Oh sorry, not us!

Experience 1:

            A jouful summer holiday for school children. A fine evening on a weekend. The park had kids from around. We, daughter, husband and I, were regular to the park. As usual, fun time playing.

            A group of women, clad in saree, holding papers, pen and pad, belonging to similar age group was approaching us. We expected them to be some survey investigators working for government (like census and stuff). They approached us, the only parents in the park. We were handed over a pamphlet and were enquired for the age of our daughter. We assumed that the group was from government medical department and said ‘two’ while glancing at the pamphlet.

            It was an advertisement for a local matriculation school and they were teachers working there. The task given to them was to catch hold of customers for the following fresh academic year.

Experience 2:

            Another evening after office hours. Returned home. Just parked vehicle. Two darlings (one in class IV and the other in class I) from neighbourhood came running to us with a drawing book. It was something usual as children would always give us surprises with their colouring activities. Naturally expected that.

            But they had nothing to show to us; instead had something to ask. The girl said “our teacher has given us an admission slip and wanted us to find if there are kids in the neighbourhood and bring them to our school on Vijayadasami as the day is meant for new admissions. Aunty will you admit paapaa (child) in our school?” This is from a popular CBSE, public school in our district that has branches.

Our take on this!

            In both instances, our replies were clear and straight. But it haunts heavily to find school management stoop so low and use the most important stakeholders, children and teachers (sometimes parents too) to pull kids to their schools. It is common to find schools advertise via various media. But this, when given a deep thought, is disgusting! To me it implies the following and many more:

•    Private schools are so hungry to increase revenue and compete with other schools in terms of students’ strength 

•   Private schools adopt every possible way to pull children (oorla ithuku paer pulla pudikrathu)

•     The role of teachers in private is so diluted in private to an extent where they need to go door to door in search of prospective students (we should not get carried away with the same thing being done by government school teachers in villages and towns. That is for an entirely different purpose.)

•   Children from private schools are also taught to showcase their school and bring in their neighbours resulting in a battle between children on whose school is superior

•      Private schools ultimately forget the fact that their charm and values must effortlessly attract parents

    Thankfully, fortunately, luckily (:-P), we are very clear about what we look for. Therefore, there is NOTHING that persuades us to get attracted to private institutions. Otherwise we would end up being just another family getting trapped once for ever.

Parents, Beware! 

                                             Pic courtesy: Google Images

Outdoor learning activities for kids :-)

Once we have made ourselves clear that our child would step into her formal education only at the age of five, particularly straight to Class I, the two years ahead remain crucial as she has to be taught of basic things at home and her Anganwadi. This demands a sincere effort from us to be active and  creative to keep her engaged and interested in learning.

            Some of such attempts are captured and presented to your visually here. We have made the best possible use of our living area and converted the same as her play area!

 Learning basic shapes, colours and directions: Letting the child follow instructions such as go to square, now to your right, jump to blue :)

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    Learning numbers: The traditional Paandi game (Tamil) in the path to learn numbers from 1-10 by jumping and hoping. Every time we cross, we involuntarily hop!

Days of a week: Climbing (up and down) stairs by learning days of a week in English and Tamil

Mirror Me: Following what one person does, in terms of actions and colors. It improves focus, coordination and is fun! Our daughter's favorite!

                                         Idea courtesy: Google
Learning Numbers, Colours, In and Out: Making the child learn opposites, colours, numbers, jumping in and jumping out

                                                Idea courtesy: Anganwadi booklet

(   Playing traditional righta rightu (Am I right?)

 The traditional right ah right uh where the child walks through 10 boxes drawn in a straight line with eyes closed, balancing  by judging the space. Adults enjoy this.








Snakes and Ladders: Again the traditional and well-known game is drawn on floor with good (eating, playing, sharing, greeting) and bad habits (using mobile, fighting) depicting ladder and snake respectively. Also the child learns numbers from 1 to 50 and adding numbers according to the dice rolled. we play it in group of families and have real fun.

Five in One: This picture drawn in our residence helps in learning five stuff namely Tamil alphabet (uyir ezhuthukkal) 12 in number, 12 different shapes, 12 months in Tamil and English, and reading clock. In addition giving clues to find shapes is identified to be more thrilling for our kids around. For example, adding the mirror image of this shape gives a circle (ans. semi-circle), this shape helps in kitchen (cylinder). After a point in time, designing clues is a task in itself. our daughter and every children around love this :-)

     As we begin doing such things, we end up with more and more ideas for our children. These activities are not only forms of fun learning for children, but also a stress buster for adults. I say this out of our own experience!

    Time to get on to the floor, folks :-)

english, the language with capital and small letters :-)

not once in these many years of my life and education, have i ever thought of this! neither questioned nor taught!! strange!!!

why does english have capital and small letters when others languages i have learnt do not have so (for eg. tamil or hindi)??

why this question in my mind after acquiring a doctoral degree in my discipline with english as the medium of study??!!!

at 3 years of her age, my daughter has now learned to identify almost all letters in english and writes quite a few! all in caps! interestingly, i did not realize that she wasn’t taught small letters, as learning caps is easier for children with mere shapes.

                                          pic courtesy: google images

last week, when she held her hindu’s young world in her tiny hands and started reading alphabet, i had this realization that she could spell only the headlines and rest seem to be greek and latin.

that is when i googled to know why english has capital and small letters when the language could do well with one like other languages. the answers google offered me are just two in number (1) small letters were designed to write faster in comparison to writing a whole text in caps (2) to distinctly show that a sentence begins. of late, it has become a trend to capitalize words to lay emphasis on something.

now my child has to undergo yet another whole lot of learning of the 26 letters. sigh:-(

not that learning is difficult for my daughter when her own mother tongue has 247 letters which is amazingly huge when compared to english. and also children learn things in such a short time.. but as parents our roles need more effort to make her not unlearn those capital letters and in addition learn the new ones with an understanding that both letters are same when they are not so in shapes for those simple reasons!

anyways, i am not convinced with answers as to why english has this distinction. i now feel that the language could exist only with small letters when it is originally designed only for convenience and it could have done away with capital letters.

because it would have made english alphabet learning clearer for my daughter, at the least :-) of course, nothing needs to change now. but after all i am a parent who tends to think of everything my child faces on earth!!! ;-) i know it might sound a way too much for some of you. never mind, you have just finished reading the whole text only in small letters. 

THANK YOU :-) 

In memory of you, our darling Princess :-)

             What do I have to do with you, Princess? I did not even step into my teens when you bid farewell to your cruel world! Categorically nothing to do with you! Oh, wait.. No.. I am a woman too.. A daughter, a wife and a mother as you were!! My heart goes to you as you always starved for those priceless love, laughter, compassion, trust and peace!

           

            Was it your fault to have got married to someone who never loved you and visibly ignored you? NO! Any woman would naturally search for a place that can fill life’s vacuum with love!! No matter you belong to a royal family or not. That makes your departure unacceptable till date. How hard it is to be a celebrity who is always thronged by paparazzi for their obnoxious thirst! Sigh L

            It is so heavy to be in your shoes and understand how it would have felt for you to have gone crazy in search of love and companionship as well as trying to give your best to raise your boys amidst all chaos, despite holding the prestigious label PRINCESS. Despite your physical and mental agony, you also apparently diverted your precious energy to social works and left ever traceable footprints in several domains. May be that is why I personally do not see any difference between you and Mother Teresa!!

                             Pic courtesy: Google Images

You both are so beautiful by all means, body, mind and heart! May be that is why you both left us in tears in the same year! You would have been a grandma now had you been alive (you are the young grandma in our minds as we even do not want to use FaceApp). I am sure you would have been at your best in that role too. You would have been continuously giving the world nothing but love had you been with us. It is so unfortunate not only to your kids and grandchildren but also to many who sincerely wish that your destiny had been written otherwise.

            You deserved better on earth! But I hope you are now treated like a true princess in heaven!

Lucky Me: My Ph.D

The title is slightly contrary when I deeply introspect different phases of my Ph.D in one of the oldest universities in India. Yet, on an overall view I would say I have had a far better experience than many scholars out there who unfortunately end up doing what they are never supposed to do while pursuing this.

One of my colleagues once mentioned: “part-time scholars annoy guides/supervisors whereas it is the other way round when it comes to fulltime scholars.” True!!!! Doing a Ph.D part-time is better as you do not have to please your guide at every sight. Sigh!!!

Not only media, but also on personal experiences shared by scholars, first-hand information on how they go around, beat around the bush all through their Ph.D period typically portray the PATHETIC STATE OF RESEARCH and SCHOLARS here.

I was lucky enough for the following reasons:

·         I NEVER had to do any HOUSEHOLD CHORES for my guides.

·         I NEVER had to be AVAILABLE ANYTIME at their service (be it academic or personal).

·        I was NEVER asked to BRIBE them (though they were aware of the fact I was sufficiently paid by the UGC for the Junior Research Fellowship).

·         I was NEVER physically abused.

·         I was NEVER stopped from exploring on areas of research I wanted to.

·         I was NEVER forced into an unwilling area of study for the benefit of the guide.

·     I was NEVER forced to change my idea or style of writing my thesis despite it had flaws (for which I took complete responsibility in my public viva-voce).

·       I was NEVER interfered in my experimental way (sometimes strange way) of pedagogy when it comes to sharing their classes.

·     I was NEVER forced to submit my thesis unless and until I was thoroughly satisfied with my work.

·      I was NEVER asked to sponsor anything for anyone at any time (I do not even know how my examiner commuted to the viva-voce).

·        I was NOT STOPPED when I decided to go by my option of not offering food for the participants on my Viva-Voce.

·        I was NEVER directly or indirectly asked for any gifts or favour.

I was NEVER told or directed about whom I should talk to and otherwise.

             There are a couple of real bitter experiences during the same period that clearly brought down the masks of some highly respected individuals and highly trusted friends. There were administrative challenges that totally put me down at a crucial point in time. Still, as far as my research work is concerned, I did not have to go through what most of the scholars are going through today. Unlucky lot they are and I really feel sorry for them!!!!

Yeeeesssss, LUCKY ME!!!! I love my research work and do cherish every bit of it!!!!

Scholars out there, it is YOUR RESEARCH, YOUR PASSION AND YOUR RESPONSIBILITY!!! Don’t shy away when it is necessary to voice out and act!! Coz no worries, there will certainly be better people to guide you if you decide to call it off!!

Cheers J

A BROAD DAY LIGHT CRIME - Theatre and Snacks!

Ask a family of four, “Why is it that you don’t prefer to watch movies in theatres?” Their immediate response would be the high expenditure to be met; they whine that it is not just the ticket fare but the additional expenses that come along such as parking fee (not only in case of malls) and the highly expensive snack counters!!! This pinch on a family’s budget is the most important factor for increasing movie watching at homes and video piracy. It is not about justification of this illegal activity by pointing out personal economic reasons. But addressing it might increase theatre goers with a smile!

I say this because in 90s and 2000s, families did go to theatres in large numbers but they had the privilege of carrying their own snacks for every family member. But now there is a strict rule enforced that “outside food is not permitted.” Why??? To maintain cleanliness of the hall? To ensure ban of plastic (in case of chips and the like)? To uphold etiquette by not making anyone munch throughout so as to give every movie watcher a pleasant movie time? NONSENSE!!!!! To mention the least, snack counters in fact serve you while movie runs (depending on your advance booking on when you would like to be served). That makes it clear that the reasons for not permitting outside food are not that are mentioned above. It is to make you buy from their counters! Isn’t it a CRIME?????

There are families that cannot afford high priced food; there are some who would like to avoid giving junk for their kids (most theatres offer only junk food); some may not be comfortable with outside food and; some might feel really annoyed with the loooooonnnnnnggggg queues during intervals that would spoil mood to watch rest of the movie; and some who can afford think why do I have to waste money.

Kids easily get carried by visually appetizing items available on the counters. But had the families been permitted to carry their own, it is the parents’ responsibility to soothe the kids. But given the existing situation, every movie goer is left with only two choices: (1) buy at the counters (2) stay without snacks. Mostly, we are tempted to eat something at the counters and that becomes favourable to the theatre management.

What if every movie goer consciously decides and practices not to get anything at the counters??!!!! Let us give it a thought!!!! May be the earlier practice of letting people in with their own snacks will come into place. Let it be purely our choice: to bring our own or buy! It is highly condemnable to let some theatre owner decide it for his and his family’s welfare!!!

PROTEST!

Tamil Nadu tops Indian states that held most number of protests in one year according to reports in 2015 (Hindustan Times, April 30, 2017)

Protest!!!

The connotation of the word has changed drastically over a period of time. These days it sounds to be one or many of these: dictatorial, horrendous, impractical, hilarious, diversion, unruly and purposeless. Probing reasons for such referencing is beyond this piece of writing. My whole idea here is to promote protest! Particularly among Youth.

Hold on! Don’t be in a hurry (just like google that predicts before I say) to label me as an anti-Indian.

Starting from our family structure, to school, college, workplace and society, we are taught not to protest, most of the times. Thus begins and grows our failure of expressing though it is widely referred to as a constitutional right! Somewhere we fail to groom our youngsters in knowing the value of protests, in encouraging them to participate and in preparing to handle its means and ends.

Without a doubt, canvassing to the parents that the child should be taught to protest right from its childhood is indispensable. May the parents of today’s kiddos (who seem to be knowing the world inside out and upside down) do it for a better society!!

Instead I would like to insist that educating college students to protest is substantial. Coz, that is the bunch filled with fire and enthusiasm withinJ. Bollywood and Kollywood keep fantasizing this. We see a lot of movies in Tamil moving around students, youth, politics and protests such as Puthiya Mannargal, Varumaiyin Niram Sivappu, Ayidha Ezhuthu, Ko and Uriyadi to name a few.

Unfortunately in reality, whenever a protest is likely to happen (through intelligence reports or self-declaration of students’ union) the management gets geared up to collect data on participants so as to threaten with dire consequences to please the ruling party. In another case, students are easily provoked by teachers, political parties and unions to protest against one or more for personal benefits. In most of these cases, students are totally unaware of what, why and how of it!!!

Protesting against something or someone is both an art and science (I know it sounds more like a subject’s introduction in most of our classrooms). YES! Protesting is both!

It is science when participants pool their energy in understanding the matter that they do not agree with. Unless one knows the nuances of an issue, the disapproval remains meaningless and superficial. Breaking the problems into tiny bits to gather information and finally coagulate the same to get a bigger picture is where science lies! This segment of protest cannot be done away with and there are absolutely NO SHORTCUTS to rely on.

And how is it an art?!! It completely depends on what have you chosen as your mode of protest! You can choose to be either conventional or creative. Hundreds of protests have taken place in the world till date among which some are unforgettable. One recent interesting protests is that of Japanese bus drivers who refused to charge their customers that eventually led to loss of revenue, instead of boycotting their work. Considering the modern day protests in India, unique ones include the Jallikattu protest in 2017, Iron Sharmila’s fasting for more than 15 years, Tamil farmers protest in Delhi, violent protests of Tamil women against TASMAC shops and the silent march of more than a lakh farmers in 2018. To watch more unique protesting methods (all tiny ones), I recommend this Tamil movie, Joker! J  The tool one chooses to protest has to be in sync with their purpose and desire. More creative and unconventional are the protests, more is the reach and attention. This requires EFFORT to THINK.

So here is a quick checklist! When you decide to join a protest, try finding answers to the following questions:

·         What is it for? The PURPOSE?

·         Whom/what are you protesting against?

·         Why this? Why now?

·         Do my personal values sync with the group’s?

·         Who benefits? Society at large or any individual?

·         What is the mode chosen? Anything detrimental to fellow human beings?

·         What if it is decided to drop in the middle of its journey?

·         How handle situation when any untoward incident take place?

·         Do I possess enough legal knowledge on this?

When you are unable to answer any of these basic questions, it is a better sign for you to not participate.

Students and teachers out there, let us understand and accept that “Imparting this knowledge to students is crucial, as protests are precious for it is a strong way of communicating your stance.” Making it a part of teaching and learning by teachers and students respectively will prove bigger results. This exercise would easily penetrate into society and enable larger audience to join hands.

Let us not forget history, sensible partaking in protests with utmost sincerity for larger benefits to the society has transformed participants to leaders, particularly in Tamil Nadu.

Why do I write about protest now? There are quite a lot happening around us that demand registering our dissent, of course strongly!!