my thoughts

“Challenges are what make life interesting and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.” The first part of lockdown ended yesterday and today we enter the second and more crucial phase of the same. The world is experiencing something it had never experienced befor e. In my last article, I discussed the ways to remain positive and to make the best use of the situation at hand. In this article, I would exclusively focus on the teacher-student-parent community and the thoughtfully committed and innovative way it has dealt with the state of affairs. Teachers all over the world remain unperturbed. They have become more dedicated, creative and are constantly engaged with their students through various online platforms, attesting that education never takes rest. At the outset, I must accept what parents and students across the world have acknowledged. There is no better feeling than being in the physical and tangible world of ...

“Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass. It is about learning to dance in the rain.” As we fight against COVID-19, there is a beautiful realization that cannot be ignored. The world has come together in solidarity. All the trade wars, economic and political conflicts, religious differences and community clashes are at a halt. We do have time but absolutely no inclination to invest ourselves in these topics. Life has become slow-paced for the most of us but there is still a significant section of society that is providing its undeterred services in these testing times. Many of us haven’t experienced such a situation ever. But it’s indeed commendable, the way we are dealing with it. With all of us trying to cope up and adjust with the sudden stagnancy, I have observed that parents all over the world are focussed on keeping the academics of their kids on track. Committed to begin the new academic session, when it’s due, many schools have switched to exclus...

During the past few years, the weather has shown an unexpected fluctuation. There is a sudden significant increase in temperature for a few days and then an unanticipated yet noticeable dip. It starts raining any time and not necessarily during the season only.   Well, nature’s extremity subtly nudged me to observe the lack of balance and inclination towards extremes in various matters around me. When it comes to the emotional quotient of children, these days, I observe that there is a perceptible absence of balance. They have been seen experiencing emotions in extremes. At one moment, they are extremely happy and at the other they become angry and aggressive and start questioning everything around them. As I have raised this issue, I cannot avoid the classic case of extremes that I have often discussed in my previous articles and i.e. the one of extreme parenting. What I can observe these days is that parents are either over- involved (helicopter parenting) or not involved at...

“With the theory of individual happiness as the primary aim of existence, we shall only produce self-centered men. We have therefore to find a principle . . . which shall guide men toward their own improvement, teach them constancy and self-sacrifice, and unite them with their fellow men . . . . And this principle is Duty.” A student from Arunachal Pradesh, Tapi Aku, asked a pertinent question to Honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the third edition of ‘Pariksha Pe Charcha 2020’ event at Talkatora Stadium in New Delhi. She asked how citizens can be made aware of the fundamental duties (and not talk of rights only) and encouraged to abide by them. Responding to the girl’s question, he said that the importance of fundamental duties was stated by Mahatma Gandhi. Mr. Modi added, “There’s a fine connection between our rights and responsibilities. Our rights are directly dependent on the responsibilities performed by others. If a teacher performs his responsibility in the righ...

“Children are the future of the nation and they must be prepared to face the challenges of life, in future.” Such statements are often heard and stated by most of us. The parents and teachers are expected to inculcate values in the kids, especially during early years. Telling truth (not telling a lie), honesty is the best policy etc are some of the important values to be taught. But the question is: Is telling a lie always bad and not allowed at all and this is what I would like to discuss today.   If we have a casual discussion on this topic, there could be varied range of views. The iconic mythological reference could be that of Lord Krishna where he postulates that lying isn’t always bad if it is used to heal someone emotionally or save a life (this is for innocent people and not the habitual offenders). Other folklore and mythological tales like that of Hindu mythology suggest that honesty hasn’t always been the best policy. Vyasa wrote Mahabharata in the beginning of K...

According to Zen Buddhist master and peace activist, Thich Nhat Hanh, Thay, “Each one of us has both negative seeds (for example, anger, rage, jealousy, hatred) and wholesome seeds (love, joy, gratitude, compassion, courage) and what will grow depends on the seeds we water. Similarly, in our relationship with our children, the seeds that will sprout and gain strength are the ones that we nurture. Simple.” (Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/parenting/health-fitness/imagine-parenting-and-the-art-of-selective-watering-6075830/ ) Before I come to the topic let me share with you an interesting excerpt from an article (which I recently read in Indian Express) by Shelja Sen. As children possess multiple intelligences, Ms Sen observes that the way they are recognized in a school and by their parents should also be according to the same. She talks about three kinds of recognitions that children should receive i.e Active Recognition, Value Recognition and Creative Recognition. Un...

I cannot count the number of times I have felt overwhelmingly grateful to the Almighty for giving me the prospect to be in the field of education as it provides abundant opportunities for constant learning. Since the commencement of my journey as a teacher I have realized time and again that there is a plethora of motivation, which has been an incessant source of inspiration that comes from parents, teachers as well as students. This is one of the many reasons that make this profession more than a professional accomplishment and I firmly stand by this statement in the times when teaching is losing the dignity and respect it claimed years ago.   Working amongst teachers and students and being in constant contact with parents I have understood something very significant- you don’t have to look outside the school to find inspiration. You are perennially inspired by the perseverance of children, dedication of parents and unconditional love and diligence of teachers. One such inspi...

Times have definitely changed but the young generations of all ages and times have always showcased an untamable passion towards achieving their goals. What has played the key role in their lives is that one power that patiently channelized this passion in the right direction. That power lies in the one who has ever taught you to overcome the hurdle of negatives and focus on the path of positives; that one person who has given us genuine advice and showed us the right path. Undoubtedly, learning is a lifelong process, and if we want to constantly learn then there is definitely a someone is needed to facilitate the same and he is a teacher. When teacher is so important in the life of all then why isn’t teaching considered a high-end profession and why does it not ever come in the top list of most sought after profession? Dear readers, how many of you ever aspired to be a teacher and would like your child to take up this most challenging and noble job? Well, there is this one stat...