Let them go…

Air, water and sunlight all are necessary for us to survive but we cannot hold  them in our hands. If we let our palms open they will gently touch our palms and keep flowing but if we try to hold them tight in our hands we will be disappointed as we won’t be able to do so. The best way is to let them pass freely and feel the magic they bring into our lives.

Similarly, in life; to get best out of the situations which we cannot control is to stay calm and keep watching them neutrally without being judgemental and accept gracefully what they have to offer – a gift, an opportunity, a blessing…or a lesson.

Let them pass the way they are. They will find their own way.

Stay calm no matter what the situation is and you shall get the best out of it.

AN OPEN LETTER TO STUDENTS APPEARING FOR HSC & SSC EXAMINATION

My dear kids,
Lots of love and blessings.Some of you have already begun writing your crucial HSC exams while some of you must be preparing for your SSC exams to be started soon. I extend my whole hearted wishes and love to you all.I am sure you all are well prepared for the exams. In case not, then this letter is for you.

The reason behind me writing this letter to you is, since the day HSC exams began I have been reading about children succumbing to the pressure of exams and a large number of students being caught cheating during exams, in newspapers.

It is very disturbing and disheartening. I just want to tell you that stress is good as long as it keeps you motivated to carry on your journey and can be helpful in achieving your objective. And it should be allowed to rent a space in your mind up to that extent only. Shun the stress immediately as soon as it starts taking over your mind. Do not succumb to the pressure and give in. Committing suicide is not the solution to any problem in the world.

If you are under pressure because you feel that you won’t be able to make it in the exams, instead of taking drastic steps like committing suicide or escaping from your loved ones please take some time just to relax and do this exercise-

1) Choose a place where you can concentrate.
2) Carry along a diary, pen and a highlighter.
3) Keep your mobile phone off so as to avoid disturbance. (Keep you family members informed that you will be busy few hours with very important task).
4) Start a backward journey from this day to the very first day when the academic year began and keep noting in your diary as the ideas and images from past flash through your mind.
5) Once you have reached the very first day of the academic year, now start reading your diary and finish to the end.
6) Try to find out the reasons which have resulted to this situation.
7) Remember to highlight the points which give you insights.
8) Once you have zeroed in on those points, the actual journey begins.
9) Now you need some rethinking. Take the points one by one, think; what else you could have done in those situations so as to get positive results today.
10) Now tell yourself, it is never too late to begin a new journey and yes! This is your rebirth. Live this life well, meaningfully and constructively.

My dear little hearts, life is beautiful. It is to be lived FULLY not FUNNILY.

Each one of us is meant to contribute and pay back to the society from which we get everything. As the earth nurtures and allows only those seeds to germinate and multiply which are healthy and buries the rotten ones only to convert them into manure and utilize it to increase its fertility; accept, multiply and give back to the society only the healthiest things you got from it and rest consume and convert to manure and utilize to enhance your strength.

REMEMBER, it is BETTER TO FAIL than TO CHEAT AND PASS with flying colours.

REMEMBER that your parents, your teachers, relatives all love you. And that YOU are TOO PRECIOUS to them to be lost for hundreds of your mistake or a year gone.

Also REMEMBER:
FAILURE IN EXAMS DOESN’T MEAN FAILURE IN LIFE and LIFE IS BEYOND THE NUMBERS ON YOUR REPORT CARDS.

“It is always better to MAKE THE HAY WHILE SUN SHINES”, means it is wise to make most of the time and opportunities available. But, if you have failed to make use of time available for whatever the reason that doesn’t mean you have failed in life.

You all must have heard that Thomas Alva Edison, the great scientist had failed 999 times before he tried 1000th time and succeeded in making the bulb which illuminates our darker part of our day.

Hey don’t take the wrong message, I am not expecting you to fail 999 times before you pass the exam 

I mean to say failure is not failure as long as you are learning from it and motivated to do better.
It is never too late…

So, take charge of your life and set out for the wonderful journey called LIFE.

“YOU CAN REACH THE TOP” and I am waiting to “SEE YOU AT THE TOP”.

With loads of love and blessings
Truly yours
Usha

While on your journey, along with my words remember these beautiful lines written by Shri Harivansh Rai Bachchan ji:

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Take time to sharpen your AXES and keep growing…

Once upon a time, a very strong woodcutter asked for a job to a timber merchant and he got it. The pay was really good and so was the work condition. For those reasons, the woodcutter was determined to do his best.

His boss gave him an axe and showed him the area where he was supposed to work.

The first day, the woodcutter brought 18 trees.

“Congratulations,” the boss said. “Go on that way!”

Very motivated by the boss’s encouraging words, the woodcutter tried harder the next day, but he could only bring 15 trees. The third day he tried even harder, but he could only bring 10 trees. Day after day he was bringing less and less trees.

“I must be losing my strength”, the woodcutter thought. He went to the boss and apologized, saying that he could not understand what was going on.

“When was the last time you sharpened your axe?” the boss asked.

“Sharpen? I had no time to sharpen my axe. I have been very busy trying to cut trees…”

Author: Stephen Covey
From: 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

Reflection:

Our lives are like that. We sometimes get so busy that we don’t take time to sharpen the “axe”. We are blessed with not one but four AXES i.e. BODY, MIND, SPIRIT & SOUL which has given human beings an edge over rest of the life forms and enabled us to rule the world. We need to sharpen these AXES regularly to remain happy & effective. And this can be done by taking care of our body; it needs nourishment, exercise & good sleep. Mind needs regular supply of fuel. Sharpening the existing skills, learning new skills, reading, listening to inspiring material can help us to maintain a sharp edge. Meditation, singing, dancing, thinking and doing something good to someone is what we all need to sharpen our spirit and soul.

If we fail to sharpen our “axes”, we will become dull and lose our effectiveness over the period of time.

 

 

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Best Time Management Tips

Do you often:

1) give excuses for the things you couldn’t do due to lack of time

2) find yourself behind schedule

3) postpone activities you want to do because you are so busy

4) blame time for keeping people waiting in spite of an appointment

5) find it difficult to manage time…

Stop managing Time. . . because you can’t manage it. In fact NO ONE can.

Just follow these three steps –

PRIDE OF THE NATION

PRIDE OF THE NATION:

NATIONAL FLAG, the TRICOLOUR

Our National Flag is represents the hopes & aspirations of people of India. It is a symbol of our freedom. It has gone through a series of changes since its first inception. The National Flag of India was designed by Pingali Venkayyaand and adopted in its present form during the meeting of Constituent Assembly held on the 22 July 1947, a few days before India’s independence from the British on 15 August, 1947.

The three coloured bands in the national flag of India hold specific meaning. The topmost saffron band indicates the strength and courage of the country. The white middle band indicates peace and truth with Dharma Chakra while the last green band is a symbol of the fertility, growth and auspiciousness of the land.

In the center of the flag lies the Dharma Chakra. This Dharma Chakra depicted the “wheel of the law” in the Sarnath Lion Capital made by the 3rd-century BC Mauryan Emperor Ashoka. The chakra intends to show the importance of continuity of life i.e. there is life in movement and death in stagnation.

The ratio of  width of the flag to its length is 2:3. Its diameter is approximately equal  to the width of the white band. The wheel contains 24 spokes.

Earlier one could see the Tricolour furling on educational institutions & government buildings only but thanks to the amendments in the National flag Code, now all Indian citizens can proudly hoist the Tricolour over their homes, offices or factories however there are certain do’s & don’ts regarding the handling of our national flag and one must be aware of these in order to maintain the dignity of our national flag.

The Do’s:

• The National Flag may be hoisted in educational institutions (schools, colleges, sports camps, scout camps, etc.) to inspire respect for the Flag. An oath of allegiance has been included in the flag hoisting in schools.
• A member of public, a private organization or an educational institution may hoist/display the National Flag on all days and occasions, ceremonial or otherwise consistent with the dignity and honour of the National Flag.
• Section 2 of the new code accepts the right of all private citizens to fly the flag on their premises.

The Don’t s

• The flag cannot be used for communal gains, drapery, or clothes. As far as possible, it should be flown from sunrise to sunset, irrespective of the weather.
• The flag cannot be intentionally allowed to touch the ground or the floor or trail in water. It cannot be draped over the hood, top, and sides or back of vehicles, trains, boats or aircraft.
• No other flag or bunting can be placed higher than the flag. Also, no object, including flowers or garlands or emblems can be placed on or above the flag. The tricolour cannot be used as a festoon, rosette or bunting.

TELEGRAM is now a History

Our next generation would find a text similar to this in the text books under the title ‘Means of Communication’-

Between 18th and 20th Century TELEGRAM was an important way of communication to send urgent messages in India. However, it lost its charm in the beginning of 21st century due to the rapid advancement in science & technology. Gradually mobile phones, internet, e-mails, facebook etc. forced TELEGRAM to take a back seat. Finally on 15th July 2013 it took its last breath and broke all its bonds which had kept people not only in cities but also the remotest areas connected for almost 163 years. The first TELEGRAM was sent on 5th November 1850 which covered a distance of 50kms from the then Calcutta to Diamond Harbour. After 5years this fast medium of communication  was thrown open to the public.

American scientist Samuel Morse had patented telegraph in 1837. After that Morse and his associate Alfred well invented a new language using dot(.) and dash(-). This new invention made it possible to send messages from one place to another within a few hours using TELEGRAPH Machine. Ships could send an SOS to ask for help using telegraph machine by clicking three dots  which represented English alphabet ‘S’ then three dashes which represented ‘O’ followed by three dots .e. ‘S’. By 1845 all European countries were connected by telegraph lines. Later German scientist Werner Von Siemens invented a new machine which just needed to turn machine dial to choose the right letter.

In 1870 Siemens brothers connected India and Europe by 11,000km long telegraph line which took only 30 minutes to send a message from India to England. This service which kept India connected with European countries was replaced by WIRELESS TELEGRAPH in 1931.

ANY SOLUTION?

We are losing the green cover day by day. Streets get flooded with slightest downpour. Forest areas have been converted to concrete jungles. Tigers, leopards, snakes etc. are left with no choice but to wander in residential areas in search of food. Still everyday thousands of buildings are being constructed, hundreds of new projects are launched even though large number of already constructed flats are locked & unoccupied. People have multiple properties but a middle class family still struggles to get a descent accommodation due the continuous rise in rentals and huge amount of security deposit, on top of that rent hike after every 11 month, brokerage after every 11 month, shifting expenses etc.
I was wondering, do we really need so much of construction? Huge quantity  of water, electricity, sand etc. is consumed which is depleting our already limited natural & man made resources. Then suddenly this idea struck to my mind- how would it be if, like gas connection number of houses owned by a person be marked in one’s ration card and no person is allowed to possess more than two houses?
I thought wow! what an idea? But then again my thoughts took a turn and I couldn’t help but think; because of these constructions
lacs of people get employment, thousands of business man make their earning by means of selling sand, cement, iron, construction equipments etc. If construction is restricted, large number of people will be affected. Also our ministers, babus etc will incur huge losses and their bank balance would suffer 😉
Jokes apart, at this point my brain stopped working so I thought why not to ask you if you have some solution.
So… over to you for your valuable comments…

Trends & Innovation in Education

Just back to Mumbai after a Two Days Training conference and Workshop for Education Heads & Change makers. It was a wonderful opportunity to meet, interact & know about the education systems of five (Finland, USA, Australia, Hong Kong & Singapore) of the top ten countries in education across the globe right from their educators & policy makers. These countries are among TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics & Science Study) and PISA (Programme for International Student assessment) worldwide toppers.
Can’t resist sharing some of the beauties of the education system & their thoughts as shared by:

Ms. Pirjo Koivula, Counselor of Education, Finnish National Board of Education, FINLAND

i) 3-things Finnish people value most are: Education, education & education

ii) You ask which school is best in Finland for your child’s education and answer is: The one nearest to your home

iii) Every child has the right to be supported in learning and school attendance as soon as the need arises (written in legislation)

iv) The support in learning & attendance is intensified by three stages – a) general support b) Intensified support c) Special support

v) Support is collaborative effort invoving all teachers, students, the pupil, his parents & welfare personal

vi) assessing support needs and offering the necessary support is an INTEGRAL PART OF A TEACHER’S WORK  under all teaching situations. NO TEACHER CAN SAY IT’S NOT MY JOB.

vii) High quality of teachers: Each teacher has a master’s degree even at Primary level

viii) Word ‘Control’ doesn’t exist as the high standards for education are set and institutions have to meet them. Schools are autonomous

No wonder, Finland is at the top in terms of Education and the country has achieved this only within a short period of time, one decade.

Ms. Stella Fernandez, Master teacher, Creative & Thinking Classrooms, Recipient of Presidential Award, SINGAPORE

i)                    School has One Principal & two vice principals so as to maintain the quality of education

ii)                   Knowledge is easily accessible & don’t waste time testing it.

iii)                 Value & character building is the core of education to make children socially responsible, inculcate a sense of shared values & respect each other’s differences.

Dr. Mindy Blaise, Associate Professor, The Hong Kong Institute of Education, Co-Director , Centre for Childhood Research & Innovation, China

i)                    Education is free up to 15years of age to everyone.

ii)                   Rote learning max.10 min.

iii)                 Don’t worry, because children always don’t LISTEN you; worry because children always WATCH you

Mr. Dave Faulkner, Director of Education Changemakers, Australia(Australian of the year,WA-2004 and Young Leader of the year,WA-2003)

i)                    No Education system can be any better than the quality of its TEACHERS. So invest in teachers’ empowerment

ii)                   If you have an extra rupee to spend, don’t SPEND it to reduce your class size; INVEST it in improving the quality of your teachers.

iii)                 When it comes to change-Much more than ownership is AUTHORSHIP

iv)                 RELATIONSHIP is CURRENCY to CHANGE. Build on it.

Mr. Bob Baratta Lorton, President, Center for Innovation in Education (not- for- profit organization), USA

His center instructors have provided curriculum training to over 500,000 teachers worldwide.

His passion for teaching is commendable and worth following. Got to know few wonderful innovative ideas to teach English and Maths & make it interesting from Mr. Bob.

Dr. Sunita Gandhi, Convener EDWW and co-founder Council for Global Education,USA

Ms. Gandhi shared her vision to revolutionize education in India & checklist to bring about the most needed change in our education system.

There was a lot more but can’t write anymore. So … Bye and happy sharing…

Bringing about change

It is a torture to read everyday about age old pending cases, corrupt politicians and celebrity tussles. Only if our politicians are honest, judiciary is prompt and celebrities get some space 12-16 pages news papers would reduce to 4 pages. Please save paper.

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