Aneekah Ssonawane’s 6-year-old son is no regular school-going boy. He learns through real-world experiences while travelling across India.
It all started when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and his mother realised that life had gotten so hectic that taking time out for oneself was hard.
So, in 2020, Aneekah quit her job as an IT manager and decided to take a solo trip to Banaras and the hill state of Uttarakhand.
Seeing his mother’s pictures of the scenery and landscapes, Pransh took such a liking that he begged her to take him along on her next trip.
“Schools were holding classes online at the time. I felt children of his age should not be learning through a screen, but rather experiencing what they learn,” she says.
In January 2021, she pulled Pransh out of school. The duo took their first-ever trip together from Pune to Spiti Valley.
Pransh thoroughly enjoyed basking in nature, playing with the kids in the homestay, and running around the area. He did not miss home.
The experiences made Aneekah see that life was as good a classroom as any for her son.
She decided to explore homeschooling Pransh instead of limiting him to the four walls of a classroom.
Very often she gets questions if Pransh will go back to school and will ever give board exams.
But Aneekah says, “Our society has made us believe that board exams are the ultimate goal. This pressure ruins their childhood.”
The duo has explored MP, Maharashtra, Haryana, Goa, Uttarakhand, and Ladakh. They are now looking to venture towards the South.