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( 28 )
In one of those days, Parameswaran Sir was teaching us Hindi. The lesson was intended to teach grammar and it was in the form of an advice to boys and girls. It was almost like this - on the left side, advice for boys and right side, advice for girls.
boys girls
You should play in the evenings You should play in the evenings
You should take bath in the evenings You should take bath in the evenings
You should study well in the evenings You should study well in the evenings You should help your mother in the kitchen
in the evenings
Our Teacher was very efficient in Hindi. He explained everything. But when I looked at the last sentence, I found that the advice was only for girls. The 'girl' should help her 'mother' in the kitchen. What did it mean ? It meant that the boy shouldnot help his 'mother' in the kitchen and his 'father' shouldnot work in the kitchen. I knew that this discrimination existed in society but when it was printed in the textbook, I had a feeling that the entire girlhood had been insulted by that sentence. I looked surprisingly at the Teacher and all the girls in the class. I didn't see any change of expression on their faces. "In fact, the boy has more physical strength. Therefore, he can help in the kitchen, can't he ?", I asked myself. Even today, I can't forget that moment. In a country which ensures equal status to men and women in the Constitution, how did it happen ? I pass the question to the readers.
It was a usual event in our school that every year students from the TTI ( Teacher's Training Institute ) would come at our school for their Teaching Practice. We would be delighted during those days because they would teach us with all the teaching aids like posters, models etc. It was during one of those days that we were taught, "how does a house lizard catch its prey ?" I had seen many house lizards & its eggs in my home. So, it was easy for me to understand the topic. But to learn it by heart - it was a problem. After teaching a lesson, there would be a Test Paper. It was a part of their studies.
One Saturday, after lunch, I took my notebook and went to the rubber plantation. Usually I would learn my lessons by sitting almost near the boundary between our land and the rubber plantation. But on that day, I went to the middle of the Puthiyaveettil House's land. I selected a comfortable place. I looked around. There were no houses and no people. A small rock was there, almost at the eastern side of that land. I always liked the noontime when the darkness and the sunlight mingled together. I had heard about some ghosts who come out at noontime. I doubted - whether any ghost would come near me ? I started to read - then I remembered the lizards I always see in my house. After reading each sentence silently, I would try to memorise it in my mind. During this process, I would look around - to see whether a robber, a rapist or a ghost is approaching me or not ! I would think, "how lucky is a boy ! He cannot be afraid of anything". After reading a paragraph as a whole silently, I would try to remember it, closing my book. At first I failed but again I would read it silently, close the book and try to memorise. Finally, when I succeeded, how much I rejoiced ! I always support silent reading. Nowadays, people say that their children can attain top ranks eventhough they listened to radio & television. But I strongly believe that I remember that lesson even today because I studied it silently in a complete silent ambience. Now, as the technology has developed much more than we expected, a child can sit in front of a computer and learn all the lessons. I am a person who support the modern technological developments. But in the field of Education, I don't intend to make an evaluation.
I don't remember how and when it happened - in Sunday School, I, Reena & Ancy formed a group and started to participate in groupsong. Reena was my classmate in School & Sunday School. Ancy was one year younger to us. Every month, on a Sunday, the last period, there was Balasamajam (a union of all students of Sunday School ), inside the Church. The Ist Std students would be sitting in the front row and the Xth Std students at the last. Maji's song would be there on most of these occassions. One Sunday, I heard cousin Benny's name being called for a song. I looked at him with curiosity, watched him coming to the front, with a songbook in his hand. Looking in the book, he sang a song. The content of the song was this - "Oh, that I had wings like a dove ! I would fly away and be at rest ( Psalms 55 : 6 ).
( 28 )
In one of those days, Parameswaran Sir was teaching us Hindi. The lesson was intended to teach grammar and it was in the form of an advice to boys and girls. It was almost like this - on the left side, advice for boys and right side, advice for girls.
boys girls
You should play in the evenings You should play in the evenings
You should take bath in the evenings You should take bath in the evenings
You should study well in the evenings You should study well in the evenings You should help your mother in the kitchen
in the evenings
Our Teacher was very efficient in Hindi. He explained everything. But when I looked at the last sentence, I found that the advice was only for girls. The 'girl' should help her 'mother' in the kitchen. What did it mean ? It meant that the boy shouldnot help his 'mother' in the kitchen and his 'father' shouldnot work in the kitchen. I knew that this discrimination existed in society but when it was printed in the textbook, I had a feeling that the entire girlhood had been insulted by that sentence. I looked surprisingly at the Teacher and all the girls in the class. I didn't see any change of expression on their faces. "In fact, the boy has more physical strength. Therefore, he can help in the kitchen, can't he ?", I asked myself. Even today, I can't forget that moment. In a country which ensures equal status to men and women in the Constitution, how did it happen ? I pass the question to the readers.
It was a usual event in our school that every year students from the TTI ( Teacher's Training Institute ) would come at our school for their Teaching Practice. We would be delighted during those days because they would teach us with all the teaching aids like posters, models etc. It was during one of those days that we were taught, "how does a house lizard catch its prey ?" I had seen many house lizards & its eggs in my home. So, it was easy for me to understand the topic. But to learn it by heart - it was a problem. After teaching a lesson, there would be a Test Paper. It was a part of their studies.
One Saturday, after lunch, I took my notebook and went to the rubber plantation. Usually I would learn my lessons by sitting almost near the boundary between our land and the rubber plantation. But on that day, I went to the middle of the Puthiyaveettil House's land. I selected a comfortable place. I looked around. There were no houses and no people. A small rock was there, almost at the eastern side of that land. I always liked the noontime when the darkness and the sunlight mingled together. I had heard about some ghosts who come out at noontime. I doubted - whether any ghost would come near me ? I started to read - then I remembered the lizards I always see in my house. After reading each sentence silently, I would try to memorise it in my mind. During this process, I would look around - to see whether a robber, a rapist or a ghost is approaching me or not ! I would think, "how lucky is a boy ! He cannot be afraid of anything". After reading a paragraph as a whole silently, I would try to remember it, closing my book. At first I failed but again I would read it silently, close the book and try to memorise. Finally, when I succeeded, how much I rejoiced ! I always support silent reading. Nowadays, people say that their children can attain top ranks eventhough they listened to radio & television. But I strongly believe that I remember that lesson even today because I studied it silently in a complete silent ambience. Now, as the technology has developed much more than we expected, a child can sit in front of a computer and learn all the lessons. I am a person who support the modern technological developments. But in the field of Education, I don't intend to make an evaluation.
I don't remember how and when it happened - in Sunday School, I, Reena & Ancy formed a group and started to participate in groupsong. Reena was my classmate in School & Sunday School. Ancy was one year younger to us. Every month, on a Sunday, the last period, there was Balasamajam (a union of all students of Sunday School ), inside the Church. The Ist Std students would be sitting in the front row and the Xth Std students at the last. Maji's song would be there on most of these occassions. One Sunday, I heard cousin Benny's name being called for a song. I looked at him with curiosity, watched him coming to the front, with a songbook in his hand. Looking in the book, he sang a song. The content of the song was this - "Oh, that I had wings like a dove ! I would fly away and be at rest ( Psalms 55 : 6 ).
One day, at our school, in the last period, we were waiting for our Teacher to come. But contrary to our expectations, another Teacher came and she said that everyone could go home. Hearing this, most of the boys and some girls ran outside the class. But some of us remained there to know the reason why the students were allowed to go. The Teacher replied in a low voice, "there is a news that Prime Minister Indira Gandhi is shot dead". Hearing the news, we were also shocked. The Teacher stood there until everyone left the classroom. I speedily walked towards my home to inform the news.
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