This is a true story from 1999 about a man named Sugata Mitra, who was working with NIIT in India. Despite doing well in his career, he was deeply concerned about the future of India—especially for children who lacked access to education.
At that time, computers were becoming popular in India, largely due to the vision of Rajiv Gandhi, who promoted technology and modernization. People were slowly becoming aware of computers, email, and their importance in daily life.
Sugata Mitra conducted a unique experiment in Kalkaji, Delhi, near a slum area. He made a hole in a wall and installed a computer there, connected to electricity. The system had basic features like a mouse, and it was ensured that the computer remained functional.
Children from nearby slums could see and use the computer, but they couldn’t take it away. The purpose was to observe whether children could learn on their own if given access, without any formal teaching.
For three months, no guidance was provided. The children explored freely—they played games, tried different things, and learned through curiosity. After three months, Mitra returned and asked if they needed anything.
The children replied:

” The computer is good, but the processor is slow and the mouse is not working properly. Please upgrade it so we can learn more.”
This showed that children can learn independently if given access and opportunity.
Some critics argued that these were Delhi children, who might already be relatively smart or exposed. To test this further, Mitra repeated the experiment in a remote village in Uttar Pradesh. Despite limited exposure, children there also learned to use the computer on their own.
He then conducted another experiment in a coastal village in Tamil Nadu called Kalpakkam. Here, children did not understand English or Hindi —only Tamil. Mitra loaded the computer with educational materials related to biotechnology (in English).
Despite the language barrier, children explored and learned. One girl even said: “I understand what genetic mutation is, but I want to learn more in detail.”
When tested later, these children performed 30% better than students from English-medium urban schools.
Later, another element was introduced—the “ Grandmother Method.” A local woman who cared deeply for the children was asked to simply encourage them. She would say things like: “Well done, keep going, you are doing great!”
She didn’t teach them—she only motivated them emotionally.
This simple encouragement boosted the children’s learning outcomes even further, increasing performance to 50% higher than typical urban school students.
All these experiments were properly documented and became globally recognized.
This story was also shared in an interview by a student named Arun Chauhan from Shirgaon, Maharashtra, who was selected for a PhD at Yale University.
Key Insight
The “ Grandmother Effect” shows that:
Learning doesn’t always require formal teaching
Access + curiosity = self-learning
Encouragement is more powerful than instruction
This approach represents true education, and if implemented properly, it can bring transformational change in learning systems.