Santa's visit 💖

Disclaimer: This post is our personal experience in the last few weeks. Purely self-centered. So please don't complain if it bores you 😍 

The month of Christmas, stars everywhere, Santas all across towns, sparkling lights; no matter what one's religious affiliation is, Christmas vibe catches us all in different degrees! It has always caught my daughter tight and she thoroughly enjoys every Christmas for its brightness! 💞

Now to the actual narration

Long story short: My daughter sent a "wish letter" to Santa and she was paid a visit by Santa himself with her gift!

 

 

Now short story long: 

 

Our daughter wanted a suitcase for herself for very long and we refused as she had a couple of travel  bags. When her cousins liked her bags, she, without any hesitation, gave them those favorite bags. Soon after that my kid was gifted another bag by her uncle, so she did not get to buy a suitcase. She waited so long and she thought Santa thaathaa would gift her on Christmas if she writes him a letter. 

She asked us to dictate letters and we did. After asking for GOOD HEALTH, she did not have space to write SUITCASE. I asked her to turn the paper and write on the backside. She was worried that Santa might not know that she had written on the other side of the paper.😄 Then I had to tell her to write PTO (after explaining what it is) which she wrote as a mirror image .😝 After writing, she wanted to give a clear picture of what kind of suitcase she wanted to not confuse Santa thaatha given thousands of letters he would receive and therefore drew a picture and coloured it. 💝

Now comes the posting part. She wanted to post it herself. We found official address of Santa on google and helped her write it herself. She stuck her usual stamp of Rs. 5/- to Greenland address! But to post, it costs more than 25000 which is definitely not affordable for us 😁 We convinced her to place her cover into another and wrote a different address and she stuck stamp again and posted it. We collected it from that address. 

She waited everyday and was wondering what would make Santa come! Meanwhile, she had several questions as to why Santa is in Greenland, how good is his sleigh, what will impress him, how to go to his toy workshop, etc. We had to google now and then to answer some of them.

 

We wanted to surprise her and found someone who agreed to visit as Santa. We handed him over 'her letter', gave him the 'suitcase' we bought and also gave him a letter we wrote to give it as 'Santa's letter to our daughter.'  

 

Then the Day of Celebration arrived, Santa arrived dancing all the way with the suitcase that put her to shock and surprise 😊 She hesitated initially to click pics with him but later agreed to travel with him to Greenland😝. When kids around were excited about this whole thing, some began to ask me for the address and wanted to write letters. This excitement was put away by some of their parents immediately by saying that this whole stuff was arranged😏. When this made my daughter upset, we made up stories to reiterate that she had a real Santa visit. That is how the day ended with all happiness!!!!

(here around our living space) Some tiny tots still believe Santa; most  are super-informative, opinionated and therefore the whole innocence attached to it is missing; whereas some of us (adults) though know that all these are fictional, we love them. Ironical!!!! 💞

Hope you had a nice story to visualize! it was easy to go an extra mile for our own child but Yes, all of us can be a Santa to anyone to grant their wish with love 😍

It is strange!!!

You call me 'anti-Indian' towards the end of this post, I don't give a damn! Because I call myself a human!

I have always wondered the kind of trauma a family would undergo at the time of loss of their loved ones for "sake of country", yet pose a brave look with a pride of sacrifice on faces! This is thoroughly praised by all sections of the society; media carrying special stories, government rewarding, rather compensating families of the deceased, so on and so forth.

As a daughter, wife or mother, I have/would always wanted/want those important men of my life to be around in all stages of my life, to share, to have fun, to love and above all to live our "precious lives." Who on earth would feel otherwise!? Doesn't it take an abnormal courage for someone to send their family members knowing beforehand that their life is at stake and so is their family's!

The fact that everyone's life is uncertain and therefore opting to join Defence is no different - This statement does not go well with me. 

Who are they sacrificing lives for? 

What are the sacrifices? 

How costly are they? 

Do their sacrifices lead to a better, peaceful world?

Who benefits out of these sacrifices?

Are families of the deceased 'forced' to feel proud of the loss?

Is it not against human nature to feel proud of someone's loss?

How long does any country remember them? 

Doesn't the country rate importance based on the rank of deceased?

Will a salute give back all that is lost in the personal space?

When an individual, despite these concerns,leaves the family behind and joins Defence and feels proud of himself/herself, WHAT DRIVES THEM? The society calls its patriotism! I prefer to call it Jingoism!

As long as we (over)celebrate patriotism, I see very meagre chances of borders fading out and there is almost zero chance for our future generations to witness a war-free world!!

What would happen if all humans on the borders across the world decide not to be a part of security forces anymore!!??? Let me raise this question to some grown-ups and see if I could get any interesting response! If you have any, I would like to hear!

P.S.: My intention is not to hurt any sentiments but to kindle the same to find some clarity for myself. And my post is about all those forces all around the world and not confined to any particular nation.

Time to volunteer 💪 and get yourself a 👍

In one of my previous posts, I shared how the Tamil Nadu government acts on current issues with the advice, suggestions and recommendations from experts of various fields, in particular the contemporary writers. 

In continuation, I would like to share the link where Tamil Nadu government has initiated the above promised teaching-learning process and has invited applications from volunteers who could spare their valuable time to teach children around their neighbourhood. 

                 https://illamthedikalvi.tnschools.gov.in/Welcome

This is a wonderful opportunity for all of us to become a part of this 'first of its kind initiative in India.' There are several NGOs such as Vazhai, Agaram, Teach for India engaging in teaching rural, underprivileged children. Nevertheless, for a government to step into such a massive initiation with a budget of 200 crore for the project is for the first time in India and the best one could ask for. 👏👍💪👌🙌

Yes, "Illam Thedi Kalvi" is the initiative where children between classes 1 and 8 are taught basics of reading, writing and comprehending skills by volunteers in their neighbourhood. 

(1) To those who question - can't teachers do the same in schools: There is a huge divide in teaching-learning process since the pandemic. Most of our children - even those who attended/are attending online classes - have lost interest in studies and forgot even the basics. This is more evident in rural areas and among the government school children who did not have an access to online education and continuous learning. 😟

(2) What do I gain out of volunteering? Trust me, more than your contribution, you will be at the receiving end! Right from understanding your society around and its needs, realizing our responsibilities as citizens, gaining skills such as leadership quality, ability to coordinate, initiation, creativity and team work, there will be a lot of takeaways for each one of us. One could equip themselves here with the invest of only time and knowledge by volunteering. To motivate yourself, there is one more social benefit! You could make new like-minded friends (some for lifetime) 💚💞

(3) Besides, working with the government is a pride in itself! We get to have the first hand information of all that government has do with this programme. We are an integral part of them. 💪

(4) Who are eligible to register? Anyone with a minimum qualification of Class 12. So one can register along with his/her siblings, parents, friends and even grandparents. 👪👫👬👭

(5) Any remuneration? Not sure in the government press release. But I do believe that one would gain way more than what money could give! 😎

(6) How long? From Nov 1, it will begin in 12 districts. Based on this pilot study, with necessary modifications in the plan, the scheme would be rolled in all other districts of Tamil Nadu. ✌

(7) When? Depends on your choice, either part-time or full-time. Full-time is approximately 1.5 hrs/day in the evenings.👀 Part-time includes once in a week or twice in a month. 

Anything more you need to know, either visit the website or call me (just another volunteer) 😍 But do not delay; do register yourself asap and get a memorable experience! 💗💖

The never-ending confusion of grabbing a seat in a car!! 🚗

Have you (addressed to women only) ever wondered where to sit while traveling by car with a male friend or colleague? I have. Several times. Before & after marriage. Till date. This might sound very silly and insignificant, but a woman out there could relate themselves to this never-ending confusion.

Once three of us - a male and two females, where one female was married at that time - were out for lunch together by car during our days of research. It becomes an unwritten rule that a married woman wouldn't occupy the front passenger seat with any male except their close family members. When she insisted that I take that seat to avoid making our male friend look like our driver😆, the colleague-friend said a stern 'no.' Though that was quite insulting to me then 😝, it made me wonder what would go wrong if a male and a female sit in the front together. But when two males and a female travel together, be it for personal or professional reason, the latter is pushed to the back passenger seat - no matter which two are closer friends or colleagues. It is also an unwritten rule (may be there is a written rule 😠) that whenever male persons are there, they invariably take the front passenger seat!

Does it depend on the common perception that the male-female duo would be couples or likely to become one; or a sort of discomfort to use gears while driving; or the driver-friend-colleague's fear that he would be seen indifferent; or movies that mostly portray such couples getting physically intimate; or a myth that man to man conversation is easier; or it is merely a status-quo. It could be one or all of these or something else. No clue!

To some extent, this behaviour is justifiable in case of rural parts of India or Tamil Nadu. But in urban parts where we 'claim' to be progressive in many fronts and 'scream' about gender issues, this remains confusing to me! Such practices do not exist in some metropolitan cities outside our state and definitely not a scene in other parts of the world. I prefer the front passenger seat filled first while I drive to have a sense of company during the trip, no matter how short or long the distance is or who travels with me.

Having said that, it is equally difficult to ask our male friend or colleague - who drives - as to where we should sit. That puts both in embarrassment. What if I ask my male friend/colleague to occupy the front seat while I drive and he is reluctant. Again a delicate situation. And what if the woman is unwilling to take the seat despite offered by her male friend? He might feel awkward!

OMG, this discussion is a total chaos and confusing!!!! Instead I should let it go with the flow to save my brain drain! 😎

Is a child-friendly library possible? 😐 YES! 😊

As a kid I used to visit district library in Kanchipuram with my father. He was fond of Tamil fiction and I would just see around not knowing what to pick. Sometimes my father helped, rarely the librarian (because only rarely I sought his help) and many a times I found myself lost there. Do I have to read dailies or comics or real big ones or the smallest book of all? I did not know then!!! Mobile libraries gave me the same feel at that age but was fun to see books moving around my neighbourhood!

                            Courtesy: WEF

In my experience, physical structure of the library was not attractive at all in the first place. The reading space was neither airy or broad. It took a while (read as many years) to realize that "what is important in a library is the books and not these spatial items." Secondly, I was never taught how to approach a library. When I say how to approach, I do not mean that libraries are places to be approached in a defined professional way. Being an amateur in browsing will land us in real good books sometimes. But I haven't been taught anything at all about a library tour. The library that was existing in my school was never opened for students. I am sure none of you would be shocked to know that as this is common in our schools - be it government, aided or private. In colleges & universities, we would be taught (at least I was taught) to visit library as buying recommended subject books would be highly unaffordable to many of us (me). 

                           Source: Tamil Nadu Foundation

To mention a few libraries that I frequently visited, the infamous Connemara library surprised me with the number of books and the fact that it is a National Depository Library (meaning a copy of anything published in India is received here by default). Isn't this an awesome thing!!!!! Then the British Council Library in Chennai that is purely posh and I had always felt inferior to go as it seemed to be a 7-star hotel where I would never fit in by any means. I could not recall any relevant literature I had borrowed as I had never felt at home there. Oh then the only library in Tamil Nadu with the highest level of security, the American Library in Chennai situated in the consulate campus. To enter is a challenge in itself as you need to pass through several levels of security checks that might frustrate you. Yet, books/articles we get there are worth taking the effort. But I was exposed to all these places and many more only for the sake of research and I do not remember spending hours together in any of them for general reading. In fact, not having memories of long hours in library is something to be ashamed of. By the time most of us understand that library is a treasure filled with magic for life, we would be typical adults for whom unlearning and relearning become difficult.

Having known this secret the next typical thought of an adult is to introduce their kids to library at an young age. Well, I tried doing the same with my daughter. The first visit to a district library was a disaster as we (mom & dad) wanted to get out of the place ourselves. Some reasons include suffocation and poor lighting. Even after fulfilling these basic necessities including toilets, I do not think it is possible to retain kids there even for a while. On wondering what kind of libraries would pull kids in, google showed me some model children libraries across the world. Presenting their images here:

The above pictures show enhanced physical features of libraries for children. The outward appearance is the very first attraction for kids, no matter what we boast of the proverb "Don't judge a book by its cover.' One cannot make a child understand (or there is no need to teach them) that libraries are meant for reading and not playing. To make a child enter and sit/roam around for a while is the biggest challenge and if such uniquely designed structures could do the task, it has to be done immaterial of investment. 

Though the Anna Centenary Library in Tamil Nadu's capital city has a good children section, it is nothing but a baby step. As children are fond of playing and only playing, children section of libraries need to be playful, attractive and interactive enough to pull them inside. It is said that the job well begun is half done! The reading part will take care of itself once children hang around and love hanging around in a library of their kind.  Below are pictures of library existing in our state. There are not many of this kind, unfortunately.

Be it a school or a public library, minimum requirements or tiny changes that will not cost much include keeping libraries open, an independent children section, bright coloured walls, accessible & low-lying book shelves, few play items, colourful books, enough air and light, kutty kutty incentives, child-friendly furniture/space to sit/lie down, freedom to act on their own and a child enthusiast (you call them a librarian, no problem). 

If you google, you will find a handful of unique libraries in the world doing innovative things such as paying kids for books they read, delivering books using exciting modes of transport, etc. It is okay if we could do nothing unique or innovative of that sorts but we cannot shy away from the duty of bringing kids to libraries. To depend on government is the reliable path to get things revamped. Yet seeking help from stakeholders would prove fruitful for both schools and public libraries as many stakeholders are willing to work in unison. 

P.S.: Yep, I have not told anything about having one at home because It is too personal to intrude into! 😄

A stupendous beginning to end something odd!

Today's (02.09.2021) The Hindu well drew my attention and planted a huge smile on face with one of its fine pieces in the very first page. It is 👇

                        source: The Hindu (02.09.2021)

This culture of addressing others as 'sir' and 'madam' has long faded away from most of the countries in the world. May be it did not exist at all in many parts of the world. In particular, it is always fascinating for me while watching English movies and series to see people addressing each other by names in educational institutions & workplaces - irrespective of age difference &  designation. It looks highly professional, indeed! 🙌

Whereas in India, the instance mentioned above seems to be the first of its kind. The origin of this kind of salutation in India, which is now immaterial,  is dated back to colonial days! What is needed is to get rid of it. Though it looks extremely difficult, it certainly is not unachievable. The ray of hope is now seeded by this Panchayat office in Kerala that has made the reform by means of displaying boards with names and designation to make it easy for public to address the officials. The office suggests other ways to address officials just in case they find this new move too odd to get adapted to. Interestingly, the news article also states that the choice of words in letters is also undergoing a massive change and experts in vernacular language are working on identifying alternatives, on 'desire' (not request). This is nothing less than awesome for the kind of new professional set up it gives to the office. Reforms at such grassroot level stay stronger and grow healthier! 🙇 Kudos!!!!

Nonetheless, just the imagination of bringing such a reform in a smaller unit around gives a mixed feeling, the dominant one being 'not positive'. This long existing culture is difficult to be separated as majority perceive this as a symbol of dominance, authority, ego, position, respect and what not! As long as we cling to these, the chances of change are meagre. Yet, when a place where most of the visitors are from rural areas could make a difference to work culture, isn't easier to do so in an educated environment? Yes, only when it begins from top of the hierarchy. 

I am here reminded of a scene from the Tamil movie Ratchasi where the school Principal encourages students to call her by name and children doing so. Many of us would have felt it being overboard (to be honest, I found it artificial and forced), but it seems to be a good beginning for a better work culture and professionalism. 

P.S.: After having stepped into a conventional  work setup, my habit of calling people by names has changed drastically. I find myself  overusing 'sir' & 'madam' which is abnormally elevated. Let me see if I could change myself for good! 👐 

செவி கொடுக்கும் தமிழக அரசு 👏💪

பெருந்தொற்றுக் காலத்தில் பதிவியேற்ற தமிழக அரசுக்கு சவால்கள் ஏராளம். எந்த சவாலையும் இது சிறியது, இது பெரியது என புறக்கணிக்க இயலாத அளவுக்கே அனைத்து சவால்களும் உள்ளன. இவற்றை வேகம் மற்றும் விவேகம் ஆகிய இரண்டும் கொண்டே எதிர்கொள்ள வேண்டியுள்ளது. இவ்வாறான சூழ்நிலையில் துறை சார்ந்த வல்லுனர்களின் அறிவுரைகள், பரிந்துரைகள் போன்றவையின் அவசியம் இன்றியமையாதது. தமிழக அரசு பதவியேற்றவுடன் பலதரப்பட்ட வல்லுனர் குழுக்களை அமைத்துள்ளது பலரின் பாராட்டையும் பெற்றது.

இந்த நடவடிக்கையின் அடுத்தப் படியாக தமிழகத்தின் முக்கிய எழுத்தாளர்களின் கருத்துகளையும், எழுத்துகளையும் கூர்ந்து கவனிப்பது, வாசிப்பது மட்டுமன்றி அதன் தேவையினை உணர்ந்து தமிழக அரசு உடனுக்குடன் நடைமுறைப்படுத்துவது பெரும் மகிழ்ச்சியை மட்டுமன்றி ஒரு புது நம்புக்கையையும் அளிக்கிறது. கீழே இரண்டு உதாரணங்கள்.

                                                        நன்றி: கூகுள்

எழுத்தாளர் சாரு நிவேதிதா அவர்கள் குமுதத்தில் தமிழ் எழுத்தாளர்களின் நிலையினைக் குறித்தும் அரசு செய்யக்கூடிய செய்ய வேண்டிய முன்னெடுப்புகள் குறித்தும் விரிவாக முதலமைச்சருக்கு திறந்த மடல்கள் இரண்டை கடந்த ஜூன் மாதத்தில் எழுதினார். அதனை தன் வலைப்பக்கத்திலும் வெளியிட்டிருந்தார் (http://charuonline.com/blog/?p=10346). மிக நீண்ட கடிதங்கள் அவை. தமிழ் எழுத்தாளர்களின் அவல நிலையும், அங்கீகரிக்கப்படாத சூழலும், சமுதாயத்தின் பார்வையும் என விவரித்துள்ள கடிதங்கள் அவை. அதில் அவர் குறிப்பிட்டுள்ள முக்கியமான கருத்துகளை ஏற்று அடுத்த ஓரிரு வாரங்களில் முதலமைச்சர் சில உத்தரவுகளையும் ஆணைகளையும் பிறப்பித்திருந்தார். அதாவது புதிய நூலகம் அமைத்தல், எழுத்திற்கு உயரிய விருதுகள் பெறுவோர்க்கு அரசு வீடு பரிசளித்தல், ஆண்டுதோறும் எழுத்தாளர்களை கண்டெடுத்து தமிழக அரசு விருதுடன் பரிசுத்தொகையும் வழங்குதல் போன்ற ஆணைகளே அவை. இன்னும் செய்ய வேண்டியவை ஏராளம் இருந்தாலும் இந்த நடவடிக்கைப் பாரட்டுக்குரியதே. 

 

                                                      நன்றி: கூகுள்

இதே போன்று எழுத்தாளர் ஜெயமோகன் அவர்கள் வாசகர் ஒருவரின் ஆரம்பக் கல்வி சார்ந்த ஒரு கேள்விக்கு இம்மாத தொடக்கத்தில் தனது விரிவான கருத்துகளைத் தெரிவித்திருந்தார். அதாவது பெருந்தொற்றுக் காரணமாக பள்ளிகள் ஒரு வருடத்திற்கும் மேலாக மூடப்பட்டுள்ளதால் குழந்தைகளின் படிப்பாற்றல் பெரிதும் மந்த நிலையில் உள்ளதையும், மாணாக்கர் படிப்பினை மொத்தமாக மறக்கும் நிலை உள்ளதையும், இதை சரி செய்ய என்ன செய்யலாம் என்பதான கேள்வி அது. தன் பதிலில் எழுத்தாளர் ஜெயமோகன் அவர்கள் ஆரம்பக்கல்விக்கென பள்ளிகளுக்கு வெளியே ஒரு இயக்கம் ஆரம்பிக்கப்பட்டு, அதற்கென பெரும் நிதி ஒதிக்கீடு செய்து, ஆசிரியர்களைப் பணியமர்த்தி குழந்தைகளுக்கு ஆரம்பக் கல்வியான எழுதுதல், வாசித்தல் போன்றவற்றை சிறு குழுக்களாக பிள்ளைகளைப் பிரித்து கற்பிக்க அரசு நடவடிக்கை எடுக்கலாம் என பதிவு செய்திருந்தார் (https://www.jeyamohan.in/150889/). இப்பதிவு வெளிவந்த ஒரே வாரத்தில் தமிழக அரசு ஆரம்பக்கல்விக்கென ஒரு இயக்கம் தொடங்கப்படவுள்ளது என சட்டசபையில் தெரிவித்திருந்தது. இவ்வாறான முயற்சி இந்தியாவிலேயே முதல்முறை எனக் கூறப்படுகிறது. 

                                                      நன்றி: கூகுள்

எழுத்தாளர்கள் சமுதாயத்திற்கு ஆற்றும் பணி மகத்தானது. முன்னோடியாக தமிழக அரசு இதை அடையாளம் கண்டுகொள்ளும் போதும், அவர்களின் கருத்துகளின் ஆழத்தையும் தேவையையும் உணரும் போதும் சமுதாயத்தின் மீது ஒரு வெளிச்சம் பரவுகிறது. இவ்வேலையை செய்ய வேண்டிய கல்லூரிகளுக்கும் பல்கலைக்கழங்களுக்கும் இது போன்ற அரசு நடவடிக்கைகள் ஒரு நினைவூட்டல், அவர்களின் கடமையை உணர்த்துதல். இவை தொடரும்பட்சத்தில் எழுத்தாளர்களையும், எழுத்துகளையும் கொண்டாடும் நிலை எழலாம். இதன் மூலம் அடுத்த தலைமுறை பரந்த அறிவோடும், மனதோடும் வளர வாய்ப்புள்ளது.👏