Last week, I finally met my hero, Prof. H.C. Verma—someone whose #ConceptsOfPhysics shaped my own journey since 2011. Welcoming him into our #IITMandi #TinkeringLab was a dream come true. Sonu Nigam appreciating your #singing. Irfan Khan praising your #acting. And Prof. H.C. Verma appreciating your #teaching and #research. What more could one ask for? When my friend Manish Kumar told me he was arriving, I started overflowing with emotions "Oh... I might get to see him." Like someone says, "Your favourite Actor is visiting tomorrow." I was excited I might see him for the first time in my life, and that was enough exciting. But life had planned something far deeper. I got to sit with him, click photos, and spend almost two hours sharing my work face to face with the person whose books had sparked my love for physics and learning. Back in #2017, during a #struggling phase, I had written to him sharing my dream to teach, pursue a #PhD, and design #toys that make #sciencejoyful. Recently, I showed him that same #email. And this time, it was in person with warmth and attention. I shared with him what l've built inside our #Tinkering Lab years of designing and experimenting to create #learning tools from the ground up. I demonstrated my #LabonBook #prototype series interactive books filled with hands-on experiments on #resistance, #sensors, capacitors, temperature, and more. He saw the experimental framework, I am designing soft toys and a range of science experiments we've developed in chemistry, electricity, plasma, all aligned with school curricula and the vision of NEP 2020. First, he flipped through my Lab on Book, a three-year passion project born from a simple four-page assignment. Fifteen illustrated, hands-on experiments later—including pencil-and-resistance challenges inspired by his own work—he stopped at each page with genuine delight. Next came select demos from my evolving experimental framework, where art and science collide in curriculum-aligned play. Watch as the human body becomes a Tesla-coil antenna to light an LED at arm’s length (#WirelessElectricity), dandelion hairs dance in a plasma field (#PlasmaMagic), and clay transforms into temperature sensors and 3D “solidification” art (#ClaySensors #ScienceArt). We also toured triboelectric stations, skill-development and pottery-machine setups (#SkillDevelopment), and saw smart-material prototypes and shape-memory toys in action. His favorite? A laser-sharp #LiFi demo using red, green, and blue LEDs to transmit data in a classroom-ready format. Prof. Verma’s reflections reminded me that true #ScienceCommunication sparks curiosity and bridges disciplines. I’m deeply grateful to my supervisors for the freedom and resources to bring these ideas to life—and to Prof. Verma for his generous encouragement. Back in 2017, during a particularly challenging time, I mustered the courage to email Prof. H.C. Verma—my hero since 2011—about my passion for hands-on science and tinkering (#2017Mail #DepressionTime). I never imagined that a simple message would one day lead to a three-hour, face-to-face exploration in our IIT Mandi Tinkering Lab. If you believe in the power of childlike wonder, hands-on learning, and the magic that happens when you meet your hero, this video is for you. Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more #STEMForAll adventures!

What if understanding a concept meant becoming it? In this session for 110 in-service government school teachers at IIT Mandi Tinkering Lab — invited by DIET Mandi — teachers did not observe the states of matter. They became them. Solid — standing close · still · ordered. Liquid — flowing · connected · shifting. Gas — free · energetic · expanding. Plasma — ionised · electric · alive. Through dance and collective movement — each state of matter was experienced as a felt physical reality before it was named or explained. This is performative pedagogy — where drama · movement · and embodied cognition replace diagrams and memorisation. Drawing on: Performative Pedagogy · Richard Schechner Embodied Cognition · Lakoff & Johnson Kinesthetic Learning · Howard Gardner Drama-Based Science Education Somatic Learning · body as curriculum When the body understands — the mind simply confirms what is already known. Part of ongoing PhD research at IIT Mandi in experiential · embodied · and performative science education. #PerformativePedagogy #StatesOfMatter #DancingScience #EmbodiedCognition #KinestheticLearning #DramaInScience #SomaticLearning #PhysicsEducation #TeacherTraining #IITMandi #DIETMandi #STEAMEducation #ExperientialLearning #HowardGardner #ScienceAndDrama #PlasmaPhysics #SolidLiquidGas

Every culture has explained lightning. Every culture has explained storms. Every culture has asked — why does the air rise · why does heat move? In this session for 110 in-service government school teachers at IIT Mandi Tinkering Lab — invited by DIET Mandi — Tawhirimatea · the Maori god of lightning and storms from New Zealand · becomes the entry point for understanding heat convection physics through a heat physics demonstration. Mythology is not the opposite of science. It is science in its earliest language — humanity's first attempt to explain the same phenomena that physics equations describe today. By connecting cross-cultural mythology · humanities · and religious traditions to physical phenomena — this session demonstrates how interdisciplinary thinking makes abstract science immediately meaningful. Drawing on: Ethnoscience Education History and Philosophy of Science Cross-Cultural Science Education Interdisciplinary STEAM Pedagogy Mythology as Proto-Science · Joseph Campbell tradition When science speaks the language of human story and culture — it stops being a subject and becomes a way of understanding everything. Part of ongoing PhD research at IIT Mandi in interdisciplinary · culturally responsive · and experiential science education. #Ethnoscience #Tawhirimatea #MaoriMythology #HeatConvection #SingingPipe #CrossCulturalScience #MythologyAndScience #InterdisciplinarySTEAM #HistoryOfScience #PhilosophyOfScience #TeacherTraining #IITMandi #DIETMandi #CulturallyResponsivePedagogy #STEAMEducation #ExperientialLearning #JosephCampbell #ScienceAndMythology

What if the most sophisticated laboratory is the human body itself? In this session conducted for 110 in-service government school teachers at the IIT Mandi Tinkering Lab — invited by the District Institute of Education and Training · Mandi — I demonstrate an integrated pedagogical approach to teaching charge separation · electrostatic induction · and lightning without a single piece of equipment. Eyes closed · hands rubbing · 110 teachers felt charge separation happen inside their own skin — before a single equation was written. Using embodied cognition — where learners physically become the phenomenon being studied — and contemplative inquiry — where closed eyes and directed attention replace the laboratory bench — teachers experience friction · charge separation · and static discharge as a first-person felt reality rather than a third-person observed fact. The session draws on: #embodied #Cognition · Lakoff & Johnson #contemplative #pedagogy · Arthur Zajonc Thought Experiment Methodology · #Einstein's #gedankenexperiment tradition #narrative #epistemology — connecting #electrostatics s to the philosophy of giving and taking When the concept lives in the body before it lives in the textbook — it stays permanently. It does not need to be memorised. It is already known. This approach was developed as part of ongoing PhD research at IIT Mandi in experiential · contemplative · and #embodied science education and pedagogy. TAGS #embodiedcognition · Contemplative Pedagogy #thoughtexperiments Experiment · Narrative Epistemology Lakoff & Johnson · Arthur Zajonc Einstein · Gedankenexperiment Science Education · #Physics Teaching #Teacher Training · #Electrostatics #Charge Separation · #Inquiry #Based #Learning IIT Mandi · #DIET Mandi · #STEAM Education Experiential Learning · Physics Without Equipment

What if human bodies could complete an electrical circuit wired & wirelessly? In this session conducted for 110 in-service government school teachers at the IIT Mandi Tinkering Lab — invited by the District Institute of Education and Training · Mandi — one teacher touches a plasma ball · another touches the terminal of an LED. The LED glows. No wire between them. No direct electrical connection. Just two human bodies · a high-frequency electric field · and the physics of capacitive coupling made suddenly · completely · undeniably visible. Using the human body as both conductor and capacitor — teachers experience series and parallel circuit behaviour as first-person felt reality rather than third-person observed diagram. The session draws on: Embodied Cognition · Lakoff & Johnson Capacitive Coupling · High Frequency AC Theory Plasma Ball Physics · Tesla's principles Contemplative Pedagogy · Arthur Zajonc Experiential Circuit Education — where the body becomes the wire When understanding enters through the body before the textbook — it does not need to be memorised. It has already been felt. This experiment was developed as part of ongoing PhD research at IIT Mandi in experiential · embodied · and contemplative science education and pedagogy. ━━━━━━━ #capacitive #Coupling · #plasma Ball #physics s #Human Circuit · Wireless LED Embodied Cognition · Circuit Education Series and Parallel Circuits High Frequency AC · Tesla Coil Principle #contemplative #pedagogy · Arthur Zajonc Teacher Training · Physics Education IIT Mandi · DIET Mandi · STEAM Education #experientialeducation #learninginnovation ·#embodiedcognition #learningthroughplay Science Without Textbooks · #viral Science Physics Experiment · Wireless Electricity

We recently had the absolute pleasure of hosting a vibrant group of 110 in-service teachers from DIET Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, at our Tinkering Lab. While the official goal was an "exposure-cum-demonstration" visit organized by the Centre for Continuing Education (CCE), it turned into so much more. The atmosphere was electric! For a few hours, the boundaries between "teacher" and "student" disappeared as we all dove into the world of hands-on creation. Highlights of the Day: Pure Joy: Seeing dedicated educators rediscover the wonder of making and experimenting. Collaborative Spirit: Two groups of 200+ teachers engaged in deep, positive interactions. The "Childhood" Spark: We didn't just share knowledge; we shared laughs, experiments, and the pure thrill of discovery. It was an honor to be part of this journey with the teaching community of Himachal Pradesh. Sharing knowledge is one thing, but enjoying the process together is where the real magic happens. #TinkeringLab #DIETMandi #TeacherTraining #HandsOnLearning #InnovationInEducation #HimachalPradesh #CCE #STEMEducation