Dear Friends,

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The Tamil word thinai (திணை) once described the five lands of mountain, forest, farmland, coast and desert, and the way of life that grew in each. Our ancestors knew that people, land and living things belong together. THINAI, the online course of John Britto Academy (JOBA), brings that old understanding to learners of every age.

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The open hand in our logo has five fingers. They stand for the five elements of water, land, air, space and fire, and for the five lands mountain (Kurinchi), Forest/Pastoral region (Mullai), Farming land (Marutham), Coastal region (Neithal) and Desert area (Palai). Five fingers also stand for five senses (vision, audition, Olfaction, Gustation, Somatosensation) through which humans learn and act. It is a hand of care: open to give and open to receive.

 

Our promise follows from it: Care for People and Planet. One Course. All Ages. Discover Your Path.

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THINAI offers six domains of learning: Technology, Humanities and Social Sciences, Intelligence, Natural Sciences, Arts and Aesthetics, and Innovative Competencies. Every lesson is a project. You make something, test it, think about it, and finish with an Action that changes how you think and what you do. A child, a parent and a grandparent can learn the same project together, each at their own level.

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I owe this work to my first guru, my father, and to the mentors who shaped my journey: Dr. Nammalvar, Dr. Yvon Amobroise and Prof. Pierre Babin. Dr. Nammalvar taught me that action plays a great role in social change. Dr. Yvon taught me that critical thinking and analysis helps in understanding the root cause of the problems and the right solutions to adopt. Prof. Pierre taught me that emotional and creative mind accelerates human development. Mr wife, Ms. Arul Jaya Jothi Jenet Mary helped me understand that giving is loving and giving is living. JOBA international experts, especially Mr. Pamayan, helped me understand that Tamil literatures had THINAI philosophy that looked the world from species centred outlook than anthropocentric outlook.

 

THINAI is my way of passing on what they gave me.

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I invite you to download the app, choose your path and begin with one project. Care starts there.

 

With gratitude,

Prof. Dr. John Britto Parisutham
Founder, John Britto Academy (JOBA), Australia