Teacher Portrait – Ms Indira

Being from Odisha, the land of Lord Jagarnath, Ms Indira completed her education and PhD in her home of eastern India. After working in research laboratories, she has been teaching for 22 years in colleges and schools in Bhubaneswar, Delhi and Bangalore – passionate about spreading the joy for lifelong learning. We reached out to Ms Indira to find out more about her love for teaching and joy for science.  

The learning process continues until the day you die – Ms Indira, Chemistry teacher, Head of Chemistry Department 

Having worked at TISB since 2013, Ms Indira says that she is happy working in an environment with a supportive community of people: “a place which has given me some wonderful friends over the past few years!” Work also offers Ms Indira an opportunity to give back to society, which is a central part of her motivation to learn more and to spread her experiences to young people. 

Ms Indira sees science as an important part of equality, and an opportunity to empower girls and women to take care of their own lives and contribute to society. “It is important to have an inclusive society offering equal opportunity, without any gender bias”, says Ms Indiara, who believes that mothers, after all, are the first educators in life. As school reopens, Ms Indira is looking forward to having students back in physical school, as nothing can replace physical classrooms and live lab sessions, which feeds the fascination of science. 

A quick Q&A with Ms Indira 

What is your favourite food?  
I like simple vegetarian food….Daalpuri with aloo prepared my sister is the tastiest! 

What is your favourite  music?  
Old melodies of Lataji….o sajna barkha bahar ayi…is my all-time favourite! 

What is your favourite book and movie?  
Book: Odia Novel Yajnaseni, by Pratibha Ray. Based on life of Draupadi, a character in Mahabharata, A Sanskrit Epic of ancient India. Movie: Three Idiots. 

What is your favourite animal?  
Panda. 

What is your favourite colour?  
Red. 

What is your favourite hobby?
I enjoy exploring different art forms, like sketching and fabric painting the most -- just to appreciate the creativity within me .