Gurubasavaraja RB

The Foundation Project implemented by IFA will engage eight grade students of the Government High School, Basarakodu in Hagaribommanahalli taluk, Vijayanagara district. Titled Odu Helu Mattu Swataha Bare – read, speak, and write on your own, this 15-month initiative aims to enhance critical thinking and reasoning by engaging students in solving mysteries. Through reading and writing detective stories, they develop vocabulary, comprehension, and narrative skills. Activities rooted in history and ethics encourage deeper dialogue around social studies, science subjects in exciting ways. Gurubasavaraja RB is the Project Coordinator for this foundation project. 

Gurubasavaraja RB, an English language teacher by profession, is deeply passionate about writing. His literary contributions span over 800 articles and 15 books, published in renowned Kannada newspapers and magazines such as Prajavani, Vijayavani, Vijaya Karnataka, Kannada Prabha, Samyukta Karnataka, Sudha, and Karmaveera. Beyond his personal achievements, he has inspired a love for writing among his students, authoring over stories, essays, and articles. Given his experience, he is best placed to be the Project Coordinator of this Foundation Project of IFA. 

The Government High School in Basarakodu, is a small village in Hagaribommanahalli Taluk, along the backwaters of the Tungabhadra Dam. The village is predominantly agricultural, and education often takes second priority in its economically disadvantaged households. Despite these challenges, the school has shown remarkable improvement over the past six years, attracting students from four neighbouring villages. With no public libraries and limited access to alternative reading materials beyond textbooks, the school library remains the sole source of additional learning. Most students are first-generation learners, facing natural hurdles like pronunciation and handwriting issues, compounded by a lack of resources and opportunities. To address this, a unique initiative has been launched to ignite a passion for storytelling and writing among students, with the broader goal of uplifting the region’s educational standards. Gurubasavaraja has taken the lead in this effort, using local resources to engage both children and parents in reading and independently writing detective stories, aiming to foster a culture of learning and creativity in the community.

Why detective stories? Detective stories can be a powerful tool in school education, offering a creative and engaging way to explore various subjects. By taking on the role of detectives, students sharpen their critical thinking as they analyze clues, form hypotheses, and solve puzzles. Reading and writing mysteries enhances language skills, vocabulary, and composition. Subjects like history, ethics, and STEM become more dynamic through fictional cases, allowing students to explore moral dilemmas, forensic science, cryptography, and imaginative scientific questions. These stories spark curiosity, encourage discussions with parents, and foster a love for learning. Role-playing further builds teamwork, communication, and collaboration. Integrating detective narratives into the classroom transforms lessons into exciting “cases,” making learning both fun and meaningful.

The project begins by introducing students to Kannada detective literature through the works of renowned authors such as T.K. Ramarao, Yandamoori Veerendranath, Rajashekhar Boosanur Math, and BL Venu. Each student is encouraged to read at least ten detective novels and write summaries and reflections, helping them understand the structure of investigations and develop analytical thinking. This leads into the next phase—Mystery-Based Learning—where students solve fictional cases by collecting clues, examining evidence, and applying logical reasoning. This method enhances critical thinking and is applicable across subjects like science, history, and language arts, making learning more immersive, collaborative, and enjoyable.

In the following stage, students explore English classics such as Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie, analyzing chapters to understand literary techniques like foreshadowing, pacing, and genre conventions. These stories enrich vocabulary, improve narrative skills, and offer cultural and historical insights. Inspired by Yandamoori Veerendranath’s use of mathematics in storytelling, students are then encouraged to write short detective tales using math-based logic. Activities include simulating crime scenes, collecting fingerprints, examining objects, and decoding secret messages, which expand their understanding of science, history, and mathematics through hands-on exploration.

To deepen engagement, a “Detective Debate” activity is introduced, modeled after the style of Kannada television creator T.N. Seetharam. Students adopt detective roles, present logical arguments, and resolve fictional cases involving moral dilemmas and social justice—emulating scenes from serials like Mayamruga or Mukta. Classroom mysteries such as missing library books or lab chemicals become opportunities for investigation and reasoning. These activities inspire students to write their own detective stories, which will be compiled into a published anthology, including a contribution from the project’s author. Parents also participate by sharing real-life mysteries, encouraging their children’s curiosity and involvement in detective-style thinking, making the entire project a collaborative and intellectually enriching experience.

The outcome of this project will be a publication. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA with the final report will be copies of the publication, and still and video documentation of the entire project.

This project suitably addresses the framework of IFA’s Arts Education programme in the manner in which it attempts to connect students and schools to the cultural knowledge of the local communities they live in. 

IFA will ensure that the implementation of this project happens promptly and funds expended are accounted for. IFA will also review the progress of the project at midterm and document it through an Implementation Memorandum. After the project is finished and all deliverables are submitted, IFA will put together a Final Evaluation to share with Trustees.

This Foundation Project is made possible in partnership with InterGlobe Foundation.