Vivek Bammi was born close to nature, amidst the tea plantations of Assam in Eastern India, and "learned everything from the close contact with the wild." Later additions to knowledge were sought at Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh, USA (doctorate in history) and at the University of London (MA in social anthropology). Theory of Knowledge is the icing on his inter-disciplinary cake. He has taught TOK for 3 years in Manila and since 1990 teaches TOK in Jakarta, and has been an assessor since 1988. He subscribes to a motto shared by Assam and Java (where he has lived since 1990): 'Lahe,lahe' or 'pelan,pelan' ('slowly, slowly').