Bars and Benches: Learning has left the classroom to make a pint

As the editor of an education vertical, I spend an unhealthy amount of time tracking what AI is doing to learning... automating it, accelerating it, optimising it, and in some cases, replacing it.

And yet, the most interesting education trend I’ve seen this year has nothing to do with screens, prompts, or even formal platforms.

So where, you ask, is this shift unfolding? This quiet revolution is happening in 1) Bars 2) On weeknights, and 3) With no certificates in sight.

Across Indian cities, people are voluntarily showing up to listen, argue, laugh and think together. Not because it will improve their CVs, but because it feels good to use the brain without an outcome attached.

“In a time of AI abundance, this may well be education’s most unexpected antidote,” says Shray, a PhD student attending a session titled 'Climate Under Pressure' by Professor Krishna Achutarao of the Centre for Atmospheric Sciences, IIT Delhi, hosted in a pub.

THE LECTURES HAVE A NEW ADDRESS

I first noticed this shift at one such Pint of View evening. The format is disarmingly novel: a scholar or researcher speaks not from behind a lectern, but from the middle of a bar or cafe.

The session I attended explored bat ecology and conservation (Secret Lives of Bats), drawing directly from the speaker’s field research and challenging popular myths around bats.

Another memorable session dove deep into the history of Indian textiles, tracing how fabric carries memory, labour and politics.

What struck me in both such sessions wasn’t just the subject matter, it was the audience response. People stayed back long after the talk ended, debating urban ecology and asking follow-up questions that would put many classrooms to shame.

There were no slides, no take-home notes, just ideas that lingered (and a beverage for company).

Priced between Rs 700 and 1,000 (with early-bird discounts) for a lecture and a glass of beer, these evenings have taken learning out of the classroom, quite literally so. And for those under the drinking age, mocktails ensure no one is left out of the conversation.

A HAVEN FOR NERDS? YEAH, RIGHT

That same spirit, pun very much intended, runs through Nerd Nite, which has found a surprisingly loyal audience in Indian metros. Already a rage in the US, the concept arrived in Delhi around 2025 and has been a “chill place” for ideas ever since.

At a typical Nerd Nite evening, you’ll hear three short talks on wildly different subjects like astrophysics, anthropology and behavioural science, all delivered with humour and clarity.

Recent Indian editions have featured researchers explaining how algorithms shape everyday choices, alongside scientists breaking down complex concepts without academic jargon. The rule here is simple: if you can’t explain it to a room full of non-experts, you probably don’t understand it well enough yourself.

For education watchers like me, that’s a powerful reminder of what good teaching actually looks like.

The hosts, many of whom are associated with Ashoka University’s Centre for Social and Behaviour Change, say they deliberately curate talks that blend depth with entertainment. So don’t be surprised if you find a physicist on stage at 7:15 pm and a cultural historian by 8:00, well before you head home.

THE ART OF UNLEARNING

Then there’s the Unlecture movement, founded by Sonalika Aggarwal, Mishka Lepps and Kezia Anna Mammen, which explicitly aims to deconstruct the idea of a lecture itself.

By bringing talks out of classrooms and into bars or lounges, these sessions dismantle traditional academic hierarchies and invite learners to question assumptions rather than simply absorb content.

Speakers range from behavioural science experts unpacking neuroplasticity to humanities scholars exploring cultural phenomena. The audience isn’t there because they have to be, it’s because they want to be.

I’ve watched rooms full of young professionals listen intently as speakers challenge ideas of productivity, success and intelligence. Such concepts we were taught never to ask in school or college.

IS THIS AN ANTIDOTE TO AI?

It’s impossible to view this trend outside the context of artificial intelligence. Today, AI can summarise textbooks, solve equations and tutor students on demand. What it cannot replicate, however, is the messy, social process of thinking together, the interruption, the disagreement, the moment when an idea lands differently because of who is sitting next to you.

These evenings are not anti-education; they are anti-automation of curiosity. The sessions, and the conversations that spill over after, serve as a reminder that learning isn’t just about efficiency or outcomes, but about meaning and interpretation.

What I find most telling is the diversity of people attending these events: students, mid-career professionals, startup founders, doctors, policy researchers. Many are already over-credentialed, yet they’re not here for certificates or career advancement. They’re here because learning, stripped of pressure, feels liberating.

Most people call this cerebral leisure.

For India’s education ecosystem, this is a shift worth watching. As classrooms become smarter and more digitised, the hunger for deep human learning is only growing. AI can change how we learn, but these noisy, curious, unscripted rooms show us why learning still needs people.

(Ticket prices and event details can be seen on their Instagram handles)