Humming the Vacation Tune

Children love this, grandparents look forward to this, parents heave a sigh of relief, teachers wait with bated anticipated … yes! It is the summer vacation.. . A more relaxed schedule after a frenzied pace of activities is all that one is really looking forward to.  

It has one more glorious year of happenings and events at school. With 8 International Awards, 27 National Awards,19 State Awards and several district level recognition and prizes, from academics to theatre to sports to research in Science, we won a place in every field.. While we all feel happy about our students’ achievements, it is important to strive harder and explore more learning opportunities and challenge our own records each time. More importantly, enjoy the moments of one’s own learning. I believe that if S is the path to success starting at the bottom point of S, we move up and when we reach the tip of the S, we must realise that it is time to start once again with an S. Our journey of life is thus made of many such S formations all linked with each other. One must take care to see that the link is not broken. We are all life-long learners. 

The theme that ran across the school during the last week was – “Walking the Extra Mile”. The Kinder -Garteners had fun with the Merry Go Round, the mini Giant wheel, the fun rides that was brought to the school premise to avoid making a trip out in the hot April weather.. The kids even told me ,” We are lucky ..we have two picnics.” The joy and the twinkle in their eyes and the excitement and enthusiasm of their teachers was worth all the efforts. The parents’ involvement with plays and presentations with social messages for an eco – friendly celebration of festivals was a learning experience for the kids. The teachers’ puppet show for the kids too brought joy to the kids. The “Food from all States” saw such a wide variety of dishes from each region that left me wondering, why we need to run behind the Chinese, Mexican, Thai food when a little bit of creativity will add the right spice to the already varied fare we have in our country. I was so over-fed that I had to request some of them to allow me to decline the plate but one of the boys from Kerala who wore the traditional mundu said, “You have to eat the Appam because my father made it before he left for work . He makes the best Appams in our family.” I couldn’t refuse him because I saw pride in his eyes and his chest up with pride. 

We also hosted the Wonder Chef Team challenge with 6 teams of 6 members with four 13 and 14 year old boys and girls with two mentors – one from among the teachers and the other from among parents. We had chef Shantanu Gupte from Food food program, Chef Sanay from the Satkar Group and Chef Suzaane from the UK as the judges. It was one of the most creative and innovative cooking that I experienced. Parents and teachers played their roles of being mentors to the hilt. Students benefited from the expertise of their mentors. To give a twist to the event, the mentors changed teams during the course of the Challenge. The purpose of this event was to provide students with life- skills - Communication, strategic planning, time – management, problem solving, creativity. Chef Shantanu Gupte shared his experiences as a newbie in the field of cookery with the participants. Not wanting to be left behind, the teachers had fun learning to make different veggie Kebabs.  

A lot of children are participating in Sports to begin their days on a physically active note. The matches, the activities, the workshops and training sessions for teachers are making us feel that the school is still in session. But, vacations are essential to unwind and energise. They must be relaxing for all. In our quest to learn many skills, holidays should not become an extension of their everyday schedule followed all year round. It is time to stand and stare, smell the freshness of the new dawn, feel the gentle breeze in the park, hear the chirping of  the birds that fly back home every evening, watch the sea waves …. It costs nothing but provides the best experiences by sheer observation. . 

Looking back, at the year gone by, O Wow ! – is all that I can say. Let me hum the vacation tune too…

Happy holidays !!!

Why Celebrate Womanhood?

I was sitting under a heap of requests and invitations to speak on the 8th of March-the occasion – International Women’s Day !! I pondered …..

The day just doesn’t begin without the woman brightening up the day for every member in the house. So, each day is a Woman’s Day. For us at school, it is a pleasure to hear from kids about the multiple roles women in their houses play. Mom is dearest, though. When children define the roles a woman plays, I am a little uneasy because it is not always positive. It means different things to different children. It is no longer universal. But, in their own minds, they seemed to have defined their expectations. A lot of these perceptions comes from the home environment and a small percentage may be attributed to the school, their peers and the society at large. This piece is a reflection of thoughts on woman and success after my informal chats with over 200 kids. 

What makes a woman successful? How does the society view it? Very often, one associates success to career women, leaders in different fields, or drivers and navigators of the careers of members of their family. Most often when one sees independence, aggressiveness, a booming voice, attire, body language that oozes “I care less attitude” in a woman coupled with a career, one assumes that she is a super successful woman. Is it so? Should external signs such as these define success? 

To analyse why power and money became the spinners of success, let me take you back to history. Battlefields and wars defined power and success. Who led the battlefields? The Generals! What were their traits typically like? They were commanders, were excellent in leading their troops with directions and orders given in a loud booming voice People just implicitly followed them. Yes, if the General was a shrewd strategist and driver, victory was his. Drawing a parallel to the Business-Houses, one could see a single person designing, strategising, planning, issuing orders to the team for execution. He was the owner or the CEO. This was two decades back. Today ,we have specialists in different fields to consult, plan and execute. Only collaboration and inter-personal skills that helps a good business proposal to turn into a profit centre. 

Let us take our family system which similarly, has undergone a change. Decades back we had a strong patriarchal system, where, the oldest male member was accorded the position of the decision-maker. The women confined themselves to roles involving care for the family and the kitchen. Today, women have moved out of their homes for work. They may have compelling economic reasons or the intellectual urge to satiate. Yes, the role of the Indian woman is changing and so also the fabric of the society. Challenges galore .. but are we daunted? 

I am happy to see that women have broken professional barriers and have raced ahead. With the myriad of opportunities available, there is looking behind. I believe women must celebrate womanhood each day. Women are blessed with the most beautiful qualities that actually define success – Compassion, empathy, sensitivity, assertiveness, patience to listen, love, care, strength, courage and commitment. Women can manage a basket of tasks at the same time. They are stronger -emotionally and are equipped with people -skills.. But , let us also remind ourselves that while the society is going through a reformation, it has not moved in geometrical progression with the changes. Hence, we may face disappointments and challenges. One has to brave that with time, understanding and patience. In the road of success one must not lose sight of these gentle traits that have we have naturally been endowed with. One should do things that gives one mental peace and contentment. Empowering oneself and others, learning new skills, feeling positive about oneself and being the person you are, will make you the most beautiful woman on earth. 

I narrated this at a function on Woman’s day … leaves you with an aroma of freshness and positivity….. 

A little girl was disappointed that she was not a winner in any event . She was dejected by the many rejections she faced from time to time. The mother heard her quietly. She took three bowls, filed it with equal quantity of water. In bowl A, she placed a carrot, in bowl B an egg and in bowl C, she placed coffee beans. When the water came to a boil, the mother asked the daughter to feel each of the contents. While the carrot became very soft in boiling water, the egg hardened but the coffee beans did not undergo any change. What she observed was that the water had a beautiful tinge of coffee brown colour and the aroma of the coffee beans had spread all over the house. 

Be the coffee beans and spread the aroma of compassion, sensitivity and love all around you. Celebrate womanhood each day of your lives. 

Yours ever,

Ring out the old, Ring in the new…

As the clock strikes 12 and we ring in the year -2013, I look back at the year that went by. Good and not so good incidents cloud the mind – that’s what life is all about – not a bag of goodies! The achievements of the school has itself been many – The All India topper at the Board exams, the toppers at the various National and International Olympiads, the well researched and innovative science projects that have been presented at the National Science Congress and Indian Science Congress and the most recent Gold that Ishaan Phanse bagged at the National Science Congress apart from the numerous Awards and accolades in Sports and cultural events that the School has received brings joy, smiles and a twinkle in the eyes…. a .feeling of pride. 

Yet, one has to look at not just oneself, but at the whole … for we are the micro element in the macro spectrum called society. The recent incidents across the country and abroad are strong signals about decadence of civility and empathy in society. The solution does not lie in feeling anger or disgust. This calls for a greater role that schools and parents have to play. It is not just about cleansing the society of all its ills, it is about educating the society with wisdom, maturity, on values that are most important to mankind one of them being mutual respect. At home, one has to live the values, so that children imbibe them naturally and it need not be taught. Children will then lead their lives with integrity, love, mutual respect, empathy and mutual understanding. The school curriculums too must include these aspects for learning. Let us teach the society of their Duties towards their family, to society, to workplace, to their country. Let us not just keep enlightening people about their Rights. 

What ails the society? Wanting too much in too little time? Make simple things complicated? Wanting to be in limelight, even if it is for all the wrong reasons? Wanting to appear different? Time to sit up and think and make amends -with conviction, with wisdom, maturity, courage, dignity, commitment and with a sense of Duty. Let us help people (young and adults) to look beyond themselves. 

May this New year bring in bliss, joy in simplicity, innocence in laughter and mirth, courage and conviction in everything we do. I hope that our youth build the kind of society they would like to live in, very consciously and responsibly. May they rise to the occasion and be the agents of change.

Make students independent thinkers

A common refrain among parents and students alike is that school education is a chore, a boring and stressful one at that. A number of studies, including the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), point out the education in India struggles to engage holistically with students with a clear disconnect between life and the classroom. How can we remedy this situation and enmesh a child’s education with her life beyond the classroom? How do we equip children with the cognitive, affective and psychomotor skills they need to succeed in life?

PROBLEMS: School education has over the years become rigid and dogmatic. We are increasingly finding that the education system is unable to develop the core skills that our children require. Some of the major issues with the system are:

1. Subject Silos: Our children are not encouraged to make any connections between the subjects taught to them. They are taught by different teachers in different time slots according to the ‘prescribed’ curriculum. Thus ‘educated’ children lose the ability of analysing and tackling real-life issues which require an inter-disciplinary approach.

2. Subject Hierarchy: Not only are students taught to make distinctions between subjects, they are also encouraged to prioritise them: Math and Sciences first, languages next followed by Social Sciences with little importance given to the visual and performing arts and sport.. Success in life, however, requires the communication, inter-personal and leadership skills that art and sport foster.

3. Stigmatising Mistakes: With cut-offs in the 90s and sheer number of students competing for prestigious institutions, the margin for error has disappeared in our education system. To succeed, students unquestioningly do as they are told, learning by-heart when they are unable to understand the fundamentals. This has killed the spirit of inquiry and creativity, both of which entail asking questions and being prepared to be wrong once in a while.

4. Individualistic approach: Assessments that seek out and reward individual achievement is a systemic bane that extends all the way to post-graduate education. Right from primary school, we offer very little incentive for students to collaborate and achieve collectively. Not only does this create an atmosphere unhealthy competition but also our students lose out on developing critical team skills that are needed to succeed in the future.

SOLUTIONS: Much of the ills that plague the system currently can be remedied by empowered and dedicated teachers, who have the support of the school management and more importantly, the parent community to try something different.

1. Experiential Learning: An education system that draws on a child’s life experiences can break down subject barriers and hierarchies. At the very least, subject teachers can collaborate to engage classes together, thereby demonstrating underlying linkages to students. E.g. children can learn music, physics and math at the same time while learning to play musical instruments. A school can take this a step further, by institutionalising theme based learning. Here a class takes up a theme that they are familiar with, say the state of Maharashtra and explore various concepts (subjects) linked to the theme. Language, math and science problems can be designed in a manner that the child can relate to and therefore find enjoyable to solve.

2. Skill-based Assessments: Content-based assessment systems that look for particular words in the answer or the prescribed method being employed are a relic of the industrial age, where students were being trained for manufacturing line jobs that required a blind adherence to the standard operating procedure. In life, our children will face a number of choices and will be free to take them on in the manner they deem fit. School assessment systems must seek to reflect this reality, providing choice in which questions to attack and how. A child must be scored on underlying skill areas and efforts must be help her improve in these skills and not merely content.

3. Collaborative Learning: The lowest hanging fruit for educationists is to make the transition to collaborative learning. Teachers must encourage students to form their own teams to undertake classroom exercises. A number of such collaborative exercises will teach children the value of being helpful to their peers and seeking out learning partners based on complementary skills, a life lesson which will undoubtedly hold them in good stead in the long term.

I am sharing this column –need of the hour – which appeared in Hindustan Times on the 28^th Nov, 2012 .

The Art of Getting What We Want

We often hear people complaining a little too much.We always  feel comfortable in situations where we are not challenged but that certainly is not life. It is natural for people to complain when pushed outside the comfort zone. For some, complaining has become a habit and an attitude they carry on their sleeve.

I chanced to read this article by Jim Rohn and the story sends a strong message to those who unknowingly have fallen into the trap. Time to introspect.

” There’s room for legitimate complaining, but if one lets this deadly disease of attitude – complaining – loose, it will conquer all. Complaining can take over one’s life, destroy and leave one without anything. Nobody wants to take along a complainer. Nobody wants to promote a complainer. Nobody wants to live with one. Nobody wants to be a partner of one. Nobody wants to have one around. Complaining leaves one out of more opportunities than one can possibly imagine if we let it take over and grab us by the throat. If you don’t think complaining is bad ask the children of Israel of Old Testament fame. Now let me say something right here, they are typical of us all (if we had ourselves in a similar position); their story just happened to get in the Book.

The story says that the children of Israel are slaves in Egypt. God performs a series of dazzling miracles and gets them out. Now they have their freedom and are heading for the Promised Land. But… the tragedy of the story – they never got there. Reason – from day one they started to complain.

They griped about the food – they had just been delivered from slavery and they are complaining about the food?! They complained and cried and griped about the water. In the desert they HAD water to drink, but… it didn’t taste that good?! They complained about the leadership… that had just delivered them from slavery?! They complained that it was too hot, too cold, too far, too difficult, and too rocky. They cried for years – forty to be exact. Finally, God said I’ve had it – trip cancelled!

The story says that they died in the desert and never reached the Promised Land – after all that trouble! I believe this story teaches two things:

1) Indulge in complaining long enough and one will get one’s good future cancelled – future openings, future promotions, future opportunities.

2) Even God himself can only take so much complaining.”

Winners are not complainers. One can be a winner by sitting on both the navigator and the driver’s seat. The driver will see challenges or difficulties ,such as traffic snarls and jams, the long signals, poor reflexes, poor drivers and breakdowns. Instead of complaining, he must focus on what can be done in that situation to make it to the destination. We must focus on the opportunities not the difficulties. One must learn to look at the broader picture, have a firm understanding of the circumstances, become skilled in decision making and be flexible. This will get us what we want.

Time to introspect.

Happy Children’s Day !!

Dear children,

You are born unique, intelligent and beautiful. You are the most adorable for the child you are. Your friend is also unique, intelligent and beautiful. But, you cannot be your friend and vice-versa. Celebrate the differences and make yourself special. When we are thrown in an environment, we embrace, adapt and acquire some characteristics. This is but natural. But remember you are what you make yourself to be. So, take the reigns in your hands and gallop ahead. In this journey of life, you will make new friends, new associates, develop new skills, sharpen your abilities, develop new habits and attitudes. In all this, always bask in the love and blessings of your parents, family and teachers as you make your rides through the sand dunes. They will always keep you safe and secure. 

You are in that beautiful phase of your life where you can laugh, play and do things you like. You, children, are fortunate to have parents who provide you with healthy food, a beautiful home and good clothes to wear. Your parents see education as an investment, see dreams for you and provide you opportunities so that you explore beyond the realms of the present. While schooling and during your under -grad courses, you can have your share of fun within limits, yet have a focus on the goals you have set for yourselves. Not all goals are materialistic, never feel shy or stack the unconventional goals away. Didn’t I say, you are unique?

You have a natural talent in you, recognize that and exhibit it at every possible opportunity but there are things that you are passionate about for e.g. wanting to play the guitar, learn skating or writing. Do not tuck them away saying you have no time, there’s only time to study. You must have the grit to pursue that passion. Learn the skill and hone them all along. When you drive your passion to meet your innate abilities and talent, you are at the peak. You cannot simply be a dreamer or fast thinker with brains on the feet, you need to be good in articulation and a skilled driver. Engage in the tasks wholly, half-hearted approaches will lead you to nowhere. Since you are unique, you can do it. If you don’t do it, who else?

The world is full of opportunities for the bold, who are unafraid to take risks and discover and re-invent themselves. It requires a lot of hard work. You have to resolve to offer no excuses for perseverance. Distractions, time-wasters, bad company, defeatist attitudes, lack of courage of conviction and poor ethical /moral values will not help you in accomplishing your goals or feel good within yourselves. Both are important. One without the other is meaningless. You feel good only with acts of kindness, tolerance and empathy.

Look around and beyond yourselves. All children across the globe are not as fortunate as you are. They still await the food packets to be dropped, move from one place to another searching for shelter, which they call their homes and scout for clothes to cover themselves. So, remember to be grateful and thankful to God and your parents for giving you that sense of security. What is yours is, quintessentially yours. It cannot be taken away, unless you choose to throw it away.

Wishing you the very best on Children’s Day. I hope this letter gives you an insight into what is within each one of you. The world beckons you. Introspect and reflect upon your own thoughts and actions. You will have to find your own calling. You are unique, beautiful and incredibly talented. Don’t forget that.

With love and blessings,

Yours ever,

Let the Spirit of Diwali Reign

Diwali is just round the corner. Everyone enjoys the festival for its colour, vibrance, positivity and joy of togetherness regardless of the religion, language or community. Children look forward to the break they get from school. Time for spring cleaning, shopping, rangolis, colourful lamps, family and friends coming together and sweets. Though times have changed and not many families have a very traditional celebration, the spirit remains.

Driving past the busy roads of the city reminded me of the good old days when Diwali meant a week – long celebrations, with the girls in the family practicing rangoli designs to adorn the courtyard. It was almost competition with the neighbours. As children, we helped in the annual spring cleaning – it was a big affair, where every member of the family contributed wholeheartedly. The treat that we got at the end of the hard day’s work was a plate of goodies. And a nice acknowledgement of our efforts from Amma, with a question to us -” Don’t you see the fruits of our hardwork are so much more sweeter?” She also made it a point to speak of our efforts to the relatives who in turn praised us. We were also taken shopping to “choose our own clothes”. Kids that we were, felt very elated for the importance given that it lifted our sagging spirits( self-pity for the work we did) to great heights. So, we with all our well boosted self image, volunteered to decorate the plates with the sweets and savories that had to be given to our friends and relatives.The plates were covered with an embroidered net cover made by us during our free time. This was for all our friends and relatives. And we had to keep the oil diyas lit and placed on our compound walls and the innumerable entrances and doorways.. We were fortunate to have independent houses with large courtyards but we grumbled about ” the big size”. Just that there were no listeners or takers for our grumblings and mumblings and we ended up doing every task more enthusiastically and energetically than ever before. Our mothers and grandmothers did not go to a Business School to learn lessons of motivation, team -building, self-discipline, leadership, effective communication and delegation. They inspired by their own acts. Amazing, is it not?

Pre-Diwali celebrations over, we looked forward to the four days of Diwali celebrations (from Chotti Diwali to Bhau-Bheej) sweets and savories, new clothes, visitors and pujas. Our mothers adorned the jewellery that they had purchased and received compliments graciously. Grandparents who came visiting were also a part of the get togethers. When parents went out it was a good mythological story- time for the children in the house. With just 5 days of holidays for Diwali, there were no out station trips planned. It was time for great bonding, making new friends and pure joy.

The celebration of a festival is an expression of our inner self. The way each family celebrates is unique to each of you and your families. Do not allow external influence to take away an iota of contentment from you -just because you wanted to celebrate the way your neighbor did. Children experience joy in simplicity. We had rangolis, diyas , torans and greetings made by our students at school. The children enjoyed it thoroughly despite the Parents’Day rehearsals, the inter-school competitions, the science projects et all. This was a time for managing their time more effectively, developing adaptability, better presentation skills and enjoying every activity in the process without cribbing.

This is also the time to shed all negative baggages, animosity, greed, hatred, bad attitudes and habits. To me, festivals bind us to our roots. Our present life stands for modernity and adaptations. The lesson I carry home is both tradition and modernity will co-exist, we have to find the balance that will help us experience the inner bliss.

Happy Diwali to all of you. Play safe, if you must burst crackers. Keep away from the smoke and go for noiseless ones.