The Great wall of ‘Corona’ 

 

      Hello there, hope you all are doing well. I am writing something after so long. As confined between great walls of  ‘home’ did not let me experience travel or any thing new, but lately I realised that being in our comfortable abodes for so long we all have gone through various mental stages and behavioural patterns and have adapted well with the corona situation.  With the 5^th month of lock down going on , stepwise unlock process begun  , we also have drawn a  picture at  the backdrops of  our minds about ‘The Alternative way of being’ and many ‘What ifs’.

         Here is my tryst with  ‘Lockdown stages ‘ of almost 4 months of staying behind the walls.

       - The dilemma  – Is ‘Corona’ for real?

      It was an usual day, a bright  sunny morning , I dropped my daughter to her school and grabbed my cab for office at around 12:30 pm. The usual politics discussions among colleagues, classes and tea breaks in between, nothing special it was a routine day , but now when I look back it was a special day as it was the last day before the lockdown when our little worlds weren’t ‘CORONA’ driven.

      I was mentally preparing list of stuff I need to pack for upcoming trip to Udaipur. Two days before the scheduled trip the news about a couple in Rajasthan found to be corona positive started doing rounds, a little apprehensive , I decided to go on this trip. With all the news floating around about ‘corona’ everything appeared corona infected to me. On our way to Udaipur we had to take night halt in a beautiful hotel in Ajmer, lush green with well laid tents , all seems to be so good but  now jinxed with that little spine headed virus.   I asked receptionist several times ‘hope no Italians in your hotel’ ?As I entered  the tent, I heard  somebody humming an Arabic song from the adjacent tent , but  my corona smitten half started arguing with the carefree half-   ‘What if an Italian singing an Arabic song!!, or Arabic from Italy or Arab travelled alongside an Italian . I rushed to the receptionist who this time little annoyed answered sternly  that “Madam , the person staying nearby your tent is from Israel not Italy”.

      We decided to visit selected places in Udaipur preferably with less crowd.  Many of the Holi celebration programs were already cancelled.  We were left with morning walks along  Fateh  sagar lake. On the way back home I kept checking social media handles  or news update there was worldometer counting the corona infected people  or  recovering from it, locked down people singing songs on their balconies . Lost in this huge pile of information I did realised later that this was my last trip in ‘ corona free world’ .

 

Back Home -   Offices were on, people however shifted their discussions from politics to corona.  The fact that it will be a complete lockdown was quite unanticipated then.

 

 

Lockdown Stage 1-  ‘Slow down  and reflect phase’

The dilemma persists- 

22 March 2020 , we clapped at 5pm on our balconies to thank health workers, that was the first day of lockdown. Checking worldometer became daily routine .  You tube flooded with doctors talking about various aspects of Corona infection, people talking about home remedies and how Indians are less susceptible to disease due to inbuilt immunity and eating habits, Indian subcontinent inhospitable for corona virus survival.  Letters written by people from other countries describing the severity of the situation in their country doing rounds on social media handles.

     ‘ Stay home and stay safe’ became the new mantra along with ‘lets acquire sanitisers first’. Sanitisers became the luxurious necessity overnight. Nearby medical stores doubled tripled the price from mrp , I also ordered a bottle of sanitiser for 900 rupee  and masks for everyone. As the lockdown extended for 15 more days and then more and so the fact that ‘Corona is for real’.

      

            Self  reflection by human race  -  World went  in meditation mode .

The articles popping up now and then said – “Enough is enough” lets stop , give a thought ,   human race has done enough damage and so  deserves to be behind the bars or lets say concrete walls, and corona is the tool.

Rivers cleaning up, air pollution index gone down , frequent rainfalls, deers coming back to empty roads in Coimbatore, migratory birds coming back to their seasonal abodes, people getting time at home to be with their families , so do I after so many years , it was so good to be home.  This phase of lock down turned out to be rejuvenating , with reading books , painting ,  corners of house which I never realised exist and are to be cleaned.  After a long time I was free from morning hustle bustle,  clocks became mere tick tocks on the wall.

   

   Lock down phase 2 – ‘Enough self reflection , get back to work ‘.

Humans have an agile mind , they have this unique  ability to normalise the abnormal situations. This phase came with online flood.  Schools came online with their Microsoft Teams, Google meet meetings, Zoom. These became the household terms at once. Companies devicing new strategies for the new CORONA scenario , people doing more work as usual to sustain their jobs.

 

As the number of corona cases increased the lockdown as well , but fear has its own life span , it gets diffused with time however the grave the danger is, survival becomes the primary necessity. Eventually, the society as a whole reaches to a New Normalisation.

 

The new Normalisation –

The new normalisation can be mirrored by the market full of products  customised with Corona scenario. Some of the special ones I came across were – special see through masks for deaf and dumb people, bridal get ups with matching silk embroidered masks, and recent one where you can order a customised mask with graphics of your lower face ,  both product and service companies complied with new corona driven  psychology people.They display their sterilisations measures in their advertisement for instance people started to avoid buying bread. So Bread making companies came up with  several steps of sterilisations in their packaging process which can be seen in their advertisements. International universities opening up many online courses.  The demand and supply dynamics of the market changed its course with respect to number of corona cases .  Be it special packages and top ups in medical insurance policies or education or edibles or stocks or fashion.

 

      In this span of almost six months consciously or subconsciously we all have drawn a mental picture of  a ‘Post Corona World'. We can have varied opinions, some of us think that corona vaccine in market will rewind the world to pre-corona  while there are others who think post corona world cannot be free from a permanent  mental scar as a warning sign that must the human kind take care and can’t go on rambling nature whenever and wherever they want , otherwise calamaties effect all irrespective of status, just a human body is enough, which we all have in common.  So instead of Homo sapiens rather Humble homo sapiens who do not take nature for a free ride would make this world a better place to live for our generations ahead .

 

 

 

        

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                   The Wedding  Divide

                February is usually the season of weddings. One can see the preparation in full swing- Pre booked banquet houses prepping for upcoming ceremonies, catering services inviting customers for recipe trials , bands and shehnai walas rehearsing for their forthcoming performances, family pandits packing their bags for pooja ceremonies, beauty saloons crowded with men and women of different age groups with the purpose of looking their best on their or others’ ‘big day’. We also had few wedding invitations of family and friends lined up for this season. There were two weddings on consecutive days one in South Delhi, and other one in a village located at outskirts of Faridabad

.

                         For wedding in South Delhi, the venue was a five star hotel located in a plush area. Market place brimming with luxury cars, roads lit with aesthetically twined light cords, the aroma of cologne spread all over.  Inside it was a huge airconditioned hall decorated with dandalions, roses and pearl strings all over. Women in beautiful silk and chiffon sarees, dolled up with makeup, diamonds dripping from them, men dressed in their black berries and Van Hessen flaunting their latest models of I phones.

               I sat in the second row to watch the ongoing ceremonies. Mother of the groom was busy in pooja, some gifts were given from bride’s side. My balloon of enthusiasm was pricked when I saw the photographer taking photo of the cash and gold as soon as it landed in the lap of groom’s mother. Although the giving and taking dowry is a dead debate, people have already turned cold shoulder towards it and normalized the system. It’s a pride to get a good deal and boys family was elated with their latest acquired bargaining chip.  As majority of guests get engrossed in chatting. I sat next to two elderly ladies dressed in beautiful silk sarees, from their conversation I got to know that the girl is very beautiful and well qualified professional as compared to boy. The boys family spent 3 to 4 lakhs more to blow the dust of propaganda in order to bag the money for car and furniture from girls parents. After greeting and congratulating the couple. I met bride’s parents the expression of relief rather than joy was more pronounced on their faces.

                          There was another wedding to attend next day. We reached the venue little early. It was a decent tent house with chandeliers hanging, coolers installed all over. At the back of the tent, halwais were busy making pakodas and other snacks for guests, women dressed in beautiful sarees with modest jewelry, children playing all around. As I knew that the financial status of this family was not that they can afford this much also. I greeted the couple and sat on one of the chairs near stage area. After sometime bride’s sister came to invite us for dinner, on the way to dining hall, I asked her who has done all the arrangements?  Village people are simple, they often reveal more than what is asked contrary to stone faced city people. She cheerfully said , didi we halved the expenses so that we can arrange a good party for guests of both the sides. After dinner we headed for dance on the dj floor and merrily danced with the parents and relatives of both the sides.

                  While coming back I inadvertently found myself comparing the two wedding functions. I kept wondering whether our actions are the outcome of circumstances or can we come forward voluntarily shedding our prejudices.

                     

                          

         

    The Trek

                “ He who climbs the highest mountains laughs at all tragedies,

      real or imaginary "

       -Friedrich Neitszche.

Life and times have changed in truly revolutionary ways. Yet we seldom feel it, as we are also its integral part. Life has become so busy in metropolitan cities that we hardly have time to pause and think, least forget reflecting. It is like as if someone has pressed fast forward button and forgot to press it back and before we realise, there is a big  ‘THE END’ flashing on the television screen of life.

                   Not very long ago I developed immense love for travelling. Often my trips comprise of road trips to mountains(particularly Himalayas) which works as an escape route for me from city madness to wilderness. This time I chose rather little more adventurous escape route – trekking. Being a plane dweller , I was skeptical about my physical abilities for this climb and also a tiny part of me was also apprehensive of the unknown .After much search and contemplation I booked my trip with an agency operating in the field of Himalayan adventures. It was trek to NagTibba located 60 km from Mussoorie.

            We started our trek from a small village called Panthwari on bright Sunday morning. Our team had people from different parts of country. It was a group as some of them were highly motivated, some skeptical, others seasonal trekkers narrating stories of their previous treks. Over all it was a lively group of individuals of different age groups. The essence of this team was a common goal – The climb. The expert guides with us provided seamless experience of trek, they gave enough space to each one of us to climb at our own pace. Although from different walks of life, the essence of interaction lies in otherwise mundane ways like motivating each other, laughing and perching on rocks in between, appreciating the vastness of beauty around while climbing. These complicate our feelings of hate or prejudice, so much that it will make those feelings vanquish entirely. It allows us to be open, to trust, to breakdown cultural, religious, professional barriers and turn a once stranger into just another human being.

The beautiful sunset rays

                   It was 7km trek to base camp. I had been struggling to catch my breath all the way uphill but it was a lively feeling with sun warming my back and mountain cold wind caressing my face. After approximately 5hours, we reached base camp. It was almost sunset time. By the time we settled in our respective tents, it became dark outside. The vibrant colours of sunset were engulfed by stark darkness all around. I felt profound silence as the fellow trekkers snuggled up in their tents. As the night advanced distant sounds began to fade away. The sky above came alive , glittering vivaciously studded with dense stars accessorizing the panorama of shadows of trees on mountain peaks. I was totally enthralled by the profundity of the vision that lay before me, it trumped everything else I experienced before. I just looked and looked and looked at the spectacular 

glitterati spread above me. (After failed attempts of trying to capture it by camera, I decided to paint it when back home).

           My all senses came to a halt for an hour to capture the beauty in my mind’s eye. I was taken over by intense calmness and began to understand what being in present (mindfulness) actually mean. I spotted another group, trekkers with their headlights on making their way to camp. Their enthusiastic voices added to the background score as backing vocalists under the starry night.

The white around.

               Next morning, we headed to Nag-Tibba summit. The path now, was not very bumpy and steep, it was a circular trek through the forest area and the wind pelted snow chunks on us from the tree canopies. After walking for about an hour we found ourselves amidst the shimmering snow spread all over, lit by golden tint of sun. Trudging and catching up with the team, I finally spotted Shiva temple. Reaching at its door step, I could only thank Lord Shiva for bestowing me with the strength to climb.

The shiva temple covered with snow.

                               Each time when I come back home from these trips, not to mention this time from climb, there is always a new me, emerging out from an old moult. The moult which I left behind somewhere in the jungles of these magnificent Himalayas.

            

Road trip : Delhi to Narkanda

                                        

            We started our road trip from Delhi at 7pm . Vehicle for most of our roadtrips is Scorpio, it is rear wheel drive apt for roadtrips in rough and hilly terrains. At late evening hours traffic is relatively less, we swiftly crossed Delhi and reached GT Karnal highway around 9pm. GT Karnal highway is the popular roadway for several tourist destinations. It is brightly illuminated with well lit Dhabas alongside.

          Road journey at night has its own charm, there is subtle transition of lights as the night advances, envisaging the idea of routine. Lights at homes lit first then those of commercial buildings and roadside dhabas, as the hours pass by brightly lit flyovers dominate over the dimming lights of homes and buildings. One can find many good Dhabas along the highway, we had our dinner at Mannat dhaba, tea breaks, in between can be taken late at night as well. The eating joints along side  highway keep buzzing with tourists in the late hours of night.

        We took our first halt in Zirakpur (Punjab), we booked our rooms in advance for night stay. It is advisable to book rooms here as this place is not very popular with tourists, so one can easily get good accommodation at reasonable rates. We checked in our hotel (Sun Park) at Zirakpur at 1:30am. Hotel staff was very quick and efficient, rooms were very clean and well maintained.  Next morning we started our journey early for Narkanda. Himachal expressway is well paved and comfortable to drive, it is one way upto Kasauli . However, some parts of the road are still under construction, so one has to take care of ‘diversion boards’ while driving.

Driving on Narkanda mountains- Real treat

Inky clouds and Apple orchards

        In the month of April , the serpentine road beautifully fringed with  purple coloured gulmohar trees in full bloom canvassed with green fields spreading all over, are feast to the eyes. The purple hue of gulmohar trees continued with us till Parwanoo. As we drove and started gaining elevation, the vegetation gets replaced with lush green cover of rhododendrons.

            We stopped at Kasauli, for breakfast at a small restaurant.We were served with simmering paranthas and tea at a restaurant. Refreshed with cool breeze and the tasty food, we started for Shimla around 12:00pm. Our next stop was Shoghi, we had our lunch.  From Shoghi to Shimla the drive is a real treat to eyes. It is endowed with scenic beauty, beguiling mountains  fresh cool wind blowing all around swaying trees spreading the aroma of pine trees which synthesise an aura rejuvenating body, soul and mind. 

        We drove continuously till Narkanda via Shimla. Narkanda is 62km from Shimla, it takes approximately 2 hrs from Shimla to Narkanda.  Each mountain defines its own beauty and uniqueness, so are the mountains of Narkanda, breath taking beauty, blanketed with lush green cover of deodar and pines. Narkanda is at the elevation of 2500 metres above sea level.  It is advisable to carry jackets in summers as the mercury dips down during night considerably. 

           Mountains of Narkanda gets covered with flowers of apple in the month of April. Apple trees bloom and become heavily laden with pinkish white flowers. Narkanda is famous for its apple orchards. Locals cover apple trees with white nets to protect them from strong winds and dew. The enchanting panorama of luxuriant green mountains with sun hiding behind the inky clouds striving to sprinkle its rays is simply captivating. The intriguing beauty of these mountains shadowed with waterladen inky clouds all over can compel to stop by and take quick snapshots of the view in between.

                     

Sunrays and apple orchards

Apple trees covered with white net to prevent from dew .

        We checked in our Hotel at Narkanda around 4:30pm. The view from the balcony was mesmerizing, we could easily spot the snow covered mountain peaks of Kinner Kailash.

          After getting refreshed we went for a walk in nearby market. Many small eating joints here provide mouth watering food with very reasonable rates. We had our dinner at hotel though. Sun rise is early at 6am the mountains are lit with golden shimmering snow. We walked to one of the  restaurants nearby which became our regular for next tow days of our stay.  We satisfied our appetite to the core with mouth watering hot giant sized paranthas and dollaps of butter on them.

                                   

The ultimate beauty.

         After breakfast we booked taxi for Hatu Peak which is 3400m above sea level. The climb to Hatu peak is very narrow, a trained driver and a small car (preferably Alto) is prerequisite to mount. The peaceful ambience of this temple gives it a peculiar unanimity , the absolute paradisiacal union of nature and spiritualism. One can easily spot thick sheets emulating the fact that this place receives heavy snowfall in winters.

        Narkanda has a peculiar unadulterated mileau. Locals busy doing their routine work, women dressed  in woolen salwar kameez, koti, their heads wrapped in colourful bandanas, carrying big baskets on their back for collecting wood, groups of children going to nearby school , men wear traditional Himachali topi with green strip at the front, kurtas and woolen koti . Because of less footfall of tourists Narkanda shows true culture and essence of mountain life of Himachal.

             The stay in Narkanda ended next day, we started back to Delhi. While coming back we visited Golf course ground at Nal Dehra located near Shimla, around  20kms from Mashobra. We took horse ride to Golf course. Horse ride gives a closer peep into the pine jungles of Naal Dehra. On outting an ear attentively, one can listen the sound of wind blowing over tall pime trees which resembles fast flowing water. With the short tryst with jungles of Naal Dehra we had our lunch and headed back to Delhi. This time we booked our hotel at Parwanoo for night stay. Next morning we started our drive to Delhi. We reached Delhi at 12:30pm. The experience of this three day road trip to the mountains of Narkanda is quite satiating as window for our nerve shaken souls and busy lives back here in cities.

    

         

Early Childhood education: Do teachers need to be' MBA'?

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         One Sunday morning ,  when we were sipping tea , our door bell rang , Mr. Sandeep , our neighbour was standing outside, dressed in his tracks , he seemed to be on his way for a morning jog.  We invited him in, he looked quite perplexed. He was in the state of utter confusion with respect to choice of school for his son. He was most apprehensive about the selection of Board (CBSE or ICSE). Not only him , all of us are on the same boat. All of us face the same situation when it comes to choose a particular school for our kid. This state of dilemma exists , in the mind of every parent whose child crosses 4 years of milestone and going to enter the formal world of schooling.

     Everyday , I come across many parents,  exploring the options of potential schools for their kids.  While selecting a school  quality of education is taken for granted. Factually speaking we are ignorant about what our children deserve and what they are getting  in the name of education.

          We seldom raise eyebrows , on the ongoing  pedagogy in our preschool classrooms.  These schools often give us the perception  that getting admission  is itself  a matter of privilege. The hoopla of ‘insecurity’ regarding school admission has been meticulously created in the market. For example some of the renowned private schools  conduct  lottery system or set the age limit for admission or test the child on few parameters or just add terms as international or modern as suffices in their school names. 

When I enquired from some of the parents about the criteria for the  selection of school for their kid? 

Their answers were:

         Parent A: ICSE is better than CBSE..    

    Parent B:  Basics should be clear from the beginning.

.      Parent C:   Infrastructure of the school is good.

.    Parent D:  It’s a branded and best school of the city.  

      Parent E: Children coming to a particular school are from me economic background. 

     Parent F:  School is near to our home.

    Parent E: School also takes care of extracurricular activities.

        Since, parents and kids undergo the rigorous battle of admission, they feel triumphant when they see their names in the admission list.  As a matter of this course , there is no scope left for them to enquire about philosophy or pedagogy followed by that particular school. Selection in a particular school is taken as blessing in disguise,  for that parents pay hefty amounts. Most of these funds  get directed to maintain the brand name or infrastructure of the school rather than appointing efficient teachers.

 Let’s turn the spotlight towards the state of primary education existing around us. As a matter of fact, the outside world is changing at a very fast pace as compared to what is being taught within the four walls of a preschool classroom. There is a huge gap between what a child sees and experiences outside the school and what he or she studies in the books. For eg.  there is a chapter in grade1 EVS book about living and non living things .  A 5 year old child already knows this concept, he or she has the ability to learn more complex concepts, provided these concepts are simplified and improvised for them efficiently . This can only be possible if we have a system of efficient educators focusing on the intricacies of ‘Early Childhood Development’.

        We can’t bury our head in sand,  for the fact that there is   enormous online inflow of information be it in the form of animation, short fun videos , online games, channels etc.  Evidently , there are many more diversions for the upcoming generation than ours.  They must be nurtured with care and equanimity .  The goal of early Childhood education should be building the nexus between the classroom and the outside world . This creates the purview of education which goes beyond  ‘chalk and talk’.

        If not the institutions, we as parents have to upgrade our awareness . The needs of a preschooler are to be catered with respect to the changing panorama of the world with each passing day. For that parents , teachers and system have to collaborate to create a new lense with more resolving power. The revival of  the fading  mileau of wonder, excitement and most importantly passion of learning in the initial years of education an be nurtured. 

       Some of the queries that can come to our mind as parents and teachers must be:

    .  What can be the better way of teaching learning process?

     . What is lacking in our preschools?

     . What can be our contribution as parents?

          . What should we demand from the existing early childhood   programmes ?

             The paradox is that the normality lies in what is being followed by majority.  Any digression from the set scheme is considered as aberration , even if it  is appropriate.

             While going through the curriculum of several  preschools of my city,  I inferred that most of them follow the  curriculum which make their students admission ready for formal schooling, constructing a vicious circle for parents and children.

      For instance one of my friends who lives in Mumbai, went for the admission of her 1 year old son, in the city’s ‘best play school.’

   While filling the admission form , she overheard an ongoing class, which went on as  :

   

Teacher: What is the colour of leaf?

     Kids in chorus:  Green.

Teacher: Can leaf be of any other colour?

Kids in chorus: No

Teacher : Yes the colour of the leaf is only green.

Teacher: What is the colour of Sun ?

Kids in chorous : Yellow.

Teacher : Can the colour of Sun be blue?

Kids in chorus : No

Teacher:  Yes, the colour of the sun is only yellow.

      The teaching learning process in this class clearly manifest the need for overhauling the early childhood education.

          Play way activities in early years of child development are to  be meticulously designed with appropriate learning objectives.  We need to critically analyse  the curriculum comprising of  mundane  routine, which makes students do writing work or unsupervised activities in the name of play way .

      The roots are invested deeper than they appear to be. Our preschools are well decorated with well established , infrastructure, fee structures, counselling sessions etc.  but they lack qualified ,  teaching staff. This can be attributed to the fact that education in early years is not given due importance.  We are clueless so as to what should we expect and demand from our preschools .  Although, its not possible to fathom the depth,  just by viewing its pelagic part. We need to dive deeper to come to elucidate a solution.

           So, the questions lingers on:  What should we expect from the preschools for our children.  How important are ’ Early childhood programs’ in our education system ?

            

    

              Playschool is the first place where a child is separated from the comfort and secure zone of their parents.  So, our preschools should have enough material to attract and make the child feel comfortable. It is the place where a child opens up as individual, interacting with peers and teachers. As per researches ‘Early childhood programmes’ have long been shown to create improvements that last for a lifetime. The earliest years of a child’s life are most critical. This was well stated by Bill Gates “the first five years have so much to do with how the next 80 turn out “. These years determine the survival and thriving in life, and lay foundations of child’s performance later. Instilling passion for learning besides good habits is imperative for holistic development of child as an individual.

           We have to understand that performance is the function of expectations.  Accordingly, we need to design and establish our strategy.  To attain these objectives , we have to create efficient moulds right from the early years for our kids.  We need to ‘Move Beyond Academics’(MBA) for the building of a progressive society.

What could  be the essential characteristics of this mould is the question to ponder upon.  For instance lets take the example of nursery rhymes in our play schools, the same old London Bridge is falling down since last 200 years , Johny, Ms muffet ,  Humpty Dumpty have become familiar names of our household even if they do not contextualise with our praxis .  I wonder , why are we still carrying this age old ,irrelevant rhymes from British legacy. ( refer to the previous blog ‘Modernisation illusion or reality’?) .

           Can’t we endorse the rhymes highlighting  child’s surrounding like change of seasons, child’s praxis , nurturing child’s self esteem, critical thinking.

     Some of the rhymes written by Shel Silverstein beautifully illustrates this concept.

     Listen to

Listen to the mustn’d, child.

Listen to the shouldn’ts,

The impossibles,

The won’ts.

Listen to the never haves,

Then listen close to me….

      Anything can happen, child.

Anything can be.

         

Don’t tell me

 Please don’t tell me I should hug,

Don’t tell me I should care.

Don’t tell me just how grand I’d feel

If I just learned to share.

Don’t say,” its all right to cry,”

“Be kind”, “Be fair”, “Be True.”

Just let me see YOU do it,

Then I just might do it too.

Just can’t believe

You just can’t believe

Everything they tell you

Just’ cause they teach it

And preach it and shout.

They say you can’t eat nothin’

Bigger than you are….

You’ve really got to check

These things out.

     

     

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