The ultimate teacher, a teacher forever… Nature has all shades from light blue colour of hope to dark colours of disparity.... The lessons offered to me so far by Nature are what I pen here. Hope you find my thoughts flowing through this blog interesting!!!
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
The Slum Mirror
Education and scraps
Their eyes are still filled with hope. Trying to understand and imbibe the lessons their teachers teach. They walk back to their shed or huts along the railway waving each coach that passes, looking at the disturbed birds in the skies and the planes, a single ticket cost of which can change their lives forever
For these buddies, you don’t have to lift the regulation on late night dance nor do they need a discount in some elite club membership. What celebrities wear and gossip is a third world for these. They are happy and contended in their own world. We are talking about these little kids who don’t have a flaw-less roof. No secure family backup, no current or future stability. They dwell in filthy slums amidst sky high flats and apartments.
They begin their day with hope and small expectations from their surroundings and what life has to give for their day. Their tender shoulders have huge responsibilities. They have to take care of their younger ones more than their mothers. They don’t know the breakfast they get served will be cooked fresh or borrowed from last night party's’ left over’s. They are dumb audience to their elders who are quarrelling on petty issues. Still they dress up tidy to leave for a government school.
Their hurdles do not end there too. They do not have enough books, no food to eat for the lunch break. They have not done their homework; either due to darkness in their sheds or the street lamps do not lit up or they got to console their mother who was beaten up by their drunken father who has spent all his days wage for arrack.
Their eyes are still filled with hope. Trying to understand and imbibe the lessons their teachers teach. They walk back to their shed or huts along the railway waving each coach that passes, looking at the disturbed birds in the skies and the planes, a single ticket cost of which can change their lives forever. Yet they are unafraid or are those so bold that they manage to smile away their disparity? They collect lids of beverages to fill their toy collection which is often broken part of scrap, stick and soils. Back at home, they have to wash the utensils and clean their places. They have got to help her mother in patching the roof which was leaking in the last night rains.
Now these bold protagonists are pooling as the dusk is falling making the sight gloomy. They are hurrying up as the street lights are turning on. They run to the brightest lamp with all their fellow friends with books and pencils. They are all excited. They are not sure they will be able to fill their stomach before they sleep. They are doing their project works under the street lights. They can’t afford the costly stickers sold in shops. They are self sufficient. They sketch for themselves. These kids are all filled with content joy and self-less smiles which are topped with spirit of undying courage and hope. They are done with their project in history. With their powerful soul, they have sketched Mahatma Gandhi..
Sunday, September 07, 2008
Deccan Herald Report
Status of natural resources: IISc, students on a mission
By Subhash Chandra NS, DH News Service, Bangalore:
Knowing the status of natural resources is necessary, given the amount of pressure on them. Considering this, the Centre for Sustainable Technologies (CST), IISc has embarked upon a socio- scientific project, involving students, at the village level...
Students of the Sahyadri Science College (SSC), Shimoga, are on a unique task as they go around Shinduvadi village, studying the various aspects of the village ecosystem and life. They have been trained by experts from IISc to take up a study monitoring the local resources in this tiny Malnad village neighbouring the Shettihalli bird sanctuary.
The study is part of a project by CST to monitor the natural resources at the village level, in order to assist village communities to decide on their use and management. It also aims to help design strategies and policies to conserve them, and help the concerned departments promote sustainable practices. “We understand that an awareness programme is necessary for this, and the student community plays a pivotal role here,” saysRakesh Tiwari, the CST researcher who initiated the project along with Indu K Murthy .
The project, under the guidance of CST Chairman Professor N H Ravindranath, was started in 2007 in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. Four villages were identified in the State: Sirsimakki and Lukkeri in Uttara Kannada, Ungra in Tumkur District and Shinduvadi in Shimoga district.
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Monitoring
The CST then thought of having a constant monitoring process at Shinduvadi - which is a crucial village - by involving students, on a experimental basis, for the first time in the Country. “We were lucky to have students from SSC, the institute which had to some extent been involved in some kind of studies. Along with their professor Dr B C Patil, we trained the students for couple of weeks in use of GPS, field planning, visits and identification of flora and fauna,” explained Tiwari.
The study also included the land use pattern,cropping pattern, grazing pattern and dung production. Forest cover,soil pattern, village ecosystem, rainfall and pattern, energy, source of energy and utility, study of flora and fauna, documenting of rare practices are part of this studies. Collection of soil samples and analysing them at the laboratory was also taught to them.