This Easter, in 2026, feels different. From Washington… to Jerusalem… to Tehran…to New Delhi…the world feels tense. Nations are uneasy.Communities are divided.Hearts are heavy.People are getting killed. But Easter was never about comfort. It was about hope in the middle of uncertainty. It was about light breaking through darkness. It was about peace in a…
World Ag Expo 2026: Where Innovation, Soil, and Legacy Converge — Intelligently By Mani Skaria, PhD After a decade, I returned to the World Ag Expo in Tulare County — this time as an invited guest. As a Professor Emeritus in Agriculture in Texas, I have observed agricultural progress over many decades. What I witnessed…
This is not about showcasing myself—it is about learning together. The Wheel of Learning Together is my honest effort to explore Food, Family, Business, and Society & Citizenship through shared inquiry and conversation. I invite you to engage with the videos, articles, and insights here—and to contribute your thoughts, questions, and suggestions. Learning grows richer…
By Mani Skaria, PhD More than a century ago, Rabindranath Tagore—poet, philosopher, educator, and Nobel Laureate— challenged the idea of education as a factory of memorization and examinations. Working from Calcutta and later Shantiniketan in eastern India, he imagined learning as a living process rooted in nature, freedom, creativity, ethics, and joy. He warned that…
By Mani Skaria, PhD Today, I reflect on body temperature as a grandparent. My small grandchild has a temperature and is preparing to travel from New York to McAllen. In moments like this, the instinct is simple—to pray and ask God to make the temperature go away. But instinct alone is not enough. Body temperature…
by Mani Skaria, PhD This morning at St. Gregorious Orthodox Church in McAllen, Texas, we were blessed by a special visitor(s). Two-year-old Zeke came from Philadelphia with his parents—both in the medical profession—and former members of our church family. It felt like a beautiful homecoming. I had the joy of watching the two-year-old, Zeke play…
What People Call a Nuisance, a Grandpa Calls Classroom Dedication To my first grandchild and her little sister— Christmas 2025 By Silly Goose Grandpa Lalli My first grandchild has been to McAllen, Texas, a few times before, and each visit has brought its own joy – they live in New York. But this Christmas feels…
Is it only about earning a degree and finding a job—or is it also about learning how to think, adapt, and live with purpose? In this short reflection, I explore the deeper purpose of education: not just information, but thinking clearly, not just careers, but character, not just knowledge, but service. True education prepares us…
Insight No. 28 Author: Mani Skaria, Ph.D. (the Silly Goose Grandpa)Professor Emeritus, Texas A&M–Kingsville Opening Reflection My wife Anne and I, along with many friends from South Texas, had the privilege of witnessing something truly special in Jaipur — the wedding of Tirthik and Kshama, a young couple whose story reminds us that love, when…
Insight No. 17 Author: Mani Skaria, Ph.D.Professor Emeritus, Texas A&M–Kingsville This is the gentlest and most timeless interface — where memory meets imagination.Grandparents carry wisdom; grandchildren bring curiosity.Through stories, smiles, and shared silences, they convey not just data but also identity. Only a few months ago, while visiting my granddaughter’s family in Manhattan, a small…