Experience worth having!

Today, i am writing about my teaching experience at a district government school. I have taken class before, and this won't be the last, still i feel there was something worth mentioning about this class.
In classes i have taken earlier, students were mature and perfectly understood the key take ways of the class, but this was different. It was a class of forty students, all boys, between ten to twelve years of age.

It all started with my anticipation. I knew my class was over and above their class schedule, so i expected some restless in class. Boys will be more interested in going out and play, rather than attending my boring planet science class. Portrayal of a government schools in movies made my apprehensions worse. I could visualize boys jumping on their desks, throwing chalks, arguing among themselves and in all this process, never missing a chance to vanish from the class.

I landed in the class on the stipulated time and was pleasantly surprised. All boys stood up at their seats and  wished me good afternoon. It was a good omen, i thought. I put my laptop on the table and introduced myself and subject and how we are going to take it forward. Again i was taken by surprise when one student stood up and asked what's the use of studying planet science? I smiled to buy time and gathered all my experience as space scientist to answer the question.
And then went the class. I taught them basics of planetary movements, relative positioning, who discovered what and told them interesting stories behind those discoveries. Those 45 minutes changed my perception.

"Kind of questions you ask, reveal your understanding" goes the proverb  Looking at kind of questions i was asked during the class, i can happily say that my anticipation was wrong, apprehensions misplaced.

There i returned back, hopeful of India's future. If this is the generation, which will hold reins of this country tomorrow, then i am sure, they will not disappoint us. They are not studying in schools with world class facilities, where teacher to students ratio is best or where computers and laptops are regular features. This was a typical government school, like millions others in this country, but the kind of students, nonetheless were not an inch behind any other student studying in any international school. They were enthusiastic, they were captive and most importantly, they were willing to learn.

So, let's make information and knowledge accessible to these students, let's share whatever little we have learned with these millions of waiting receptors. Swami Vivekanand said and i quote "Education is manifestation of  one's inner abilities". So it does not matter, which school student is in, what matters is his/her potential, his/her inner abilities and access to information as information is currency of this age.



  

It was first rain since I was born or for that matter, conceived. Rains are not very common in desert but this one took too long in coming. It is never an easy period to survive. But when rains arrived, they came with all their glory. Deafening thunder, glaring lightening and then came the first drop of water from sky after an interval of four years. Following down-pour was so heavy that, in half an hour, all my village rivulets were billowing and roads, as if they were waiting for it, were blocked.
Rains had rejuvenating effect on everything, inert or live. Trees, which were on verge of falling, found a new foothold in drenched soil. Birds bewildered with thirst, got respite. Cattle, living on mercy of persons who donated for their fodder, mooed in hope of verdant fields. Farmers were relieved for they can grow something in their fields now, although the soil had been charred by heat in last four years. Wells were replenished with water and level increased, houses were naturally washed and dust settled to ground.
Nothing caught my eyes but this. Children, half naked and bedraggled, were out on the roads, blocking water wherever they could, so that they could wallow in stagnated water. They jumped into the water so that it splashes onto others. No one can enjoy rains as children do. I know this as I was one of them, a four year old girl.
“Roads leaving village are blocked.”
It was my grandfather. “Nobody can leave or come into village till the rains subdued and waters goes under bridges. “ He announced it to my mother.
My grandfather was sixty or may be sixty five year old, his body belied his age. He was tall, sturdy and a brave man. He spent his life taking his livestock for gazing and usually lived months in jungle. Everyone in our clan and village respected him for his integrity. He was a medicine man, at least he was able to suggest for pain reliever if not heal the malaise completely.
Few moments from that conversion, a young boy came where I was playing and asked if my grandfather was in there? I just nodded and pointed inside.
They had some conversation and both left in hurry.
They had gone to see a boy. He was son of farmer, who broke his right arm while learning cycling. His parents had taken him to local doctor in nearby village and had him plastered. But the plaster was too taut, it pressed blood vessels firmly and had blood flow to the palm blocked, compounding the agony of the boy. They could not take him to the doctor till rains subdued. So the question was what to do in this situation? Everyone was worried but no one knew anything. So they sent for my grandfather.
After closely examining the situation, my grandfather told them to remove the plaster.
“But what if he loses his hand and becomes crippled for life? Who will marry his daughter to my son in that case?” asked boy’s mother.
“In that case I will marry my granddaughter to him, whatever condition he may be in” retorted my grandfather. He was so like him, he made promises at his whims and other’s expenses.
That was the day. It decided my life, if it qualifies to be one.

Another week Passed by

Another week passed by,
Leaving memories,
Some cheers, some worries.
My duaghter is now a week older,
trying to stand on her floudering feet,
everytime her attempt little bolder.
She kisses my head, where there is a grey hair,
grown and flourished in last few days,
I tell myself you woun't be young always.
Time slips down like water from hills,
before you realise, it kills,
kills your childhood, your youth,
your dreams, your pleasures,
your virility, your feminity.
This week like many others before,passed without any disquietude,
that's what dicomforts me.
Because transquality is for lakes, not for oceans.
oceans, there are troughs and crests,
tides flow low and high.
Another week passed by,
Leaving memories,
Some cheers, some worries.

Farewell 2010

This is the penultimate day of this year, rather this decade. 30 December 2010. New decade will begin with new hopes, new aspirations, and new opportunities along with new problems, new challenges and new hardships. Before I start traversing the future, this is a good junction where I can stop. Stop and reflect on the past. Stop and prepare for the future. Next time when I will stop on similar junction, I would be emaciated, settled with life and in age bracket which is not considered young. Next time when I will stop, priorities would be changed but directions fixed, there would not be any course correction then.

So this is the day, this is the moment for me to see in which direction my sextant points. Is that the path I have to tread? If yes then how close I have inched towards the destination. If not then what are the amends for course correction. You can bring a ship to harbor without a light house and compass but you cannot lead a life without a goal. To achieve that goal, one has to do the cost-benefit analysis for each of the actions he has done in past and plans to do in future. Days like these are the perfect opportunities to do such arithmetic. You miss it and you lost it for a decade and by then life turns upside down.

White Tiger

Sometimes good things come to you when you expect them the least.In this context that good thing was a book: The White Tiger.
I was never very fond of reading fiction. I can read newspaper editorials as they deal with current and real issues but i can't stand some lengthy, verbose and imaginary novel.
Then out of nowhere i found this novel. A novel that's real, hard hitting and compels you to think. To think about this country, its people, its culture and more importantly its future.
It is a success story of a village boy from darkness ( we are privileged ones to be born in lighten India) who comes to Bangalore and starts his own enterprise. Between two ends of the story of this boy, lies the real truth of India. India is not we see or perceive. It may be the country growing with more than 8% annually and may boast of being the single largest and secular democracy of the world but it's not the country that is presented in the pamphlets distributed to the foreign delegates and state guests. This book gives you better insight of the plight and suffering of the less glorified and neglected areas of the country. It mentions each and every aspect of the life of less privileged; from abject poverty to discrimination based on caste ; from indentured labor to dowry; from booth rigging to malfunctioning education system or health care system.
If we don't want another partition of this country in future, we shall understand that all that glitters is not India. India is much more than it. We have to bring those left outs in main stream before the widened gap between the haves and have-nots leads to another fragmentation of country. India is not all about malls and multiplexes, it's is also about huts and slums near railway tracks. India is not all about millions of dollars made out of outsourcing business, it's about people struggling to get square meal a day.
Let's not forget hardships of those 3/4th of us while enjoying the luxuries we get because we are privileged.

Pursuit of happiness

Some days are different from normal ones and when they occur in life, we shall always stride to get full worth of it. Today was one of those for me. I had lots of fun, flying kites whole day. I never had experience of kite flying. So i was slightly hesitant about it. However, as behind every goof up a man makes, there is a woman, my wife insisted. I bought kites and thread.
we got up the terrace early in the morning, only to find that other were more quicker and eager than us. I saw whole sky covered with colorful kites of different shapes and sizes. We started our sail, wife giving 'Kanni' and i having hands on kite flying. We struggled for almost one hour before we could fly our first kite. Withing 2 minutes, somebody cut it down and we have to tie the next one.Fell on electricity wire and torn out. We lost 2 in 2 mins. This trend continued and we lost our kites one by one as BJP lost seats in parliamentary elections. After losing 8 we decided to go down and have lunch. Before that, we successfully flown two kites which came to our terrace after being cut by others.

Situation didn't get better after lunch, and we lost seven ours and 5 others in just two hours. Fifteen (all I had) were gone and i was left with thread, I came down.
So what was the fun i had, if i lost all the way? I would reply to that as,we shall be very clear on the point, that fun and happiness doesn't depend on losing or winning. If you have won, after cheating yourself or compromising your moral or doing what you never wanted to do, it will never lend you in peace or for that matter, bring happiness. It might seem correct at that time but you will regret it some day. If you keep your integrity intact and don't rob or cheat anybody and still you lose ( chance are less), then you shall take lesson from that. But i assure you, you will definitely have peace of mind and eternal happiness at your side. I had the same.

Uttarayan

Tomorrow is 'Uttarayan'. Huh? What Uttarayan? It's the day when sun shifts rising position towards North of east from current south of east.This is a natural phenomenon, days start getting bigger and nights smaller, till May 21 when we have longest day of year. This day is celebrated in different parts of country, with different namesof course. In Punjab, its Lohri, in other parts of North India, it's called Makar Sankranti and in Gujarat it's Uttarayan. As we Gujjus are very fond of food, we never let any festival to go by without having special cuisine associated with it.
With Uttarayan, Undiyo, kind a mixed vegetable but differs in types of vegetables put in and its sweet taste, is closely associated. That's why, vegetable prices ( now i know atta dal ka bhaav) have sharply gone up in view of Uttarayan. Jalebi and Basundi are other two delicious food items loved as much as Undiyo.
So what we all do whole day? Consume food? No. You won't find a single Gujju idle in house on the day. Everybody will be busy with his own kite on his terrace. Whole day it will go on, after all it's Kite flying day which will last for a week. Office attendance will be at minimum in week to come.
Looking forward to it, as i have also invested in kites, so called Manza and vegetables for delicious Undiyo!!