A unique and innovative language teaching programme could well make a linguist out of anyone. Started in 2012 in Chennai, the Karadi Path programme uses a multi-pronged approach. For instance, in the action path, students learn by doing and seeing. “Even a one-year-old can read. We have all seen children recognising the names of their favourite drink. We all are wired to infer from shapes as our ancient languages were mostly pictographical,” says P Vishwanath, founder of Karadi Path, which is an offshoot of Karadi Tales Company Pvt Ltd that publishes and sells child audio books in India and abroad.
The idea took root, seeing the stark difference in languages learnt within classrooms and when picked up from the environment. “Schools teach language the same logical way they teach Mathematics. They fail to understand that language learning should happen intuitively. We should move from idea to words, not from words to idea. For example, before we introduce the word ‘water’ to children, it would be a good idea to make them experience water,” says Vishwanath. “Language is in the air for us, we pick it up from our environment. It is not thrust upon us, we are naturally attuned to it.”
Karadi Path programmes are administered through schools across India and cater to people of all age groups, from students to adults, for Rs 200 to Rs 1,000 per student per year.
Through action and miming, students easily and quickly identify and remember words. “Teachers enjoy the process of learning, and this enthusiasm is transferred to students, says Sahida, principal of Telangana Social Welfare Residential Educational Society (TSWRES) (G), Kammadanam, Mahaboob Nagar District. The programme also increases the concentration and comprehension levels of students.
In the music path, students are presented with conversations through songs, which makes them take to language as they would to film songs.
The Karadi Path programme is topped off with the story path, where there is a mosaic of prose and verse, rhyme and rhythm with fun and frolic. Here, the learner is given a bilingual book with pictures with a story narrated with music. The narrators voice the characters in the story—such as grandmother, fox, etc—making learning a pleasant experience. “Learning should be a fun activity that gives pleasure, and that’s what the Karadi Path programme offers in plenty,” says Raseeyudin, principal of TSWRES (B), Pargi Reddy District.
Learning a language also means getting the accent down pat. “We have made learners from those less privileged in Telangana do well. We have taught students in government residential schools run by TSWREIS, specifically for students from the SC community. These are students who have dropped out or are potential dropouts. When we create a conducive environment for learning, they do pretty well,” says Vishwanath.