The Road Less Traveled

Creating your own mathematics

2011-10-23T01:39:00.000-07:00

Wanting to do something different for a change a few days ago, I amused myself with a little bit of mathematics. In our work, we are always trying to make the life of the teachers and children much better in the primary school classroom. Any mathematical activity which we undertake is with this objective.

I was playing around with a seemingly innocent problem of subtracting 169 from 637. However, I did it “my” way which was different from the “normal” and “accepted” method taught in school. Here goes:

100 + 100 + 100 + 100 + 31 + 37 = 468 (answer)

169 --- 269 --- 369 --- 469 --- 569 --- 600 --- 637

As you can see, we start with 169 and then progressively keep adding hundred. Why add hundred? Because it is easier to add hundred at a time. You are correcting an annual examination paper, and one of your children has come out with a working process with the answer as written above – what would your reaction be? Without being harsh on the teacher community, I would be tempted to say that this would invoke the much dreaded red cross against (and across) the answer. Not only that, the child would be pulled up with “This kind of an answer will not get you anywhere. No marks for this! Where is your working?” This would be followed by a “recapitulation” (torture) of the method:

637
- 169
-------------
468
-------------

Of course, you’ll have to remember how to “carry one”, “borrow one”, and “pay it back”.

Have you noticed how bus conductors deal with cash and return change? Suppose you have bought a ticket for Rs.5/-, and you hand over a Rs.50/- note. Many conductors, who have the habit being vocal about how they return the change, will be heard to say, “Ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty”. When “ten” is being said, the conductor actually gives you Rs.5/-, and then successively gives ten rupee notes till he comes to 50. In the process, you’ll have been given

5 + 10 + 10 + 10 + 10 = 45

Sabjiwalas use this method every minute. Where do the conductors and sabjiwalas have the time to “carry, borrow and pay it back?” Some of the sabjiwalas may not be even “numerate” in our definition. How are they able to manage?

Inspired with this discovery, I continued playing around with more problems. Consider the product: 17 X 14. This is how we normally do it in school:

17 X 14
----------
68
170
----------
238

There are other ways of doing this problem. One way would be:

(10 + 7) X 10 + 4)
= (10 X 10) + (10 X 4) + (7 X 10) + (7 X 4)
= 100 + 40 + 0 + 28
= 238

Can you think of other ways? How many of us wonder what takes place in the mind of the child when given a problem like

56 + 27. Answer?

There is something about the ease with which we use a ready made algorithm (an algorithm is a set of rules or procedures) whose logic we may not even understand, which stops us thinking about how we would approach a problem like 56 + 27. Mechanically, we follow the rule of “carrying over”. As teachers, we do not take the trouble to find out what happens in the mind of a child when it sees the problem. It may be more natural for many children to add 50 and 20 to get 70, and then add 7 and 6 to obtain 13. The final answer can then be got by adding 70 and 13. No wonder, we then let the children fall into a set of habits which, in the long run, close their minds to other possibilities. Our associations with particular procedures and our rigidity with particular symbols are so often tight that a child of eight may not know the answer to 7 multiplied by 5 but know straight away what 7 times 5 gives!

To subtract 169 from 639, it is surprising how many personal procedures (or algorithms) there are, and yet, we are often stuck with the method we have learned in school. Algorithms may help us to ease the problem of writing procedures in a symbolic way, but that is not the end in itself. Consider another personal procedure for the same problem (i.e., 637 – 169):

169:31
31 and 37 is 68
and there are 6-less-2 hundreds
468 (answer)

Here is a final example:
Since 637 = 100 + 100 +100 +100 + 100 +100 + 30 + 7, and
169 = 100 + 60 + 9, it follows that 637 – 169 can be written as

100 + 100 + 100 + 100 + 100 + 100 + 30 + 7
-- 100 + 60 + 9)
------------------------------------------------------------
0 + 40 + 91 + 100 + 100 + 100 + 30 + 7
------------------------------------------------------------
The reader is left to obtain the answer in whichever way is convenient. Notice how the above approach also helps in understanding the idea of the expanded notation. Notice also, that, in this case, “borrowing” as we would do it normally in a subtraction problem, is not required at all! After enough practice has been provided in the use of the expanded notation, the same problem could be now written as:

600 + 30 + 7
-- (100 + 60 + 9)
---------------------
468 + 0 + 0
---------------------

The process would be: Nine is greater than 7. Therefore we would need to borrow at least 2 from 30, and add it to 7. 9 – 9 is now equal to 0. By taking 2 from 30, we have made it 28. To subtract 60, we would need to take at least 32 from 600. Similarly, 60 – 60 is 0. Since we have removed 32 from 600, we are left with 568. 568 – 100 is therefore 468, the answer.

Another typical way of solving this problem would be – starting from the left, i.e., from 600, we could begin by removing 100. We are now left with 500. But we see that 30 is lesser than 60, and 7 is lesser than 9. Therefore, how much would we need to borrow from 500 to subtract 60 and 9? First, take away 30, and add this to the 30 we already have. 60 – 60 is zero, and 500 – 30 is 470. We need to add 2 to 7, so that 9 is also cancelled in the same manner. Finally, we are left with 470 – 2, which is 468.

Notice how the expanded notation is used, and how this gradually gives way to the illustration and use of the place value. The procedure of “borrowing” is very clearly shown. You don’t always have to borrow 10 or 100. On the other hand, the amount that you need to borrow is flexible, and depends on what is required to be borrowed. Borrowing can also be done in many different ways. By admitting this idea, we are allowing enough scope for the child to think and explore to find out how to go about a particular problem. And each problem brings with it a new experience and challenge. Often, the tendency is to teach expanded notation, place value and operations on numbers separately. This piece meal approach prevents one from seeing the connections.

The methods explained so far do not destroy for me the other ways of subtracting that I know. Very often, the procedures we follow in our minds when doing a problem cannot be put on paper without making them to appear clumsy and chaotic to the reader. The above examples are sufficient to illustrate this. This does not mean that these methods are not correct, are ‘slow’, and therefore should not be followed. The only advantage of following the method learned in school is that it can be put down on paper without the need for elaboration. Secondly, these methods help us to compute quickly. This brings us to the next question…

“What is the best method?” I do not want to ask this question without counter-demanding, “For what purpose?” There is nothing sacred about a particular method. In fact, the popular perception which tremendously influences our attitudes as teachers and parents towards children is that:

Speed = Brilliance,
Slowness = Dullness

There are certain misplaced notions about what about the ‘qualities’ of a ‘good’ student of mathematics - the ability to compute fast, and the ability to handle big numbers. Shakuntala Devi is often referred to as a great mathematician (which she’s not!), because she can multiply two twelve digit numbers with ease, or obtain the square root of a ten digit number faster than the computer. Often, parents and teachers take pride in such skills that their children may have developed. Pray, what purpose will this serve to a child in an ordinary school classroom and later on in life? As adults, we can only pretend to understand the value of, say, 1 light year (the distance covered by light in one year, at the speed of 3,00,000 km/sec) which is 9460800000000 Km. Why should we torture our children then?

Mathematics is not just about how fast you can calculate, or your ability to play around with big numbers which may mean little to you in everyday life. It is not limited to the application of ready made, uniform procedures to the solution of problems. It is about cultivating the ability to create and explore paths which we can identify with. It is often said that in order to learn mathematics, one needs to create (re-create) it for oneself. The examples discussed so far clearly illustrate this. What we consider to be the “fundamental” or “basic” principles of mathematics at the school level have taken thousands of years to develop. It necessarily follows that we cannot force the learning pace with children. Yet, how easily frustrated we become when we see a “wrong” answer! The truth may be that this wrong answer represents a genuine exploration on the part of the child, a struggle to comprehend.

Most often, we do not let out children explore different ways to arrive at an answer with the argument that forming habits (in my words, the ability to mindlessly repeat) are a protection against the confusion that could take over if the mind began to charge off in too many directions. This uncertainty of not knowing what will happen makes us hold our cards close to our chests, and “protect” the interests of the child.

The truth is that, as parents and teachers, we would like our children to cultivate and perfect these skills and habits so that they can ‘do well’ in the examinations and score high marks. Remember, the competition is tough out there! But, in the name of this competition, are we not inhibiting the natural ways of learning in our children? You decide…

How can we have an environment where both experiences, i.e., formalized procedures and treatment of topics, are reconciled with exploration, imagination and the 'freeness' to think? While it is possible to go in all kinds of directions without necessarily having the ability to be able to compute fast, or be precise, this imagination would be useless without care in developing appropriate skills. On the other hand, these skills (of calculation, of being able to apply procedures, etc.) cannot be developed in isolation of the ability to be able to explore, imagine and think freely.

New Delhi
26th April
1998

Frozen Education -- a study of obstacles to children's education in Jammu and Kashmir

2011-10-23T00:59:00.000-07:00

(The detailed study is not attached here. If you are interested in reading it, send me an e-mail. I will get back with a copy.)

A number of people and numerous conversations that we all had together are all responsible for this study. I will begin by mentioning Renu Singh from the Delhi office of Save the Children (SC), who first invited me to undertake the exercise of finding out the obstacles to the education of all children in Jammu and Kashmir. We began talking about it in the second half of 2009, but it was not until February 2010 that discussions on developing the tools for the study began. Sharif Bhat and Mufti Riyaz from SC’s office in Srinagar, and Neha Gandotra based out of Jammu were of tremendous help, particularly in identifying an enthusiastic group of young people who were willing co-learners and travelers and who did all the hard work of walking up and down the beautiful mountains, seeking to meet teachers, children, parents, and community leaders to understand what stops children from going to school. This list is long, but I must mention everyone -- Ufera, Soliha, Huzaifa, Umer, Shahid, Saleem, Wasim, Muzaffar, Tahir, Neelofar, Sharika, Rashida, Fayaz, Sheikh Ali, Mohd Ali, and Farrukh. I’m sure they enjoyed all the hard work and I hope they will eventually develop into the next generation of education activists that our society badly needs.

Bashir, Gulzar and Targez drove us across the seven districts and helped us unearth many a story whose hints we can only give in this document.

Save the Children’s local NGO Partners also deserve mention, especially for their support for the logistical arrangements in all the districts. The study would have been enriched further had they played a bigger role. Many thanks therefore to Yateem Tust, Yateem Foundation, Jay Kay Women’s Welfare Society (JKWWS), Modern Culture Club (MCC), and Kargil Development Project (KDP).

Representatives from the educational departments told us much and helped us develop insights regarding the way their departments function (well, in many cases, how they do not function!). While some were wary of us, many opened up in the hope that their voices would reach far and remove the constraints in educating all children. In the same vein, Renu Nanda from Jammu University, Javed Rahi from the Tribal Research and Cultural Foundation, J & K, Prof. Madhosh (retired from the Kashmir University), and Mohd Rafi, District Collector, Budgam, need to be thanked in particular for enriching us.

Finally, my deepest gratitude goes to the hundreds of parents, children and teachers who spent many hours with us, understanding patiently our incessant questions before responding to them, and allowing us to share their spaces at home, in the school and in their communities. Their spontaneous warmth and affection helped us to carry on. We learnt much in those hundreds of conversations, but I’m not sure if we have done enough justice in documenting the multitude of experiences in this document.

We have tried to map the kinds of obstacles that prevent children from going to school in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, enjoying school and learning something meaningful and relevant that they can use on their lives. These obstacles are quite complex, and our observations show that they are often rooted within the families, local communities and the functioning of the schooling system itself. They may arise due to the phenomenon of Gurbat (the Kashmiri word for poverty, which goes beyond income related poverty), or may still be affected due to civil unrest (as in the case of the Kashmir Valley, when many teachers happily do not attend school whenever there is a hartal). In many cases, it is in the nature of human behavior that the greatest obstacles arise – an insensitive parent, family member, an abusive teacher or a corrupt and complacent worker in the education department – all of them play significant roles in making or breaking the educational cycle of many a promising boy or girl. We have seen all these examples in the course of this study. I still remember interviewing this teacher in a Poonch village for over an hour. He was very articulate and gave me the impression that he was one of those hard working and conscientious teachers. Happy that the interview went off well, I then walked into the next room where children from that school were waiting for me to initiate a discussion. The first thing they said was “Jis teacher ke saath aap baath kar rahe the, woh ek mahiney ke baad school aa raha hai…mahiney mein ek ya do din aata hai bas…” This put me in deep thought. Isn’t this one of the biggest obstacles, I wondered? Coupled with this, when one heard stories of how corrupt the system of governance (including the educational system) has become, one wonders which obstacle is the biggest of them all – the family, the teacher, the education department, civil unrest, or political instability, among others?

Perhaps the answer lies in creating an environment where everyone concerned -- parent, teacher, politician, policy maker or administrator or child, is able to overcome one’s own limitations, develop deeper understanding and sensitivity to the child’s needs, and bring all the resources at his or her command to make the difference. The energy for this has to come from within the government, from that conscientious minority pegging away, trying to reach the poorest of the poor. Still, this may not be enough, and we will need to involve external agency to mobilize the constituencies to develop a mass of critical consciousness that can make a difference.

2011

Kuni

2011-10-23T00:40:00.001-07:00

I

My son liked this story so much that I had to tell it to him many times over, Ditto, with my daughter. I still tell them Kuni’s story if I do not have any other story to tell. Little did I realise that my childhood tryst with Kuni would mean a lot to my children. At some point, as I realised how much they liked this story, I decided to write it for children. That day is not far off.

The year was 1978 – thirty three years ago! ‘Thirty three years ago…’ sounds nice when one tells a story, especially to those much younger than you. It feels as if you have accumulated so much experience! Anyway, let me get on with the story. My granny’s ancestral home in Bengalooru’s Cantonment, off Queen’s Road, was about to be sold for rupees seventy nine thousand. There are conflicting versions of how it happened. My parents always maintained that my uncles – three of them – were very keen on getting that house sold. Nobody wanted to stay together, and they had their own lives. So the question of keeping that property for everyone to live together one fine day didn’t arise. Often, they talked to my granny about selling the house and getting their share of the little booty. Left with no other option, the old woman gave in. Since she was staying with us, it was agreed that my father would get a substantial share of the proceeds.

I don’t remember the many details of what it took to sell our home, but there is this vivid picture of a discussion the entire family had in our small living room with a chap called Samiullah who finally bought the house. I was allowed to sit on a wooden stool somewhere in between two adults as they all haggled over the final price. The other piece of memory is that of my father and uncles counting seventy nine thousand rupees! I marvelled at their speed, as I always do when I stand at the bank counter sometimes to see money getting counted. No cheques, no electronic transfers. We didn’t even imagine that there could be something called electronic money those days. I’m pretty sure that my father didn’t have a bank account. He brought home his meagre few hundred rupees salary in cash and handed it to my granny who managed the household with my mother. Life was simple those days, and I didn’t even realise as a child that I missed out on anything.

Years later, when I could understand life’s nuances better, I was told by my older cousins and some aunts that my father had committed a Himalayan real estate blunder. I was told that that the Muniswamy Road house was worth crores! Had it been sold later, everybody would have become ‘lakhpatis’, at least – so went the argument. I had several such conversations and everyone seemed to point fingers at my father for his lack of foresight. My parents always thought otherwise and said ‘Look, they needed money, that’s why they sat on your granny’s head and made her agree.’ These arguments mattered little when I was young.

Anyway, we left 14, Muniswamy Road one day in 1978 from my childhood home, never to go back again. It was the first time that I moved from one home to another. My father called my childhood home an ‘outhouse’ meaning that all the rooms of the house were built in a line at one end of the plot of land leaving a large compound space in which we had the Tulsi katte, several flowering plants, a huge coconut tree (which my mother said was planted on the day I was born) and a big tree that gave the fragrant Sampangi flowers which were in great demand in the Shivaji Nagar market nearby. My friends and I played and pranced around in the large compound. I remember tri cycling, playing hide and seek, watering the coconut tree and climbing the Sampangi Mara. There are other memories, such as pissing out by standing at the room window holding its railings, when it was raining. Bahadur, our tenant who had rented one room at the corner of the plot, ran past and, when he saw this parabolic stream coming out of the window ducked underneath and carried on!

II

We shifted southwards to a place called Jayanagar 9th block. For one year, my father said, we would have to stay in a rented place while our new house was getting built in a new residential area called J. P Nagar. The roads were just getting laid out, and my mother would often walk from 9th block to J. P Nagar 2nd phase to supervise construction. Later, our house would appear as a white speck from the end of 9th block Jayanagar. It was only the second house in all of J. P Nagar!

Our rented home in 9th block was very small and I remember the difficulty I had adjusting in this space after 14, Muniswamy Road. Anyway, I quickly made many friends in the neighbourhood and spent most of my time on the streets of 9th block, playing lagori, marbles, flying kites, spinning the tops and playing cricket – all on the street. I keep telling my son that these games have more or less disappeared from our cities nowadays. I can vouch that kite flying in Bangalore has all but disappeared. Kids spend a lot of time playing virtual games on the cell or computer. And then there are these malls, which have mushroomed all over the city, where you pay through your nose to satisfy your child’s desire to play. Gone is that spontaneity which we enjoyed as children.

Kuni quickly became a dear friend. At that time, I didn’t know that ‘Kuni’ in Kannada actually meant dog! This only dawned several years later. There she was, simply called ‘dog’ by all of us. For a dog that spent most of her time on the streets, she looked quite big and brown, almost like an Alsatian. I discovered from my friends that she had quite a few children who, like her, inhabited 9th block’s lanes. They all looked quite different. She must have had several lovers! I would feel strange but curious and excited nonetheless at the sight of her mating with another dog -- the famous ‘doggie position’, as I learnt some years later! Other dogs would wait to mount her, in heat, often snarling at each other and mounting her even if she was stuck with another dog. Some of my friends threw stones at dogs who had coupled. They enjoyed doing this and didn’t think much about the hurt they inflicted on other living beings. Children can be violent, too. I wondered why dogs had to get stuck that way…

Once I fed Kuni with some chapathis, she expected some titbit or the other from me all the time. My mother and granny readily obliged and we usually fed her food that we ate – rice, dal, chapathi, biscuits. Pretty soon, she started spending a lot of time in the vicinity of our new home. To escape the heat, she would just jump over the gate, come in and lie down in front of our door. The small plot of land on which we lived was partitioned into three separate houses, two of which were rented out. Subbamma, our landlord, lived in one of these houses opposite ours. She didn’t seem to mind Kuni.

As the days passed, Kuni started waiting for me to return from school. I usually walked home from the 9th block bus stand and as I entered the last stretch every day, I would often find my mother standing at the gate, waiting for me. Seeing me, she would look back and say something to Kuni, who often waited inside. Kuni would then charge across a very short stretch of compound, leap over the gate and come charging towards me, her tail wagging madly, joy written all over her face. Our evening meeting usually had the same script – she would stop just in time to avoid a collision and then would kneel in front, straightening her front legs, wagging her tail, waiting for me to initiate some affection. I would go close to her, pat her head, and ask her how she was. She would then pounce on me, and I would hold her forelegs as she walked on the other two, and that’s how we often covered some distance. Then she would run away, only to return after a few minutes. I fed her the biscuits I was given along with a glass of milk.

Every evening, as my friends and I played on the streets, Kuni hung around. Sometimes, she would go away for an hour two, but always came home for dinner. She would stay the night in the compound. Winters in Bangalore were quite nippy in the late seventies. I still remember how misty it would get in the mornings and how our skins would crack during those months. We all liked to ‘smoke’ in the mist then! To make Kuni comfortable at night, we spread out a gunny bag in front of our door. My parents and granny would not let Kuni in. I often tried very hard to cover her with another gunny bag, but she would usually come out of it and was not comfortable being covered.

Once, our neighbours had a social function and there were many people who had come for lunch. It was some festival and I remember being home that day. Lunch was spread out on banana leaves, which were all later neatly rolled out and thrown outside a little away from our house. There was no public dustbin. It was all left to the cows to eat the banana leaves. Before the cows came, Kuni and her friends appeared and rushed madly towards the banana leaves, hoping to find some morsels of food. There were many dogs fighting for very little food. Kuni was getting side lined by the other dogs and I didn’t like it one bit. I scared away the other dogs with a stick, and this gave Kuni a chance to eat some food all by herself. The other dogs kept growling, but they did not dare to come near me. I think Kuni became more close to me after that – at least, that’s what I thought then.

One day, as I walked towards 9th block bus stand to board my school bus, Kuni started trailing me, much to my surprise. She had not done this before. I kept asking her to go back but she wouldn’t listen. So she walked behind me, all the way till the 9th block bus stand. The school bus was ready and would leave in a few minutes. I got in, and Kuni followed! She didn’t want to let me go. What I did, I tried to tell her to get down and when that didn’t work she had to be pushed out by the bus conductor. I kept worrying about her all day and was relieved to find her fine in the evening.

As the days passed, Kuni and I only got closer. She would spend most of her time at our place, or somewhere nearby. She went with me whenever I set out of the house, to play or visit a friend’s place. On my part, I looked after her as best as I could. I became friends with her children too.

Finally, she didn’t come home in the morning over a weekend. I remember going out and looking for her. I enquired about her with a few friends, but they didn’t have an answer. So we started searching in the lanes of 9th block. ‘Go to the main road, there’s a dog lying there’, said one of our neighbours. We found Kuni lying inert in the middle of the main road, the one that connects the Bannerghatta road with Kanakapura road. Why is she lying down in the middle of the road? I thought. She would be run over by the Gaadis. I didn’t understand, till my friend pointed out to blood beneath her head. With a heavy heart, I realised that she had been run over by a callous driver. I couldn’t believe it. ‘Can’t we take her to a doctor?’ Nobody answered.

I came home crying. I looked back -- Kuni was surrounded by her children, all with sad looks on their faces, their tails down, sniffing her on that fateful main road.

Raipur
October 2011

Quotations from Kargil on Education

2010-02-10T07:05:00.000-08:00

Between January 2007 and March 2008, I had the opportunity to work on the theme of education of children in the remote, harsh and beautiful district of Kargil in the Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir. To begin with, I was invited by Save the Children to work closely with its NGO Partner, the Kargil Development Project, and the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Kargil, to help develop a long term educational strategy for the district. Later, as my work progressed, the Hill Council extended my association for another year to enable me to complete my work. Working on this assignment with a group of people identified by the Council as the 'core team' was truly an enriching experience -- I spent much time in Kargil, traveling almost every month to work with this core team, preparing them to do a systematic study of he ground situation, as well as develop an appropriate plan of action. In this process, we asked: 'What kind of education could be considered relevant, meaningful and useful for the children of Kargil? What is wrong with the education that children get today? What needs to be done?' To get answers to these questions, we met hundreds of children, parents, teachers and others from many local communities spread across the entire district. We had many beautiful and enriching conversations in the middle of the semi arctic winter, when temperatures would often drop to minus 25 degrees, when it would snow heavily for days, blocking all routes to remote villages in the mountain side. Sipping namkeen chai, I often shared the dreams, aspirations and frustrations of beautiful people from a forgotten land. I still haven't been able to share the story of this journey. But what I have with me is a collection of statements which were made to us by children, parents, teachers and community members in the course of many conversations spread over a few months. I have great pleasure in sharing them with you. Many more statements lie hidden in the interview notes that were made, but for lack of time, I was unable to dig them all up from the Hill Council's office in Kargil. Perhaps that is another project, which I will need to undertake another day...meanwhile, happy reading, and a warm welcome to Kargil!

__________________________

“Duniyavi ilm raastha dikhatha hai aur mazhabi ilm usey mukam deta hai.”
Haji Mohd Yakub, Teacher, PS Shimsha, Drass

“Education is like a candle in everybody’s life. It shows the way of good life.”
Asghar Ali, Teacher, PS Shimsha, Drass

“Waqt ke saath chalna chahiye. Jo zubaan zyada isthemaal ho, usey hi padhana chahiye.”
Bashir Ahmed, Teacher, MS Shimsha, Drass

“Talim saaj mey sar uthake jeene ke laayak banayega.”
Abdul Qayoom, Teacher, MS Shimsha, Drass

“Private schools have 100% results because they bribe the board of school education. All the parents of children who study in government schools, are poor. They do not have enough money to bribe the board. So the teachers are not ‘effective’”.
Mohd. Raza, Parent, Shimsha, Drass

“Ek aisa school ho, jisme accha teacher ho jo kabhi na mare…”
Safia Bano, Class 5, MS Shimsha, Drass

“Jab mei padhti hoon, to mujhe lakdi gobar laane ko kehte hain…”
Hakima Bano, Class, HS Moradbagh, Drass

“Parents send children to school and forget them after that.”
Ghulam Mohi-ud-din, Teacher, MS Matayen, Drass

“If he does not go to school, I will teach him.”
Sidiqa, Parent, Shimsha, Drass

“Hamaare yehaan gorbat hain. Hamaare yehaan ladkon ko bhi ladkiyon ki tarah vazifa diya jaye, taaki ladke bhi apni zaruriyat poori kar saken.”
Shabir Ahmed, Parent, Matayen, Drass

“The child is like the branch of a tree. Whether we point the branch in the right or wrong direction depends on us.”
Haji Mohd. Yakub, Parent, Shimsha, Drass

“…good community, a big playground and water…”
Basharat Ali, Student, Class III, Shargol

“I want to become a teacher. I will teach my family…this, they need.”
Mohd Ali, Student, Class VIII, Pashkum, Shargol

“Phool ke saath baitna aur paani dena…”
Mehmooda, Class X, HS Sangrah, Sankoo

“Jeene se marne tak training zaroori hai…”
Sayeed Masood Ahmed, Teacher, Sankoo

“Do saal se is school mei koi inspection ke liye nahi aaya hai.”
Teacher, HS Sangrah, Sankoo

“It depends on the learner’s personality. Some children need chocolates, and some children need the stick.”
Syed Allahuddin, Teacher, MS Taikat, Sankoo

“Agar rishvat na khaayein to local theek hai, varna non-local theek hain.”
Haji Mehdi, Parent, Sangrah, Sankoo

“Talim azhat zaruri hai, garibon ke liye taaki woh kumba chala sakein. Kyon ki, iska ghar garib hota hai, iska ilm garib nahi hota.”
Ahmed Husain, Parent, Sangrah, Sankoo

“Ladkon ko talim zyada zaruri hai kyon ki ladkiyon ko doosre ghar le jayenge jahan uska pati zimmedar hoga.”
Ameena Bano, Parent, Faroona, Sankoo

“Local teachers chaalaak hotey hain. Aadmi ke hisaab se kaam karte hain.”
Fiza Bano, Parent, Faroona, Sankoo

“Talim agar seekhein, to shayad bade hokar doctor ya engineer ban jaaye. Agar na seekhein, to kam se kam, Thekedaar ban jaaye.”
Mirza Mehdi, Parent, Faroona, Sankoo

“Jin bacchon ko padhayi na ho wo kuch bhi nahi kar sakenge, chahe zamindari ho ya naukri.”
Tewang Dorjay, Teacher, MS Phey, Zanskar

“In the coming days/years, parents should also be trained along with teachers.”
Rigzin Namgyal, Teacher, LHS, Icher, Zanskar

“This is what I would like to say – if I get the opportunity, I would like to share information about my profession, i.e. agriculture in school.”
Tsering Raftan, Parent, Icher, Zanskar

“If children are taught some arts and crafts and other such skills apart from the subjects they study in school, it will be nice. When children leave school, even if they can’t get a job, they can still earn a livelihood with these skills.”
Sonam Tsewang, Parent, Kumie, Zanskar

“Papa kehte hain, ki padh likh kar mujhe jahaaz udhana hai.”
Divya Bharati, Class 3, Padum, Zanskar

“Aisa badlao hona chahiye ki har tarah jadeed talim milay aur duniya ke saath chal sakay. Agar buniyaad sahi na ho to aage fail hona laazmi hai.”
Tsewang Mutup, Teacher, HS Phey, Zanskar

“Talim aisa milay ki unhe sarkai naukri ke peeche na bhagna paday. Har doosre tarike se apna rozgaar khud paida kar sakay, jaise tourist guide.”
Sangis Chosphel, Parent, Icher, Zanskar

“School grant se sheesha aur taat kharidkar laya aur school mey ghar jaisa mahoul paida kardiya. Bacche ab school mey ghar jaisa mehsoos karte hain.”
Tashi Stopden, Teacher, PS Kumie, Zanskar

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Notion of Quality in the Right to Education Act, 2009

2010-01-19T03:08:00.000-08:00
The first of its kind Right to Free and Compulsory Education Act, which was finally realized 62 years following India’s independence in August 2009, is intertwined with a long history of debates about the provision of education to all children in this country. Sadgopal (2008) in his documentation of the history of these debates, notes that the debate goes as far back as 1882, when Mahatma Jotirao Phule’s memorandum presented to the Indian Education Commission (the Hunter Commission) talked about how the British government’s funding of education ‘tended to benefit the Brahmins and higher classes’, leaving the ‘masses wallowing in ignorance and poverty.’ The next important event was when Gopal Krishna Gokhale moved the Free and Compulsory education Bill in the Imperial Legislative Assembly in 1911. This met with much resistance, on the argument that resources were not enough and also on the concern that if all children were to attend schools, there would be nobody to work on the farms of the landlords! The argument of lack of resources was repeated in 1937, during the National Education Conference at Wardha, where Mahatma Gandhi talked about giving priority to Basic Education (Nai Talim). Debates again featured quite prominently in the constituent Assembly (1948-49), when the idea of ‘Universal Free and Compulsory Education’ was discussed. It was only after much effort that Article 45 went through, promising free education for children up to 14 years. However, since it was under the directive principles of state policy (Part IV of the constitution and not Part III, where it would have acquired the status of a Fundamental Right in Independent India) the article was deprived of the status of a fundamental right. It was not until 1993 (the famous Unnikrishnan Judgment) that the Supreme Court, in a radical interpretation of the constitution, conferred on Article 45 the status of a right, by linking it with Article 21, the Right to Life, which the court stated would be meaningless if it did not come with Right to Knowledge. This led to the introduction of Article 21 A.

To cut a story short, eight years later (in November 2001) the 86th Amendment Bill was presented to the Lok Sabha, but with serious flaws (such as the exclusion of the under six age group, among other equally important concerns such as inadequate budgetary allocations etc) as expressed by many civil society groups. The bill was passed by parliament in December 2002, without these concerns being addressed. It later became the ‘model bill’ or the Draft Right to Education Bill sent to the UTs and states. In 2009, this bill has now become the Right to Free and Compulsory Education Act, still with its many concerns intact.

What does the Education Act document have to tell us about educational quality? It must first be noted that the Education Act is a legal document, which means that education is justiciable, and as such, a court of law can be approached to address/resolve any grievance or complaint. In a legal document, we cannot expect detailed discussions or reflections of a conceptual nature, as we can in the case of academic documents like the NCF or even articulations made under large scale programs like the DPEP and SSA. Yet, nothing in the Act prevents anybody from referring to or using these other articulations of the government as a source of direction. The point however is: which articulation is to be used? How are these articulations to be interpreted? We have already seen the difference between articulations presented in the DPEP/SSA documents compared with another important government document, the NCF 2005, which propounds a different notion of quality. What is the relation between these documents and the Act? This would need examination. Should the Act have referred to these earlier documents for the purpose of interpretation? The Act does refer, in Chapter III, point 6(a): ‘The Central Government shall develop a framework of national curriculum with the help of academic authority specified under section 29.’ National Curriculum Frameworks can change from time to time, and are as such not immutable. This would allow for the predominant version of quality that has been negotiated at any given point in time.

As a legal document, the Act outlines certain conditions that have to be met by those involved in the provisioning of education – these could involve the government, parents, teachers, private school managements etc. If the conditions as stipulated in the Act are not followed, they are bound to invite punitive action in many cases. For instance, if the Headmaster of a school does not issue a transfer certificate to an out going student (Chapter II, under point 5.3), he/she is liable for disciplinary action under the service rules applicable. Another example is that of school provisioning (Chapter III, under point 6). Within three years from the commencement of the Act, the government should provide a school with the limits of the neighborhood if a school is already not available. Another assertion of a non-negotiable condition is the following (Chapter IV, point 14.2): ‘No child shall be denied admission in a school for lack of age proof.’ This is one way of ensuring access to a school. Many more such examples can be given. The point to be made is that by specifying certain conditions, the document hopes to put in place certain ‘minimums’ or ‘non-negotiables’ that are presumed to ensure quality. Are these minimums enough? Do they reflect what one would like to see as quality, the essential character of education about which we have been discussing? Further, are they clear and comprehensive? Let us take one example. Who is the teacher, if we are to implement the provisions in the Act effectively? Chapter IV (titled ‘Responsibilities of Schools and Teachers’), points 23.1 and 23.2 have to say something in this regard (P.8, Part II of the Act).

“23.1 Any person possessing such minimum qualifications, as laid down by an academic authority, authorized by the Central government, by notification, shall be eligible for appointment as a teacher.

23.2 Where a state does not have adequate institutions offering courses or training in teacher education, or teachers possessing minimum qualifications as laid down under sub-section 1 are not available in sufficient numbers, the Central Government may, if it deems necessary, by notification, relax the minimum qualifications for appointment as a teacher, for such period, not exceeding five years, as may be specified in that notification.

Provided that a teacher who, at the commencement of this Act, does not possess minimum qualifications as laid down under sub section 1, shall acquire such minimum qualifications within a period of five years.”

These points are vague, at best, and open to multiple interpretations. For instance, the Act is silent on the phenomenon of ‘para teachers’, which is argued by many as a dilution in the idea of a teacher, and as a cheap and economically effective way of filling teacher vacancies in many states, and as a logic that will be used to ultimately phase out all the regular government teachers with contract teachers (Kumar, 2001). What position does the Act take on this issue? Further, what about teacher preparation, another area which has been put into grave danger with the unregulated and unbridled expansion of private teacher preparation institutions all over the country in the last 8-10 years? Any person can possess ‘minimum qualifications’, but where these qualifications have been obtained from an institution whose quality is highly suspect, we have a serious problem. Thus, on the whole, the ambiguity regarding the teacher, a key determinant of quality is one among several such, in connection with the notion of educational quality that the Act seems to propound.

Should the Act even specify any conception of quality? This question needs to be discussed. As mentioned, by specifying certain ‘overall boundary conditions’, the Act hopes to ensure certain non-negotiable aspects of providing all children with a free and compulsory. In Chapter V (P.9, titled ‘Curriculum and Completion of Elementary Education), the Act specifies certain parameters which can be seen as intimately related to the idea of quality. It would be worth reproducing them here in full:

29 (1) The curriculum and he evaluation procedure for elementary education shall be laid down by an academic authority to be specified by the appropriate government, by notification.

29 (2) The academic authority, while laying down the curriculum and the evaluation procedure under sub-section (1), shall take into considerations the following, namely:

(a) conformity with the values enshrined in the constitution
(b) all round development of the child
(c) building up child’s knowledge, potentiality and talent
(d) development of physical and mental abilities to the fullest
(e) learning through activities, discovery and exploration in a child friendly and child-centered manner
(f) medium of instruction shall, as far as practicable, be in the child’s mother tongue
(g) making the child free of fear, trauma and anxiety and helping the child to express views freely
(h) comprehensive and continuous evaluation of child’s understanding of knowledge and his or her ability to apply the same

For a law to be enforceable or justiciable, it has to be precise, with no two meanings, since ultimately it has to be interpreted unambiguously by the judiciary. With the abovementioned points, there is much scope for subjectivity. For instance, how are we to understand points (b) and (d) above? In the context of schooling, developing mental abilities can involve a range of aspects Similarly, for point (e), where Child Centered again gives scope for much debate, and point (g), where ‘helping the child to express views freely’ finds mention. It can be claimed that a school is not child centered, or is not allowing children to express themselves freely. In the arguments that will follow, the school can defend itself on certain parameters, while the litigant can offer another set of reasons to suppose that the school is not child centered. How is the judiciary to make a judgment, when there is no precise definition of these terms? Further, in point (g), the inclusion of terms ‘fear, trauma and anxiety’ can similarly give rise to different interpretations, but it is argued by some that the judiciary is well versed with the ‘negatives’ – there is a history of litigation involving the negatives, and it therefore should be relatively easier to deal with them with some clarity. It is the positives which need to be sorted out. It can also be argued that if there had been precise definitions of ‘child friendly, child centered’ etc, these definitions could limit or ‘lock’ or ‘seal’ the notion of child-centeredness in education, which is essentially an open ended idea or notion that can be subjected to continuous reflection and debate. Indeed, in a larger sense, it can be argued that the notion of education cannot be laid out in a definite sense, for the very nature of the concept and the contemporary demands on it suggest that it be kept open for scrutiny.
Given the complexities that could arise in litigation involving the above aspects, one argument is that this loose description should not have been there in the first place as it can lead to much ambiguity. However, the question that will arise then is what notion of quality informs the Act. The only way out is for the judiciary to do its own systematic research and understanding of core concepts in education, which will enable it to provide an informed and fair judgment to resolve disputes. Where the disputes concern issues like infrastructure and basic facilities (as outlined in ‘The Schedule’ titled ‘Norms and Standards for a School, P.12 of the Act), they need not be complex. It is in the intangibles that a far more nuanced and refined understanding will be needed. Our initial reading of the Act has shown therefore that there is much to be discussed regarding the issue of educational quality.

Does language teaching need a study of language?

2009-10-14T22:23:00.000-07:00

In my opinion, the issue or question of the relevance of the study of language in language teaching is very similar to the question ‘Does one need to study mathematics or science in order to be able to teach these subjects better?’ Though it might seem like a short aside, I would like to first explore this question before coming to the language issue.

Two years back, I had the opportunity to undertake a study of teacher’s views and understanding about the subject matter of mathematics and its pedagogy. In the course of doing this study, I came across literature that explored the place of discipline or subject specific knowledge (in this case, mathematics) in classroom teaching. For instance, Skemp (1971 and later) highlighted the frustration of children who are mainly taught the ‘how’ when they actually want answers to the ‘why’. Liping Ma’s landmark comparative study (1999) of Chinese and American elementary school teachers brought the dimension of teacher preparation centre stage. Ma compared the situation of mathematics teachers in China and the United States. Using data from her study, she developed the notion of ‘profound mathematical understanding’ in teachers and stressed that this understanding is crucial to how they perceive mathematics and teach it. Based on her analysis, Ma then argued for ‘a connected, structured and longitudinally coherent knowledge of core mathematical ideas as an essential pre-requisite for any teacher’. In a similar vein, Deborah Ball et al (2005) state that ‘classroom problems are also mathematical problems’. This leads to the question: ‘What kinds of mathematical reasoning, insight, understanding and skill are required in the teaching of mathematics?’ The position taken by Ball is that the interactive work of teaching itself involves ‘knowledge of mathematical ideas skills of mathematical reasoning and communication, fluency with examples and terms…’ This requires additional mathematical insight and reasoning which involves ‘a kind of depth and detail that goes well beyond what is needed to carry out the algorithm reliably.’ This correlation was shown to exist on the basis of data collected for more than 700 teachers and 3000 students.

It is quite clear from the above examples that subject matter or disciplinary knowledge is considered to be critical for deeper more meaningful teaching leading to understanding. Along with this knowledge is the knowledge of how children learn. Together, these two aspects are integral to the preparation of the teacher. We can extend this case to the study of language and language teaching as well. In the case of teachers, this aspect would be considered to be an integral part of their education and preparation as teachers. For teacher educators and practitioners in general, this would mean developing sensitivity to how language works. For children, a teaching-learning process grounded in the principles of language learning may offer many possibilities for deepening their learning experience as well as for creative expression, among others. Just why is this kind of knowledge necessary in the case of language teaching and learning? I have tried to present some arguments below.

Much of what passes for as learning in primary and elementary school is traditionally measured in terms of the 3R’s (reading, writing and arithmetic). In educational practice, there is no dearth of small, medium and large scale quantitative surveys to ascertain whether children have acquired the 3R’s after, say five years, of schooling. Testing of children has almost become an obsession. Furthermore, with regard to language learning, in many cases the conventional practice is to break it up into ‘listening, speaking, reading and writing skills’ (the so-called L-S-R-W model) almost as if these skills are picked up in isolation of each other! This pre-occupation with measuring outputs, without paying sufficient attention to the processes of learning and other important aspects such as the resources children bring, their diverse backgrounds and narratives, reduces much of language learning to a mechanical ‘input-output’ model. We have seen this positivist, reductionistic approach since the ‘Minimum Levels of Learning’ (MLL) days of the nineties. The approach has continued in some form or the other to this day, though the term MLL itself may not be used as widely as before. It is in this larger context we must view the question of the relevance (or need) of the study of language to language teaching.

There are other issues that deserve attention as well. First, we tend to look at language as ‘another subject to be learnt’. I suppose this view reduces or even negates the potential that language learning offers for learning in general. Like in mathematics, where procedural knowledge is often emphasized at the cost of developing understanding, language teaching too suffers from a narrow view that places correctness of grammar and pronunciation above creative expression. This leads to a kind of mechanical classroom practice where error correction is given undue emphasis. The fact that children have mastered grammar long before they enter school is lost on teachers and also in the process of their preparation. Other notions (already pointed out in the reading provided for this assignment) include the myth of language purity, dialect inferiority, pride of place for certain ‘mother of all’ languages, multilingualism as a problem, etc. These notions are so deeply ingrained that they are rarely problematized as issues during teacher preparation.

The above observations may be categorized as those belonging to the realm of pedagogy on the one hand and on the other, larger (often unexamined) worldviews about people, language, culture, power, politics, and so on. Of course, these worldviews in turn influence education policy, teacher policy and classroom practice.

Given these observations, we must ask: What is the value in a study of language as part of a program on education? The first value addition is that such an endeavor may contribute in important ways to developing sensitivity and awareness in teachers and teacher educators as regards the equality and structural unity of languages. This might then lead to a respect for the diversity of languages. In turn, we could then start looking at multi-linguality and multiple socio-economic and cultural contexts as resources instead of considering them as burdensome problems to be dealt with through imposition of uniformity. Further, such a study could contribute to a deeper and informed understanding regarding the history and politics of language, and how language has been used as a tool for promoting vested interests. Also, in this regard, teachers and others could appreciate the rich and varied cultural history and resources that a country like India possesses.

In offering arguments for a study of language as part of language teaching or for a program on education, it may be important to ask: Is language to be treated as a separate subject? Does language development not have something fundamental to do with cognition itself? This view is articulated by Halliday (1994) that ‘When children learn language, they are not simply engaging in one kind of learning among many; rather they are learning the foundation of learning itself.’ If one wishes to take this position, then there is no escape from a study of language in any program of teaching or education.

References
Towards a language based theory of learning (M.A.K Halliday, 1994, source not specified)
The Psychology of Learning Mathematics (Richard Skemp, Penguin Publishers, London 1971)
Knowing and Teaching Elementary Mathematics – Teachers’ understanding of Fundamental Mathematics in China and the United States (Liping Ma, LEA Publishers, London 1999)
Knowing Mathematics for Teaching – Who knows mathematics well enough to teach third grade, and how can we decide? (Deborah Ball et al, American Educator, 2005)
Knowing mathematics for teaching – baseline study of practicing mathematics teachers (Sheshagiri K.M, 2007, Supported by Sir Ratan Tata Trust)

What the Karnataka textbooks say on things that matter

2009-09-09T10:51:00.000-07:00
Recently, I had the opportunity to do a quick study of the Karnataka State Social Studies textbooks to see how the idea of the modern nation is represented. Specifically, I looked at the construction of values and ideals of 'national progress,’ ‘democracy,’ and the 'ideal' citizen. Inclusions and exclusions in terms of gender, caste, class, religion, ethnicity and location (rural/urban) were also noted, along with the role the textbook content explicitly/implicitly assigns to education in national development. The study was an eye opener in many ways, and I ended up asking more questions than I have been able to answer!

Brief description of the textbooks studied
The books studied are the two Social Science textbooks of Class V used by the government schools in Karnataka. The books have been published by the Karnataka Textbook Society. The core curricular areas for Class V have been represented through the textbooks in the following manner – barring language, which has dedicated textbooks for each language (Kannada, English, Urdu, etc), the other subjects are all clubbed together in two textbooks, one for each semester (the academic year is divided into two semesters at the primary and middle school levels). Thus, semester 1 has a combined textbook for Social Science, General Science, Environmental Studies and Mathematics. The same is the case with the semester 2 textbook. The reason why this is so, is not clear. However, what is clear is that curricular or pedagogical concerns have not informed the production of these ‘all in one’ textbooks – for instance, there is no integration of content across disciplines. There are merely separate sections for each subject. It is quite possible that the effort has been to reduce the total number of textbooks that children need to carry (and hence reduce the load of the school bag)! Another reason would be to economize textbook printing.

The Social Science part/section of the composite textbooks is further divided into the areas of History, Civics and Geography. The topics dealt with each of these areas are described below.

Semester 1 topics (History) -- History of India – land and people; pre-historic India; Indus Valley Civilization; Vedic Age; Jainism and Buddhism
Semester 2 topics (History) -- Ancient North India; Mauryan Empire; The Kushans; The Gupta Empire; India after the Guptas; Ancient South India
Semester 1 topics (Civics) -- Civics and its importance; Public Property
Semester 2 topics (Civics) -- Rural Communities; Urban Communities; Panchayati Raj; Civic and District Administration
Semester 1 topics (Geography) -- The Solar system; Latitude and Longitude; Weather and Climate; Effect on daily life of weather and climate
Semester 2 topics (Geography) -- Physical features and climate of India; Agriculture and Industry; Population of India

Aspects of the ‘modern nation’, such as values and ideals of 'national progress', democracy, the notion of the 'ideal' citizen, inclusions and exclusions in terms of gender, caste, class, religion, ethnicity and location (rural/urban), and the role of education in national development, are all implicitly or explicitly addressed in both the Class V textbooks. They are not situated in any particular chapter, but are spread across the entire text. In particular, the strongest linkages/references are seen in the sections that deal with the subject of Civics. In the coming paragraphs, we will look at examples of how the textbooks approach the above mentioned aspects of the modern nation.

The ‘ideal’ or ‘good’ citizen
Lesson 6 of the semester 1 textbook (P.39) begins with a statement about citizenry. A citizen is referred to as somebody ‘who is a member of the country or nation and who abides by the rules and regulations of that country.’ Further, ‘A Good citizen loves and respects his country. Every citizen has certain rights and duties.’ Civics, it is stated, ‘tells us about the role of the citizen in society and in the government.’ Conducting oneself in a disciplined manner and respecting the needs of others is identified as one of the key aspects of a ‘good civic life’.

On page 40 of the above book, the ‘Characteristics of a good citizen’ along with those of the ‘good civic life’ are outlined thus:

• Keeping the school premises clean
• Keeping the house and street clean
• Helping children and old people
• Following a queue system
• To respect national flag and national anthem
• To protect public property etc
• To defend the country in times of need
• To pay taxes without fail
• To cast vote during elections
• Not to participate in anti-social activities
• Understand that giving or taking bribe is an offence

The second semester book also (on P.60, 61 in the chapter on urban communities, and further on P.96 in the chapter on Population of India) outlines certain duties of citizens (interestingly, these or any other duties do not feature in the chapter on rural communities):

• To keep surroundings clean
• Not to smoke in public places
• To dispose waste materials
• To reduce the use of plastic bags
• To use electricity and water sparingly
• To develop the habit of working hard and live by earning
• To obey the law and lead a peaceful life
• To control population explosion

From this description, one cannot help but get the impression that the good or ideal citizen is a passive person one who has to ‘obey’ or follow a range of rules set by/in his nation so as to preserve order (whose order?) in society. This almost sounds like a mechanical list of ‘things to do’ in order to qualify for the tag of a good or ideal citizen. While sensitivity to the needs of others is mentioned, the rest of the items listed above seem to require an almost blind belief in the following of rules set out by the powers that be. Neither the textbook content nor the questions that follow provide much space for exploration by the teacher and children. For instance, what could respect for the national flag and anthem mean? Why should standing up when the national anthem is played be construed as good citizenry, and not otherwise? In the same vein, what could ‘anti-social’ activities mean? Would participating in a meeting/dharna/procession that critiques government policy be considered anti-social?

It is interesting that the characteristics listed above of a good/ideal citizen do not seem to include a critical element or faculty, such as the ability to question a given phenomenon, or form a strong civil society to struggle for people’s rights, or engage political representatives in serious discussions about a range of issues that affect people’s lives. Further, there is absolutely no discussion about why the abovementioned list of characteristics are so often in short supply in everyday life, ranging from motorists who routinely break traffic rules, to the more complex phenomenon of how the state itself can perpetrate acts of violence against its own people (several examples can be given here). Perhaps it is too much to expect a state sponsored textbook to be critical of the state! But the point here is that the text does not problematize the notion of the good/ideal citizen, thus cutting out the possibility of critical engagement by the teacher and students. On the other hand, what comes across implicitly is that the country or the government is always right, and works in the interest of all people. Therefore, it is the duty of a good citizen to always obey the rules and laws of this country.

Descriptions of ‘rural’ and ‘urban’
Rural communities
There are interesting ways in which ‘Rural Communities’ and ‘Urban Communities’ have been described in two separate chapters of the semester 2 textbook. The competencies children are expected to pick up after the rural communities chapter are the following:

• Know the important occupations of the villagers
• Understand the problems of villages, measures taken by the government to improve their conditions and get themselves involved in development programs

After acknowledging the importance of the rural community in general and the farmer in particular for national progress, the textbook presents a rather idealized view of the village. It states that ‘Villagers fulfill their needs among themselves. They work together to form a village community.’ This is an oversimplified description of the village, perhaps even a distorted image! To this is added another idyllic image: ‘In villages there are rivulets, ponds, tanks, pastures and sacred groves. Villagers celebrate festivals and worship gods and goddesses.’ Almost immediately, as if to correct this description, the idealized pictures are replaced with a section on the ‘Problems of Rural Communities’ – these problems are either ‘Economic, Social’ or of illiteracy (due to lack of education). The few sentences under ‘Social Problems’ are vague and do no justice to the intricacies and complexities of rural life (italics mine): ‘Some rural communities still practice untouchability. People of some castes are not allowed to enter temples, use public wells and participate in public functions. Further, some people are superstitious.’

It is not clear why there is so much vagueness in this description. Who is referred by the word ‘some’? Why are the identities of people termed as ‘some’, hidden and why are they made faceless? Where do these people stay? Why are things like this? These questions beg for explanations in the book. It looks as if the textbook authors are hesitating to discuss upfront the real problems of Indian society, such as the divisive and discriminatory caste system that has existed for thousands of years. What is therefore clear is that there is a downplaying of the deeply hierarchical and divisive nature of Indian society, which has historically led to discrimination and exclusion of groups of people labeled/classified as the Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes etc. By skirting this discussion altogether, the 2nd semester textbook of Class V in many ways actually excludes, from the learning experience of the child, the very existence of these marginalized communities. Thus, an opportunity to critically examine and understand important features of Indian society is lost. However, we may note that the terms SC/ST are freely used in a following chapter on Panchayat Raj, which is mainly a factual account the three tier system of local governance both in the rural and urban contexts.

If the issues such as caste find such casual and careless treatment, the aspect of gender, class and religion (again factors that contribute to Indian society’s stratification and division) do not find mention either, anywhere in the body of the text of the class V books. There is a passing mention that (P.52) ‘…farmers take up other occupations like rearing cattle, sheep, poultry farming and making baskets. There are blacksmiths, potters, barbers, stone cutters, weavers, cobblers, goldsmiths, tailors, oil millers and washer-men in our villages.’ This long list does not educate us about the structure of Indian society—it is just that there are different people doing different things.

Having identified the ‘problems’ of rural communities, the lesson goes on to state that the government provides, through development programs ‘…drinking water, education, employment and medical facilities’ to improve the standards of their lives.

There is one full page illustration (in the form of a collage) of ‘rural life’ in the chapter on rural communities with the caption ‘Development is the fruit of hard work’. One part of the illustration shows a village scene in which a woman walking away from the hand pump, carrying two or three pots of water on her head, while another is filling hers. Another part shows a big dam with the power grid in the background of a village with tiled houses (actually, the power grid leads away from the village, and we have no way of knowing if the village is supplied with electricity!). There is mechanized farming in this village, for we see a tractor in the foreground. Also is shown a woman serving a man with food. The third part of the illustration in the collage shows a train in the background passing by the village, while in the foreground, there is a postman delivering a letter to a woman. In the distance, a group of women are seated in a circle in front of their houses, doing some domestic work.

From the illustrations, one can make out that women manage the house while men seem to be the more mobile of the two (this is of course based on only two or three examples). The distinct aspect however concerns the technology – the big dam, the power grid, the tractor and the train, are the technologies that are expected to improve the living conditions of rural communities. Of course, the hand pump provides clean water. All of these are seen to be contributing to the development and modernization of rural communities. Again, this appears to be idealized and simple.

Urban communities
The rural/urban distinction is first established in terms of population (high in urban areas) and occupation of people (‘productive’ like agriculture in case of rural folk, and ‘services’ like offices, factories etc in case of urban folks). Another distinction is that urban areas have factories, which rural areas do not. Urban problems revolve around (a) Pressure of population, (b) Problem of housing, (c) Environmental pollution and (d) Social problems. Again, these are not problematized. Why, for instance, is there a population problem? The textbook answers this by stating that ‘people go from villages to cities and towns in search of jobs’, which in turn creates problems for housing. Further, this results in lakhs of people not even having basic facilities. Slums thus get created, and their ‘clearance’ becomes a ‘great problem in urban areas’.

The above description of the population problem directly contradicts what the earlier chapter on rural communities states (‘Villagers fulfill their needs among themselves…’)! Further, there is no hint regarding who these migrants are, and why they may be forced to migrate. There is not even one example to illustrate a point or argument in a deeper manner. Again, these people are faceless. In one sense, this is like using the word ‘some’ in the earlier chapter. Thus, voices and representations of those who are excluded (and who invariably become the migrants searching desperately for livelihood of any kind) do not find any expression again, as in the earlier chapter.

The text attempts to create or show other distinctions between rural and urban communities, but these distinctions are problematic and are not explored deeply enough. For instance, under ‘Social Problems’ (P.60), ‘poverty, unemployment, stealing, violence, exploitation of children and women’ find mention. Interestingly, unemployment, violence, and exploitation of children and women do not feature as problems of rural life. Also, environmental pollution and housing appear to be exclusive problems of urban communities.

One gets the sense from the rural and urban chapters that urban problems are numerous and are more complex than rural ones. This is why the authors perhaps felt that it was important to talk about the duties of citizens in the urban case, which they did not deem fit for the chapter on rural communities!

Values and ideals of national progress; democracy; role of education in national development

Moving on, the idea of ‘National Progress’ in the class V textbooks is linked to the notion of a ‘good citizen’ and his or her duties. In the chapter on urban communities (P.61, semester 2), it is stated that ‘If the citizens imbibe these qualities in their daily life, many problems that we are facing today will disappear. Our life will become golden. The country will progress.’ Thus, ‘good and obedient’ citizens are wanted and the authors seem to bemoan the fact that such citizens are in short supply! The fact that these long lists of qualities of a good citizen are included in the textbook suggests that school education is expected to play a critical role in the formation of good citizenry. Of course, this is implicit. Despite these safeguards, why is it that we continue to have so many civic problems? This is nowhere reflected upon. Has education failed then?

Another place where national progress finds mention is in relation with the farmer (P.51, 52, Semester 2) who is the ‘…backbone of our country. The country cannot progress unless the villages are developed.’ So, this is the second strand in the thinking on the values and ideals of national progress. There are some more observations in a later chapter (Lesson 12) titled ‘Agriculture and Industry’. In this chapter, it is acknowledged in the beginning that ‘India is a land of agriculture. Seventy percent of the population depends on agriculture for their living. India is self sufficient in food production.’ This, it is claimed, is as a result of the Green Revolution which adopted new agricultural technology for growth in production. Thus, the role of technology is central to national progress. It is also stated in this regard that: ‘By this (the green revolution) the country has achieved self-sufficiency in agricultural production and economic progress.’ This is a one sided view which completely ignores the ground realities (survey after survey shows alarming levels of malnutrition among more than half of India’s young children, women, for instance). It also contradicts what the same textbook says earlier in the rural communities’ chapter (P.52): ‘Most of the farmers have very small plots of land. The yield is not enough for the needs of the family.’ How can we then say that we have achieved self sufficiency in agricultural production and economic progress?

Technology is seen as an ideal force for national development. Industries, which use this technology (P.92, Semester 2) ‘…Play a great role in the development of the country’s economy.’
The word ‘democracy does not feature in the Class V textbooks on social science. Since I have not studied the Class VI and VII books, it is not possible to state if this topic has found treatment there or not. The topic could have been discussed in the chapter on Panchayati Raj, but the authors have chosen instead to present factual information on Panchayats without for a moment reflecting on the possible links between Panchayats and local democracy and governance. Perhaps the other place where democracy is implicit is the notion of good citizenry, which we have discussed in some detail earlier.

Summing up
This quick study/review of the fifth standard social science textbooks of the Karnataka government in connection with notions of national development, citizenry, democracy, inclusion/exclusion etc has thrown up some interesting observations, as I have already noted. One limitation of this review must be acknowledged upfront – that the review has confined itself only to Class V textbooks. It is possible that the missing pieces may find some treatment in books for Classes VI and VII. However, given the approach seen so far, it is likely that the treatment is going to be problematic from a pedagogical as well as curricular point of view. Issues such as the above, which might require an ‘open ended’ approach are instead presented factually and in an oversimplified manner, ignoring complexities and conflicts. In all cases, the government is seen as doing the right thing all the time. It is the citizens who have to buck up and play their constructive roles.

By presenting content in a factual manner and by not problematizing the study of Indian society, the opportunity for deeper, critical reflection has been greatly limited both for the teacher and the student. A word must be said about the questions and other exercises after each chapter – they merely promote memory recall. This effectively shuts out any possibility that may exist for developing a critical outlook. Only if the teacher rejects such content (or looks at it as open to debate and interpretation) will there be a possibility of rethinking fundamental assumptions that underlie the structures and processes in Indian society. This in turn can make the learning experience very enriching for every child. But how many teachers are likely to embark on this more difficult but rewarding journey?

One may argue that for children as young as ten years, it is not advisable to present the conflicts and contradictions of a society as complex as India. If this indeed is the case, we are undermining the intelligence and capability of children to grapple with complexity, diversity and conflict.

July 2009
Bengalooru

The White Matter Problem

2009-08-24T11:16:00.000-07:00
Since the last twenty five years, I have been confronted by the ‘white matter problem’. No, this has nothing to do with the visible white matter in the universe through the astronomer’s telescope. Nor has it anything to do with the other problem that has puzzled cosmologists – the ‘dark matter’ problem – the mysterious invisible matter which might eventually decide if the universe will go on expanding forever, or contract back into a singularity after what might seem to be an eternity. Now, a singularity is a kind of entity that is difficult to understand – imagine all the matter in the universe squeezed into a point that has no dimensions! Further, imagine that the universe began from a singularity, at which point time actually = zero! I must return to this strange and perplexing discussion another day!

I’m not even talking about the grey matter inside our heads. The white matter above my head, but rooted in it is the issue that has caused consternation to certain people over the years. So, let me tell you that story.

In the midst of thick, jet black hair, the first white strands grew. I noticed it when I was thirteen I guess. I remember commenting about it to my mother, standing in front of a reasonably big mirror in the small living room of our Koramangala house. I’m not sure if she worried about it then. So didn’t I, as I could easily hide the few white strands by pushing them carefully below the black majority.

The years passed. There was no appreciable change in the quantity of white matter with its roots in my head. In 1987, the year I got into engineering, it hadn’t attracted much attention. Even if it did, I don’t remember it. Ditto in 1991, the year I graduated as a reluctant mechanical engineer, least interested in the enterprise of designing, making and fixing machines and engaging with the men who worked on these machines. From that point on, more strands of white started sprouting, and people I knew began noticing. Still, the thick and jet black majority managed to obscure this fresh growth. However, it required some effort at combing time every morning. After a while, I began to wonder if this hiding business was worth it. As the days passed, I managed to ignore it altogether.

In 1993, the year I became a schoolteacher, the kids I taught, noticed. So did my fellow teachers. There were not too many direct comments, though. May be no one wanted to offend me. I even suspected that some of my colleagues liked what they saw, especially some female colleagues. This hunch was only based on their appreciative but cryptic comments such as ‘It looks good’, for instance. On second thoughts, I wondered if it was a case of dripping sarcasm. In the hope that I could attract more female attention, I began conjuring theories of male-female attraction based on white matter – ‘older women get attracted to younger men with white hair because it makes them look matured; younger women also get attracted to young men with white hair because they are looking for someone wise to spend their time with’. Of course, these theories were hopelessly out of sync with the times and I didn’t land up any girlfriends, young or old. To this day, I still believe in these theories, though.

In the mid nineties, when I left the school to join an NGO in North Karnataka to engage in education for children from rural communities, the barbers with their open roadside parlors in the small town of Deodurg in Raichur district started noticing. Getting a haircut in Deodurg was a different experience – unlike Bangalore, where you could sit for the haircut inside a reasonably well kept room with its large mirrors in the front and back, the Deodurg open barber usually had his mirror fixed to a tree on one side of the road. Those seeking a haircut usually had to sit on an old wooden chair which sometimes had to be propped up on carefully arranged stones that were flat. It was a bit of a circus in every sense of the word. What made it different was it felt very public. When I sat on one of those chairs for the very first time, I felt that everyone on the road was watching me. Of course, they were only minding their business. The tree barber would engage you in small talk, and if you were curious enough, you could get a colorful account of life in Deodurg town. They say that a barber is one of the best informants if you are doing a PRA anywhere!

Anyway, the barbers got interested in my white strands because it had a direct business implication – the cost of dyeing! Barber after barber wanted me to dye my hair and wanted me to look young again, with jet black hair. With fervent hope, they would always ask ‘Sir, shall I dye your hair this time? It has spread Sir, all over the sides…that too at such a young age, Sir!’ Some of them indeed looked concerned. But I would generally remain unmoved.

(This article is still under construction...)
24th August 2009

Insect as metaphor

2009-08-17T23:12:00.000-07:00
The insect kept struggling to stay afloat the dirty water standing on the side of the road. I stood on the footpath which was the bank, and watched its condition. From where had this insect come? It would have been happy and comfortable flying here and there, living its uncomplicated life. By some strange mix of circumstances, it had landed on this muddy bit of water. It certainly looked out of place. One can say that if the road had a proper system to drain the water, the puddle with the struggling insect would not have been there in the first place. The insect would have been elsewhere then, perhaps in a less hostile environment. But Kolkata is no different from any other Indian city, I guess. We keep spending crores of rupees every year on ‘maintenance’ but one good rain is enough to make the water stand and trap insects such the one I was watching.

Was the insect used to this watery environment? It looked like the flying type, with its tiny, immobile wings. In that stagnant pool, it was desperately moving its jointed legs, trying to find surer ground. One bit of a solid surface would have been enough to get it airborne again. I saw a piece of cardboard jutting out of this stagnant pool, about three feet from the struggling insect. One stride at the most for me but for the insect in that condition, three feet was large.

The notion of scale is relative, isn’t it? For instance, what distance would this insect travel all its life? What about an ant? A mosquito? Lice in the hair? Viruses? Many insects may travel within very limited boundaries all their lives when compared with humans. May be for them that distance is normal or even huge. From our anthropocentric view (we tend to follow the dictum that ‘man is the measure of all things’), the insect distance may be small. But what about the lice in the hair of a person who travels across continents? It has a great chance of seeing the earth. So does a cockroach that gets packed in your suitcase which is flown from Bangalore to Kolkata! Both in terms of scale and speed of travel, the oblivious cockroach has not seen anything like it before. The best example I can think of right now is the H1N1 virus which my friend thinks is the ‘Varaha avatar’, a reincarnation of God in his various forms. This virus has traveled all the way from Mexico, free of cost.

For that matter, even those of us who do not travel much beyond the immediate confines of our home and community are all cosmic travelers, aren’t we? For one, the earth goes around the sun at an astonishing 18 miles per second, the sun completes one turn around the center of the Milky Way galaxy every 250 million years, while the galaxy itself (like millions or billions of other galaxies) is hurtling through space-time at this very moment, or so we are told. Nothing is resting then, everything moves. There is no absolute rest anywhere in this universe. No minus 273 degree Kelvin.

The struggling insect was closer to the piece of the wet, jutting cardboard. It sparked off another set of thoughts. What about what happens in our schools? Children struggle day after day, year after year in this often hostile environment, searching for pattern, searching for meaning. That search is not fruitful, except in some cases. Like the struggling insect I saw in Kolkata, most children just manage to stay afloat. There are very few anchors in any case, very few wet cardboards jutting out of the muddy waters of the experience we call schooling. Last night, I was reading Margaret Donaldson who says ‘…that some of the skills which we value most highly in our educational system are thoroughly alien to the spontaneous modes of functioning of the human mind.’ This is one view.

The other way of looking at the struggling insect is to ask: What is life without a struggle? Growing and becoming are all as a result of struggle. What is life without a scar, a deep imprint? Without an experience that brings you close to the edge and sometimes takes you over? A sense of achievement follows struggle. Once you reach the wet cardboard that juts out, you have a vantage point which helps you understand where you are. It also offers possibilities for where you want to go, and what you want to become. Genuine understanding perhaps develops like this. The ‘Aha!’ moment of understanding is the cardboard climbing moment which was preceded by struggle and engagement. That is joyful learning – the struggle for understanding, the understanding itself, the looking beyond. Not, on the other hand, the doing of an activity for the sake of doing it, to be followed by 'real' (actually, rote) learning, as many teachers thought when the wave of joyful learning swept all over us in the decade of the nineties.

Schools are supposed to make children struggle to reach the cardboard and even go beyond. They can do it but end up not doing it. Instead, children struggle mindlessly. The human potential for meaningful struggle leading to achievement is lost on our teachers and educators. It is lost the moment the child steps into school.

I didn’t wait long enough to see what happened to the insect. Had to get back to my workshop session where I narrated this story.

18 August 2009
Bengalooru

Classes versus the masses

2009-08-14T02:48:00.000-07:00
Sometimes, all it needs is a few snatches of conversation to get us to explore deeper and fundamental aspects of our daily living. These thoughts remain with us for days as we mull over the issues that came up, explore them from various points of view and also look for resolution. I had this opportunity a couple of days back while I waited in the lobby of a Kolkata guesthouse.

These days, I’m engaged in getting a group of people working with a well known Kolkata NGO to get into the act of writing – the idea is to use it as a tool to learn more about the self and also explore the possibility of writing about others, particularly children, parents, teachers, the educational system at large and so on. What does ‘writing on education’ mean? What does it involve? What place does writing have in our eternal quest for providing meaningful education to all children? Can everyone write? What sort of preparation is required? How do we address the issue of ‘personal and public’? These are some of the questions we are trying to grapple with in the course of the workshops I’m facilitating.

Let me get back to what happened in the lobby. The quick exchange I had with the hotel wallah went like this, with the opening statement made by me.

‘It is raining and the weather’s pleasant isn’t it? Much better than what it was in June.’
‘Yes’, he agreed. ‘It’s also pleasant because the old (pre-1993) vehicles are no longer running on the roads.’
‘I heard about it. This is a recent government decision, right? They did it in Delhi some years ago.’
‘Yes sir. I can feel the difference myself. Pollution has come down by 60%, they say.’
‘Oh…that’s nice.’
‘Sir, the problem is with the masses. They have spoilt our city. I’m a tax payer, but these people reap the benefits. They have polluted the city with their old gaadies.’
‘Ok,’ I nodded, waiting for him to go on. I was not sure if I agreed with him. This exchange was becoming interesting! The hotel wallah had begun taking certain positions which I wanted to examine further.

‘What about their livelihoods then?’ I posed.
‘There are so many jobs in Kolkata, if they are really interested in doing them. We too have a couple of vacancies. When these people don’t come forward, we end up hiring Bangladeshis.’

His masses bashing continued. ‘You know, I was recently reading the speech given by the ITC (Indian Tobacco Company) Chairman. He explains so clearly the steps for global warming – who causes it, how it happens…I’m now convinced it’s the masses and their dirty ways.’

I wondered what wisdom Deveshwar, the ITC chairman had shared on global warming which had so impressed the hotel wallah. Later, I did get to read his 98th annual general body meeting speech of July 2009, in which he says makes all the right noises about global warming. Yet, when he presents the solutions that ITC has proposed or even undertaken in terms of green technology, one cannot help but see the unmistakable emphasis of maintaining soaring profit lines and margins. I wonder to what extent this meshes with issues like environmental sustainability. It certainly merits deeper examination
It’s amusing, isn’t it? One invokes the chairman of a company that manufactures cigarettes for profit when it comes to tackling global warming! Well, I actually do not have a problem with corporations who come forward to tackle issues of grave importance like global warming and climate change. However, from whatever little I know, I wonder if there is much to cheer about regarding their roles – are they actually serious about it? Is there sincere action? The green mantra is great if you want to build a ‘do-gooder’ image. Beneath the image, fundamentally little will have changed. It is indeed interesting that we look to corporate leaders whose sole aim is profit making at all costs, for direction! We can discuss many more examples like ITC, perhaps. My cursory observation shows that while ‘Corporate Social Responsibility’ is the tag used for undertaking a wide range of efforts (in education, health, agriculture, micro-finance and so on), the nature of the real businesses does not change – in the form of SEZs, big dams, power stations, mining, cutting of forests, software exports and a myriad other activities (often aided and abetted by lax government laws and even laxer implementation), corporations ‘Rule the World’, as David Korten puts it in his very disturbing book ‘When Corporations Rule the World’.

Anyway, since Mr. Hotel wallah was keen on proving his point, he invoked another dubious example. ‘You’ve heard of Alyque Padamsee (the ad man)?’ Before I could nod my ‘Yes,’ he went on. ‘He has written about what is happening in Bombay. With all their hard earned money and their taxes, they try to clean the city. But these people come from all over the place and set up their jhuggi-jhopdies right next to the posh localities.’ I wondered if he wanted to complement Bal Thackeray and Raj Thackeray’s Bombay cleansing efforts. But he didn’t get that far. I wondered if Kolkata had their counterparts as well.

I was convinced that a deeper engagement with this man was necessary. My first question was on the energy and pollution front. Quickly, I asked: ‘Do you know that using an A.C consumes about thirty times the power used by an ordinary fan?’ He looked as if he didn’t know. I went on: ‘People like us who use AC’s are also polluting the earth, much more than the masses.

He didn’t quite understand, and countered: ‘But it doesn’t pollute the air, right, like the old taxis and auto-rickshaws?’

‘That may be the case if you look at it superficially,’ I pointed out. ‘What about thermal pollution?’ That is also another form of pollution which we don’t discuss much about. The real damage these high energy devices cause is elsewhere, far away from our cushy homes and hotels. From where do we get so much power to run our ACs? From some coal powered or hydro powered plant. Running an AC means burning that much more coal. Putting up a giant hydro project means that much more displacement of people who we call the masses.’ I was trying hard to remember some post independence statistics quoted by Arundhati Roy in her article ‘For the Greater Common Good’. 33 million, if I remember right, by very conservative estimates are the number of people displaced by big dams (at 10000 people per dam X 3300 big dams) since Independence.

‘But we cannot do without AC’s in this kind of weather’, he protested.
‘That’s a lifestyle issue as well’, I pointed out. ‘How can we blame the masses alone, when we are doing more damage?’

Some silence. It brought us face to face with the unresolved conflicts and dilemmas of our own lives. When we choose to face these conflicts, silence is perhaps a good way to begin with. Beneath that silence, there is a cauldron of thoughts, reactions, justifications and counter reactions all of which need sorting out. But the truth stares at us in the face and we cannot afford to deflect it with a cacophony of arguments. Martin Lings, the Islamic scholar, has put it beautifully:

‘If it can be said that man collectively shrinks back more and more from the truth, it can also be said that on all sides the truth is closing in more and more upon man. It might almost be said that, in order to receive a touch of It, which in the past required a lifetime of effort, all that is asked of him now is not to shrink back. And yet how difficult that is!”

By then, my colleague arrived to pick me up. ‘And let’s think about why is it that the masses have come to the cities in the first place’, I managed to say on my way out. ‘Nobody wants to live in sub-human conditions in the cities, but many don’t have a choice…’

I met the hotelier in the evening when I went to collect my room key. ‘I’ve been thinking about your AC point’, he said. Somewhere, I thought, a dent had been made even as we continued making our big carbon footprints for the day.

August 2009
Krishnagiri
Tamilnadu

The Marriage Postulate

2009-07-23T11:14:00.000-07:00

Nearly twelve years ago, I wrote this piece. My marriage was a good two and half years away, but the thought had started bothering me a little. My parents were anxious to get me married off and 'settled' in life. Here I was, with so many questions and confused thoughts. I decided to make sense of that turmoil through this article. Writing about it made me feel somewhat more comfortable, I remember. Ultimately, I don't think I was guided by a 'rational' decision into marriage -- I just plunged into it, like everyone else!

Having reached a “marriageable” age, it is only natural that the thought should now be consistently nagging my mind. My thinking has left me confused - clarity on the matter seems like the mirage. What does it mean to marry, after all? And why am I so bothered by the question?

A friend of mine, who’s evidently happily married, said as a matter of fact, “You are needlessly being consumed by this question because you look at it as a major decision in your life. Why should it be so? Just marry!” If only it had been just as easy!

To begin with, the thought of staying with somebody all your life is frightening. Suppose we get bored of each other? What if we begin to dislike each other intensely? In this sense, isn’t marriage some thing that “makes” or “breaks” our lives? The latter phenomenon is being observed with increasing regularity. The standard reply to this would be, “Well, everything depends on how you make it work, the extent of give and take, the ability to adjust...” I can only nod my head in vague, cerebral agreement.

The institution of marriage is as old as the hills. It’ll be interesting to see how it began. Perhaps this will provide us with insights into the issue of why one should marry at all, or say, what the advantages may be, if one marries.

Prehistoric people were primarily nomadic. They must have operated with some division of labour. Quite understandably, the men-folk would have done the roaming, hunting etc., while the women were relatively less mobile, rearing children and so on. With the advent of agriculture, the mobility of men must have reduced, as their work profiles changed.

In the initial stages, I suppose there were no restrictions to mating freely within a particular community. The issue of pair bonding may have come about in relation to taking care of the young ones. Thus, it seems to me that, over a period of time, the bonding must have become “institutionalised” and ritualised because of this reason, i.e., proper care for the offspring, and the propagation of the species.

I’m sure there was a realisation that this would be a socially stable arrangement. Also, it ensured some sort of security for the individuals involved, physically and emotionally.

How were mates chosen? I do not know, but I believe that the process was more instinctual, and not governed as such by the intellect. There must have been the problem of separation, if “everything did not go well”. How did it operate then?

Today, the essential argument for marriage being the same, the process has become vastly complicated. No longer does it cater only to the issue of species propagation - the central problem of marriage is the problem of compatibility.

In this connection, the study of astrology is interesting. Scientific scepticism does not deter the astrologers who cling to the belief that our fate is linked to the movements of the stars and planets. This is somehow related to the psychological attributes of the person. Presumably, horoscope matching is nothing but the matching of these attributes.

Well, this is one side of the story. While astrological predictions are considered to be important, marital harmony is seen to be very much linked to (that oft used word) compatibility. Physical, emotional and intellectual matching, to various degrees, is the crux of the matter. Add to this the matching of social and economic status. Nowadays, these two seem to have taken precedence over the others as necessary criteria for a “good” marriage. Marriages are increasingly beginning to look like business propositions. Thousands of years ago, the processes leading to a bonding for life must have been much simpler.

What are the arguments for marriage? My supposition is that humans have to grapple with loneliness and insecurity - this is our fundamental predicament. Many are the efforts that are expended to overcome this condition. My own understanding is that this predicament invariably leads to, in all of us, a universal hunger and longing for love. Marriage is one of the ways by which this incompleteness can be filled. In this context, the essence of marriage is that it is a process of sharing our lives (with our husbands and wives…) -- joy, sorrow, pleasure, ideas, feelings, sunsets and sunrises, the trees, hills and vales, rivers, oceans, butterflies, babies and indeed, the entire gamut of existence. It is this sharing that helps us to transcend our aloneness and vulnerability and become stronger. The creator has perhaps intended in the cosmic scheme of things that man and woman be complementary to each other, like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.

Having put forward my case for marriage, let’s look at the flip side of things. Marriage, in my opinion, is a ‘construct’ of the human mind. In this sense, it is artificial, perhaps unlike the natural theory of selection of Darwin. It is not ‘naturally’ intended as a process in nature. Barring the issue of insecurity and safe propagation of species, I do not see any other worthwhile reason for marriage. Custodians of marriage may reproach me for being ‘anti-marriage-establishment’. Let that be. This is precisely how I feel. There may be a few exceptions, where individuals have managed to live with each other for several years, and yet the experience is enriching and meaningful. By and large, many couples whom I have met indicate that their relationships have become routine. The rejoinder to this may be that it is entirely up to the individuals to “make it work”. But when I see a widespread breakdown of sorts – divorce, suicide, extra-marital pre-occupations, even couple ‘swapping’ and an overall lack of purpose and meaning in marriages, I am inclined to believe that a re-thinking is needed. These are manifestations of a ‘gross mismatch’ of the different compatibility criteria that contribute to a good marriage. Something is therefore wrong.

I must address the issue of matching and compatibility in greater detail now, after having touched upon it so far in a somewhat casual manner. All conditions of compatibility operate as a whole, and not separately by themselves, and each condition is linked to the other. It is only because some (or few) of these criteria are met that people are looking elsewhere for fulfilment. The outlook is not holistic, and does not cater to the soul. The nourishment is only partial: “I’d like to marry somebody who’s earning at least 20,000/- per month (so that our combined earning is at least 30,000/-),” or, “My wife should preferably be a software engineer working in a multi-national corporation.” I do not wish to be unjustly critical, but these are statements indicative of a trend that doesn’t promise healthy, enriching marriages. While I do appreciate that there are practical difficulties especially in an age of spiralling costs, these parameters should not be allowed to take precedence over other, more important factors that will ultimately contribute to human wellbeing. If happiness in marriage is what one aspires for, it is puzzling that we’re choosing routes which will only take us there tangentially, or may not even take us there at all.

Translated into simpler terms, one way of looking at marriages is that they are need-based. Every individual has many needs, apart from just finance – sexual needs and their fulfilment, for instance. Emotions need proper expression; their suppression only leads to frustration. Thus, it seems that need fulfilment is closely linked to compatibility, and comes before it. But how can needs get fulfilled when two individuals may have very different sets of needs, priorities and expectations?

We finally then arrive at the matter of ‘compromise’ and ‘adjustment’. These are words that are used more than they are implemented. They essentially refer to the giving up of space in order to create space for the other. Its almost like saying, “Well, we may have several needs – can we learn to express them; can we also agree upon which of these needs can be met, how they can be met; can we agree upon what may not be possible, and why so?” This dialogue is necessary to keep the relationship going, and needs a considerable amount of time, effort and perseverance.

I’m still not convinced that this is possible by and large throughout the human species. Is it humanly possible for men and women to stay meaningfully and purposefully with each other throughout their lives, rear children, and look after each other? To many this may be a redundant question. I ask it with all sincerity and passion, for it relates to the overall quality of life, and not, on the other hand, a mechanical, routine exercise of living.

By nature, there are various impulses operating within us, which may not find an expression in marriage. What is to be done about them? Forget them, suppress them, or, find fulfilment and gratification for them discreetly elsewhere? How does one look at the issue of loyalty in a marriage?

I’m still confused, but I’d rather believe that the creation of the institution of marriage might not be in consonance with certain fundamental, natural qualities and tendencies in human beings. It is only the fear of chaos that has ensured the endurance of the institution.

My imagination recoils at the thought of the resultant disorder that would prevail in society if it not were for marriage. Perhaps, we can make it work if we set our own inner houses in order.

November ’97

Depression

2009-07-20T21:15:00.000-07:00

Here is another article from the winter of '89. As with many other articles that I wrote then, this is another example of one of my soliloquies. During bouts of depression, I often wondered what it was all about, and how to deal with it. Reading it twenty years later, I realize that the approach to dealing with it remains essentially the same, at least for me. Additionally, perhaps, my understanding is that if we chase depression to get rid of it, it comes back stronger! The best way then is to let it come, and pass...

One thing is absolutely certain about depression – it makes one feel depressed! Surely, depression is one thing which everyone likes to get rid of before it sets in. Often the fact that depression can be got rid of by identifying its root causes is overlooked, further aggravating the condition.

Now there are two ways by the help of which one can identify the root cause of depression. The first of these methods (which I will call the ‘biochemical-particulate’ view) will certainly sound crazy, but can be relied upon to yield satisfactory results! First of all, it is important that you assume a relaxed posture with your eyes closed. Try to imagine the various chemical reactions taking place in your brain, and also bear in mind that there is a physical basis for these chemical reactions, at a deeper level the end result of which is this state called depression. Now, whatever is causing this depression is the final result of an extremely complicated (and perhaps unfathomable) set of processes that are taking place in your brain. It should be borne in mind that the environment i.e. the surroundings have a profound influence on all these processes, because of the mutual interaction between the brain and the environment.

The key to the solution of your problem lies here, in the labyrinthine complexity of your brain. By the time you ‘understand’ these reactions, and find your way out of the millions of neural networks in your brain, you will find that your depression has vanished, as your observation will show that in the ultimate analysis, your depression does not have any cause and that it is a part and parcel of life!

The second method will help you to attack depression from a slightly different angle, with the same end results. Try and look at only the positive aspects of life. Identify the positive points of your character. Remember all the good moments of the past, when you were smiling with happiness and also remember the times when you, by your good deeds, brought a smile on the faces of your near and dear ones. Note that these good moments will come many more times in your life, and you have to carry on at least to experience these moments and derive joy from them.

You are actually a very privileged person, because you are capable of reading whatever I have written…there are millions in this world who cannot even read. And there are millions of them who have seen the most horrible things in life, and whose plight is heart rending – yet, some of them are smiling always! Learn from them! You have to consider yourself to be very lucky, as you may not have experienced the cruelest aspects of life – even if you have, you are better placed than many others, as you can possibly learn a lot from these incidents and experiences.

Are you still feeling depressed? Remember – you have been sent into this world because there was a very strong reason, a very special purpose – it is your responsibility that you achieve your goals while there is still much time. Look at the beggar on the street -- he is not in a position to help his own self, let alone help others. Is not your position better than his, that you are in a better position to help yourself, and others? Start now! It is important to realize that a genuine smile on your face is always welcome, and a good deed per day will not only make others smile, but will also make you smile, automatically.

Where is your depression now?

(November 1989)

On the nature of scientific enquiry

2009-07-04T02:32:00.000-07:00

Here is an article I wrote in the summer of 1989. Those were the days of fascination with disciplines like theretical physics and mathematics. My friends and I bunked classes to discuss quantum mechanics, relativity theory and other exciting developments that had revolutionized our understanding of the physical world. Yet, despite the power of these forms of knowledge to unravel the mysteries of the universe, I was distinctly uncomfortable as I felt that these disciplines did not admit certain types of questions. Some of that tension is reflected in this article.

In his Evolution of Scientific Thought, A.d’Abro says:
“Consider the phenomenon of gravitation. Does any one really imagine that Newton or Einstein has ever attempted to explain gravitation? To say that gravitation is a property of matter or is the property of space-time in the neighbourhood of matter is just as much of an explanation as to say that sweetness is a property of sugar; for in the last analysis, what is matter – what is space-time…? (Scientists) content themselves with describing the properties and the relationships that appear to connect them. Clearly, those who seek explanations will find no comfort in science. They must turn to metaphysics. And yet, as a matter of fact, these rather gloomy conclusions are gloomy because we are expecting too much…we shall find that the descriptions of science are creative and fertile, and not sterile, as descriptions usually are.”
As far as my opinion goes, I would like to point out that I wholeheartedly disagree with A.d’Abro’s point of view. To be just content with explanations or an understanding of the relationships between various parameters without really wanting to find out why these relationships exist (or, more appropriately, in the words of Stephen Hawking, “What breathes fire into these equations…?”), does not represent a complete enquiry as such.

Till now, most scientists have been too occupied with the development of new theories that describe what the universe is than to ask the question why. On the other hand, the people whose business is to ask why, the philosophers have not been able to keep up with the advance of scientific theories. Scientists often ‘look down’ or dismiss philosophical speculations, though they may themselves be constantly suppressing such urges within themselves!

Perhaps, as A.d’Abro says, those who seek explanations will find no comfort in science, and that they should turn to metaphysics. But can we really afford to be satisfied with just this ‘what’ kind of information and knowledge? We should be grateful (to whom, I wonder?!) because we are in a position to ask – what is matter, what is space-time, why is the universe…? Perhaps nature has ‘built’ us that way, so that we can ask these questions.

Let me consider this problem from the ‘atomic’ viewpoint of science. ‘Life’ can be defined roughly as ‘atoms trying to understand more about atoms’. I am not in a position to explain what understand means. And if atoms can ‘ask’ why atoms should exist, for example, there should be a reason, the reason being that atoms have themselves felt the need for asking these questions, knowing fully well that they have ‘felt the need for asking these questions’, and also ‘knowing that they know fully well that they have felt the need for asking these questions…ad infinitum.

When the need for asking these questions has been felt, the answers should be there – there cannot be questions without answers, however seemingly stupid or otherwise the questions may be (actually, no question is stupid as such). This is necessary to maintain some sort of ‘equilibrium’ or ‘balance’ in this universe…there should not be any ‘agitation’ which will disturb the ‘universal calm…’ In that sense, being content or jubilant that it is enough to understand relationships between various parameters without asking why those relationships exist, does not represent the highest product of the human intellect. The process of enquiry may go on forever, but that should not deter one from asking these questions. That is my sincere opinion.
March’89

Musings on Cricket and Life

2009-07-02T23:25:00.000-07:00
Some experiences can scar you for life. They leave a certain block in the mind which is difficult to overcome. Lifelong behaviour is influenced by these scars that just don’t go away. Just when we seem to think that we have dropped the baggage for good, some incident or the other allows that part of the memory to surface with a vengeance -- it recreates the experience and leaves us perplexed, angry and bitter for a while. It feels as if we have relived that experience. I suppose this is what happens when we try to suppress such experiences.

The experiences that scar you for life can also lead to disastrous consequences. I still remember the scene in a Bharatpur village in Rajasthan more than three years ago. I was doing a classroom observation in a government school, sitting in the veranda. Overcrowding and lack of space had resulted in the veranda being converted into a classroom. It is still a common sight in many schools, despite massive investments in infrastructure over the last decade. I was sitting in one corner of the class, and could see the village beyond. Suddenly, a boy came running almost out of nowhere and jumped without hesitation into the well adjacent to the school. I was too horrified to react. Some of us, including the children who had seen the boy jump, instinctively got up and ran towards the well. The teacher followed suit. Soon, everyone from the school had gathered around the well. The boy’s brothers had come running after him within a minute. Quickly, to my amazement, a rope was tied in a crisscross manner round the elder brother’s shoulders and waist, and he was lowered into the well. Many villagers had turned up by then. The women were wailing, while the men could be seen arguing heatedly. The boy’s inert body was brought up after what seemed like an eternity. We had stationed our jeep just in case he had to be rushed to the hospital. Luckily, he survived. I learnt later that his elder brother had admonished him. Following an argument, the boy had decided to give it all up.

I was left wondering how fragile human nature is, after all. Steely determination, focus, energy and strong will that we see and experience sometimes gives the strong impression that human nature can withstand much onslaught. What surprises me however, is its fragility. Nowadays, we hear more and more and see more and more of this fragility, through examination related suicides, relationship problems and all other kinds of human issues. A friend of mine had once looked at suicide differently. ‘Contrary to the notion that suicide is an escape from the misery of it all, it is an assertion’, she had said, adding that extreme human will is required to carry out the act. She is right in a way. But I would still maintain that the human will can assert in ways that can prevent self destruction. Perhaps this can happen if one sees meaning in life. When this sense of meaning collapses, it is difficult to carry on. I’m still reading that wonderful book by Victor Frankl titled Man’s Search for Meaning, which talks of hope and emancipation even in as harsh a place as the concentration camps of the second world war. What an amazing story it is!

Then there are some experiences can leave you disturbed for a long time, till you find ways of dealing with them. Dealing usually involves looking at them in perspective, and in believing in oneself. What this essentially means is the development of a certain kind of detachment, and understanding the circumstances that led to those incidents. Subsequent accumulation of a wealth of experiences and wisdom as we grow up can help us appreciate why such a thing happened in the first place. I have usually found that ‘laughing it off’ (which often also involves laughing at oneself) is the best way to deal with the hurt that comes from such experiences. That is what I’m now able to do with my experiences on the cricket field almost thirty years ago.

The year was 1980, and it was the hundredth year of our school. Imagine! I was in grade six. We were all busy preparing for the centenary celebrations. As such, the normal, monotonous routine of the school was broken because of this huge event for which we were getting ready. We were all happy, as we didn’t have to sit through class after class everyday. During that period, I was asked to report for practice in the junior cricket team of the school. Apparently, someone had seen me play in one of those myriad matches that we used to set up during lunch time in the big field, often stacking up our bags or big blocks of stone as the wickets at either end. At any given point during lunch time, there would be at least twenty matches played on our famous big field. I remember that I had somehow developed the skill for producing a prodigious amount of turn with my off breaks. This troubled almost any batsman who faced me.

Iyer, an ex-student of our school, was our coach. He was probably 18 or 20. As soon as I reached for practice after school in the small field, he asked me to do a few rounds and then threw me the leather ball. Unlike the ‘cork’ ball, which was easier to turn, I was unable to turn the leather ball as sharply. But my good line and length and quick movement through the air was enough to still trouble most batsmen. Iyer seemed pleased and he said ‘You are pitching the ball in places that are difficult for the batsmen to play…’ I was pleased as hell and attended practice regularly. I don’t remember much about batting practice, but I remember bowling my heart out everyday. There were sixteen of us who were part of the junior team.

There were my off days as well. After some time, I had more off days than good days at bowling practice. Something was wrong. This resulted in Iyer not interacting with me much. He would only expect me to field and fetch the ball. I would wait longingly for a bowling stint which didn’t come my way for a long time. However, my lunchtime matches continued, and I continued to trouble many batsmen. One fine day, Iyer threw me the ball again. How I troubled Sharath, one of our best batsmen and junior team captain, with my flight and spin! He would dance down the wicket and I would pitch it just a wee bit short. At other times, the trajectory of the ball would draw him forward full stretch. I thought I had rediscovered my lost art. Suddenly, everything looked good. But Iyer still decided not to operate with me everyday at practice. He wouldn’t tell me what was wrong and what I could do to change things. No feedback, no conversation.

A few months later, we had the Cottonian shield. The matches were played in the small field of the Bishop Cotton School. We won the first two matches and suddenly found ourselves in the final. I didn’t get to play but got to watch from the sidelines. The final match against Cottons was a three day affair which we lost quite badly. Naturally, the team was dejected.

I remember the prize ceremony and the distribution of certificates. They started calling out our names. I waited for my turn to go up on stage and collect that certificate of participation. That moment never came, and I was too shocked to come to terms with what had happened. The gathering dispersed even as I heard many hurrahs for the winners. All my junior team friends were carrying their certificates on which their names were written. We got into the school van. Sitting quietly in a corner, I tried very hard to suppress a tear. Some of my friends noticed my turmoil but didn’t say anything. I suppose they couldn’t. In a matter of fact way, Iyer told me that there were only 15 certificates prepared. My name had been deliberately left out of that list. Why? Why me? After all those months of practice, and cold shouldering!

Tough times followed for some days. Eventually I got over the incident. Luckily, I didn’t give up cricket. The big field matches and the street matches near home continued as before. I loved the game too much to be bothered about Iyer. A couple of years later, Sharath asked me to report for practice in the senior team. Promptly, I got back to practice. We played many matches. We won some, we lost some. But we didn’t make it to the final of any tournament. I enjoyed the playing, though. I suppose that is what matters, ultimately.

Our school football team was much better. They won the interschool shield in 1984, just a day before Indira Gandhi was assassinated. I remember the extended holiday!

Looking back, I realise what a bad teacher and a bad coach can do. Only my self belief helped me to overcome those initial moments of despondency. Iyer was a bad and insensitive coach, who didn’t believe in open, honest communication, the hallmark of a good teacher. Perhaps he was too young to be one, in the first place! I wonder where he went.

I sometimes worry for my son, who’s taken to practicing cricket in an academy near home. It is a sixty year old club, perhaps the oldest in Bangalore. He practices thrice a week and we play endlessly in our living room and in the backyard. He’s got a good front arm bowling action, and has all the potential to become a good bowler. His batting is improving too. I’m happy he’s pursuing a game of his choice, given that the school he currently goes to does not even have a playground! We’ll change his school next year. I want him to enjoy his game, and will not expect anything more from him.

The beauty of cricket has very nearly been killed by the BCCI, which is run by a bunch of ruthless businessmen who want to milk from it the last drop of money. I don’t see much spontaneity in the way the game is played. We played cricket in every conceivable place without thinking where it would lead us. We enjoyed playing it. Period. Today, everyone seems to be making a plan to make it big. Parents want their children to get into the under 10 league and move up from there. The many different forms of the game have opened up avenues for raking in the moolah. Young children are exposed to it all through television. It is up to the parents and the coaches to tell their children, ‘Look just go out there and enjoy playing the game. It’s a game after all!’ As parents, we need to be careful not to thrust the burden of our expectations on our children. At the same time, we will need to prepare them to handle failure, through self belief. I can only hope that Iyer is doing well, if he is still a cricket coach.

July 2009

A tail for Pi...

2008-12-12T03:05:00.000-08:00

Sometime back, there was a discussion on one of the math e-mail groups I'm a part of, regarding the number Pi. This discussion brought back memories of what we did with Pi when I was a teacher at the Valley School (KFI) in Bangalore some 15 years ago. As part of preparations for our science day, we prepared a 'Pi tail'. I had with me a computer generated value of Pi up to 2500 decimal places. The idea was to write out all these decimal places in the form of a tail. So we made strips from newspapers, and using marker pens, wrote out the entire thing! Of course, children came to the math room whenever they were free (many a times, they even bunked classes to make the pi tail!).

On science day, we took out this long tail (which incidentally measured all of 850 feet long) and, starting from the notice board opposite the library, we literally bound the school complex with this tail! It went inside some classrooms, the toilets, and whatever was left of it, children climbed the tree at the jungle gym and let it hang from there! Everyone was curious, particularly the younger children. They were seen running along the length of this number tail. When a few children I taught came up to me and said 'Now we understand why one calls Pi an irrational number...it seems to go on and on without any end!' I knew the Pi tail had made a difference. So much for 'experiential learning'!
Try this out and have fun with your children!

Shesh
July 2008

Did you say 'Kid'?

2008-11-03T08:49:00.000-08:00
The other day, there were two surprises. One was an sms from an old classmate of mine, who was my best friend during my 11th and 12th standard days. Well, that was 22 years ago. The other was a call from another classmate, again from the same class. I was not too close to him, but we had been good friends nevertheless. They had got my number from yet another classmate who I had bumped into last year at the Hyderabad airport. Some of my friends from the class of '87 had kept in touch, and it was at one of these recent gatherings that they remembered me. This had resulted in the sms and the call. I went down memory lane. I had to...

The friend who had called is a very enterprising chap, with very good social skills -- I still remember the ease with which he often interacted with people, young and old. He knew so many people and had friends from different colleges in town. He went on to do several things which required him to bring to the fore his people skills. For a long time, he became an event manager for the corporate sector. He was the organizer behind the famous 'Bangalore Habba' (festival) every year. It therefore came as a pleasant surprise for me to learn that the event manager somehow became interested in the education of children, particularly in the ideas of Maria Montessori. He even did a Montesorri course from one of the colleges in the city. With his wife, he then started a chain of Montessori pre-schools in Bangalore, called the 'Roots Montessori' schools. There are four of them now. I was happy to hear about his experiences, and his passion for Montessori's educational ideals engaged as I am, in the education of children since the last fifteen years . 'I believe in total freedom for the child...the heavy bag should be banned!' he proclaimed. Indeed, he was planning to get his five year old son in the well known Valley School which had been established by Jiddu Krishnamurti in the late seventies in a beautiful location some twenty kilometres from Bangalore.
We kept talking abut our families and about our other friends, their families, their kids. I told him I had two kids, and asked him if he had any. He said he had one child. He had been in touch with many other friends from the class of '87. Does any of them have kids, I asked? He solemnly replied that so and so had one child, while so and so had no child...Finally, at one point, he had to cut me off. 'Did you notice that I have been using the word 'child' everytime you use the word 'kid'? I said I did. 'Do you know what 'kid' means'? Again, I replied in the affirmative. 'So, why do we label them as the young ones of a goat'? I explained that it was the first time that such a thought had even been put into my head. capricorn though I am, I had never imagind a goat when I had used 'kid' all these years. 'Let us call them children...let us give them their due', he said. 'Very well, point taken', I said. I knew what he meant, though I argued with him that a verbal shift is not enough.
His point was about semantics. Well, using the right words is perhaps the first step towards a clearer communication and understanding of meanings, without belittling the real nature of people or things. But does it change anything fundamentally, I wondered. The best example perhaps is the term 'differently abled', instead of 'disabled' when we are talking about some people who are in difficulty. 'Disabled' connotes a loss of ability. Yet, 'differently abled' brings back life, and points out that all is not lost, and that the person is able in many different ways. This is a powerful shift, provided it is accompanied by a paradigm shift in thinking, attitude and behaviour towards those who face disability of one kind or the other. Merely using politically correct words does not bring about this shift. It requires far deeper adjustments and changes on our part.
The same is the case with the term 'child'. Even if we were to use it, 'child' would mean different things to different people. To someone who is educated about children and their development, the term would evoke one set of images and meanings. To a parent who is hell bent on ensuring that his son or daughter gets great marks in the examination and always stays ahead of his class, the word will evoke an altogether different set of meanings and images. To use the word child and to appreciate what it means will require much harder work on the part of adults. Notions of child and childhood vary from culture to culture, and they keep changing with the times. Going by the middle class anxiety for performance in the examinations, and going by narrow definitions of what it means to succeed or fail in life, the problem is not so much about using the word kid or child, as long as we remain impervious to the potential of every child to grow as human beings in uniquely different ways.
November 2008

Biochemical Evolution: some questions

2008-07-04T10:58:00.000-07:00
I'm today uploading an article I wrote 22 years ago, in 1986! I was in the 11th standard then, full of questions about what we were learning in science. We were studying evolution, which I found quite intriguing. Some questions I had then were: Why did evolution occur at all? What is it that was responsible for 'more advanced' life forms to emerge as the years went by? These and other reflections are part of this article. Our lecturers simply gave us information. They didn't have answers to these questions. I'm not sure if my understanding is better now, but I have read a little bit of Richard Dawkins, Stephen Jay Gould, James Lovelock and Lewis Thomas. These books, together with my own thinking, have helped me along the way...
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Whether life originated on the earth, or was brought from outer space, is still being debated (in recent times, with renewed vigour), but the former hypothesis is more widely established. It is generally accepted that the Viruses were the first ‘organisms’ on the earth. Their classification defies taxonomists till this day. First of all, they are ‘common’ to the plant and animal kingdoms, and secondly, they exhibit both living and non-living characteristics! However, one thing is certain – they possess the basic materials needed for life – proteins and nucleic acids (RNA and DNA). The proteins form a capsule or coat around the nucleic acids. Viruses are obligate, intracellular parasites, i.e., they can replicate themselves only in a host cell.

It is definite then, that the evolution of various forms of life ‘began’ from the viruses, and it took millions of years for evolution to ‘make’ us. Mycoplasmatales (also known as Mycoplasmas) were the next products of evolution after the viruses, and were a step ahead in that they possess a few layers of cell membrane and a special structure called ‘bleb’ which comes in useful during reproduction. In addition, they also have ‘organelles’ and some granules. Mycoplasmas, like the viruses, cannot be classified definitely as belonging to the plant or animal kingdom.

This evolution to the next step raises some questions – what were the factors that caused this change? It is tempting to think of a change in the environment which ‘forced’ the viruses to adapt themselves in order to ‘become’ mycoplasmas!

The organisms that appeared next were the blue-green algae, which contain the bluish green pigment. All the three forms of life mentioned so far are examples of very ‘primitive’ (or ‘prokaryotic’) organisms. They do not contain the specialised structures that a well-developed cell contains, and their metabolism is not very complicated.

The process of evolution witnessed a turning point with the emergence of the Bacteria. Structurally and functionally, the bacterial cells are more complicated than the others discussed so far. The presence of the cell wall, protoplast, cell membrane, cytoplasm, nucleoid, ribosomes, etc. point out to a well organised cellular set-up. Bacteria may also be photosynthetic. There is general agreement that these organisms belong to the plant kingdom. Does this mean that plants appeared before the animals on this earth? More specifically, did ‘plant-like characteristics appear first? What were the reasons for this to happen?

‘Animal-like’ cells, like the Euglena, would have evolved next. These were followed by ‘proper’ animal cells, like the Amoeba. Again, I come back to the question raised earlier – what were the changes in the environment which were responsible for this diversification along two well defined routes?

We have been taught that plants and animals have to depend on each other for survival. This interdependence presumably applies even to the most primitive organisms, perhaps extending to the furthest reaches of evolutionary time. It is then striking that the characteristics of plants appeared first.

It is tempting to believe that these evolutionary processes (including the diversification along the two different paths) were the result of accident. It is equally attractive to consider the proposition that everything was pre-determined (by whom?!).

The formation of the sexes was a very important event, for, it ensured species propagation. Prokaryotic cells can reproduce only asexually, whereas the more advanced (eukaryotic) cells can reproduce through conjugation. However, it is difficult to distinguish the sexes morphologically. As we climb the ladder of evolution, it is not difficult to differentiate between plants and animals. The identification of the sexes also becomes easier.

We have very briefly touched upon the nature of the process of evolution with these examples. The question that keeps coming back to us is about the role of the environment. Firstly, what was responsible for the diversity of forms? Secondly, in addition to diversity, we also see a progressive complication of living forms from the tiniest, most primitive organisms, to man, who is in a position to ask such questions and probe into the nature of things. How did this happen?

My answer would be – the earth has been continuously changing since the time it was formed 5 billion years ago. Its surface has undergone major upheavals through earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, etc. and temperatures have kept changing, becoming progressively cooler. It is quite possible that the molecules of life must have felt (what does this mean?!) these changes. Through complex chemical reactions, these molecules would have adapted to these changes.

The central question is why did evolution take place at all? What was responsible for its inevitability? Secondly, why should a change in the environment necessarily lead to the formation of better, or more advanced organisms? Why, for instance, should the Paramecium evolve as the next organism in the evolutionary ladder after the amoeba?

There ends my quest for answers at present. It is possible that if evolution is viewed from a different perspective, these questions can be answered. Who knows, I may be the one who will do it at a later stage…

Shesh,
May ’86

History of Teacher Development in Tamilnadu

2008-06-09T23:11:00.000-07:00
My current research interests are focused on writing up the History of Teacher Development in India. This is a multi-state study commissioned by the Azim Premji Foundation, and I'm part of the research team, writing up on the subject for Tamilnadu and Kerala (and a small note on Jammu and Kashmir, with special reference to my experiences of working in Kargil in the past one and a half years). Our cut off point is the National Policy on Education (NPE, 1986). So, for all the states chosen for the study (Tamilnadu, Kerala, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Rajasthan and to a limited extent, J&K), we are doing a fairly detailed documentation of efforts in the last 20-25 years. Such a comprehensive documentation does not exist at present.
I have finished writing the Tamilnadu chapter and thought of sharing this with those of you who would be interested in knowing what has been happening with teachers there.
Researching Tamilnadu and its teachers has definitely been an eye opener. Though I have been
working in education for 15 years now, I have realized that it is only when one examines a theme or subject in greater detail that one begins to appreciate its various dimensions. Historical research is a powerful tool that enables us to go down to root causes and determine the complex interconnected factors that influence many a development in policy and practice.
Without getting into details here, all that I would to state is that the Tanilnadu study made me sit up in alarm, for what the state is doing to its teachers is not in their interest, and icertainly not in the interest of children, if one goes by current trends and developments. There is hope, for sure, but the gains made can very quickly be negated by retrogressive measures...
To obtain the full textof what we have found in Tamilnadu, e-mail me at giri.shesh@gmail.com
By the month end, I hope to write the Kerala chapter as well...

The Dance of Life...

2008-04-24T04:47:00.000-07:00
Years ago, when I was in school, I was often asked by elders in the family about what I wanted to become after growing up. I remember that my answer always unhesitatingly was ‘astronomer’, much to their surprise. Then, on one occasion, when there was a family function at a temple in some congested street of Bangalore, my cousin’s husband, who had a ‘good career’ going as an engineer, told me in no uncertain terms that astronomy wouldn’t do as a career. At best, he said, I could get into some unknown college or university and remain a lecturer all my life! The ‘lecturership’ didn’t sound perturbing at all, as did his admonishing tone. Little did I realize then the harsh realities of the world, and of growing up in it -- the constant pressure to perform, be ‘molded’ as the adults around us wished, and take up careers ‘approved’ in society. Little did my cousin’s husband realize the joys of peering through the telescope and asking – how big is the universe? Where did it come from? Was it always there? Is there life elsewhere…? He perhaps thought that all of this would be best done after retirement!
Twenty years hence, I’ve missed my astronomy bus, and, working in the social development sector, I still ask these questions. My cousin’s husband has retired, and is now looking to marry off his daughters to ‘US-based’ grooms. My guess is that he still hasn’t peered through a telescope.Some questions though, remain. To begin with, thanks to my exposure in the field of education, I constantly ask – what should the purpose of education be? Gandhi had said, ‘By education I mean an all round drawing out of the best in child and man – body, mind and spirit.’ That does sound vague and distant doesn’t it, if one goes by what one sees today in the name of education?
Let me not get stuck with definitions at this stage, and instead move on to a more complex issue – the relationships between the development of our potential as human beings, our upbringing, the education system, the work we do in our lives, and our ability to be happy. What are the mechanisms available for each of us to realize our innate potential through work that pays, and makes us happy? One of the organization’s that I worked for has a laudable vision of ‘…a world in which children realize their full potential…in societies that respect people’s rights and dignities…’ I do believe, however, that we haven’t reflected what this vision means as regards action. What does ‘development of full potential’ mean? When do we know if someone has developed his/her full potential? What are the links with schools and education, for instance?
In my own case, these links are not straightforward. I graduated as a mechanical engineer, worked in the corporate sector, then became a schoolteacher with the Valley School, Bangalore (as part of the J. Krishnamurti Foundation, India), then entered the social development arena with ‘Samuha’, an NGO in Northern Karnataka, became a ‘consultant’ with the Govt. of India for a large primary education program, then ‘advised’ three funding agencies regarding their investments in education. I’m now a freelancer and a wanderlust, journeying in education, and through life. That’s longwinded, isn’t it? I may get back to teaching next. I’m not sure if my potential is being fully used, but I do feel strongly that this is one of the things I would like to be doing. The mechanisms in society were not enabling, and one had to work one’s way around. Then there were those who tirelessly pointed out that I had ‘got it all wrong, that I was an escapist…’, but this didn’t deter me from carrying on.
We may find some answers in the field of economics. The economy, it is said, is the ‘happening’ thing that defines peoples’ lives – how we live, what we wear, what we think and so on...Perhaps it may enlighten us if we understand it better. Large amounts of money, including those in mega scams, exchange hands; large volumes of goods move from one part of the world to the other…all these activities are supposed to bring more comforts, make more people happy, generate jobs, and ‘uplift’ people. Or so we believe.The ‘state of the economy’ is often talked about, and I wonder what that means. This is a funny way of capturing the quality of people’s lives through some numbers. As an aside, what puzzles me, however, is that we have business leaders and politicians patting each other’s backs for ‘low inflation’ and India as a ‘knowledge superpower’, while millions sleep hungry every night…
Economy or not, I see many persons unemployed around me. The connections are indeed intriguing, if they are examined further. Our education system creates round pegs that have to fit in square holes – there are graduates and postgraduates who ride motorcycles and deliver Mc Donald’s pizzas at your door step; mad caps like me; business executives who earn six figure salaries every month and still cannot be happy. And don’t forget the hundreds that Osama Bin Laden, George Bush and the RSS/VHP have managed to inspire… It takes, as they say, all kinds of persons to make this world, to produce all kinds of goods and services. You give something (your understanding, skills…), and take something back…I’m not sure if that maximizes our potential, keeps us and others around us happy, and pays reasonably. A quick look around at a world in which there are gross inequalities, violence, large-scale environmental degradation…leaves you with a feeling that something is terribly wrong, somewhere. I’m sure all of this is connected with the questions I have raised earlier about the ‘relationships between the development of our potential as human beings, our upbringing, the education system, the work we do in our lives, and our ability to be happy...’ As an afterthought, I also wonder if the business of happiness is connected to these things, or, as they say, ‘is in the mind.’ You decide.
Shesh (November 2003)
Updated: April 2008

A bus with a view

2008-04-19T03:17:00.000-07:00

I
The little boy and his father finally got a chance to get on to a bus together one evening. It was one of those days when their car was at the service station. In fact, the boy and his father were going to fetch the car from the service station that evening.
For a long time, the father had told himself: “I must take the little fellow for bus rides in the city. It will be a different experience all together…” For a long time, the city bus ride remained just that – a thought that sometimes nagged and reminded. Partly because the boy’s father travelled so much on work (which left him with less time to spend with the family), and partly because the boy’s mother was not happy with the idea (that it was not safe for her young son to travel by the local bus), the practice of using buses by the family had dwindled. She could not understand why bus travel was on her husband’s mind, when he and her son could have travelled by the auto-rickshaw. When middle class families are upwardly mobile, and are on an acquiring and consuming spree, they would like to show that ‘they have arrived’. Bus travel then, among other frugal practices of living, is one of the casualties. It is even considered to be ‘below one’s status level.’
That evening, all of this changed for a few hours.
They would have to travel by at least two buses to reach the service station located at the other end of the city. The city itself had grown in size, and travelling to the other end took a much longer time than before. It was that much more difficult as well. The boy’s father has seen a smaller, greener city with less people, less noise, less vehicles and more lakes. The city was often called ‘The Air Conditioned City’. It was also called the ‘Pensioner’s Paradise’. You could retire here, and hope to lead a peaceful life.
The boy’s father had often noted, “Not only is this city expanding horizontally, it is growing vertically too!” The flat system was largely unknown in the early 80’s. Like a plague, it dominated the city’s landscape now. There were flats of all shapes and sizes – they came at all costs, catering to many tastes and fantasies. They were fancily named, too – the names suggested a longing for all things European. From a distance, the boy’s father had recently been shown an ‘ultra-modern’ flat adjacent to the city’s famous cricket stadium. He had learnt that it had a swimming pool on every floor! He had then thought, “So, this is what we mean by modernity, eh? The more modern you are, the more you consume. The more you flaunt. They drain all the water from the ground and pump it up for these people to live their lifestyles!” Not far away, people queued for water everyday and had to wait for hours.
The flat system also stimulated his imagination. He found the practice of ‘living on top of each other’ (as he called it) amusing, and did not like it much. He was used to living and growing up in houses that were independent, small or big. Many times he had worn his X-ray glasses, and looked at the first flat that came his way. Shorn of the arrogance of these structures and their names, he witnessed a variety of human experience, the eternal drama of everyday living – men, women and children going about their daily chores in their living rooms, bedrooms, kitchens, toilets; fornicating men and women, making guttural sounds; crying and playing children; bedridden old men and women; snatches, of conversations, arguments and fights; women being abused by their men; men being shouted at by their women; clothes on the clotheslines in the balcony; audacious looking dresses, both inner and outer; people meditating and praying.
All on top of each other, at right angles, in boxes of various shapes and sizes, people led their lives.
II
The little boy and his father excitedly got into the first bus that would take them part of the way, till the main city bus terminus in a place called ‘Majestic’. Not too many passengers were around, so the boy got a seat next to the window. This is what his father had wanted for him.
Just two minutes into the bus ride, the boy exclaimed, “I can see so much!” The bus was stuck in a traffic snarl and was slowly winding its way through some by-lanes of Malleshwaram, the crowded, bustling area in the Northern part of the city. A year ago, these lanes had not seen buses and much traffic. People who lived here had led quieter and less smoke filled lives then. Thanks to an explosion in vehicular population, the Pensioner’s Paradise struggled to keep up pace. Flyovers, ‘Fly-unders’, expressways, widening of roads…these had become a common sight. In an effort to provide a ‘Mass Rapid Transport System’, the city’s planners and politicians had embarked on the ambitious metro rail project. As a result, bus routes had changed, and regular commuters got to see parts of the city they had never seen before.
Trees were the first casualty, and tree lovers routinely held protests. Shop keepers too protested, when they were told that their shops would be demolished to make way for the metro. For the rest of the city dwellers, it was a saga of endless traffic jams and dust. Two ways became one ways, and one ways became two ways overnight.
“Look at that man -- he is changing his clothes!” The window seat afforded the little boy a peep into a bedroom off the narrow road.
“Why has the bus stopped?” the boy wondered. “Hey, look! They are playing a game on the laptop!” The man stretched to look out of the window and saw a car standing adjacent to the bus. Two boys in the backseat were oblivious to the din and smoke outside. Immediately, he was reminded of a bus ride he had had in Delhi some months ago on his way to Jaipur. Three boys were watching a blue movie in the backseat of an air conditioned car. He even remembered the scene in which the woman was on top. The car gradually drew away with its lustful spectacle inside. “Isn’t it strange?” The man wondered. Technology can do all kinds of things for us, yet in most cases we seem to be using it to sate our carnal instincts.” He had read somewhere that a significant amount of traffic on the internet was to access all kinds of porn material.
“So, are you enjoying the ride?” asked the father. “Yes, I can see so much! We can’t see all this when we drive in our car, right? I am sitting so high above the road.”
The bus moved ever so slowly and they passed a line of shops in a narrow road that had not seen so much traffic. The boy looked on intently, through the window. His father knew that he was absorbed in the new spectacle his bus seat offered him. Position changes perspective, right? A few minutes later, the boy dozed off.
III
They had to change buses at the central bus station in Majestic. The next bus ride was longer, as the distance covered was more. Since everyone had poured out of their offices, schools and colleges by then, there were traffic snarls everywhere. Nice word, this. In a traffic jam, everyone ends up snarling at everyone else.
In the second bus which they boarded at Majestic, some one sitting behind started talking with the little boy. ‘What’s your name? Which school do you go to?’ Then he was tickled! After a while, this interaction ceased. By then, they were passing by the city’s horse racing course. Thanks to a flyover constructed right next to the course, the boy was able to see the outline of the course, but not much was visible, as it had become dark. Throughout the ride, the boy’s father kept pointing out various landmarks in the city. The famous Town Hall, the Botanical Gardens…a discussion about these spaces followed.
A few minutes later, a woman in a black gown got into the box. Her face was covered as well. The boy asked, ‘Who is she and why is she wearing a dress like that?’ Asking a question like that was easy, but answering it was not! His father had to explain the background of that dress worn specifically by women in Muslim communities. It was called the ‘Burqa’ and the practice of wearing it to prevent men from seeing women, was called ‘Purdah’. ‘But why should she wear that, and why can’t men see her…?’ was the next question. The man wondered: ‘Is this what a bus ride can do to my son’s curiosity?’ He began to realize how much of the real world is blocked when one travels in a car.
Ultimately, everything depends upon one’s vantage point. Like the car, the bus is a bigger box which we inhabit for a limited time when we travel from one place to another. Unlike the car, the bus allows us to socialise and interact with other human beings. This changes our perspectives about others and about living, if we allow ourselves to learn. Economic mobility is fine, but it tends to isolate and segregate people from each other. Not only that – more importantly, it cuts you off from nature – we begin to live inside boxes. It makes you consume more, without regenerating nature.
The other point is this: one’s vantage point also helps to decide how much one wants to get out of life. Limitless living is possible when, through exploration, we keep shifting vantage points, each point offering us a broader yet in depth experience of life itself.
All these points were not lost on the boy’s father as they headed home after collecting their car.
April 2008
Bangalore

Frozen Turmoil

2008-03-25T11:31:00.000-07:00
Frozen turmoil

I
Sometimes, your life puts you in situations where you find yourself torn apart -- there are some interactions that make you confront the reality of life’s extremes – this is when, pushed to a corner, you ask questions of a basic nature. This is what happened in my conversation with Rafiq a few hours ago. We will get to Rafiq finally, but not before I take you through this one night on platform one, of Gorakhpur’s railway station. In this waiting and watching, one gets to see many things that would normally be missed when we rush to board a train, and when we do not linger long enough on the platforms of railway stations. In this waiting, as I’m doing now, one gets to think of many things which otherwise lie buried in the depths of the sub conscious…we seldom allow them to surface.
II
It is eleven thirty and I’m now sitting on platform one of Gorakhpur’s crowded railway station waiting for my Gwalior Mail, scheduled to arrive at half past midnight, but already running two hours late. Another late night beckons me, but with these questions and confusions in my mind, and with Michael Oakeshott’s ‘Education – the engagement and the frustrations’ for company -- remember, I’m supposed to be doing what they call the Master of Arts in Elementary Education, or MAEE for short? After thirteen years of working for children’s education, trying to do all kinds of things, I chose to do this course, as I wanted to engage in some serious reading and writing. Who knows, the act of writing this article may also be part of this thinking, though what you will read here is not related to the course as such. I’m woefully off target in submitting course assignments on time, and may face the prospect of getting rusticated from the course!
I guess my night here will be pretty occupied with lofty thoughts on education, oblivious to the happenings on the platform.
At this late and humid hour, hundreds of men, women and children are sitting, sleeping, or talking with each other on platform one. Pillows, suitcases, gunny bags and the like are used as head rests. These men, women and children are mostly from the villages near Gorakhpur (or so I think), waiting like me to go on their various journeys. How many have a reserved ticket, I wonder…Where are they all going?
As I write this, a blind man walks dangerously close to the edge of the platform; another, having just woken up from his slumber, relieves himself at the edge of the platform. Two others follow suit.
III
An hour ago, I was on my way to Gorakhpur from Belahiya, in Nepal. Rafiq was the young driver, and we kept talking. I wanted to keep him awake, as I had learnt that he had driven all of last night, all the way to Ballia and back (a good 600 kilometers), and hadn’t slept a wink. Drivers who haven’t slept a wink scare me, like the one I had last time I traveled from Gorakhpur to Lucknow in June. Since train tickets were not available at short notice, I had to take the taxi up to Lucknow, and wait the night before boarding the morning Shatabdi Express to Delhi. The driver was a young, smart looking chap who hadn’t slept the previous night. As if this was not enough, he drove the entire night journey with his cell phone in his hand. He looked very disturbed, and kept making calls to his Gorakhpur girlfriend – he was upset that she had started talking to another man who, according to him, was a criminal, and who he resolved, in the course of our journey, to kill one day.
‘So, do you want to go around with him?’ He kept asking his girlfriend. In between, when he was not on the phone, he played loud music. Once, when I asked him to reduce the volume, he almost threatened me, ‘Lucknow jana hai ki nahi? Gana jor se sun ne ka shaukh hai mujhe…neend aa jayegi nahi to…Aap aagey baitho mere saath.’ I had to shut up, switch my seats and sit next to him. The songs he played nearly made me deaf.
Once, when I told him that he looked very disturbed, he gravely nodded, and looked lost. I could empathize with him, for, I have been there before. I continue to be there sometimes, for, the desire to possess and latch on to pleasurable moments, is difficult to overcome. Should it be overcome?
IV
At 1210 AM, I decide to get up and walk along the length of this more than one kilometer long platform of Gorakhpur. Besides wanting to find out the status of my train, I want to stretch my stiff limbs a little.
‘Your attention please…train number 1123, from Barauni via Sivan, to Gwalior via Kanpur, is reportedly running late by fours, and is expected to arrive on platform one at 0420 hours…the inconvenience caused is deeply regretted…krupya dhyaan de…’ Cold sounding, pre-recorded statement, condemning me to wait longer!
In my walking, I come to the end of platform one. There is an empty bench in a portion of the platform which is not very well lit. Next to it, on the ground, is a marvel of mobile creativity. A family of five – three children and their parents, lie fast asleep under a makeshift mosquito net, anchored by sticks from four corners, the sticks themselves anchored to four gunny bags which contain their belongings. Where are they from, and where are they going?
As I settle down for a long wait on this humid, mosquito infested platform, the Lucknow Barauni Express comes in. Most compartments are of the ‘unreserved’ variety, and in this crowded country, they are packed with humans at all conceivable angles. In some of these compartments, I see men and women sleeping at the door. Even the luggage van is not spared – today, it is filled with pilgrims, Shiva devotees, on their way to the Baijnath Dham in Deogarh district. The men are all attired in red shirts and dhotis. Suddenly, this quiet corner is filled with activity. Kids, who live on this platform, appear from nowhere, selling refilled water bottles for two rupees. That is how they make their living at this late hour. The chai wallahs are running around, so is the puri sabzi chap. The family of five sleeps peacefully. Many men relieve themselves on the edge of the platform. Suddenly, the place is filled with the stench of urine that rises from the railway tracks below and mixes above with the odor of chai.
V
Where are all these people from and where are they all going?
I see peaceful faces, and I see contorted faces. There are those who are sleeping with their mouths wide open and there are those whose eyes are not completely shut. They are all fast asleep. Then there are those who are staring blankly into space. They are all lying down in all sorts of positions. Will they wake up in time for their trains?
Where are all these people from and where are they all going? The Great Indian Mobile Adventure! Below poverty line (BPL), mobile…no, no, we are not talking about the company BPL that manufactures TVs and the like.
I am what they call a ‘freelancer’, as free as can be (or so I think). I travel the country, doing my ‘assignments’. Till a few months ago, I worked with an organization that did education for children in different parts of the country. I started off as an engineer, but pretty soon left my job of manufacturing tractors for farmers who could afford them. Then, by some quirk of fate, and aided by some thinking and visions of a ‘better’ life, I became a schoolteacher in 1993. Since then, I’ve been around, doing this and that. Finally, I decided this year that I had to work on my own – being in an organization has its own constraints as well. ‘Oh, this is not possible, that is not possible’, your colleagues or seniors will often tell you, just when you think you have come up with a smart idea. Organizational mandates are anyway pretty limited, and I have always wanted to do so many different things…so, let us see where this decision will take me. Like the decision I took in 1993, when I became a schoolteacher, I consider this to be second major one in my life. The decision to marry is probably the third! All such decisions are fraught with risk.
Here I am, doing a study for a local NGO called ‘Gram Niyojan Kendra’, on teachers called the ‘Shiksha Mitras’ of UP. Oh, by the way, there are so many ‘types’ of teachers today in UP and in other states. They have been given fanciful names by the Indian state, like Guruji, Shiksha Mitra and so on. Some even call them ‘contract’ teachers. Theirs is a different story altogether, and we must talk about what the Indian state is doing to its teachers someday. Not now. That’s a sad story anyway.
I travel the country for these assignments, writing, reading, researching, meeting men, women and children, learning, asking questions, trying to do something to ‘change’ our education system. I earn a living for doing this sort of thing. I sell my wares much like a farmer sells his produce, except that in many cases, unlike the poor farmer, I have much better access to people and institutions – they believe that I can deliver a good piece of work. I also get paid much more. In the farmer’s case, somebody else fixes prices in the local market. Very often, the farmer does not get his due. In extreme cases, he is forced to take his life. Remember what’s happening in Vidarbha?
And these hundreds sleeping out here are in many ways no different from me. They are all out to survive, search, make meaning, love, even if it all means leaving home, never to come back in some cases. The Great Indian mobile adventure! It uproots millions, including me. My friend tells me that I have a greater degree of choice and freedom than the farmer, or those who do not even own a piece of land, and are forced to be mobile all the time. I agree. But there are similarities as well. I too came to Delhi, 2500 kilometers from Bangalore, in search of work, leaving my family behind. That’s an important price to pay, isn’t it? I do not know how much choice I had in taking this decision – something had to give in, to make place for something else. It is like this always. This freedom thing is complex to understand. I am not free to do anything I want, perhaps, because I have to make choices, being fully aware of the implications of each choice I make. Doesn’t choice cut down many other possibilities? Or is my understanding of freedom and choice all wrong?
VI
At 1:15 AM, tired of walking up and down, I enter a crowded waiting room on the first floor. There is this sole empty bucket seat, next to a large table in the middle of the room. Two men are sleeping on this table, while another twenty are sleeping around it, in various directions. Inside, there is a toilet, and it smells. Carefully, I make my way to occupy this red colored bucket seat. One of the snoring men on the table is a pot bellied Railway Police Constable. As I occupy my seat, he turns over to face me. His right, bloodshot eye is open, as if watching my exercise of writing with suspicion and derision. He snores, fidgets, and then snores again. The pre-recorded announcements continue, and there are trains rumbling in and out all night. I continue writing. At 2 AM, pangs of hunger set in.
VII
We mentioned Rafiq, didn’t we? I had to sit next to him, in the front seat, to stop him from falling asleep. A conversation was anyway in the offing…and this conversation triggered off some uncomfortable thoughts. Frozen turmoil!
Rafiq too is smart looking, like the other cell phone crazy and girlfriend disturbed driver of June. He looks tired after a sleepless night.
Rafiq, the eldest of all of nine children, stopped going to school after grade 8 and ran away from home, unable to bear the pressure of attending school any longer. He came to Nautanwa, a dusty town on the Nepal border (the place where Gram Niyojan Kendra has its office). Since 1997, he has been working as a driver.
‘My first Malik (master) was a customs man, who had made a lot of money. He was good to me, and paid me Rs.4500/- per month. Some years ago, he was transferred to Lucknow. Since then, I’ve been stuck with this man who is out to suck my blood.’
‘How much does he pay you?’
‘Rs.1500/-, that’s all. It’s a bloody 24 hour job. I told him I couldn’t go with you today…he threatened me and said that he would not pay my salary if I didn’t go. Is this the way to live? Garibi…’ he pauses, his voice choked. I can sense the lump forming in his throat. Silence.
Just then, Savitha my wife calls me from three thousand kilometers away on my cell, which has suddenly entered coverage area. Nikhil wants to speak. ‘Papa, get me the latest Power Ranger. It is called SPD Delta Morpher…’
Aha! The impact of the cartoon network, I think. Before I can recover, there is another demand. ‘I need another new Bey Blade Stadium’. That also reminds me – I’m supposed to write an article about the Bey Blade and how it has taken over the kids in urban homes of India.
‘Will you get him some clothes?’ That’s my wife again. ‘And…’ Snap! Out we go, out of the coverage area…
‘Why don’t you study further, Rafiq? You might get a better job.’ I return to the conversation with my new found driver friend. I’m not very sure if my suggestion would mean anything to him. He laughs bitterly, ‘Of what use will it be Saheb? Will it fill my stomach? There are so many who have studied, who are roaming without any work.’ This is Rafiq’s challenge to the human capital theory.
Like a good father, I will get things that my son desires. Like a good father, I will buy him books as well, hoping that he will pick up the reading habit. If he can learn to decode text, he can perhaps decode the world…and if he can do that, with a little bit of sensitivity, he can perhaps change many things for himself and for others.
Back to coverage area. ‘Listen, get me some clothes.’ Oh, I need to buy a printer, a scanner, a flat screen and speakers for my computer. Am I not supposed to set up an office, now that I’m on my own? However, money from my last assignment is yet to come! Our needs are endless.
The Great Indian Mobile adventure! Wherever you go, the network follows…
VIII
Something snapped, and I cried within, silently…how many different worlds humans inhabit. What an incredible variety of human experience there is! What pain, suffering and despair must we all undergo…
Some have everything they might desire, yet they are not happy. Many do not have much, and they wonder why they are that way. Like Rafiq who keeps asking perhaps. He is only painfully aware of the differences.
For a few moments, I was torn asunder, painfully aware of this schism, this chasm…I cried again, and my breathing quickened. I tried not to show it. We drove silently.
IX
My train arrived at 0815. I saw it come in on platform 2, as the other train I was in, rumbled out of Gorakhpur. I was advised by the ticket collector not to trust train number 1123. ‘Instead’, he said, ‘Book the one that comes at 0745. It’ll take you to Kanpur faster, and you will get your Shatabdi from there.’ So I had to cancel this ticket that would have entitled me to a journey in an air conditioned compartment, and purchased another which would entitle me to get into what they call the ‘Jan Sadharan’ express which does not have any reserved compartments. This one was going all the way to Ahmedabad.
After walking up and down for 15 minutes, I found a compartment in which I could stand. Eventually, I pushed myself inside and sat on the edge of a seat. After an hour, I was a little more comfortable. In this packed train, I could have observed many more things about how people live. I chose not to.
Meanwhile, many more events had occurred on platform one. By 0600, almost everyone had woken up, and left in this or that train, all over UP, Bihar and beyond. The platform was cleaned. First, they swept it, and then, they poured water to wipe it clean from one end to the other. Only one thin man remained, about who I have not written so far. He was still lying on the ground, legs spread out, eyelids popping out, breathing deeply. Flies covered him from head to toe on Gorakhpur’s platform one.
X
There are those moments, as I wrote in the beginning, which make you think, which remind you that all is not well with the way we humans live and treat each other. This was one such moment.
Shesh
August 2006
Gorakhpur, UP

Creating your own mathematics...

2008-03-16T07:58:00.000-07:00

I was ploughing through my old writings today and came across this interesting article on 'creating our own mathematics which I had written almost ten years ago, in 1998. Happy reading!
When I was experimenting…
Wanting to do something different for a change a few days ago, I amused myself with a little bit of mathematics. In our work, we are always trying to make the life of the teachers and children much better in the primary school classroom. Any mathematical activity which we undertake is with this objective.
I was playing around with a seemingly innocent problem of subtracting 169 from 637. However, I did it “my” way which was different from the “normal” and “accepted” method taught in school. Here goes:
100 + 100 + 100 + 100 + 31 + 37 = 468 (answer)
169 --- 269 --- 369 --- 469 --- 569 --- 600 --- 637
You are correcting an annual examination paper, and one of your children has come out with a working process with the answer as written above – what would your reaction be? Without being harsh on the teacher community, I would be tempted to say that this would invoke the much dreaded red cross against (and across) the answer. Not only that, the child would be pulled up with “This kind of an answer will not get you anywhere. No marks for this! Where is your working?” This would be followed by a “recapitulation” (torture) of the method:
637
-- 169
-------------
468
-------------
Of course, you’ll have to remember how to “carry one”, “borrow one”, and “pay it back”.
Have you noticed how bus conductors deal with cash and return change? Suppose you have bought a ticket for Rs.5/-, and you hand over a Rs.50/- note. Many conductors, who have the habit being vocal about how they return the change, will be heard to say, “Ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty”. When “ten” is being said, the conductor actually gives you Rs.5/-, and then successively gives ten rupee notes till he comes to 50. In the process, you’ll have been given
5 + 10 + 10 + 10 + 10 = 45
Sabjiwalas use this method every minute. Where do the conductors and sabjiwalas have the time to “carry, borrow and pay it back?” Some of the sabjiwalas may not be even “numerate” in our definition. How are they able to manage?
Inspired with this discovery, I continued playing around with more problems. Consider the product: 17 X 14. This is how we normally do it in school:
17 X 14
----------
68
170
----------
238
There are other ways of doing this problem:
One way would be…
(10 + 7) X (10 + 4)
= (10 X 10) + (10 X 4) + (7 X 10) + (7 X 4)
= 100 + 40 + 70 + 28
= 238
Can you think of other ways? How many of us wonder what takes place in the mind of the child when given a problem like, say,
56 + 27
Answer?
There is something about the ease with which we use a readymade algorithm (an algorithm is a set of rules or procedures) whose logic we may not even understand, which stops us thinking about how we would approach a problem like 56 + 27. Mechanically, we follow the rule of “carrying over”. As teachers, we do not take the trouble to find out what happens in the mind of a child when it sees the problem. It may be more natural for many children to add 50 and 20 to get 70, and then add 7 and 6 to obtain 13. The final answer can then be got by adding 70 and 13. No wonder, we then let the children fall into a set of habits which, in the long run, close their minds to other possibilities. Our associations with particular procedures and our rigidity with particular symbols are so often tight that a child of eight may not know the answer to 7 multiplied by 5 but know straight away what 7 times 5 gives!
To subtract 169 from 639, it is surprising how many personal procedures (or algorithms) there are, and yet, we are often stuck with the method we have learnt in school. Algorithms may help us to ease the problem of writing procedures in a symbolic way, but that is not the end in itself. Consider another personal procedure for the same problem (i.e., 637 – 169):

169:31
31 and 37 is 68
and there are 6-less-2 hundreds
Answer: 468
Here is a final example:
Since 637 = 100 + 100 +100 +100 + 100 +100 + 30 + 7, and
169 = 100 + 60 + 9, it follows that 637 – 169 can be written as
100 + 100 + 100 + 100 + 100 + 100 + 30 + 7
-- (100 + 60 + 9)
------------------------------------------------------------
0 + 40 + 91 + 100 + 100 + 100 + 30 + 7
------------------------------------------------------------
The reader is left to obtain the answer in whichever way is convenient. Notice how the above approach also helps in understanding the idea of the expanded notation. Notice also, that, in this case, “borrowing” as we would do it normally in a subtraction problem, is not required at all! After enough practice has been provided in the use of the expanded notation, the same problem could be now written as:
600 + 30 + 7
-- (100 + 60 + 9)
---------------------
468 + 0 + 0
---------------------
The process would be: Nine is greater than 7. Therefore we would need to borrow at least 2 from 30, and add it to 7. 9 – 9 is now equal to 0. By taking 2 from 30, we have made it 28. To subtract 60, we would need to take at least 32 from 600. Similarly, 60 – 60 is 0. Since we have removed 32 from 600, we are left with 568. 568 – 100 is therefore 468, the answer.
Another typical way of solving this problem would be – starting from the left, i.e., from 600, we could begin by removing 100. We are now left with 500. But we see that 30 is lesser than 60, and 7 is lesser than 9. Therefore, how much would we need to borrow from 500 to subtract 60 and 9? First, take away 30, and add this to the 30 we already have. 60 – 60 is zero, and 500 – 30 is 470. We need to add 2 to 7, so that 9 is also cancelled in the same manner. Finally, we are left with 470 – 2, which is 468.
Notice how the expanded notation is used, and how this gradually gives way to the illustration and use of the place value. The procedure of “borrowing” is very clearly shown. You don’t always have to borrow 10 or 100. On the other hand, the amount that you need to borrow is flexible, and depends on what is required to be borrowed. Borrowing can also be done in many different ways. By admitting this idea, we are allowing enough scope for the child to think and explore to find out how to go about a particular problem. And each problem brings with it a new experience and challenge.
Often, the tendency is to teach expanded notation, place value and operations on numbers separately. This piece meal approach prevents one from seeing the connections.
The methods explained so far do not destroy for me the other ways of subtracting that I know. Very often, the procedures we follow in our minds when doing a problem cannot be put on paper without making them to appear clumsy and chaotic to the reader. The above examples are sufficient to illustrate this. This does not mean that these methods are not correct, are ‘slow’, and therefore should not be followed. The only advantage of following the method learnt in school is that it can be put down on paper without the need for elaboration. Secondly, these methods help us to compute quickly. This brings us to the next question…
“What is the best method?” I do not want to ask this question without counter-demanding, “For what purpose?” There is nothing sacred about a particular method. In fact, the popular perception which tremendously influences our attitudes as teachers and parents towards children is that
Speed = Brilliance,
Slowness = Dullness
There are certain misplaced notions about what about the ‘qualities’ of a ‘good’ student of mathematics - the ability to compute fast, and the ability to handle big numbers. Shakuntala Devi is often referred to as a great mathematician (which she’s not!), because she can multiply two twelve digit numbers with ease, or obtain the square root of a ten digit number faster than the computer. Often, parents and teachers take pride in such skills that their children may have developed. Pray, what purpose will this serve to a child in an ordinary school classroom and later on in life? As adults, we can only pretend to understand the value of, say, 1 light year (the distance covered by light in one year, at the speed of 3,00,000 km/sec) which is 9460800000000 Km. Why should we torture our children then?
Mathematics is not just about how fast you can calculate, or your ability to play around with big numbers which may mean little to you in everyday life. It is not limited to the application of readymade, uniform procedures to the solution of problems. It is about cultivating the ability to create and explore paths which we can identify with. It is often said that in order to learn mathematics, one needs to create (re-create) it for oneself. The examples discussed so far clearly illustrate this. What we consider to be the “fundamental” or “basic” principles of mathematics at the school level have taken thousands of years to develop. It necessarily follows that we cannot force the learning pace with children. Yet, how easily frustrated we become when we see a “wrong” answer! The truth may be that this wrong answer represents a genuine exploration on the part of the child, a struggle to comprehend.
Most often, we do not let out children explore different ways to arrive at an answer with the argument that forming habits (in my words, the ability to mindlessly repeat) are a protection against the confusion that could take over if the mind began to charge off in too many directions. This uncertainty of not knowing what will happen makes us hold our cards close to our chests, and “protect” the interests of the child.
The truth is that, as parents and teachers, we would like our children to cultivate and perfect these skills and habits so that they can ‘do well’ in the examinations and score high marks. Remember, the competition is tough out there! But, in the name of this competition, are we not inhibiting the natural ways of learning in our children? You decide…
How can we have an environment where both experiences, i.e., formalized procedures and treatment of topics, are reconciled with exploration, imagination and the freeness to think? While it is possible to go in all kinds of directions without necessarily having the ability to be able to compute fast, or be precise, this imagination would be useless without care in developing appropriate skills. On the other hand, these skills (of calculation, of being able to apply procedures, etc.) cannot be developed in isolation of the ability to be able to explore, imagine and think freely.
26th April, 1998

What Children tell...

2008-02-12T05:15:00.000-08:00
This is the foreword to a study I recently finished for Room to Read (India). For those who are interested in what children say about the books they read, this study may offer some interesting insights. Since I cannot add the entire text here, you can e-mail me at giri.shesh@gmail.com, asking for the entire report. Or, download the entire report from this link: http://www.mediafire.com/?hmhwyvmewgq

"Literature for children has to go a long way in our country. Given the size, number of children and diversity in terms of language, geography and culture, books for children are too few. The case is acute with the majority of our children who go to government run schools. For instance, Room to Read India’s collection of story books in Hindi from all the available publishers for primary and elementary school going children numbers just 432! We are sure that the situation in other regional languages is no different. What about their quality and appropriateness? On several counts, this too deserves serious attention. Compare this with the thousands of books that exist for children in some countries of Europe, and the West. Not all of them may be good, or even appropriate. But their numbers seem to suggest that publishing or children is a serious business in these countries.

As adults who write and publish for children, it is important for us to believe that we know what children need and like. Without this belief, the edifice on which children’s literature is based would collapse. This study attempts to keep that belief aside for a moment. In addition, it endeavors to ask some new questions: what do children think about the books they read? Can we use this understanding to create better books for children? In this sense, this study attempts to break some fresh ground.

Along the way, we realized that the above two questions could not be answered without painting a larger canvas – that of understanding childhood itself, in all its richness, diversity and complexity. The experience that a child brings to reading a book is rooted in his or her upbringing – family, friends, community, and so on. As they grow, they create their own stories and narratives. It is the interface between this experience and the encounter with books that determines what children like or look forward to, as far as literature is concerned. Therefore, for us to understand what kinds of literature may be good for children from their own vantage points, it is important to first understand their narratives which really are reflections of who they are.

Room to Read (India) has enabled us to ask these questions through this study. Many thanks are due to them, particularly to Uddalak, Sunisha and Nita for believing that such a line of enquiry could throw up some insights. Thanks are also due to my colleagues Richa and Rekha for their enduring enthusiasm and reflections.

If this study can contribute even in a small way towards understanding where children come from, it will have served its purpose. Happy Reading...!"

Sunday Musings

2007-11-18T03:00:00.000-08:00
‘He needs to score more marks. He has lost 4-5 marks in language and literature, and in my subject, general science. Though he has got 100% in mathematics, I’m not sure if that is correct, as his math teacher is very lenient…’ That is how the conversation between my six and a half year old son’s class teacher of grade 1 and me, started yesterday. It was the first parent-teacher meeting after his first term tests. ‘And yes,’ she went on, ‘His handwriting has gone to the dogs…’ Sniff, sniff! My son sat next to me. I wondered what was going on in his mind. ‘If he had got ten more marks, I would have ranked him,’ she rued. Thus, in the general remarks section, she had written, ‘Good. Could do better. Try for higher rank.’ We discussed nothing else about his schooling experience.

As this monologue went on, I interrupted: ‘I’m not so much concerned about his marks…I know he is intelligent.’ What bothered me instead was this overt emphasis on scoring marks, almost to the exclusion of everything else. What a stifling way to begin one’s schooling!

Just the other day, as I was helping him with his math homework, I discovered that he had started learning subtraction with borrowing. He had been taught, ‘When the number below is more than the number above you have to borrow one from the neighbor…’ I soon found out that this had been taught without introducing the notion of place value. The teaching of mathematics depends on a sequence in which higher order concepts cannot be taught without first teaching the more basic concepts. This was just one instance where this rule had been violated.

I requested a meeting with the math teacher, an old woman who had probably seen many years of teaching. “We have taught them ‘units and tens’,” she said. For proof’s sake, she asked my son. He nodded in agreement. But her explanation was not satisfactory. What does ‘borrow the one’ mean? Are we really borrowing one? Why should we borrow only one? It was clear that this had not been explained. Likewise, in addition, children are told to ‘carry forward’. Unlike subtraction in which you can subtract only one number at a time, in addition, one can add any number of numbers. You can carry forward more than one: thus, when we add the numbers 9, 19 and 27, 9+9+9 = 27. We then write down 7 and ‘carry forward 2’, i.e. 20, which is actually two tens (or two units of ten). All of this looks like a bag of tricks which children learn quite fast through endless repetition at school and home. What they do not learn is the underlying structure of the numbers, and how this structure comes into play during number operations. For this, a basic idea of place value is necessary. This expands the child’s conception of number and prepares her for greater learning adventures.

I have seen much older children going around chanting this ‘borrow the one’ procedure as they solve subtraction sums. Thus, by limiting ourselves to a teaching of mathematical procedure, we are preventing the child from understanding the deeper structures and patterns of the subject. This is not surprising, since teachers have also come through the same system for years. It has worked because exams also do not test understanding. Even if they cannot understand everything in the first instance, it is our job as teachers and parents to set them up on that path. I have come across many 90%+ children whose understanding of the basics is very suspect.
One of the aims of education, I would believe, is to foster understanding in children. Much to my frustration, I continue to discover this aim being bypassed without much thought, day after day. ‘I must change his school soon,’ I thought. Finding a school which teaches for understanding is going to be difficult…

Giri
18th November 2007
Bangalore

What are we doing with our children?

2007-10-21T22:00:00.000-07:00
The development of the Kargil Education Strategy (KES) document has now entered the final stage. After many months of hard work beginning from March this year, we are now in a position to present our key findings and suggest ways forward in order to improve the education we provide for our children in the coming years. While we are very excited about sharing what all we have found with the people of Kargil, we are also very disturbed with many of our findings. These have often angered and frustrated us. Sometimes, we have also been puzzled as to why things are the way they are. Of course, there has been no shortage of explanations – we have our own theories to explain what we have found!

A key aspect that attracts a lot of attention in children’s education is their achievement on some agreed upon indicators – through these parameters, we would like to find out what children have learnt after a few years of schooling. Some indicators are universally recognized – go to any country, and you will find many a person interested in education, discussing them -- the so called ‘achievement’ indicators which test children’s abilities in basic arithmetic and language. For me, these indicators are not the only things which tell us if our education system is functioning well. Still, they are an important part of what children should achieve after a few years of schooling.

As part of the field studies in 24 villages all over Kargil district, we investigated various aspects that determine children’s education. One of these was the testing of children’s abilities in arithmetic and language. We tested 99 grade 5 children (29 boys and 70 girls, i.e., all grade 5 children from these 24 villages) for elementary arithmetic and oral, reading and writing skills. Please note that the tests were all pitched at grade 2 and grade 3. We have summarized the results of the arithmetic test for you. In a nutshell, this is how the results look:

Addition -- 76% boys and 65% girls could do the addition sums
Subtraction -- 63% boys and 55% girls could do the subtraction problems
Multiplication -- 55% boys and 44% girls could solve simple multiplication sums
Division -- 31% boys and 31% girls only could correctly solve division problems

I would leave you to understand the figures we have obtained. You can do your own analysis and put forward your own explanations. Still, let me leave you with some thoughts and questions. Firstly, what are we doing with our children? Why are these results the way they are? Who is responsible for this state of affairs? What worries me is that after five years of schooling, grade 5 children are not able to solve the most elementary grade 2 or grade 3 level arithmetic problems. I would be tempted to say that we are cheating them and wasting their time in school! What would the results have been like if we had administered a grade 5 level test, instead?

On the whole, the difference between boys and girls is not as high as one would have expected. There are significant inter-block variations, though, like in Kargil, Taisuru and Zanskar blocks, for example. The only block where girls outsmart boys is in Drass. The figures for Drass bring some respectability within the overall % for girls. Otherwise, the overall differences would have been stark. One more point – we should do an ‘error analysis’ to find out what are the kinds of mistakes children are committing, and identify the reasons for the same. The teaching and understanding of place value, for instance, seems to be one of the key problems.

One last comment – notice the huge difference in the number of boys and girls in grade 5 in these 24 government schools. There were 29 boys and 70 girls at the time of the test. Where are the rest of the boys? My guess is that they flood the private fee-charging schools. This shows clearly where parents are putting their money to educate their children. Of course, this demands another article.

Do write in, and tell me your reactions.

Its the small things that matter

2007-08-31T11:22:00.000-07:00
Small things count. Sounds clichéd, right? The sooner we realize this, the better. Let me start with a simple example. Then, we can go on to something more complex. This will require another article though.

For about ten years now, I have religiously followed the habit of collecting small change in the form of coins. I began this when I landed in Delhi on a wintry day in 1997. Pretty soon, I discovered how useful this practice was. At the end of the month, with a few days to go before the next salary cheque came my way, I discovered that the amount I had collected was enough to help me through the remaining days. Over time, as my financial situation improved somewhat, I decided not to spend this amount.

In due course, marriage happened, in 2000. The small change collection continued, though. I introduced the idea to my wife, and she seemed to like it though at first there was amusement expressed. Pretty soon, the counting of coins together became a regular feature of our married existence. As the amounts swelled, we swelled too, from inside, with happiness and with some pride. On an average, we discovered, we could collect rupees five hundred every month – bus travel, auto travel, eating out, buying vegetables and fruits, and other daily chores, selling old newspapers and magazines, brought in the moolah. We made it a point not to transact with coins. Once we had collected some coins for the day, we would fiercely ‘protect’ them – we never used them to make any payment, unless there was no alternative. I followed this more strictly than my wife. The coins were collected in different containers after sorting the 25 and 50 paise coins, and the one, two and five rupee coins. We used a combination of plastic containers and two or three small baskets that I had got from the famous Jagannath Temple in Puri, Orissa, on one of my travels. Our practice therefore had a divine sanction!

“At this rate, we can start one LIC insurance policy per year”, I quipped once. We had by then started two LIC policies, each requiring nearly six and a half thousand rupees per year. “On second thoughts, I suggest we use this as a travel fund…once in a while, we need to go out of Delhi to see different places…” This worked once, when we drove out to Mathura on a hot, humid day in August 2002. Our son, nearly one and a half by then, was with us.

The third suggestion I had was to use this as a ‘construction fund’. By then, we had purchased a plot of land in a very beautiful location of Bangalore. I had started dreaming about our ultimate home, where I would have a study with loads of books, where I could invite friends for a conversation, and give them coffee and pakodas on a rainy day. My wife had laughed at this suggestion. “So you’ll buy one tap, or half a door…?” “Even that can make a difference”, I had said adamantly. “One tap at a time, one door at a time…that’s how a house is made…”

Seven years later, we still continue to collect coins, in the same plastic containers and baskets. My own estimate is that we have collected about thirty thousand rupees! Tomorrow, I will deposit another two thousand rupees in the bank where we have an account specifically for this small change. For now, I have given up ideas about travel and construction, though they are still tempting. We are open to spending this money in a useful way should the need arise in the future.

Small things count, right? We are still counting…

August 2007

Words as refuge

2007-07-29T07:57:00.000-07:00
Words have a way of obscuring the real thing. We often take refuge in them and use them to say one thing, and mean something else. This happens both in our personal and professional lives. So, for example, when someone says ‘I love you’, it is a nice way of hiding many different emotions, ideas and impulses under the word ‘love’. The person to whom this statement is made also has the option of choosing meanings she thinks is appropriate in that context. In due course of time, both persons involved will know if what was said was in consonance with what happened. Actions, it is said, speak louder than words. I have used the above example because it happens to be the most used and abused statement.

Actually, I was prompted to write this article as a result of a workshop that I facilitated in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands recently. We were talking about the impact of the tsunami on young preschool aged children. The last session was a sort of visioning exercise in which the participants were asked to visualize the kind of scenario they wanted to see a few years hence with respect to young children affected by the tsunami, their growth, their environment and their development. For the sake of our discussion, I have reproduced some statements below.

‘The parents and community should participate more…’
‘The quality of the centers should be better…’
‘Those concerned should show greater commitment…’
“The preschool center should have more materials…’

This is like a nice wish list. Still, I’m not complaining because one cannot deny the situation or state in the future that these statements reflect. I also do not doubt the intentions of those who made these statements. Where I have a problem is in the utter lack of visualization in these above statements – they do not tell us much, and they cannot help us move forward. When I asked the participants what they meant when they used words like participation, quality, commitment and so on, most of them struggled to explain. The one notable exception was the statement from a participant that ‘I would like to see someone from the community walk into the preschool center everyday to see what is happening, spend some time with the teacher and children…this is part of my vision of how young children should be growing up.’ The same participant also went on to share her images of how children would be using the physical space at the center, and the activities they would be engaged in. There was feeling in what she said. You could sense it.

Imagination seems to have gone out of our lives. I realized this as I was facilitating that final session. Following years of interactions, discussions, presentations etc around the same themes and issues, we tend to convert these (and many other…) words into abstractions. It is then assumed that the other person knows what this abstraction means. Words become symbols that convey a variety of meanings, depending on the context.

This tendency for abstraction may be a natural feature of any language, and it is certainly an effective way of communicating with one another. It allows us to economize the way we use language. The danger we fall into is that we allow these words to take the place of images, so vitally important for us to dream, conceive of a better future, and invest all our energies towards making this future happen. At this epoch in human history, the exercise of imagining is even more important than before, for we face gargantuan challenges as a species to even exist.

Let us then reclaim space for imagination, dreaming…Three years ago, in 2004, I happened to attend the World Social Forum in Mumbai. The slogan at the forum was ‘Another World is Possible.’ How powerful! How beautiful…! There were so many discussions about what this slogan meant to each one of us, and many of us shared our dreams for the kind of world we wanted to see and leave for our children. This is the point I wish to make: dream, imagine, feel…for our individual and collective futures.

29th July
Leh, Ladakh, India

Movement...

2007-07-23T21:46:00.000-07:00
I wanted to share with you some thoughts that were thrown up in my mind recently, on my train journey from Bikaner to Delhi. I managed to dash off again to the desert for just a day after a hectic round of traveling...!

The Delhi-Bikaner train runs on meter gauge, and is a smaller train. My guess is that it therefore shakes and vibrates that much more…While I was returning on that night, I couldn't sleep easily...too many thoughts were whirring around in my poor brain...

Suddenly, I realized how interesting it would be, if one could plot on paper, the motion of my body -- you would of course get a curve showing the general direction in which the train was moving. This curve would have many squiggles on either side of it, representing the sideways and up and down movement of the train. In three dimensional representation, perhaps, the motion of my body could also be represented...

Suddenly, I realized how much movement there was, generally...

While I was moving towards Delhi thus, the earth was rotating on its axis...and was hurtling through space, around the sun, at 18 miles per second...the sun was rotating on its axis, the planets were going around the sun in their prescribed paths, rotating and revolving, taking their own times...the sun itself was moving, revolving around the center of the Milky Way galaxy...it would take 250 million years for one revolution of the sun around the center of the galaxy...the Milky Way contains 1,00,000 million (!) suns, all moving in their own paths, rotating and revolving around the center...the galaxy itself was rotating, and hurtling though space at an incredible speed...and there are billions of such galaxies...the mind recoils from imagining such vastness and complexity...!!

The fundamental thing is that there is so much movement everywhere...within and without.

Lovers move, when they make love, in erotic, erratic and unpredictable ways...leaves and flags flutter in the breeze, butterflies move from flower to flower...trains, buses, planes, bullock carts, horses, donkeys, dogs, cats, snakes...all move of their own volition...water...blood moves and oozes out...and clots…

The fundamental thing is that there is so much movement everywhere...within and without.

We move in our sleep...and when we are awake...organs inside of us move...each cell is moving...it has a purpose...huge aggregates of molecules inside these cells move...cells die, humans die, are born again, and there is movement...

The fundamental thing is that there is so much movement everywhere...within and without.

Molecules move, and atoms move inside them...electrons move inside the atoms, rotating and revolving around the nucleus...the nucleus itself moves, rotates, vibrates...there are particles inside these sub-atomic particles, which move mysteriously, and of their own
volition...particles within particles within particles -- where is the end? Is it a particle or a wave...? There is a universe within, just as there is a universe without...again, my imagination recoils and I'm awestruck at this creation...where is the end...the beginning...what am I, who am I?

The fundamental thing is that there is so much movement everywhere...within and without.

Thought is movement...our feelings, passions, sensations...cannot happen without movement...good thoughts, good movement...? Bad thoughts, bad movement...? Evolution is movement...Insight...is movement...Love...is movement...lust...is movement...

The fundamental thing is that there is so much movement everywhere...within and without.

Is there anything that is completely still...without any movement? Can stillness exist with chaos?

The act of writing this is a movement...

Delhi
16th October 2001

Education as Dialectic: Children in Dialogue with a Community Member

2007-07-02T08:54:00.000-07:00

Education as dialectic: children in dialogue with a community member

I had the opportunity of translating this very interesting diary entry of a teacher from Bodh Shiksha Samiti’s Bodhshala (in Jaipur) when I undertook an in-depth documentation of Bodh’s work last year (2006). This classroom transaction shows us the possibilities of an education that encourages rational thinking and enquiry…

“Today, there were 19 children in the ‘Badal’ group (ages 8-10 years) of the Guru Teg Bahadur Basti Bodhshala. The topic for discussion was identified by the children themselves. Four days back, we had all felt the tremors of an earthquake. The children had begun discussing this event in the Badal group. They also discussed their experiences of the tremor with me. I observed them following assertions being made in conversations with each other:

1. ‘The earth rests on one horn of a cow. When this horn gets tired, the cow shifts the earth on to the second horn. That is when the earth starts shaking…’
2. The earth rests on the hood of a snake. When the snake starts swaying and hissing, the earth shakes…’

There must have been many more such imaginative examples generated by the children in their numerous conversations.

That year, the Bodhshala was regularly inviting parents and community representatives to take part in its activities. We had two objectives. One, we wanted them to become familiar with what was happening in the Bodhshalas. Two, we wanted them to share their knowledge, understanding and experiences with children. Bodh believes this to be important.

It was Diler Singh’s turn at the Bodhshala today.

I could see that the children became happy when they saw Diler Singh walk in. He was a calm and soft looking person, and the children liked him very much. They were waiting to discuss with him the question ‘What does the earth rest on?’ They had already decided on this before he came. Once he was seated and settled, they placed for him the question: ‘Please tell us, what does the earth rest or stand on?’

Diler Singh pondered for a while. Instead of responding with an answer, he asked another question: ‘What makes you all think that the earth is standing or resting on something?’ Promptly, the children shared with him their experiences of the tremor, and the questions that arose from that experience.

He then said, ‘Look here! This whole thing is a miracle of nature. Your ideas that the earth rests on the horn of a cow or the hood of a snake are all wrong. In reality, the earth rests on a pillar on which is inscribed the name of Lord Ram…When there is much sin on the earth, Lord Ram becomes angry. Then the pillar shakes and so does the earth…’ Barely had he finished speaking, when a barrage of questions was hurled at him by the children even as the group lapsed into chaos.

One child asked: ‘Have you seen God?’

Another child jumped into the fray: ‘What is this Miracle of Nature?’

A third challenged him: ‘How can you prove that the earth does not rest on the horn of a cow?’

Diler Singh was shaken and disturbed. I was not used to seeing him this way. He normally came across as a calm human being. I fell silent. As the volley of questions subsided and as silence set in, a soft voice persisted: ‘Have you seen that pillar of Lord Ram?’ The group again became restive and chaotic. In that din, I could hear Diler Singh’s angry voice: ‘What kind of education is this? You have given the children such a long rope…without any proper discussion they ask all sorts of questions. They do not listen silently, to understand the reality…’ Thus, he raved and ranted.

I tried to collect my wits and regain my confidence following his outburst. Suddenly, the children sensed that something was amiss. As I cautiously looked at them, I could make out that they were all looking guilty, as if they had owned up for a crime they had committed. I tried to reassure them with a smile which was meant to say, ‘Don’t worry, it is not your mistake.’

Diler Singh eventually calmed down and asked me, ‘Why are you keeping silent? You are not saying anything to me or the children.’ His question made me feel at ease. I then decided to continue this process and suggested that everyone could take a piece of paper and draw a picture of the earth and the object on which it rested, as they imagined it. Diler Singh too participated in this exercise. As he started drawing, I noticed that he had a difficulty of balancing the earth on the pillar of Lord Ram…coupled with this frustration, and his curiosity to find out what the children were drawing, he started looking around.

As the minutes passed, I could sense that something seemed to have happened inside him. Something seemed to have changed in him for ever. Resignedly, he said, ‘This is very difficult….I learnt today that talking about something is so easy. So is accepting what someone says, without asking any questions. To prove things, however, is far more difficult. I’m beginning to see that it is not alright if we accept anything without first understanding it. Before this, I used to think that only those children are ‘good’, who learn well, who silently listen to what is being taught and give answers when asked, based on what they have been told.’

There was no need for me to explain any further. The children and I continued to discuss the question. ‘What does the earth rest on…?’

[Translated from the notes of Kusum, then Bodhshala teacher (1992)]

Giri
January 2006
Jaipur

Living with and Learning from Conflict

2007-06-29T09:14:00.000-07:00

Living with and Learning from Conflict

There are so many examples I can give about what I am now going to say. Through examples, we can argue, make a point, build a theory, deepen our understanding about ourselves, about those around us, and about the universe in which we live.

Just the other day, our maid servant left us without any warning. I guess she was not looking forward to it any longer. The arrival of our daughter meant the extra workload in terms of washing nappies, more vessels, more cleaning and more odd jobs in and around the house. Silently, she took her salary for the month and left, and all our efforts to contact her came to nought. The womenfolk in the house felt snubbed. ‘How could she do this? How arrogant she must be! How much have we given her all these years!’

My wife and mother-in-law and sister-in-law desperately looked around. I was worried for my wife and daughter. Stress levels mounted for a while. Sure enough, within a week, a few women came by. They were all tough negotiators, and they knew what they were looking for. ‘Too much work’ they all grumbled. ‘The house on the first floor is too big’, one of them said. We continued to pay them on a day to day basis, hoping that one of them would settle in. The womenfolk were anyway unhappy with the quality of their work. I tried consoling my wife with ‘You first need to relate with them and tell them what you expect. It will take sometime for them to understand.’

A young woman in her twenties, who was thrown out by her husband for an unwanted pregnancy, came in one day. I did not get to see her, as I was out on some meeting when she came in. My wife was pretty pleased even as she complained. ‘She does her work well, but she stayed for three hours, washing and scrubbing!’ The other thing that irritated my wife, mother-in-law and my son was that this woman had brought in with her, her three year old daughter who wouldn’t sit in one place and went around touching everyone and everything. But they were quite sure that the little kid would not come along everyday.

The next day, my son told me as a matter of fact: ‘You should tell her not to bring her daughter to our house.’ I was curious to learn his reason. ‘She came and touched me.’ I reacted immediately. ‘So? Is she not a kid, like you? You can play with her.’

The earliest years of a child’s life last a lifetime, it is often said. How true! Our children watch us, and size us up everyday. They think about everything we say, and they learn even more from everything that we do. Pretty soon, they are able to see through what we say and what we end up doing. Values are formed, opinions are made, and beliefs are set. These will often last a lifetime, and they will often escape scrutiny. In our middle class homes, and in the closed and rigid schools that our children attend, there are very few opportunities or children to question what they are taught. Schooling, in many ways, mirrors who we are and how we live. It reproduces family and societal norms, values, beliefs, upbringing and so on, often without critical exploration and assessment. Pretty soon, children actually stop asking questions because the adults are either inept at answering them, or do not want to answer them. Children then learn to live with authority. They learn to ignore or bury deep within themselves the many questions that keep popping up in their minds about the way they live, eat, play, relate with others, and grow.

I can give many more examples. We can each make our personal lists! Each example, I’m sure, will illustrate how our worldviews, biases and prejudices operate in our daily lives. Each of these examples, I’m sure, can be traced back to childhood experiences and how these experiences have shaped each one of us. However, the underlying point for discussion is how we as parents and teachers can help children imbibe those values that will make them recognize and respect diversity even as they recognize sameness. By diversity, I not only mean colour, religion, language, location etc – diversity, in my opinion, also encompasses the problems of poverty, the problems that give rise to the haves and have nots, the problem of access to resources and so on – in short, understanding diversity means understanding all about who we are, where we came from, and why we are that way. As parents and teachers, we indeed have a tall order in making children understand the complexities and contradictions of our lives. For this to happen, we need to first start moving out of our comfort zones. We need to prepare ourselves to examine these complexities and contradictions.

Naturally, I worry about all these things as a parent. I worry when my son doesn’t want to touch another child just because an adult voice of authority asks him not to. I worry when he gets exposed to the many mind numbing saas-bahu serials where men and women are busy plotting each other’s downfall. I worry when he has to follow ludicrous rules about dirt and contamination everyday. I worry when he is told not to ask his teacher questions. I worry…but I also want to act.

Often, I find myself arguing with the other adults around me. Often, these arguments take on a violent turn. Sometimes, I get reprimanded if I break rules. Sometimes, there is space for dialogue. This is when my hopes soar, and my determination is regained. Very often, all of this is played out in front of my son. He often gets to see diametrically opposite views and actions that emanate from those views. Will this lead to confusion for him? Will this close his mind, numb him and put him in a shell, a comfort zone? Only time will tell. I don’t think confusion can be avoided. It will inevitably come. Patiently, if I can help him develop the ability to examine events and actions around him, and the ability to decide his positions and beliefs, I will have played my role as parent. Answers will not come easily. But it is the ability to examine conflict in and around us, and grapple with it, which can be said to be one of the chief tasks of education, in school or outside it. After all, it is not so much an issue about taking a moral or intellectual high ground – it is all about finding meaning and charting our own paths, without bowing to authority.

Giri
24 June 2007
Kargil

This is what we feel about our education...echoes from Kargil

2007-06-07T07:43:00.000-07:00
These days, I keep visiting one of the remotest mountainous districts of this country. Thanks to the Autonomous Hill Development Council of Kargil district which has invited me to help them develop an educational strategy for the entire district, I have visited Kargil three times since January this year. As part of this work, I came into contact during my March visit with a group of young men and women who shared their experiences of getting educated in the schools of Kargil. They talked about what they liked about their schooling, and what they wished was different. It makes interesting reading and leaves us with several questions…

“First, let us tell the nice things. We liked the co-educational system which was good. It helps you mix freely with members of the opposite sex. This should happen from the beginning itself. We had good friends; we played a lot of games together and the company of friends was good. The school was close to our houses. Our school had lots of activities and games – in the classroom also they had lots of activities. There was discipline – the teachers and children were punctual; school cleanliness was maintained well. We had a good library. We enjoyed the school picnics we had now and then!

Some of the schools we studied in had a few experienced/senior teachers – they were good, and they taught us well. Some teachers often punished us, but also explained why they did so. Though we did not like it then, we realize now that it was useful. May be all that beating and punishment is sometimes useful! We feel that local teachers are much better than the ones who come from far away, often outside the district. These non-local teachers are not sensitive.

Some of us had supportive parents, who guided us. They were always vigilant about our activities in and outside school. You know, our communities are also powerful. They have sometimes brought in capable teachers, and got those transferred who were not teaching well.

Now, listen to the not so nice things. To begin with, we would like to state that we were given an aimless education that led us nowhere. We were often told that good marks would lead to good jobs. But is education only about getting good jobs? Not everybody gets good jobs anyway!

We did not know why we were made to study the various subjects. What is the reward for studying the various subjects? We were not told this, and we did not have a clue.
May be, we need to have a positive outlook. Then things will change. You know, everyone wants to do good. Maybe the methods that are used are not appropriate, like the beating of children. Maybe the focus on exams should go. Maybe rote methods and memorization should go…

Most of our schools did not have a library. The school surroundings were often not kept clean. We did not have extra curricular activities for us to express our talents, feelings, ideas, thoughts. Most often, our schools did not have benches for us to sit on. We would sit on long, narrow mats, one behind the other. Our schools did not also have a proper playground – whatever space was available, was very small for all of us to play and enjoy. Our schools did not have any lab facilities; we were only ‘told’ the theory. On few occasions we got to see some experiments and then we realized how nice it would be to always experiment and learn!

Our teachers were not disciplined, and they were not punctual. They would often abuse us verbally and beat us. Often, they did not wear clean clothes themselves. We found that there was no unity among teachers – they did not think well of each other sometimes. You know, they lacked the ability to teach us well. Our teachers lacked the experience to teach us well.

Did we play too much in school? We now wonder! Our teachers did not insist that we should study. We realized what we had lost, much later…

We should have been given more tests and exams by our teachers – this would have helped in monitoring our learning and our progress. Teachers who were not locals were not sensitive towards us – they were also partial in their attitude towards some children. Often they were not serious…the other problem was that we did not understand the language used by teachers who were not local – they also did not understand our language. Thus, we could not relate with them, and they, with us. Beating/physical punishment was common – teachers often used ‘innovative’ techniques to punish us! Some images will not go away, like the teacher shoving in our mouths a ball of paper and then beating us hard; being kicked hard by the teachers was common…

Teachers also treated the so called ‘weak’ and ‘strong’ or ‘intelligent’ children very differently – the weak children would often be asked to sit at the back. Often, such children even left school, unable to bear the humiliation. Many teachers engaged in tuition after school hours. If we did not attend these tuition classes, teachers would deliberately mark us less in the tests and exams, even if we did well. Rote methods and memorization were mainly followed by our teachers – the focus was entirely on doing well in the exams, and guides were freely used for this preparation. Teachers would get us to do things like dishwashing. Often, we ran errands for them, by bringing their children from other schools where they studied. We also brought firewood to keep the teacher’s room warm, while our rooms were not even heated properly! This ate into our time and affected our learning.

Who monitors these teachers? Who asks them what they are doing?

Our parents too did not bother to ask what we were doing. They were not supportive either. As girl children, we found it that much more difficult to come to school – our parents had this misconception that girls should not get ‘Duniyavi Talim’ (modern education), though nowhere in Islam is it stated that girl children should not study or even travel outside their villages. Our parents, even if they knew the problem, did not speak out. In most cases, they do not even go to school to see what was happening. Parents who are not very poor can afford private schools…but should these schools be allowed to exist? Who will respond and listen to parents?

Some of us did not have good friends, and fell into bad company. Years later, we realize where things went wrong.”

Why we don't need a people's car

2007-06-07T07:24:00.000-07:00
Suddenly, the ‘Special Economic Zone’ (SEZ) is the hot topic. Those who fight against the establishment of the SEZ call it the ‘Special Exploitation Zone’ -- rightly so. Governments plan to set them up in the hundreds all over the country, by ‘purchasing’ land that rightfully belongs to farmers and those who live on the margins. Sops are then offered to companies to set up industrial units that manufacture all kinds of things ranging from computers to cars. The argument is that the SEZs will catapult us on to the global stage as a big economic player. India’s economic stock, it is said, will go up. The GDP will go up, and wealth will accumulate, we are told. SEZs, it is promised, will generate jobs which we all so desperately need. Who will get these jobs, I wonder…where will the displaced go?

Not everyone is buying this story, which is why we have seen Nandigram and Singur happen in West Bengal. A few persons are able to detect this crap in our lives. Neil Postman, the American philosopher and education thinker, would be happy to meet some of these people. Of course, some of them are in it for political gains. They cultivate their vote banks. Didn’t Postman once famously say and write that the task of education should be ‘crap detection’ in our lives, in society? Whether (these crappy) schools manage to help children do this crap detection or not is another story. We will write that story another day.

More Nandigrams and Singurs are waiting to happen. The government and the companies have retreated for the time being, but they will be back for sure, with innovative ideas and doublespeak on SEZ’s.

Quite a bit has been written about the SEZ in the print media and we have been witness to heated discussions on the boob tube. I do not have anything to add to that debate. I can only foresee some horrors unfolding if these SEZs have their way.

Only a few days back did I find out that the proposed SEZ at Singur was meant for a car manufacturing plant. The Tatas, one of the largest vehicle manufacturers in this country, plan to finally bring out the ‘people’s car’ which will cost only one lakh rupees. With a growing and aspiring middle class and with banks more than eager to shell out loans to even more eager consumers who want to show they have ‘arrived’, the Tatas are sitting on a gold mine. Much is therefore at stake in Singur.

I returned to my home town Bangalore this January after spending more than a decade outside the state. The other day, after relishing a mouth watering butter masala dosai in a restaurant off Margosa Road in Malleshwaram, I was walking back home. Remember the movie Matrix? Those mean, fast machines with their tentacles which killed every human in their path? Those scenes came back as I walked up the gentle slope of Margosa Road. Vehicles of all shape and sizes hurtled past. They came honking at you angrily. One had to watch out! Bangalore has never been like this. It was such a gentle, beautiful city. So much has changed. I felt small, like I had, when I set foot in Delhi in the winter of ’97. I couldn’t recognize this city and I didn’t think it recognized me. It seemed to be moving in a desperate hurry. The techies called it the Silicon Valley of India. ‘See, we too have developed?’

More vehicles, more smoke, less trees in this Silicon Valley. More buildings that were box like, with huge glass panes that reflected the sun on your face. They called them the malls, where you could find everything under one roof, from underwear to books to condoms. They also called them the software companies; they called them the call centres, multiplexes and several other things. The temples of modern India, eh? With three million vehicles on the roads of Bangalore, the metro had set foot in the city this year. Also there were more flyovers and ‘fly-unders’ now…this city had never been meant for this abuse.

Everyone needs everything, right? That’s their right, right? That is what the economists would argue. Human wants are limitless and they have to be simply met. The industry wallahs would swear by it. After all, they survive on this slogan. Ultimately, the so called fruits of development have to ‘trickle down’ to everyone. They haven’t despite so many decades of this development. But we must keep trying nevertheless. The one lakh car is just one example. Do we really need it? Despite owning a car, my answer would be ‘no.’ Just the other day my friend appeared to be disgusted with this position that according to her smacks of double standards. ‘Don’t they have a right to a better life? Who are you to stop them from owning that car? Don’t you have one?’ I can understand her righteous anger.

The problem I have is with this model of development. Can everyone have cars, refrigerators, air conditioners and the like? Can everyone have everything? I’m not proposing that a few should have everything on the other hand, which is the case right now. We often hear that the world’s 20% population consumes 80% of the world’s resources. There is therefore this problem of gross inequity in terms of access, distribution and consumption of resources. But can this be used as an argument that entitles all those right now poor people who, when they ‘arrive’, have the license to lead the lives of the current haves? I’m not sure. In the absence of any other model, there is the danger that the have nots may follow the same path. Will the haves be willing to reduce their consumption? It does not look as if that is going to happen.

Kancha Ilaiah, the professor of political science at Osmania University, Hyderabad, while arguing for the empowerment of the lower castes, said this in a lecture I attended many months ago in Mumbai: “You (the Brahmins and other upper castes) pissed on us from above for 3000 years. The time has now come for us to do it to you. Only then will you understand.” He was focusing on the atrocities and discrimination practiced by the upper castes for centuries. In many ways, he was talking about ‘payback’ time. Though he did not mention the environment, I am tempted to extend this argument to bring in that dimension. The position that Ilaiah takes may sound right from a human rights perspective (I’m not sure if the thinly veiled vendetta does, though), but from an environmental perspective, it runs on a collision course with the earth, whose resources are limited. So we need to find out different ways of living. How often has this statement been made! There has to be both inner and outer control over our actions. Yet, we continue to make the dangerous error of treating natural resources as capital. This should change. That is why we do not need the people’s car, all other arguments for it notwithstanding. May be communism is not such a bad idea, after all. But Nandigram and Singur are located in communist land, aren’t they?

Giri
5th June 2007

Education as History of Half Hearted Efforts

2007-05-24T11:14:00.000-07:00

Education as history of half-hearted efforts

The other day, I was involved in a discussion with two friends regarding the ‘challenge of resources’ that children’s education in this country faces. In this conversation, ‘resources’ did not mean only money. While we can keep arguing about how much money is needed to provide all children with a decent education[1], we often overlook what other resources are needed for education to take place. Apart from money, we need to talk more and more about ideas, concepts, materials, thoughts, approaches, experiences, stories of success and so on. These are all ‘resources’ that actually make education happen. The adage ‘Money makes the world go around’, simply doesn’t apply to education. Only money is not enough, and more of it does not solve our problems. In fact, going by the amounts of money that are under spent in large education programs of the government, one can surely say that the problem lies elsewhere. How that money is spent ultimately makes a difference. This is where we are short on ideas.

Anyway, in discussions on education that I keep having every other day, there is this tendency to digress. Very soon, one gets into offering one’s theory about why this education system does not work -- almost any discussion seems to end with this theorising. Now, theories are not at all bad. They offer explanations of phenomena, and a useful theory can provide insights, goad us into action, and ultimately make a difference. Of course, one needs to examine any theory, any hunch, and any claim for that matter. We lose an opportunity if we move on otherwise.

At the end of this long winded conversation the other day, when one of my friends exclaimed, ‘So much has been done, but so little has been achieved…!’ I could relate to his statement. For those of us who have been at it for sometime now, the system seems to be moving at glacial pace. At times, it may even be moving backward. We are all impatient to achieve the ever receding goals of education in our own lifetimes. That is why it may seem as if little has been achieved.

I chose to examine the above statement and found myself questioning it. Have we really ‘done so much’? Let us take some of the more recent examples. The District Institutes for Education and Training (DIET) were established after the National Policy on Education (NPE) in 1986. Twenty years later, they are still considered by many as a ‘punishment posting.’ These institutions are by and large not working, and they are surely not delivering – vacancies abound, faculty are ill trained, motivation is low, and DIET faculty often wonder why they are there, and what they are meant to be doing! As a testimony to the ills plaguing the DIETs, large scale government programs like District Primary Education Program (DPEP) and the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) have often bypassed them.

Next, take the example of the Block and Cluster Resource Centres (B/CRC). They were established in the mid nineties, ostensibly to bring teacher support ‘onsite’, in a continuous manner. Nearly a decade later, barring the exceptional cases, these teacher resource centres are anything but that – they are more known as information collection centres. Their faculty members mechanically run training modules, and keep collecting information to satisfy the insatiable needs of reporting and ‘showing results.’ One does not even know if these structures will exist after the SSA is over and done with. The point I make is this – we have created institutions and structures, but have not nurtured them. That is why they are stagnating. That is why I say our efforts have been half hearted.

Next, take training. Modules are prepared with the best of intentions. What happens after training? Supportive monitoring, the other side of the coin, simply does not exist. We do not bother to find out if training has made any difference. Such is the state of affairs that I have encountered teachers even in a state like Karnataka who say ‘Leave us alone. This training is of no use…’ That is why I say our efforts have been half hearted. I wonder what will happen to the NCF 2005 a few years later.

The educational system is simply not geared to ensure continuity of effort. Frequent transfers, and change in leadership often arrests promising ideas and innovations. The moment somebody in an important position starts making something happen (there are not many who do in any case…), he is transferred – success is a problem! Promising efforts die a premature death. Who is accountable to whom?

Perhaps, we have not ‘done so much’, as my friend exclaimed. Perhaps, on the other hand, we have not learnt to doggedly pursue our ideas over time. We have started something here and there, and have often moved on to something else without looking back. That is why I say our efforts have been half hearted. It’s a frustrating history.

Giri
May 1, 2007
Kargil, J & K

[1] Since the education that most children currently experience is not good, to say the least, we often have to qualify what kind of education we want. So, statements like ‘He is getting a bad education’, are superfluous, because education cannot be bad. In this case, bad education does not qualify to be any kind of education! Education is inherently good, and ‘goodness’ is built into its definition.

Anything for the Universe!

2007-05-19T11:33:00.000-07:00
Anything for the Universe

The year was 1983, and I was in grade 8. It was winter, and the skies were clear. We were living in our new home in Koramangala, Bangalore. During one of my various cycling trips in the area, I discovered that the Indian Institute of Astrophysics was just a few kilometers away. Excited, I went in one evening. Not knowing where to go, I kept wandering the lawns of the institute. A man, who was sitting on the lawn called me, and we started talking. I learnt that he was doing his research on the Sun. As our conversation went on, and I told him that astronomy was my favorite, he invited me to his room, and started sharing some of his ideas. My amazement knew no bounds. Here I was, talking to an astronomer, and astronomy was my pet subject, though no one in school was prepared to discuss it! Most of the time, my teachers just stuck to the books.

Finally, he asked me if I had seen through the telescope. When I said ‘No’, he offered to take me to the terrace, where the institute had a 6 inch reflector telescope, and said that he would show me the night sky. This was the ultimate treat! Unfortunately that evening, he did not have the keys to the terrace door, which was locked. I was disappointed. ‘Come after a week’, Balasubramaniam (Bala) said. ‘There is a lunar occultation of Saturn, and you could see that…but you will need to be here at 4 in the morning. I don’t know how you will manage that. And keep in touch, drop in anytime you want.’

In my excitement, I furiously cycled home, planning and plotting how to leave home at such an early hour the next week. I told my parents about it. They were clearly unhappy about my going alone at that hour. Just when I thought it was all over for the lunar occultation, I had a brilliant idea – just before my parents slept, when they were not noticing, I would advance the time of the clock in the living room by two hours. So, when the clock would show 0530, it would actually be 0330 in the morning – I would just have enough time to reach the institute! I somehow managed to convince my parents that leaving at 0530 was not a bad idea, after all! Of course, I had to keep a vigil on the clock, which meant that I couldn’t sleep all night…

The other condition was that they were not happy with my taking out my cycle – this meant that I had to jog all the way, some 2 or 3 kilometers away. So be it, I thought – I was ready to give anything to see the universe! The plan worked wonderfully well, except that I almost collapsed by the time I reached the institute at 0410. Before I left home, I adjusted the clock’s time back to normal, so that they wouldn’t notice!

The first peep was nothing short of a divine experience. Till then, I had only seen some photographs of the solar system in books in the school library. This was seeing it live! I caught the moon coming in front of Saturn’s rings, and then the entire planet itself was shut out by the moon. For the first time, I was able to see the craters on the moon, and the shadows they cast on its surface – amazing! Boy! Didn’t those Saturn rings look beautiful?! And then, Bala showed me Jupiter, and its four satellites (there are many more, but I could see only 4 – probably Ganymede, Io, Europa, etc). Of special interest was the red spot, the mystery red spot about which astronomers have all sorts of theories. In 2006, they probably know much more about it, though I’m not sure if anyone has the last word as yet. The red spot is several times the size of the earth…how big it must be, I wondered! I could also make out the various color bands of Jupiter.

If I were to write this today in Winch’s terms, my love for astronomy with all its mysteries of the universe, made me take all these steps to catch that celestial phenomenon, occurring millions of kilometers away in time and space! My date with the cosmos had been kept. Like the occultation, which was an event in the cosmos (from the point of view of reference of earthlings like us), my being able to see it was another major event in my life, which remains vivid to this day. My parents wouldn’t believe I had gone to this extent to look up at the heavens. They did feel puzzled about how time had passed that morning for them…I kept the secret to myself.

My enthusiasm and love for astronomy and for discovering the mysteries of this universe in which we live, never waned. Years later, as a teacher, I managed to transmit this excitement to the children I taught in the Valley School in Bangalore. We repaired the damaged telescope that was lying in the lab, and enjoyed many hours of star gazing in the football field where sometimes elephants and panthers also roamed…I also started an astronomy club during my tenure as teacher.

Giri
September 2006

The Dance of Life...

2007-05-18T01:42:00.000-07:00
Years ago, when I was in school, I was often asked by elders in the family about what I wanted to become after growing up. I remember that my answer always unhesitatingly was ‘astronomer’, much to their surprise. Then, on one occasion, when there was a family function at a temple in some congested street of Bangalore, my cousin’s husband, who had a ‘good career’ going as an engineer, told me in no uncertain terms that astronomy wouldn’t do as a career. At best, he said, I could get into some unknown college or university and remain a lecturer all my life! The ‘lecturership’ didn’t sound perturbing at all, as did his admonishing tone. Little did I realize then the harsh realities of the world, and of growing up in it -- the constant pressure to perform, be ‘molded’ as the adults around us wished, and take up careers ‘approved’ in society. Little did my cousin’s husband realize the joys of peering through the telescope and asking – how big is the universe? Where did it come from? Was it always there? Is there life elsewhere…? He perhaps thought that all of this would be best done after retirement!

Twenty years hence, I’ve missed my astronomy bus, and, working in the social development sector, I still ask these questions. My cousin’s husband has retired, and is now looking to marry off his daughters to ‘US-based’ grooms. My guess is that he still hasn’t peered through a telescope.

Some questions though, remain. To begin with, thanks to my exposure in the field of education, I constantly ask – what should the purpose of education be? Gandhi had said, ‘By education I mean an all round drawing out of the best in child and man – body, mind and spirit.’ That does sound vague and distant doesn’t it, if one goes by what one sees today in the name of education?

Let me not get stuck with definitions at this stage, and instead move on to a more complex issue – the relationships between the development of our potential as human beings, our upbringing, the education system, the work we do in our lives, and our ability to be happy. What are the mechanisms available for each of us to realize our innate potential through work that pays, and makes us happy?

The organization that I now work for has a laudable vision of ‘…a world in which children realize their full potential…in societies that respect people’s rights and dignities…’ I do believe, however, that we haven’t reflected what this vision means as regards action. What does ‘development of full potential’ mean? When do we know if someone has developed his/her full potential? What are the links with schools and education, for instance?

In my own case, these links are not straightforward. I graduated as a mechanical engineer, worked in the corporate sector, then became a schoolteacher with the Valley School, Bangalore (as part of the J. Krishnamurti Foundation, India), then entered the social development arena with ‘Samuha’, an NGO in Northern Karnataka, became a ‘consultant’ with the Govt. of India for a large primary education program, and presently ‘advise’ a funding agency regarding its investments in education. That’s longwinded, isn’t it? I may get back to teaching next. I’m not sure if my potential is being fully used, but I do feel strongly that this is one of the things I would like to be doing. The mechanisms in society were not enabling, and one had to work one’s way around. Then there were those who tirelessly pointed out that I had ‘got it all wrong, that I was an escapist…’, but this didn’t deter me from carrying on.

We may find some answers in the field of economics. The economy, it is said, is the ‘happening’ thing that defines peoples’ lives – how we live, what we wear, what we think and so on...Perhaps it may enlighten us if we understand it better. Large amounts of money, including those in mega scams, exchange hands; large volumes of goods move from one part of the world to the other…all these activities are supposed to bring more comforts, make more people happy, generate jobs, and ‘uplift’ people. Or so we believe.

The ‘state of the economy’ is often talked about, and I wonder what that means. This is a funny way of capturing the quality of people’s lives through some numbers. As an aside, what puzzles me, however, is that we have business leaders and politicians patting each other’s backs for ‘low inflation’ and India as a ‘knowledge superpower’, while millions sleep hungry every night…

Economy or not, I see many persons unemployed around me. The connections are indeed intriguing, if they are examined further. Our education system creates round pegs that have to fit in square holes – there are graduates and postgraduates who ride motorcycles and deliver Mc Donald’s pizzas at your door step; mad caps like me; business executives who earn six figure salaries every month and still cannot be happy. And don’t forget the hundreds that Osama Bin Laden, George Bush and the RSS/VHP have managed to inspire…

It takes, as they say, all kinds of persons to make this world, to produce all kinds of goods and services. You give something (your understanding, skills…), and take something back…I’m not sure if that maximizes our potential, keeps us and others around us happy, and pays reasonably. A quick look around at a world in which there are gross inequalities, violence, large-scale environmental degradation…leaves you with a feeling that something is terribly wrong, somewhere. I’m sure all of this is connected with the questions I have raised earlier about the ‘relationships between the development of our potential as human beings, our upbringing, the education system, the work we do in our lives, and our ability to be happy...’
As an afterthought, I also wonder if the business of happiness is connected to these things, or, as they say, ‘is in the mind.’ You decide.