Amitava Banarjee: Hi Giacomin... heard a lot about you--- this is Amitava Banerjee from the Hindustan Times?
Valentino Giacomin: Hi, Thanks for dedicating your time to our project.

Amitava Banarjee : Could u give me a brief outline of your project?
Valentino Giacomin: We started our educational research in Italy , 24 years ago. Then we decided to come to India to make a better job. I mean a more professional research. The aim of our research is: how to improve the education and contribute to the solutions to the problems of our society.

Amitava Banarjee: How do you go about fulfilling this Herculean task?
Valentino Giacomin: Working with the children, first on the field, not only studying books in the library or making conference. What made us to believe that we CAN do something was the discovering that children can understand very difficult concepts and they, also, can integrate them into their daily life.

Amitava Banarjee: When did u come to India?
Valentino Giacomin: 23 years ago. I felt like I was returning home!
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Amitava Banarjee: Why so?
Valentino Giacomin: I felt something inside me... When I came out from the airplane, I breathe the air and felt the perfume of the grass. I thought:” This is my Country!” It was a feeling.

Amitava Banarjee: What was your main profession before coming to India ?
Valentino Giacomin: I was primary school teacher for 20 years

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Amitava Banarjee: What inspired you to dedicate yourself towards service to mankind?
Valentino Giacomin: My negative mind. When I discover that I am the creator of my own world - as you can read in Bhaghawat Gita and other Buddhist Texts - then I had no other option than... trying to change my mind, doing something worthwhile.

Amitava Banarjee: Why did you choose India when there are so many other countries also that require people with your bent of mind?
Valentino Giacomin: India is the Alma mater where, first, I discovered the damage created by a dualistic mind which projects all its rubbish outside. I used to come to India for my studying, for my researches. Then, when I retired from school job and television I chose this Country among several other options.

Amitava Banarjee: The name "Älice Project" is interesting. Does the name have something more than just the face value (name - Alice )?
Valentino Giacomin: Yes, Everybody knows Alice in the Wonderland... We'd like to help our students to go inside themselves in order to discover the magic world which is behind the conventional reality, the world of our thoughts, emotions and the unconscious mind, like Alice did.


Amitava Banarjee: Don't you think material gains are also important in this material world?
Valentino Giacomin: Of course! We are not living in the space, lost in our imagination! We are quite realistic and teach to our students to be THE BEST in all fields. In other words, we are trying to help them to be integrated: mind and spirit, stomach and mind, job and yoga.... Do you understand? Unfortunately, today, in many schools there is a unilateral approach: only job, only money, only materialistic gains. This is the main cause of suffering, alienation, neurosis and unhappiness of our children.