Insights

The school years that start at the start of it all can be recalled to go by in a blur of wee ones' pajamas, lunchboxes, and morning mayhem. For others, it's a seascape of candy-coated photos, the alphabet, and the beginnings of best friends. But beneath all the sweet facade is something very profound, something which impacts not only learning pathways, but the very mapping of a child's brain. The early years in school add up to a lifetime of learning, social bonding, and callousing of heart. The science behind it might be an eye-opener for many.

Hardwiring the brain, not merely learning letters

Basically, pre-primary and preschool classes are full of the learning of shapes, figures, and everyday day words. That is just the tip of it.

What's actually happening is a whopping amount of neurological building. The Center on the Developing Child at Harvard approximates that more than 1 million new neural connections are built each and every second in the brain of the young child during early childhood. It is early experience, and specifically structured ones like school, that get to determine which of those connections become entrenched and which can slide away.

Learning in school does not simply pick up facts. It picks up thinking, waiting in line, listening, questioning, and getting along with other people. Those are the real lessons that develop life-long mental and interpersonal understanding.

Feeling muscles start to develop

"Children are too young to learn feelings or become socially smart in early grade school." These early grade school years are the years management of feelings begins firmly to take root.

At school, children are presented with actual dilemmas, such as how to settle a dispute with another person or how to cope with routine and authority. They're all small but powerful emotional training ground.

It was proved by researchers at Yale University's Child Study Centre that social-emotional learning (SEL) in preschool and kindergarten had a significant impact on being sensitive and even diminishing behaviour problems. Kids who can articulate and regulate emotions consistently within a secure, stable school setting will become empathetic, resilient, and confident adults.

Language skills today, communication power tomorrow

There is the tendency to believe that authentic language capability starts when kids are pretty well able to read and write. But beginnings start before, and they are simpler than they appear.

In those years, becoming raised in the midst of told control, class conversation, and read-alouds works to build something more than words: knowing the world capability.

Studies found that kids who'd grown up in more prosperous early language environments possessed quicker and more competent brain responses to word processing as children. These early language abilities are associated with higher critical thinking, improved memory, and even improved mental health as an adult. 

Early confidence patterns start early

Self-confidence is assumed by most to be something one develops in childhood along with age. But the primary school years plant this seed subterranean, sometimes to last an entire lifetime.

When the child is complimented for a minor achievement, such as getting their name spelled correctly or knowing how to tie their shoe laces, the child begins building their inner belief system. It is the same which will become the inner voice that resonates loud through challenging school years ahead.

Early success at school had a profound impact on children's perception of their own ability well into teenage years. Wonderful is the manner in which one little word of encouragement or good manners from one of them can be recalled as a lifeline of inner confidence later in life.

School is the first window to the outside world

Home will instill love and values, but school will instill the initial concept of community.

Throughout all these initial five years, school is where kids learn that the world consists of other people but who are to be respected. From the memorization of how to collaborate on class projects to role-playing in art class, every experience expands the mind to kids learning about rules, diversity, cooperation, and fairness.

Shepherding and interacting with early learning groups significantly influence tolerance, eradicating prejudices, and bring long-term positive tendencies among other individuals. This is the start of being open-minded, caring human beings one could be not only as an individual, but also towards other people.

India’s education system is frequently recognized as a rising force globally, echoing Mahatma Gandhi’s vision that democracy thrives not on rote knowledge, but on meaningful education. At the helm of this transformation stands Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Education Minister since July 2021. With a strong background in administration and reform, Pradhan’s leadership has been central to the sector’s recent advancements.

One of the most significant reforms in recent years, the NEP 2020, is being implemented nationwide with the following primary objectives:

- Reducing rote memorization and emphasizing conceptual understanding.

- Promoting multidisciplinary education at the tertiary level.

- Integrating vocational training from Class 6 onwards.

- Introducing the use of mother tongue and regional languages, especially in early education.

- Reforming assessment systems to move beyond memory-based examinations.

Launched on 7th September 2022, the PM SHRI (Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India) scheme aims to transform 14,500 schools by 2026. Key features include:

- Smart classrooms and digital learning tools.

- Skill development labs.

- Sustainable and inclusive infrastructure.

- Teaching in regional languages.

To address the pressures of competitive exams, especially for Classes 11 and 12, the government introduced SATHEE, a free online coaching platform developed in collaboration with IIT Kanpur. Its primary goals:

- Reducing reliance on expensive private coaching for exams such as JEE and NEET.

- Supporting students from government schools and economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

Programs like Samagra Shiksha and BharatNet have been expanded to enhance digital infrastructure, particularly in rural and remote areas. Key focus areas:

- Implementation of smart classrooms and reliable broadband access.

- Deployment of AI-powered tools for teachers.

- Development of multilingual digital educational resources.

Recognizing the importance of educators, a panel was established in 2025 to address:

- Overdependence on private coaching institutes.

- The prevalence of “dummy schools.”

- Misalignment between school curricula and competitive exam requirements.

Additional efforts include:

- National Professional Standards for Teachers (NPST)

- National Mission for Mentoring (NMM)

- Training teachers in local languages.

- Providing high-quality digital content and mentorship.

The Union Budget 2025–26 allocated a record ₹1.28 lakh crore to the education sector, emphasizing:

- Digital infrastructure and smart schools.

- Research hubs and artificial intelligence tools.

- Expanded skill development programs.

- Increased capacity in medical and engineering education.

India’s education system is undergoing substantial transformation under the leadership of Shri Dharmendra Pradhan. Through comprehensive policy reforms, modernization of school infrastructure, advancement of digital literacy, and focused investment in educators, the system is evolving into a robust foundation. These initiatives position India to realize its ambitions of becoming a developed and self-reliant nation, with education serving as a critical pillar for future growth.

By Jishnu Mukherjee

In a digital world of visual parts and short stories, one might think that the book would be lost in the scroll, but against all odds, literature is surviving - online. Specifically, a lively and passionate community has sprung up on Instagram that has come to be known as Bookstagram. This visual and content-based subculture of book lovers, or bibliophiles, has changed the way people find, talk, and interact with books in the 21st century. 

In India - Bookstagram is not a trend; it is a movement. In Bookstagram India 2025, we see cozy flat-lay images, in-depth reviews, live ask-the-author sessions, and video reel styled book recommendations that show a vibrant culture of aesthetics, intellect, and influence in the Bookstagram community.

A Visual Revolution in Literature

When thinking of literature, Instagram is likely not going to be the first platform you think of, but it is likely to be one of the best resources for literary outreach. Bookstagram merges exciting photographs with thoughtful storytelling and then allows readers to share not only "what" they are reading, but also "why" it matters to them. 

Beautifully designed book covers in flat lays, short video reviews, bookshelf tours, mood boards, aesthetic quote posts, and memes are all part of a distinctive storytelling mode of self-expression for readers that embodies Bookstagram. For the under-represented segment of readers in India, particularly younger readers and digital nativists, this has provided a new entry point to literature.

The Emergence of Bookstagram and its Impact Across the Globe

Bookstagram, a combination of "books" and "Instagram," denotes an online community of readers, who share their reading lives through posts, stories, and reels. Seamlessly, the use of a social media platform, with Instagram, ultimately began as a global trend around 2015, which spread rapidly with users blending photography and literature to utilize the availability of digital space to make books more accessible, visually, to read and buy.

Bookstagram turned Instagram—a photo-sharing site known for selfies and lifestyle snap—a congregating point for amazing readers. All reports suggest that this reached India, and there was new and fertile ground for the global movement among English readers and regional language readers alike and, by 2020, Indian bookstagrammers had already started to create impactful niche audiences. The few to come has always been Bookstagram India 2025, whereas Bookstagram has transitioned into an ever growing ecosystem with influencers, who are publishers, authors, and readers alike.

Bookstagram in India: A New Frontier for Literature

India's reading traditions have a long past, but the Bookstagram era changed the expectations for readers in the digital age.

Through visuals, reading updates, "reading with me" posts, bookshelf tours, and genre highlights that curate the reading experience, reading has become the new trend and accessible. However, what makes Bookstagram India 2025 more unique compared to Bookstagram internationally is the diversity-not just language diversity, but also genre, formats, and reader identities.

Whether it is English fiction, Hindi poetry, Tamil thrillers, or translated memoirs from Malayalam-- these pages represent the myriad of India's culture and in fact Bookstagram pages often act as discovery tools, helping young readers find books they normally would not pick, including books by lesser-known Indian authors and translated regional writing.

The Emergence of Indian Book Influencers

At the center of the phenomenon of 'bookstagram' are Indian book influencers: content creators who use the social media platform Instagram to express their feelings about books. Influencers possess a wide follower base: from a few thousand to over a few hundred thousand followers. These influencers have acted as cultural intermediaries that connect publishers and authors with involved readers. 

Influencers like @thebookishtales, @booksandburgs, @novelsandchai, and @thebibliophileinme have had a persistent following, where their audiences see them as trusted members of that community. Their influence does not stop at reviewing books, they also offer and promote reading challenges, run bookclubs, host and organize online literary festivals, and even help to determine bestseller lists by influencing readers to purchase a book. 

Unlike critics, the Indian book influencer has democratized reading. Their content consists of serious literary analysis and impulse meme-ified reviews; all of which relies on creative and striking presentation using platforms such as Instagram Reels, Instagram carousels, and stylish “bookstagram grids.” Publishers have recently been collaborating with influencers to promote books, knowing that an influencer can convert a review to a sale.

Gen Z and the New Literacies in Reading in India

Generational change is one of the most influential drivers behind the emergence of Bookstagram in India, Generation Z—those born between 1997 and 2012. Gen Z is often assumed to be screen-bound and lacking in attention, however, the reading trends Gen Z India are conveying a more complex picture. 

Through Bookstagram and other online reading communities, reading is becoming a more aspirational activity for Gen Z Indians. Bookstagram not only promotes reading, it maintains a certain glamour about reading. Gen Z is connecting to reading in aspirational ways through the use of visual aesthetics, captions they relate to, and hashtags according to genre, enabling them to establish books as part of their digital identity. 

This shift is demonstrated during reading trends like  (#Romantasy), (#SouthAsianAuthors), (#OwnVoicesIndia), demonstrating that reading intersects with familiar realities for younger audiences. Importantly, younger audiences are seeking diverse formats of literature (e-books, audiobooks, graphic novels), which reduces barriers for entry and increases flexibility in reading.

Instagram for Book Lovers: A New Marketplace for Publishers

In India, Instagram's emergence as a meeting place for book lovers has also changed book marketing. Traditional forms of promotion—airing ads on TV, newspaper ads, and author signings—now coexist with influencer promotions, cover reveals and Bookstagram Q&As.

Publishers are becoming more aware of the returns on investment that Indian book influencers can provide, with many now sending out "Advanced Reader Copies" (ARCS) to trusted Bookstagrammers, forking out google ads space to well-known creators, and walking audiences through cover design on crowd-sourcing panels.

Small and independent publishers particularly benefit from this scene. They often do not have the monetary space of traditional houses, and rely on organic reach by micro-influencers to create buzz around their niche or debut titles. This visibility to many eyes through Bookstagram often translates into features in magazines, podcasts, or online journals, and so on, and ultimately contributes to the success of the book.

A Literary Renaissance, One Post at a Time

In a time in which consumption is quick and attention spans are fleeting, it is astounding that reading, arguably the most self-reflective art form, is experiencing a cultural renaissance in large part due to Bookstagram. What is unique about Bookstagram India 2025 is its ability to take a global trend and localize it. Indian readers, makers, and publishers have claimed it as theirs through the lens of diversity, language, passion, and purpose.

This is more than beautiful photos or curated shelves. It is about storytelling, community, and a new form of democratizing literary influence. Whether it's a student in Pune reading queer Indian poetry for the first time, a homemaker in Kochi sharing Tamil translations of English classics, or a young woman in Delhi launching her own digital book club, Bookstagram is positively and quietly changing reading behaviour in India.

In the process, it is creating a new type of literary hero. Not the solitary critic or famous author, but the everyday reader who shares what they love and invites people to read together.

 BY- ANANYA AWASTHI

Student pressure is a hidden epidemic affecting many young learners today. The idea of the ‘perfect student’ who is synonymous with always punctual, high-scoring, and flawlessly behaved, creates unrealistic expectations that can trigger stress and anxiety. This guide explores the perfect student paradox, revealing the unseen struggles behind the success.

There’s this quiet pressure that exists in almost every school. It doesn’t always come from teachers or parents directly, but it’s there  in how we’re spoken about, in who gets picked to lead the assembly, in the way some people are praised like they’ve figured out life just because they’re topping a few tests. It’s this idea that there’s such a thing as the “perfect student.”

You know the one. Always on time. Always prepared. Participates in every competition. Polite, presentable, never argues, never complains. And of course good marks, good behavior, good everything.

But let’s be honest. That student? They might be barely holding it together.

We’ve all seen the pressure up close. Some of us live in it. You study hard, score well, and people just assume you’ve got it all under control. But what they don’t see is the stress headaches, the crying at night, the mental checklist that never ends. You can’t mess up, because once you’re seen as “the good one,” you feel like you’re not allowed to fall.

We’ve grown up seeing these expectations play out in stories, too. Like Rory Gilmore from Gilmore Girls: She's smart, responsible, and always striving. But the second things started slipping, she didn’t know who she was anymore. Or Chatur in 3 Idiots, who followed every rule and still felt hollow at the end. It’s a pattern perfection looks great on the outside, but inside, it’s isolating.

In real life, it’s worse. I’ve seen people score in the 90s and still beat themselves up for not hitting 95. I’ve had friends break down after winning a competition because they felt like they didn’t deserve to rest. And no one really checks in because if your marks are good, what could possibly be wrong?

That’s where the problem lies. Not in wanting to succeed but in feeling like you can’t be human while doing it. We’re expected to be robots who manage everything: school, classes, hobbies, family, future plans and still smile through it. But we’re not machines. We get tired. We get confused. And sometimes we don’t have the answers.

And yeah, it’s lonely. When all anyone sees is your achievements, you start thinking that’s all you’re worth. You stop asking questions. You stop trying new things out of fear that you might fail. You keep parts of yourself hidden, just to keep the image intact.

But people aren’t perfect. Some of us learn slower, but understand deeply. Some people are average at maths but brilliant when it comes to understanding people or solving real-life problems. Some kids are just trying to survive the day and  dealing with stuff at home, in their heads, or both.

We don’t talk about them enough.

Instead, we praise late nights, anxiety, exhaustion , like they’re badges of honor. We joke about never sleeping, but behind those jokes is a very real struggle.

What if we made space for honesty instead? What if we said, “It’s okay to be confused. It’s okay to rest. It’s okay to not have it all figured out”?

Maybe failing a test doesn’t mean you’ve failed at life. Maybe taking a break is the strongest thing you can do. Maybe being “just okay” is more than enough sometimes.

We need to stop chasing this fake idea of perfection. Start valuing kindness, growth, effort,even when it’s messy. Start seeing students as people, not report cards.

Because the real goal of education? It isn’t to create perfect students.

It’s to help us become full, thoughtful, real humans.

And real humans? We’re never perfect. But we keep learning anyway.

By Aditi Sawarkar

The state government is mulling conducting major common entrance tests (CETs), including the MHT-CET, for engineering, pharmacy, and agricultural courses admissions at least twice a year for the students' convenience.

The concept is to give the students a chance to enhance their marks and depend on something other than a one-day exam, the source stated. With CBT extended over several days and the size of the number of students appearing for CETs in the state, the higher and technical education department will have to research the viability of holding the exercise more than once a year.

A government official said that there is too much dependence on a one-day test, which can be unjust for a number of reasons. A student may not be well, be under tremendous pressure, or encounter an unexpected problem that day. "If anything goes wrong, they stand to lose a whole academic year. We therefore want to know if we can provide students with more than a single opportunity.".

But we have to carry out the CET, which is a huge exercise that takes several days, and we require exam centres for almost a month. Hence, providing multiple chances to students might prove to be difficult, but we are working on the modalities. It is in the discussion phase," the representative added, hoping that the number of students might reduce with the subsequent attempts.

The department is also attempting to introduce more transparency in how the CET is conducted for professional courses. For example, the govt is going to engage aided colleges to work as exam centers.

At the same time, the technical and higher education department is organizing a one-day national-level conference with testing organizations like the National Testing Agency for exchanging and comprehending the best practices in conducting entrance examinations in a student-friendly way.

Since our world is quickly evolving towards an AI and tech-centric future, the college admissions process is no exception. The world economy needs more specialisation and inter-disciplinary problem-solving. The institutional agendas of the best colleges in the world also signify the shift.

Our education system, though, falls behind. Too much emphasis on intellectual brilliance leaves no room for building well-rounded profiles. As the Ivys pursue the intellectual whiz kids, they also search for good extracurricular profiles and individual narratives.

A good academic record can hardly make up for a lack of extracurriculars. An empty lack of academic and career counseling in high-school curriculum compounds the issue. Therefore, academically talented students sometimes fail to impress the admissions committee and their achievements are rendered worthless. This is even more important since the acceptances percentage in the top universities is approaching a historic low. During the previous cycle, we saw some of the percentages fall below 5%—and lower yet for Indian applicants only. 

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There is just one regulation to the process of applying: be engaging. The rules of success in the Ivy League carry over to success in life in general perfectly. So then the solution also is to go back to first principles of quality schooling. The liberal arts model practiced by the finest colleges, including the Ivies, tests students holistically, as opposed to simply on intellectual potential alone.

As was found during the 2014 lawsuit, Harvard evaluates its candidates on these 4 aspects, and collectively they are perfect to test the total growth of a young pupil. This model is adopted by the easiest measurement of total growth:

• Extracurricular: Find your Ikigai through extracurricular activities. Working on social impact personal projects helps in developing interpersonal skills, and pre-professional experiences build relevant transferable skills, providing industry context. Moreover, landing opportunities is an exercise in self-marketing, which is an extremely important skill to learn. Remember to think globally and act locally. The universities are keen to notice how you’re engaging with your local community and solving problems.

Comparison of the costs of housing in the UK's major cities for Indian students

• Personal: To develop the eye to view challenges as opportunities and a challenge of problem-solving and personal development. Social, Emotional, and Ethical learning values should be our guiding light. Values over information and knowledge but values such as ethics, synthesis, and growth, education is necessary to understand this complex world. Being antifragile, inquisitive, leaders, resilient, and culturally embedded is crucial in today's rapidly changing career landscape.
• Academic: Gain scholarly strength. Graduating from high school does not suffice, do high school academic scholarship. Interdisciplinary research is needed to achieve mature balanced scholarly perception. A scholar who has a more holistic perspective across disciplines is a superior problem-solver, entrepreneur, and leader.
• Athletics: Competitive sport is usually the steppingstone to a lifetime of healthy productive life. Colleges also hungrily seek world-class athletes among their student body. Being an athlete in itself isn't necessarily necessary for the process, but sport can be the teacher of values such as discipline, perseverance, team work, and leadership—something very coveted in application season.

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The common denominator for these demands is authenticity, which is a core aspect of personal branding. Thus, one must find one's Ikigai and promise to become brilliant at it, instead of being chased for piecemeal pursuits in the cause of college admissions. The career has to offer teachers particular, moment-to-moment tools and techniques to access the maximum potential of students so they can succeed in their studies as much as in life. Alumni networking has to be facilitated such that there is a system of support and advantage derived from the valid experience of seniors.

In short, the perfect applicant is someone who demonstrates that they can make it in life. Colleges want students who can explain the world's complexities and also challenge themselves. Take the admissions process as an opportunity to discover your voice, find yourself, and where you are meant to be. Bet on yourself and the rest will follow!