the odd path and divert form their expected lines. This weekend, we have a
hero on the similar lines; you may say heroine as the nomenclature is
Madhumita Halder. To the uninitiated, she is the founder of the Indian
version of SCRABBLE which is now creating ripples across 2500 schools in 3
states of the country. In many a govt. schools in the rural lands, it has
become a more religiously sought after thing than the mid-day-meal; infact
in many schools it is the only extra-curricular activity. Along with Rajat
Dhariwal and Manoj Dhariwal, she has also co-founded Mad Rat Games. Lets
delve some time on her story of IIT, software job, and then poke into an
article about the trio. Hope you enjoy it. For the more interested soul,
you may check out inktalks.com; a video on her is on the forefront.
As they always say, there are lot many things to be done. If we cant do
anything, lets appreciate others efforts atleast!
Madhumita Halder
Madhumita Halder is the founder of MadRat Games, creators of the World’s
first Indian Language word game – Aksharit (www.aksharit.com). She
graduated in Computer Science from IIT Bombay and being an artist at heart,
worked for a FX studio. However her creative energies not finding room for
expression in the corporate world, she chose to work with children. She
subsequently taught middle school children at an alternate education center
for 4 years.
She explored science through games, play and activities with the children.
That’s when the tremendous potential that Play had in learning became
abundantly clear. With the vision to unleash this potential that Play holds
to engage learners through fun, she co-founded MadRat Games. Their flagship
game Aksharit is now ready in 11 major Indian Languages and has been
adopted by more than 2500 schools across the country. Nokia, Intel and
Google have partnered with MadRat Games and launched Aksharit on half a
million devices.
PERSONAL JOURNEY
By my first job I had everything that I had learnt is needed for
contentment, yet I felt lost and a search for my purpose in life began. As
the question became intense, disillusionment grew and at this time a friend
advised me to read the Bhagwad Geeta (which honestly sounded clichéd then)
and it talked about how our self brings in emotions and prejudices to our
sensory experiences and I knew a switch in me had turned on. I suddenly saw
the world for what it was, the societal conditioning dropped and my
exploration began.
From: The HINDU, Aug-11 2012
What started as a college project culminated as the world’s first board
game in Hindi. Ushamrita Choudhury writes on the story of three technical
graduates who became entrepreneurs with a landmark product.
“Designing board games seemed a suicidal idea in today’s age of fancy
computer and video games. Explaining why we were making games in Hindi was
another story in itself,” says Manuj Dhariwal, 27, a pioneer in the field
of vernacular board games. English is the aspirational language today; why
Hindi? Governments are hopeless; you can never work with them ethically!
These comments are just part of a typical day in the lives of Manuj, Rajat
Dhariwal and Madhumita Halder, three young, inventive and enterprising
individuals responsible for developing Aksharit, the world’s first board
game in Hindi.
Aksharit is the vehicle through which the trio launched their in-house
production about five years ago, and though the journey for MadRat Games,
their company, has been challenging so far, it has been enriching and
fulfilling at the same time.
As technical graduates, Manuj, Rajat and Madhumita found themselves
constrained by the analytical and logical business world. The free-spirited
entrepreneurs wanted to explore the avenues of an unconventional career.
Driven by earnestness to contribute to the field of education, and
propelled by a passion for Indian languages, Rajat and Madhumita, now each
others’ better halves, began teaching at the Rishi Valley School in Andhra
Pradesh. Their exposure to the organic style of teaching at Rishi Valley,
where the duo taught for four years, encouraged them to venture into the
entrepreneurial labyrinth.
Initially, it was about “Kuchh ache kaam karenge…” (Let’s do something
good.) However, reality soon hit the team of ‘Rats’, as they refer to
themselves, and their raw passion was tamed into a mature discipline.
Aksharit, and MadRat Games, morphed into a serious business. “It wasn’t us
creating games anymore,” says Madhumita. “Our effort had to shift towards
running a business, one that’s profitable, scalable, and sustainable.”
So, while Manuj, the design graduate from IIT-Guwahati, is the ‘Ideating
Rat’ on the game design and development front, Madhumita, the ‘Driver Rat’,
is the key educator and artist, looking into the creative side of the
business. As ‘Head Rat’, Rajat delves into every aspect of MadRat Games,
right from strategy to operations.
A start-up's starting troubles
An infusion of Rs. 25 lakh, collected through the support of family and
friends, got the ball rolling for Aksharit. As the ‘Rats’ kept burrowing
deeper into their business, they encountered quite a few obstacles. “Hiring
the right people, manoeuvring the business, and learning on-the-go are
challenging,” says Manuj.
Not without reason, though; Madhumita recalls the time when she had to
overlook the production by herself. Befriending non-Hindi speaking workers
at the manufacturing unit, supervising production, developing a rapport
with vendors — she had to dive into the raw operations of the firm. From
sending couriers to sweeping their office floor, the trio has experienced
the grind typical of start-ups such as theirs.
What makes Aksharit’s story fascinating, though, is the unusual space
they’ve ventured into — the board game industry, valued at hardly Rs. 200
crore in India. MadRat is making the most of this untapped industry as they
plan a blanket foray into the physical and digital medium. “Our consumer
base has grown, and it’s quite varied. From public to international
schools, and from children to adults, the scope for Aksharit has grown
immensely,” Rajat observes.
The MadRat team, comprising 15 members, is also developing apps for various
mobile and web platforms. From smart-phones, to Facebook, the youngsters
are exploring every avenue possible to take Aksharit to the masses. From
NRIs browsing for iPad apps to housewives rummaging through retail outlets
for an Aksharit Kit, MadRat Games has surely carved a niche for itself
where it matters the most — in the hearts of families, and in the minds of
children.
Learning is Fun
“We take Hindi for granted, thinking children will learn it eventually,
but, I remember how difficult I found the language,” says Tina Gholap, 30,
a teacher at Serra International Pre-School, Pune. According to Tina,
“Interactive games such as Aksharit will help children learn the language
faster.” Peer-based learning, practised in a large number of schools these
days, is the perfect platform to utilise Aksharit. Children find the game
interesting and engaging, and playing it with friends from school, or with
family at home, leads to a better grasp of Hindi. Initially positioned as
an entertainment tool catering to families, Aksharit soon evolved into a
learning aid for children.
Today, one can find three versions of Aksharit — Aksharit (ages 12 and
above), Baal Aksharit (ages 8-14), and Aksharit Paheli (ages 10 and below).
Reviews for both the versions have been encouraging. Swapna, author of the
blog ‘The Mom Views’, and a stay-at-home mother, played one of the games
with her niece, and she was impressed. She says the product is a “must
buy”, as it makes children ask questions about the Hindi language, which is
always an important step in the learning process.
Yogita Rani Sahu, a State Resource Group member from Chhatisgarh,
experienced the benefits of using Aksharit at the junior level in public
schools. Having interacted with children of varying learning capacities,
she observed that playing with Aksharit increased the learning speed in
children.
Basic problems related to the usage of matras have been addressed through
this game. “Children enjoy playing Aksharit. Their Hindi language skills
have developed considerably. Now, they also understand what they’re
reading. They can create new words and express themselves, which is a great
achievement.” Shivram Dubey, former Deputy Director at SCERT, Rajasthan,
echoes a similar sentiment. “Where technology has no reach, Aksharit
reaches. It’s a well-researched concept that has replaced blackboard
learning with peer-based self-learning.”
Manuj, Rajat and Madhumita have seen the impact learning through play can
have on teachers and students alike. “All the traits a teacher wants in her
classroom, right from high interest levels to concentration to complete
engagement, Aksharit is able to provide,” says Rajat.
The trio’s happy they’ve been able to develop a tool that aids learning in
an easy and fun manner. “As long as there is Hindi, there will be
Aksharit,” trails off Madhumita enthusiastically. Brimming with hope and
confidence for a brighter future, MadRat continues to develop ingenious
learning-based games and, in the process, “inspire some young guns to tread
the unknown path.”
(Embedded image moved to file: pic10291.jpg)
As I always say, brickbats and bouquets welcome
-Sukhi
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