Wednesday, September 8, 2010

A small gift to our children

Written on 14th of August 2010, 11:00 PM


Good Morning friends...

Thats obviously how I will start tomorrow. I am honoured (seriously wondering why) to be the chief guest at an educational institution on the Independence Day.

Then What?

Independent India is such a wonderful place to be...

I belong to a small town originally, though I feel I have created furore to an extent at metro in the making - Bangalore... (Does not mean much)

A small town boy can become a celebrity and endorse a contract of 210 crores. A sleepy dreamer can become our PM. And... we will also have people who will continue to swear in the name of their cricketers, forgetting our humiliating defeats just a few days ago...

Such a wonderful place that we live in.

I still am not clear what to speak tomorrow...

I face a serious allegation that I speak well... An allegation that I cannot afford to prove "Not Guilty". Suddenly I remembered what happened about half an hour ago...

I had just dropped my little one to the bus stand on her way to an important mission... A mission which was a matter of pride for all of us in the family. By then (now)... my family has really swollen without even our realization.

While all were excited and one of our dear ones asked my little one "Are you prepared for the contest?" She had her reply almost ready. She had not prepared but the answer was spontaneous, "I have not prepared, but I will do it."

The answer only spurred a guilt in me. With big claims we stepped into a ground to change the way children think... will make them confident... will facilitate their overall growth... My little girl is only an example of thousands of little ones who are confident but sadly are snubbed down by their parents or by their teachers...

Can we give our little ones a small gift on this Independence Day...?

Instill some confidence to take a decision (However small) for a better tomorrow.


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Sunday, September 5, 2010

A word to our teachers on the Teachers' Day

Written on 11th of August


As I entered the class VIII of an English medium school, I was indeed happy for the natural behaviour of the kids... I still wonder why a class room becomes a market place just as the bell rings...

I felt the scene would have been different if they had seen their regular teacher get in. I was after all, a non-descript entity.

They would have sat silent for their teacher... Perhaps!

The fact was confirmed in a couple of minutes that I entered the class. A girl started asking others to be silent but to no avail.

Then I could hear one saying somebody has come...

The noise subsided as I observed the small little things that were around the table...

There was an old rusted cylindrical metal vase which contained pieces of chalk, small broken pencils and more. Next to it, on the chalk powder filled table, was a duster...

The noise was slowly reducing as the kids probably thought I was allowing them to settle down...

As I picked the long book on the table, a smart boy stood up and said... (I did not as anything)... "Sir, That is the complaint book..." I dared to open it and smiled to myself thinking how much pleasure teachers get as they enter the negative of their own kids...

The first page contained... Anish - DID NOT DO HIS HOME WORK. Next line - Sahil - Came late... The next - Lakshmi - Did not bring her book...

I flipped the pages and was sad to see such similar comments.

I did not speak.

Then to my amazement I found a cane placed right at the corner of the table... As if to symbolize the dictatorship of the bygone Hitler era...

Without thinking my hands reached to the cane, I hit myself a couple of times and pushed it through a pile of paper on the cupboard...

I had made my presence felt without me speaking a word. I could see all smiles as I hid the cane while one bursted out - "hope she doesn't find it".

I only wished there was a long book that could record the good deeds of the kids and a couple of chocolates that were incentives for being human.

BUT: The Complaint Book and The Cane still remaining :)

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