Scattered Thoughts | ചിതറിയ ചിന്തകൾ

My first interaction with English books came in the form of a translation series in my childhood years. It came to my notice through the dear intervention of my dad. I owe him a lot in life. He is one of the first persons who noticed my interest in literature. It led him to save a part of his salary to buy me books and magazines. Some of our weekend conversations followed this pattern. 'Da, I have something for you. Have a look at it.' 'What's there? I can see a cover, acha (father).' 'Why don't you open it? There is something in it.' (Winks) 'A book, again..That's nice of you! I am happy you bought it.' 'He glances at me again and enters his room to change his clothes. We are a middle class family and sometimes, books were a luxury in those early years. But family never denied me from buying books. I also kept a close eye on not buying costly ones.  We are not a family of avid readers.We only read occasionally.  Dad was my best supporter...

We learn big concepts and ideas. Do we make use of what we learn in our real lives? Not many of us have that luxury.   We spent a considerable amount of time undertaking various levels of education. What is the actual purpose of our class room learning?  1) To make a person self-sufficient.  2) To acquire knowledge.  3). To gain social status.  4). To earn a decent living. What do we learn mostly in our student life? We learn many but only a few are successful in translating what we have learned into something productive in their lives. Do we approach these institutes with a clear goal in mind or do we simply follow the crowd to take that one course preferred by most people? The answer is personal. But if we do not meet the expectations of ourselves or society, we will eventually feel terrible inside. The thought that we are nothing and we have not performed to the truest of our potential will strike us hard and it will hurt our inner feelings. We know that...

Manjula used to have a bright smile. I was not sure how she would react at present as it had been four years since we met each other. We spent a lovely time at the University of Hyderabad Campus. Each one Teach one initiative made us closer. She told me several times that I was like her own anna.  Manju could not go to school for one year. She and her family had come to the campus in search of a better future. She was a bright student who had to take a break from learning and she was very uncomfortable about sitting idle at home. Manju had a desire for learning. Initially, we arranged individual style learning with the help of 3/4 Telugu team members who carried out the task on a rotation basis. She improved a lot. Manju had excellent command over Telugu.  Manju's school admission We became closer. I saw her personal album. Her parents prepared special snacks and invited me home for festivals. My cravings for Telugu snacks began there! I and my Telugu friends pushed the case o...

"Please share the English words quickly anna," little Shashank sent me a voice note on WhatsApp. I replied quickly. Usually, I take time before sharing the words. I take time to think about the words that could strike meaning to each child. Once it is done, I share the list of words with the enthusiastic Shashank who takes care of allocating it to four other kids, click the photos when they finish the task and to send it to me with its original Telugu meaning. Sometimes, children forget to write their names in the small essay writing exercises we try and I get back to them to know who wrote what just to keep in my memory. We tried essay writing and casual English conversations to generate an interest in learning while the daily practice of sharing them new words was suggested by the nine-year-old Shashank (Shashi as I fondly call him) as I tried hands at teaching basic English to five children in Paalaguttapalle village, Chittur (AP) via WhatsApp medium.  \ Aparna Krishnan wa...

She is a special person I encountered in life. We have known each other for over a decade.   A person of exuberant energy, wisdom, clarity and optimism , she is a guiding light for a lot of  teenagers and concerned parents in our district.  When we met first, miss was initially surprised and taken aback to see a student with decent marks joining the Humanities stream. Students considered Arts and Humanities stream to be the least preferable option in those years. I caught their immediate attention. There was one more student with outstanding marks in the Class X exam from our batch. Miss saw a potential future in us and moulded us that way.  Miss believed in forming personal rapport. Every student in miss's class   received individual attention and care regularly. At times, students used to make fun of miss for her  'overcaring' nature. However,  mi ss surprised her critics (academic and students) and persisted with her style of teaching. I en...

On June 4, the most literate State in India - Kerala, became one of the first in the world to adopt an online schooling system for the new academic year. Around 40 lakh students listened attentively to the classes telecasted on State-owned KITE-Victers channel. The government received widespread appreciation for resuming educational activities amid COVID-19 pandemic in a safe manner. On the same day, Devika, a 14-year-old girl from Valanchery, Malappuram, reportedly set herself ablaze over the pain of not able to attend the online classes. Her father, a daily wage labourer could not afford to buy a smartphone nor repair the TV- two essential mediums to make learning happen.  This is not just Devika's story. According to reports by the State government-appointed committee, around 2.5 lakh children in Kerala have no access to smartphones or TV. The government while announcing the 'Project First Bell' maintained that it is used as a trial basis in the initial week and promised...