wash away,

Wood and clay will wash away,

My fair lady.

Build it up with bricks and mortar,

Bricks and mortar, bricks and mortar,

Build it up with bricks and mortar,

My fair lady.

Bricks and mortar will not stay,

Will not stay, will not stay,

Bricks and mortar will not stay,

My fair lady.

Build it up with iron and steel,

Iron and steel, iron and steel,

Build it up with iron and steel,

My fair lady.

Iron and steel will bend and bow,

Bend and bow, bend and bow,

Iron and steel will bend and bow,

My fair lady.

Build it up with silver and gold,

Silver and gold, silver and gold,

Build it up with silver and gold,

My fair lady.

Silver and gold will be stolen away,

Stolen away, stolen away,

Silver and gold will be stolen away,

My fair lady.

Set a man to watch all nigh,

Watch all night, watch all night,

Set a man to watch all night,

My fair lady.

Suppose the man should fall asleep,

Fall asleep, fall asleep,

Suppose the man should fall asleep?

My fair lady.

Give him a pipe to smoke all night,

Smoke all night, smoke all night,

Give him a pipe to smoke all night,

My fair lady

Whenever we read the word London or London bridge, the first thing that comes to our mind is the nostalgic nursery rhyme, isn’t it? We have all sung it, London Bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down... and never asked ourselves why the bridge falls down in a song that has passed down through the centuries. What sounds like a decent nursery rhyme is, in reality, a poetic record of destruction, greed, and rebirth that mirrors the very history of London itself.  

The Romans constructed the original London Bridge in the 1st century with wood and clay, just as the lyrics state. But the Thames was ruthless. Floods, fires, Viking raids continued to rip it to shreds and with every generation, it was rebuilt just to be knocked over. 

Each line, the verses, were not nonsense, as, in every verse, there was wood and clay will wash away, bricks and mortar will not stay. It was a mirror of a city which had no intention of giving up on reconstruction, even when the whole of what it was creating fell down.

The city made the decision to dream bigger by the 12th century. A priest-engineer, Peter de Colechurch, also designed a giant stone bridge and it required 33 years to be constructed. It contained 20 arches, chapel, fortified gates, and almost 140 shops resting on its length. 

Suppose it were a street of living breathing, floating up the river, with merchants and priests and bakers and warm bread. It became a world on its own, an icon of increasing strength and aspiration of London. But ambition has its cost. Fires erupted, buildings crumbled and greed ate through them like stone. 

The cautionary rhyme of warning, Silver and gold will be stolen away, came to pass. In 1666, the Great Fire of London burnt much of the city down and the bridge stood shaking on its pillars.

London made another attempt to recover as centuries flew by. A bridge that was larger, more powerful, and was to be permanent, appeared in the 1800s. But even that monument had not been spared of the curse of change. 

By the 1960s the Victorian bridge was sold bit by bit, to an American businessman, dismantled and shipped to Lake Havasu in Arizona where the bridge stands to this day, a bit of British history in the middle of the desert. The bridge that now exists, that crosses the Thames, is smooth, contemporary, practical, but it has none of the heart of its predecessors. Nevertheless, the rhyme endures, not in schoolyards only but even in time, the whisper that nothing man constructs endures.

And that’s what makes “London Bridge is Falling Down” more than a children’s song, it’s a metaphor for every empire, every system, every creation that believes itself indestructible. 

The bridge was a symbol of human pride, and a lesson that even the greatest of things send and give in to time; that silver corrodes, and gold is stolen. Every fall was a warning, and an offer as well: that rebuilding is our business. Any fall brings about a resurrection. Perhaps, this is why the song has survived till now, even though it is not a song about a bridge only. It is survival, the human spirit to begin again when all is collapsed.

The bridge has collapsed, but the song never did. And maybe that is the most accurate image of all of us;  When we fall down we manage to create something again, something better.

The Colonial Aftertaste We Never Questioned

Frankly speaking these rhymes were never ours. It was under colonial education that they were transported through British nurseries to Indian classrooms.

Dr. Kelsy writes that, we, as Indians, have been brought up on these verses, without knowing either the context or the purpose of those odd events in them. And she is correct, we did not think the truth, but the beat. We may have lost our empire to the British, but they left behind them the language lullabies, so that their history would remain singing in our ears.

Then here is the embarrassing question: Do we unknowingly teach our children to keep alive the history of some other country?  

Should We Rewrite the Rhymes?

It is recommended that India must have its own nursery rhymes, based upon its own history, not the borrowed colonial reverberations. Why not rhyme about the Indus River, Ancient India, the Salt March, the monsoons, the mango seasons,and the Chandrayaan landing, that make Indian children identify themselves with?

Since language is identity, then perhaps, our lullabies need to be more home-like. So, the next time you hear the child singing Baa Baa Black Sheep stop  because you are not only hearing a rhyme, you are listening to history that is edited, exported, risen up centuries and forgotten its wounds.

What Needs To Be Done?

Maybe the point isn’t to ban Baa Baa Black Sheep or stop kids from giggling over Humpty Dumpty. Maybe the point is to reclaim the narrative. 

For instance, if a teacher sings “London Bridge” and then explains, “This rhyme was about taxes and bridges falling because people didn’t take care of them. What’s our version today?” A parent tells “Jack and Jill” and adds “It may have started as a story about unfair rulers. How would you rewrite it if it happened in India?” That’s how history breathes again.

Why, because if we keep going, these will become a forgotten history of the people who forcefully ruled us. We must realise it is not merely repeating rhymes, we’re repeating silence, the pain, the tragedy, and a lot more which is nowhere related to us or our mother land. 

We must first ensure to know our land, its history, and everything our people went through. It might look like a small thing but honestly the impact of it is much deeper than we can ever imagine.  

What do you think? Share your thoughts with us and get a chance to be featured on our portal. 

Credit:

Inspired by “Nursery Rhymes and the History Behind Them” by Dr. Atiqa Kelsy (2016, ResearchGate).

Additional insights drawn from historical folklore studies by Iona & Peter Opie, BBC Archives, Britain History blogs & research paper, and credible youtube channels.

About the Author

Kanishka, a versatile content writer and acclaimed poetess from Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, combines her passion for creativity with a strong commitment to education. Beyond crafting compelling narratives, she is dedicated to enlightening readers by sharing insights and knowledge they often don’t encounter elsewhere. She has been featured in several national and international online magazines, and anthologies. Her talent and dedication to literature have earned her two national records— one for composing the longest reverse poem and another for compiling an all-female anthology that celebrates women’s voices. Her love for storytelling, philosophies, and mythologies fuels her mission to inspire and educate, shaping minds through the power of words and knowledge.

If you walk into a room and see a robot that looks so much like a human, it smiles, speaks with warmth, and even seems to understand your feelings, it would feel cute and fascinating, right? What if I tell you, it’s not an imagination or a sci-fi movie scene anymore, it’s the future we are building today?

Yes! This is no longer about making cool gadgets but creating Robo-Sapiens (humanoid robots) that blur the lines between human and robot. But what is the purpose of us being so insistent to bring these human-like machines to life? What are the mighty dreams and needs that compel us to invent Robo-Sapiens? And how will they alter the way we live, work and learn?

This nearing revolution is about our very human quest to reach beyond ourselves and partner with machines that can think, feel, and grow alongside us. This article dives into the exciting journey of creating Robo-Sapiens, explains why humans are building them, and shows how this adventure can offer new chances to learn, create, and grow.

The Rise of  Humanoid Robots

Humanoid robots are slowly turning into functional, advanced, and autonomous, well beyond industrial automation chores. Research companies in the field of robotics propose that mass production of humanoid robots will start in 2025, with large corporations such as Tesla and Figure AI scouting a revolutionary deployment of robots that are able to perform well in diverse and non-predictable conditions in different sectors. 

With sophisticated AI software, such as reinforcement learning and computer vision, these robots are able to make decisions in complex decision making environments and more easily engage humans. This is a huge striding point in the quest to have machines with physical dexterity which combine with cognitive intelligence that opens up visions of Robo-Sapiens which would be able to boost and even redefine human productivity and creativity.​

Why Build Human-Like Robots?

Because humans are thinkers, creators, and explorers. It is natural that human beings identify with familiar things. A robot becomes more friendly when it has a face and moves like a human being with eyes. This elicits sympathy and trust, which make human beings accept and get along with robots.

Humans desire machines which can help us in doing more, thinking better, and also access places which we have no access to. Thus, the next logical step is to create robots which would resemble and behave like humans. Here’s a breakdown:

• To Work Side by Side With Us

Robots that are human shaped can occupy the space of human beings such as schools, hospitals, and homes since they are the same size as us and move in the same way. Examples of robots assisting physicians to treat patients or teachers in classrooms. Moving and interacting robots like us understand and become better adapted to human activities.

• To Learn 

People learn easily when robots are like them. By observing or practicing with human beings, they are able to acquire skills. This is beneficial in supporting the development of AI faster and safely.

• To Push Human Imagination

It is magic to have machines that resemble what is unique to us, our walking, talking, thinking. It drives science and it makes inventions that we have not even dreamed of.

The Obstacles that spur Innovation

It is not easy to design Robo-Sapiens. Engineers and scientists are required to answer puzzles such as:

• How would the robots be able to demonstrate what they are thinking and not confuse the users?
• What are the ways of making robots safe and reliable, particularly among people?
• Will robots be able to learn and develop human-like and make no mistakes?
• What causes robots to perceive compound human feelings and interpersonal signals?

These issues do not only make solving them exciting but also leave new spheres of study to students, PhD programs, and innovative inventions. 

What Does This Means for Students and Learners? 

If you are a student or someone passionate about AI and robotics, the rise of Robo-Sapiens is your moment. Here is why you should be excited and prepared:

• New Learning Paths: Schools and universities are introducing courses on robotics, AI, and human-computer interaction. Understanding how humans and robots communicate will be key.
• Career Opportunities: The need for experts who can design, program, and improve Robo-Sapiens is growing fast. From engineers to psychologists, many roles will shape the future of human-like machines.
• Becoming Creators, Not Just Users: Learning about Robo-Sapiens means you’re not just using technology but you’re building it. You can bring ideas to life that could change the way people live and work.
• Ethical Thinking: It’s also important to ask big questions, “How should robots act? What rights should they have?” Considering these questions prepares you for responsible technology leadership.

Moreover, people well-versed in AI wishing to leave their mark in history are already striving to build humanoid robots and human-like AI models, proving the time to be the best for building a career in the field of computer science. 

The connections between Human Perception and Machine Intelligence

To understand the connection between bots and human perception, I approached Harshit Dave, an AI expert and Ex-IBM researcher, who is currently working on this particular area trying to build AI models with cognitive abilities like that of humans. He explained that although AI systems, such as large language models (LLMs), can reason, calculate probabilities and generate explanation texts or numbers, there is a critical disconnect between the perception of users about the inner feeds of AI systems. Users are generally not able to instinctively feel the level of uncertainty or confidence of an AI or the depth of its reasoning, which makes it difficult to trust and interact. 

He further said, “the solution to this gap is futuristic research into human-computer interfaces beyond the visual-auditory signal-finger and sensory substitution, affective haptics where sensation of temperature, touch or other new modalities convey AI internal processes. This area of research reverses the trend of just making AI smarter and instead makes AI perceivable, so that users can develop credible mental models via embodied interaction.” 

“The interface design breakthroughs will be essential in any application that requires the use of Robo-Sapiens because human-robot collaboration requires intuitiveness and reliability through clear communication.,” he added. 

PhD Projects and Research in the Robo-Sapiens

A number of future research opportunities are currently on the rise with an aim of making Robo-Sapiens safer, more autonomous and flexible:

1. Autonomous Robotic Software Adaptation Projects such as RoboSapiens are making approaches on how robots can safely and effectively self-adapt to unanticipated environmental changes without impairment of performance or reliability. These methods incorporate sophisticated monitoring, analysis, planning, and implementation systems with deep learning to produce robotic systems that keep learning and getting better under natural environments.​
2. Sensory and Affective Interfaces: Future studies will investigate enhancing the sensory modalities in which human beings can perceive AI reasoning, e.g., through haptics to detect uncertainty or temperature changes to reflect processing intensity. It is an interdisciplinary task that includes affective computing and sensory substitution and cognitive psychology to better understand how users perceive AI behaviour and develop trust.​
3. Ethical and Cognitive Effects: Research questions include the influence of AI-enhanced humanoids on human cognition, creativity, and social functions. As an illustration, brain computer interfaces and cloud connected thinking are assured of higher creative output, however, there is a danger of cognitive decay should they be over utilized. Ethical AI structures and responsible engineering standards will be of paramount importance in making sure that Robo-Sapiens augment human capacities and not displace them.​

Researchers are Preparing For a Revolution

The explosion of humanoid robotics is expected to disrupt not only industrial sectors but also reshape education, healthcare, governance, and social interaction by 2050. Predictions estimate millions of humanoid robots operating across various domains. This transformation requires balancing technological advances with social acceptance and regulatory oversight.

AI aspirants and professors at top universities like Stanford are actively investigating these frontiers, focusing on how to blend robustness, adaptability, safety, and intuitive user interfaces into Robo-Sapiens. Their work includes exploring quantum computing's role, integrating multi-agent AI systems, advancing human-robot interaction, and crafting transparent explainability mechanisms that enhance collaborative human-machine decision-making.

Humans are Creating Humanised AI and Bots Cuz they are Humans

It is human in nature to be human enough to desire to create human-like machines. It is born out of our aspiration to discover, create and make life better in every way. The more intelligent and human Robo-Sapiens become, the bigger the challenge they give us to know more about ourselves and create a better future where man and machines can work together.

To all AI aspirants and students, this is your call to join the ride- learn robotics, feel AI, understand human behavior, and envision the future. Collectively, we will be able to develop Robo-Sapiens that are not merely machines, but co-worker towards progress.

Remember, robo-Sapiens is a story still in progress and the time is perfect to become a part of it. The future isn’t calling another Musk but (Your name), who will change the world. 

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are personal opinions of the author. They are all  views of the author in general and the author does not hold any legal responsibility or liability for the same.)

About the Author

Kanishka, a versatile content writer and acclaimed poetess from Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, combines her passion for creativity with a strong commitment to education. Beyond crafting compelling narratives, she is dedicated to enlightening readers by sharing insights and knowledge they often don’t encounter elsewhere. She has been featured in several national and international online magazines, and anthologies. Her talent and dedication to literature have earned her two national records— one for composing the longest reverse poem and another for compiling an all-female anthology that celebrates women’s voices. Her love for storytelling, philosophies, and mythologies fuels her mission to inspire and educate, shaping minds through the power of words and knowledge.

Career growth used to follow one clear route: work hard, get promoted, lead a team, move to senior roles. It's a story that Gen Z seems to rewrite. According to the recent survey conducted by global recruitment firm Robert Walters, there is a shift in preferences that many employers probably did not see coming.

In fact, 52% of the professional members of Gen Z don't want to take up middle management positions. That brings another popularly known emerging term: conscious unbossing. It simply reflects the choice not to be a manager, not for lack of talent or hard work but because success is perceived differently.

Being the boss isn't the goal anymore.

The generation has watched as many of their older colleagues in middle management level jobs have had to put up with long hours and restructuring, along with people problems, and a great number seem to think that it's just not worth it. A survey by Robert Walters underlines the fact that 69% of the workforce from Gen Z consider middle management jobs to be high stress and low reward, which influences how they actually think about the future.

Many also prefer roles centered on their own work. The same survey points out that 72 percent of the employees in Generation Z want to grow as individual contributors; thus, they want to build skills, strengthen their expertise, and work with independence. Leading a team is not always part of the plan.

Dual career tracks are one option. This means employees can progress either as managers or as experts with no requirement to supervise others. Giving younger employees responsibility for projects early in their careers is another idea. It's not a flight from leadership but a search for leadership, which may not be about people management. What actually matters to Gen Z is influence by knowledge, creativity, and results; this is the kind of thing that benefits organizations. The future of careers is flexible. If you are planning your career, this moment offers room to think. Success may not appear the same for everyone. Some may enjoy team building and coaching. For some, deep focus on a skill might work best. You can also go ahead and ask during an interview or internship how growth is designed at the organization. Is there a route that promotes and rewards your strengths? Are you able to lead through your work independently without necessarily managing a team? In India, the typical view is that a manager title is proof that one has grown within a family or workplace. Students may find themselves needing to explain why another path suits them better. The nature of work is changing in every sector. Hybrid work, short project roles, and startup cultures all give new meanings to the idea of progress. From climbing ladders to building them. The career ladder is slowly turning into a set of choices. Gen Z is asking a simple question: "Do I need to be a boss to succeed?" The survey by Robert Walters suggests that many feel the answer is no. Organisations that can recognize this shift early will tap into new forms of leadership. Students who understand these changes can plan careers that match what they truly want. This trend does invite both sides to rethink the structure of work. The next generation is not avoiding ambition; it is choosing a different shape for it.

About the Author: 



Bio: Nibedita is an independent journalist honoured by the Government of India for her contributions to defence journalism.She has been an Accredited Defence Journalist since 2018, certified by the Ministry of Defence, Government of India.  With over 15 years of experience in print and digital media, she has extensively covered rural India, healthcare, education, and women’s issues. Her in-depth reporting has earned her an award from the Government of Goa back to back in 2018 and 2019. Nibedita’s work has been featured in leading national and international publications such as The Jerusalem Post, Down To Earth, Alt News, Sakal Times, and others

It's time to retire that worn-out debate on higher education: classroom learning versus online learning. The debate has been a race between two camps, as if education needs to declare a winner. In truth, such framing itself is outdated. Sometimes, it may be in a late-night online module, sometimes in a heated classroom discussion, and often in an offline real-world project testing the theory.

Appropriately mixed, these ingredients make for a truly flexible, engaging, deeply human learning ecology. This would replace the passivity of lectures and the isolation of online courses with an integrated experience based on trust, collaboration, and respect for the personality of the learner. In the noisy world, in which information overflows everywhere, this is not a luxury-it's survival for the mind.

The Learner Becomes the Driver

With blended learning, the power dynamic gets turned on its head. It's flipped: learn the basics online and use in-person time to create, debate, code, simulate, build, and solve.

The Mentor Evolves — Not Fades

While critics fear that technology is substituting for teachers, the reality is it liberates them. Today, teachers design learning journeys, interpret data for intervention, and facilitate deep human learning experiences impossible to be supplanted by any AI. In return, their time is dedicated to what truly matters: sparking curiosity, instilling values, guiding teams, and mentoring individuals.

The Three-Part Harmony

Blended learning works because elements of the online, on-ground, and offline reinforce one another:

Online builds knowledge - the "what" On-ground builds understanding-the "so what". Offline build application and reflection -- the "now what". This balance also protects mental wellbeing, which is acutely needed in today's post-pandemic screen-saturated world. The Next Leap: Human + AI Blended learning is the bridge to this new frontier of the human-AI partnership in education. AI will provide personalized learning pathways, AR/VR will facilitate safe and immersive practice, while wisdom, empathy, ethics, and creativity remain the distinctly human strengths which the mentors focus on. The Editorial View The universities that will thrive will not be the ones which digitalize but the ones which humanize intelligently. Blended learning, powered by technology but anchored in human connection, is the model that shapes wiser, capable, more empathetic citizens. The question for the institutions is no longer "Should we blend?" It's: Will we have the courage to redesign, rebalance, and rehumanize learning for the world that is rapidly approaching?

Consider a young PhD scholar hunched over her bench in an Indian university laboratory late into the night. She is a first-generation learner and one of the brightest minds on campus. Yet, her day was defined not by research breakthroughs but by the public humiliation meted out by a supervisor-ideas dismissed, confidence eroded. In her inbox lies an offer from a European university: better funding, yes, but more importantly, a culture of respect, mentorship, and intellectual freedom. She is ready to leave-not for money but for dignity.

Her story is not an exception but a mirror to Indian academia.

We see a slow-burn crisis: casual caste and regional slurs brushed off as "jokes," closed-door decisions benefiting favourites, and ad-hoc rulemaking that shifts with power centres. Instead of curiosity, fear; instead of initiative, compliance. It is devastatingly unfortunate. Between 60,000–75,000 highly trained graduates—including IIT engineers and specialised researchers—leave India every year, draining $35–50 billion worth of talent and public investment annually. Even within the system, attrition is high, with the same individuals rotating in leadership roles to maintain the same insular circle.

This is not an accident; this is engineered through campus culture. And culture is a leadership choice.

It is now time for India to reverse this trajectory by turning away from punitive, hierarchical models of leadership and embracing Positive Leadership: a research-led, values-driven approach that creates "heliotropic campuses"-institutions that attract and retain talent the way a sunflower instinctively turns toward the sun.

The Shadow Campus: Understanding the Roots of Toxicity

Toxicity on campus is not an act; it's a system. It has an architecture that can be mapped across five dimensions:

Structural toxicity means lack of clear SOPs on admissions, hiring, grants or grievances that allows arbitrariness and favouritism.

Behavioral toxicity: micro-aggressions, public shaming, 'gotcha' emails, and unprofessional WhatsApp groups which humiliate rather than guide.

Incentive Toxicity: Rewarding loyalty to authority and not integrity or ingenuity. Neglecting mentorship and community-building work.

Process Toxicity: Paperwork for grievance mechanisms, delayed redressal, and informal punishment for speaking up.

Information Toxicity: Hoarding, rumour-driven communication, and opacity that breeds mistrust and silence.

Both these patterns emerge from the dominator culture that starts with student ragging and goes right up to senior academic bullying-two faces of the same disease: un-contained power. The worst brunt of this is suffered by marginalized students, particularly those from SC, ST, and OBC communities that face subtle and overt discrimination masquerading as meritocratic evaluation.

The most tragic consequence is the loss of future mentors. Those who leave-ethical, globally exposed scholars-are the very people who could have transformed Indian academia. And their absence creates leadership vacuums filled by people who run and support the toxic system. India is losing not just talent but reformers.

The Turn Toward the Sun: The Case for Positive Leadership

Positive Leadership represents a shift in focus-from faultfinding to strength-building, from fear-based compliance to purpose-driven excellence. Rooted in behavioral science, it is inspired by the heliotropic effect: the inborn tendency of living systems to move toward sources of nourishment and away from harm.

Positive leaders make a conscious effort to gratify the three basic psychological needs that undergird motivation: autonomy, competence, and belonging. This approach rests on four pillars:

Positive Climate: There is a culture of compassion, gratitude, and forgiveness; failing is an opportunity to learn.

Positive Relationships: High-trust networks across hierarchy that foster collaboration over competition.

Positive Communication – Public appreciation, private correction, transparent dialogue.

Positive meaning: daily activities linked to a higher purpose that inspires excellence beyond the job description.

From Day One to Year One: A Blueprint for Change

Change doesn't have to be about massive budgets; it needs committed leadership and small, continuous actions:

Immediate Actions (First 30 Days): Stop the Harm

Acknowledge past issues openly.

Ensure safe and confidential reporting channels.

Freeze discretionary decision-making. Require written justification.

Start every meeting with genuine appreciation.

Day 31–90: Embed Equity in Systems

• Publish transparent SOPs on hiring, appraisal, grants, and grievances.
• Replace annual performance "judgments" with coaching-based growth plans.
• Introduce mentor pairs for junior faculty in order to avoid supervisory misuse.

Day 91–180: Default to Positivity

• Establish a common mission statement to which the team goals are aligned.
• Measure psychological safety: publish results and actions.
• Recognize invisible emotional and community labor.

6–12 Months: Ensure Change Outlives the Leader

• Track early-warning culture indicators publicly.

Commission third-party culture audits annually. Create "belonging moats" of opportunities for growth, sabbaticals, micro-grants, and gratitude rituals. Conclusion: India needs to be a sun and not a sieve. India is at an inflection point. Will its institutions remain sieves, filtering talent to enrich other countries? Or will they be suns, spreading safety, dignity, and intellectual joy? Positive Leadership is not a soft ideal; it is a strategic national imperative. It is cost-effective, human-centred, and innovation-led. Cultures change not by memo but through rituals, systems, and everyday choices that privilege respect over fear. A campus becomes a sun the day its leaders choose fairness over favour, coaching over criticism, and purpose over power. It all begins with one act: choose trust.

Some resources for self-reading:

• Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don't by Simon Sinek: Focuses on creating a "circle of safety" in leadership to foster trust and cooperation.
• Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action by Simon Sinek: Explores how to lead by being driven by purpose, which inspires action.
• Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts. by Brené Brown: Tackles vulnerability, courage, and empathy as essential leadership qualities.
• The Power of Positive Leadership: How and Why Leaders Can Bring Out the Best in People by Jon Gordon: Advocates for cultivating optimism and a positive mindset to bring out the best in others.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey: A classic on personal and professional effectiveness that is fundamental for good leadership.

Indian women are creating a new history about science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), silently yet boldly breaking Bahu-nomic culture which is a social and cultural construct that historically defined women as creatures who are primarily at home, are married, have babies and do every labour for the family rather than pursue careers and independence. Today, Indian women are shattering these barriers and actually making a difference in the areas that were considered male-dominat, especially in advanced spheres such as artificial intelligence (AI).

The "Bahu-nomic Tradition": A Modern Demand 

The term Bahu-nomic is derived by combining the word Bahu (daughter-in-law) and economic. This is a new trending word used on social media by people who value the efforts of an unpaid househelp (married woman). Most Indian families believed that the ambitions of women other than housework came second. Early marriage, homemaking and subordination were greatly valued by the cultural norms and education was mostly restricted to that which could be regarded as fitting a housewife or educator. As society evolved, the demands increased. Women are now asked to earn as well as take care of the family. Once when women were only bothered for dowry has now transformed into being bullied and forced to manage kids, office, and house, and also split the expenses like electricity bill, EMIs, etc. 

India surely changed its behaviour towards women after invaders did their best to promote their culture and beliefs. This deeply ingrained social structure influenced the society, producing a palpable gap in female education and employment, particularly in elite and male-dominated professions like engineering or technology. Women in science, technology, and engineering were exceptional cases, and those who were able to venture into these areas were not received with trust, were looked down upon, and were not supported by the institutions.

Changing Tides: Women seeking STEM in India

Today, the whole scenario is changing fast. India now boasts one of the highest percentages of women STEM graduates globally which is approximately 43% according to the latest surveys. This is a great turn around of a nation that used to be miles behind. The girls of all social and economic backgrounds including rural and semi-urban are now taking up science and mathematics streams in schools with government programs, scholarships and a new attitude towards parents. 

Even after this progress, there is a paradox that is critical. It is only 27% of these graduates who are able to work in STEM industries. This is because of work prejudices in the workplace, pressures in the society concerning marriage and child care, rigid work settings, which fail to support women with their special needs, and the Bahu-nomic thinking that demands women to earn as well as take care of home! The other problems aren’t as concerning as the last one due to the fact that women are Shakti, the creator, who doesn’t complain instead creates a way for herself. Someone said it correctly, the giver is always exploited. However, these barriers are being overcome by the sheer force of will of numerous women, who are making their career in AI, robotics, biotechnology, and other high-tech STEM industries. 

Women in Artificial Intelligence and New Technologies

The technological future of India is artificial intelligence, which is the epitome of the modern era of innovation. The AI industry was traditionally dominated by males, nowadays women are proliferating in top positions, inventing disruptive algorithms, and startups that solve societal issues are being launched.

In India, the women AI practitioners are building solutions that go beyond healthcare diagnosing to language translation, providing work opportunities, and helping the world as a whole to develop technologically. They are not symbolic but substantive, influencing the discussion of AI ethics and AI policy with a lens that is, in most cases, an expression of inclusiveness and  empathy.

Consciously developed educational programs on AI, machine learning, data science, and related areas have been developed to ensure that more women enrol and this has been achieved through the involvement of universities, industry leaders, and the government. These are attempts to close the leaky pipeline -the expression of the loss of women over time through STEM education to work.

Breaking the Leaky Pipeline: Organizational and Social Action.

In addition to personal determination, it is necessary to solve the gender gap in STEM on a system level. Gender friendly policies are being adopted by institutions: flexible work schedules, better maternity leave, a harassment-free environment and safe workplace, and mentorship programs that are specifically designed to suit women.

Stereotypes that present the division between women and men work are being demolished at the community level. The reforms in education have brought on concrete, investigative based STEM learning in education that has involved girls in equal measure as boys. Inclusive STEM skills are developed in government schemes such as Atal Innovation Mission and Rashtriya Avishkar Abhiyan. 

The Greater Effect: Women Bucking the Conventional Story.

The emergence of female scientists in STEM is a social uprising that questions the principles of the Bahu-nomic tradition, re-defining womanhood as a state of intellect, independence and professional ambition. Such women are role models to their communities where they motivate families to equally appreciate education and where they motivate girls to dream of a life beyond the normal duties.

These women are changing policy and culture as they rise the ladder in leadership, pushing the agenda of greater gender equality. Their achievements draw attention to the economic and social advantages of diversity - more innovative and more efficient in finding solutions and growing more inclusive.

Women Beyond STEM 

Indian women across diverse fields are also breaking free from the Bahu-nomic tradition that confines them to unpaid domestic labor and undervalued work. Traditionally, much of women’s contributions inside households like cooking, cleaning, caregiving, have remained invisible and uncompensated, perpetuating economic and social dependency. Today, women are gaining greater economic and social control by penetrating formal working environments, business start-ups and top management positions, requiring acknowledgement and suitable payment..

This shift not only challenges deep-rooted stereotypes but also redefines the value of women’s labor in society. By balancing both paid careers and household responsibilities, women are disrupting centuries-old norms of unpaid labor, creating a ripple effect that moves toward equitable gender roles at home and in the economy.

Moving from Bahu-Nomic to Bias-Phobic Society 

India is at a critical point of becoming gender equal in the STEM sectors. Although many pockets of society continue to be influenced by societal norms with their basis in Bahu-nomic traditions, the wave of women becoming scientists, engineers, engineers, and mathematicians gives hope and promise. Not only are they swamping classrooms or laboratories but they are literally carving out the technological future of India proving that talent is not limited to gender or tradition overcomes tradition.

With this change evident to educators, policymakers, students, and society overall it is obvious that women empowerment in STEM is not just an issue of equality but a strategic requirement to the development of India in the 21st century. 

As more women rise, inspire, and lead, the ripple effect will continue to break old norms & boundations, and build a future where every woman can dream big and achieve even bigger. 

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