The Glowing Sky

  The roadsides can get noisy but sometimes not noisy enough to distract the young girl balancing on the rope. For some people it was not surprising but there were some who stopped by to notice the talent. This was happening in a city in North-west of India.     It is true that each talent requires a right platform so that one can build upon one's abilities daily and find meaning in this seemingly difficult life. The young girl walked slowly on the rope with some weight on her head and held a wooden stick with her hands. It was an inspiring sight.   The young girl through her balance was as if showing that there's a possibility of harmony in the chaotic environment and that gathering courage to act is not always a choice. Leaving all distractions in the background, the girl dressed in 'Salwar kurta' defined the 'unwavering focus'.    

  Today I happen to look at my old documents and found the report card of my early school days. Having switched later to an alternative education, this marking system felt restrictive. To be able to now view this card from an objective point of view, I feel the need of daily evaluation in the conventional system of education and the need of self assessment by the students who would be encouraged to be descriptive in explaining what one has found interesting and practically implemented the learnings in each subject. Then even years later that same score card would evoke more emotions and show the reflections of one's early self. Just the numbers on the report card are not enough.    The constructive evaluation would be possible when there is one to one consultation with the student and in the process teachers should make the student aware of the small steps he/she can take to improve oneself. The present marking system in the conventional setups is often con...

  Khadi, once a term coined by Mahatma Gandhi is now an integral part of the Indian culture. The khadi showrooms offer a wide range of products of daily use - soap, oil, comb, bottles etc. along with several multicolored clothes for all ages groups. The authenticity of the products attracts the customers from all parts of the world.     Kabir, a saint says "I have covered myself with this cloth with great care and eventually will leave it like it was."    The need of hour is to not only to make khadi link the Indian economy to the global supply chain but also to collectively come up with more local start ups and make the local products affordable. It was interesting when I came across the  Leak - proof  b amboo bottles from Tripura.  The  Craftsmen are trained under PM Van Dhan Yojana and National Bamboo Mission Schemes.  ( If the bamboo comes in contact with water in a closed container for long it may develop fungus thus inner lining of...

  It's again a Monday morning. A flock of birds just flew off. While it's generally quiet, one can randomly hear the noise of the vehicles. The vendors have also begun their routine of selling the vegetables and fruits in the colony. This is a city experiencing one more Monday morning; where it's dwellers are slowly picking up the pace to match to the demanded rhythm.   One step after another. One walks and runs and rests to again stand up and rush. Is there a defined pattern or a musical rhythm the way this Monday morning picks up the pace? Or every time it is a new rhythm for city dwellers to improvise and add new notes to their daily routine?   The daily routine seen often as a 'black and white' movie could be viewed as a chance to balance out all the things one does and time to time add new elements. After all, living includes a lot of juggling!  

  While smart classes are an effort to enhance the classroom learning experiences, the actual field work must be incorporated in addition to the textbook learning. The use of all our senses, on spot thinking of some practical solutions, leaving aside the distractions such as the extreme hot or cold  weather are all the critical elements of learning on the field. This kind of learning could be called as 'the dynamic classroom learning'.   I got to visit the Wasteless unit in Auroville. This brings forth the creative solutions to reusing and managing our waste be it old CDs, tetrapacks, coconut shells. The unit has also introduced the educational programmes targeting especially the school children to be conscious of the waste segregation, color coding assigned to different types of wastes, and to eventually help them grow to become the conscious consumers. It was interesting to see the snake- ladder game based on the waste management. "Such fun learning and garbology should...

  At times we want to pen down our thoughts of the times when we were speechless. Sometimes the words are not enough. Sometimes the time passes too fast. Or sometimes we sit with a pen but the paper in front remains un-inked for hours.   Every conversation that begins with 'Hello' carves its own path - long or short. Sometimes so short that it begins and ends with the same 'Hello'. Or sometimes we stand and immerse ourselves into the short silences during the conversation.   Why are these nuances in life?   Sometimes the sky is multicolored and sometimes simply blue. At times the breeze is too strong and sometimes it is all still. The walks in the woods relax us and sometimes the stress of performing breaks us.   We are the followers who lead at times. We are the change makers who resist at times. We, who are trained to run, are also at times expected to remain motionless.   Why are these nuances in life?   Some sea shells, broken or intact, lie at the...

  Solitude Farm in Auroville seems like an apt example of GLOCEL. As I walked through the entrance of the farm, there were several boards representing the thoughts of Masanobu Fukuoka.     Masanobu Fukuoka, who developed the ideas of Natural farming and permaculture, inspired the Aurovillian Krishna McKenzie to make the community grow and value the local food. If we grow a vegetable  in  our gardens and consume it - it's such an amazing feeling; a way to develop our relationship with the mother nature. (I experienced it when I once had lauki (bottle gourd) grown in my terrace)       Masanobu Fukuoka writes in his book ' The One-Straw Revolution ', "Natural farming has become the rage. Journalists, professors and technical researchers are flocking to visit my fields and huts. Different people see it from different points of view. Make their own interpretations and then leave. One sees it as primitive, another as backward, someone else considers it ...

  It was around six in the evening. The vast blue sky witnessed the earthly play. The green leaves were still. No footsteps could be heard. And the stillness all around had its own charm.   It was as if the vast sea now wants to remain calm, the sand does not any more want to be washed away and the rocks don't want to be weathered. It was stillness introducing a new outlook to everything around.   Did the stillness wait for this hour to add just an extra value to its each second? The dynamism is now to be at the backstage to keep all the probs ready for the stillness to perform. And the show goes on. The birds as spectators may come and go but the show goes on.    Thus, the dynamism and the stillness support each other. Their balance is important - this is probably the lesson of the chosen hour.