Reflection from my Webinar Session today - Small Stories, Big Messages!

Small Stories, Big Messages! 

Here is a small story that I read out to teachers today in my Webinar session with them. Everyone should definitely give it a read - 

At the point where Christina says out the proxy attendance for her friend Sangitha and when Ms. Sudha finds out that the attendance has been said by someone else, I asked my teachers - "What would have been your reaction towards Christina if you were at Ms. Sudha's place?" All of them thought for a little while and most of them replied back saying that they would not really appreciate it and that giving a proxy attendance is not the right thing to do! I heard their perspectives and then read further. 

When they found out that Ms. Sudha actually just did not say anything to Christina and asked her to sit back again in the classroom, they all got the important message themselves - 

"Education is a combination of many things. And that it can never be imparted without faith, forgiveness, and second chances."

Such a bold and a powerful message this is! I further asked the teachers if they could relate this message with their own classroom experiences. And so they started thinking about children who deserve more from them! All children deserve a lot from us - that is what I am deriving for myself from the story! 

I will be reading out more such short stories in the upcoming webinars! You can also join me and inspire all of us at 'Fridays with Raman'! 

Questions....

Why grow up?!?!

Something caught my attention on a red light today - 

It was fun watching the child have fun with the tree. This is a busy street, yet he found something fun for him to do! 

Makes me think - why does one ever need to grow up?!?! Being able to have fun in a busy, polluted, crowded street like this makes this child a grown up, anyway! 

*Deep Thoughts*

Appreciating the small things in life! :)

Here's to the small moments! 

It is very important to appreciate small moments around yourself! I am liking the new me - have lost considerable amount of weight, my self-discipline with my new habit - everyday 3 kilometers walk (and it has been more than a month now!), and self-control on a few things I have been badly wanting to do (which includes blasting someone with my anger :X)! And I have been sick as well since last few days (I think that is because of the anger) - not liking this though! 

It is only when you start appreciating these small moments, you really start living your life more happily! So here goes mine!

I was on my way back from office in the metro, when something caught my attention - 

Yes, this was how the sky looked like, sometime last week! And the data said that this was one of the cleanest days in Delhi - air wise! I had a big smile looking at the delightful sky and its glory! And that very moment, I said to myself - 

Dear Sky, love you to the moon and back! 😊😊

I spent my last Saturday, with a friend from Barefoot College, Tilonia! I picked him up from the airport, took him home, got him to meet my family and then we both set out to roam around Delhi! Accompanied him to Hauz Khas Fort, then Deer park, then India Gate, saw the War Memorial there, then CP where we went to Oxford Book Store and Nando's! 

The thing which moved me the most that day was the time I spent at the War memorial. I saw a lady whose husband had lost his life fighting for the country. She had come to pay her tribute to all the soldiers - and I just could not get away with thinking about the emotions she must be going through - thinking about her husband who had lost his life too! Could not even imagine how it would have been for her! And she stood there upright, confident! *Speechless* Hats off! 

Then I met another friend - who is becoming a TFI Fellow now. Wished him all the very best for his journey ahead!

And this is what we had together -

Yummm! 

To life! To the small moments! :)

To Madan and more! 

~To Life~

I recently visited OELP - Organization for Early Literacy Promotion, in Rajasthan! It was a learning trip that I did with my colleagues from TAP India. Those of you who I have met in person, or spoken randomly post this trip - you all know how fantastic an experience it was! Right from the peaceful environment we were in, to the food we ate, to the classrooms we saw, to everything and anything that was a part of the trip - I must say that I truly am blessed that I got the chance to be there! 

The trip got me to reflect so much - think and experience inclusion from a different angle. I even suggested KD to get his team here (only if he takes my suggestions seriously - although I meant for him to make the trip with me first, but anyway! - he is a different story, altogether!) The trip got me to see teachers from a completely different lens! The trip got me to experience the saying - "It takes one entire village to raise a child!" The trip got me to experience what working on ground is like, what knowing each child in actual sense means, what caring for all children actually mean, and so much more! And I got to experience a live classroom teaching by this wonderful soul - Madan! 

Madan is 12th pass, and is from the same community as the children in his classroom. He studied in one of the night schools of his village and according to him - he is one of those rare persons from his village who have studied until the 12th grade. The classroom upon entry, gave me a very normal feeling - of course it was aptly print rich, not overdone at all, with a dari for the children to sit! But what followed next inside the classroom, was something that left me awestruck! 

Madan started with a circle time, the students greeted each other, energizers were done, calendar was discussed - and with the calendar it seemed that he covered a lot of other Math concepts. Then he did a read aloud session, with all children completely captivated in the story - feeling sad when something wrong had happened, feeling genuinely happy when something good had happened in the story. He let his children lie down in the class, they spoke anything that their heart wanted to say, they participated in every small activity that Madan had planned for them and they took tremendous pride in showing us that they could read - any book that they were given! :) I saw such joy on their faces! 

I generally have a lot to say when I observe classes like this - but seeing this class, I literally just wanted to be silent and just embrace the moment - how seamlessly he transitioned from one concept to the next, how seamlessly he just happened to have done and discussed so much with the children in the class - it seemed like a perfect place to meditate for me! 

After finishing the class, Madan walks confidently towards us and asks for a feedback. I literally did not want to write anything in his feedback notebook - I just wished him all the very best for his journey in the sector and for making things so easy for his children! 

On my way back from the school to the place where we were staying, I just thought of one thing - I want to feel the same sense of satisfaction as probably Madan would be feeling post the end of his class with his kids! It is so important to feel this accomplished everyday in the sector we are working in! It's like saying everyday to yourself towards the end of the day - "Today, I left no stone untouched/unturned to make things possible for my children I work with!" 
I think all organizations working in this sector should be able to say this everyday! And that's when we will be able to achieve something for our kids in the society! 

I so wanted to write about Madan ever since I came back from OELP.  I had shared my reflections and notes with a few people earlier, but I waited to find the right time to write about him - so I could write my exact feelings! 

The second part of my blog is about my sickness  - since last 4 to 5 days, and I know the exact reason why! Just waiting for the mid next month to come asap! And meanwhile, let me traverse this road, confidently! :) 

To Life! 

To Realizations!

To More! 

And to kids!

Me engrossed in a story telling session with the kids in the community! 

What does setting of the sun mean for me?

I have a connection with the sun, in multiple ways:-

1. My father's name means 'The Sun'. 

2. I am a morning person - all rising days will have no meaning without the sun! 

3. I associate its rising and setting with everything 'life-like'! 

What does setting of the sun mean for me? 

So today while entering the metro station to head back home, the beauty of the setting sun caught my attention. 

Somewhere deep inside, I started feeling a bit sad as once its settled, everything would turn dark. The beauty of the sky, the feeling of being alive, the activities of everyone during the day-time - be it us humans, or animals, or birds, or any other living creature on this earth - all of those will slow down, comparatively. And I honestly have great apprehensions in being slow. I like being fast - very fast. And there are evidences from my daily life that would prove the same. The slowness sometimes kills me. And takes me on a guilt ride. Don't know from where this has come in - but it is there! 

And then I felt sad as night signifies darkness too. And I do not like being in the dark - unless I am lying on the floor and gazing at the shining stars (and for that, I for sure will have to live somewhere else and not in Delhi :P). But darkness makes me creepy and somewhere I do not really relate to darkness. 

The gloomy feeling was just settling in, but suddenly the thoughts inside my head started changing. I looked at the sun one more time and noticed the orange, glorifying, bright sparkle it showed even when it was setting down. And that very moment I thought to myself - even when it is setting and would be leaving behind the dark night sky, yet it is so proud, so powerful and so satisfied with all that it has done in the day! 

It is setting in like it has no regrets, whatsoever. It is setting in, like even after setting, it will still have a life. It is settling like someone who has sacrificed so much for others and yet is happy and content. It is setting in, leaving a mark. It is setting in, to come back again - with a life full of promises. It is setting in for a tough day yet again! 

In this life, I surely want to set like the sun! Yes, that is what I want! Its difficult though! As to shine like the sun, I will have to burn like one! 

Difficult, Very difficult! 

#Love you Sun! 

# Thank you! 

Some more pictures from today!

The rain and the sun! :)

Like water, can humans too become a 'universal solvent'?

The thought occurred in my mind when I saw this fountain right outside Humayun's Tomb, the other day.

For a minute, I thought, the water flowing through this fountain, spoke for itself - 'you put me where-ever and how-so-ever, I will surely adapt there'! There is so much power in the water that we see around us - the kind of power that one cannot even imagine. I wonder sometimes - if water would have been a living being, would it still be so adjusting and flexible? 

Now its time for me to throw some light on the subject on which I started writing this post. I thought about it, from different angles and tried relating it to one's life and even my life for that matter. I will try sharing those perspectives here and map them with the normal perceptions of human beings. 

Perspective # 1 - Take in everything, dissolve everything, accept everything

For a human being - Let's take in all the good, but the bad? Eh? 

Perspective # 2 - I am just so indispensable! 

For a human being - Should I become indispensable for anyone? Is this even possible? 

Perspective # 3 - Should I really take in everything I come across? 

From a human being's perspective - Even the shit? Not at all! 

Perspective # 4 - What about the exploitation? 

From a human being's perspective - Adapting in all situations = Getting yourself exploited! 

While it will be worthwhile to live a 'life' like the water on this earth (considering the fact that water does not have the 'life-like' elements to be even affected because of its exploitation), but humans possibly cannot ever be universal solvents. They are just meant to take in what they want, what they desire and have a permanent access to a 'universal filter' that makes them see things the way they want, that makes them do what they want, and that makes them control every other thing around them! Too much restriction, I must say - being a human! 

Got to live life! 

#Only if water could speak! 😵