At a tender age she took up teaching and coaching school
students while in college as a hobby; little did she know that teaching school
students and coaching them in life skills would become her calling in life.
Now, after 25 years in the domain she has tinge of regret for not being able to
act that she planned to do. In a free wheeling chat with this lady teacher on a
Sunday morning; it opens your eyes to glaring pit falls of the current
environment in the school education sector. As both parents, students and even
school teachers are madly after the “score” without any reference
or scant relevance to the “learning outcome” which is dangerous
and holds time bomb marked to blow over the society at any moment. Snigdha Sarangi
who run her “Trail Blazer
Academy ” in one of the by lanes of
Niladri Vihar; however, determined to administer a different pedagogy quietly;
that emphasizes upon resolving problems in multiple approach with DIY (Do it
yourself) techniques and formula derivation methods. If you ask Snigdha about
three pillars of her teaching style; prompt reply would be “Listening,
Questioning and Interaction”. After talking to a few parents of the
students of her academy you will vote for the soft and caring approach of this
petite teacher who showers love and affection on her students who loves to
drive down from other far flung parts of the BHUBANESWAR SMART CITY
to be with this personal coach even on holidays that speaks volumes about the
teaching prowess of this beautiful teacher. She claims of not using any tough
tricks with her naughty students; but, she systematically takes chapter test
after completing her course in PCMB for CBSE and ICSE students and maps the
learning outcomes and corrective mechanism wherever needed. Snigdha derives
immense pleasure in transforming below average students into winners in our
conventional wisdom. Students remain in their comfort zone while attending
their classes at the academy that runs in the apartment home of this extremely
busy teacher who has teaching experience in many of our famous private schools
in the city and beyond.
Contact WhatsApp: 9090450310Monday, February 24, 2020
Do we really need a son to bequeath our legacy?
One early morning when me and my wife were preparing to
leave for our routine morning walk in the Joggers Park near Chandrashekharpur
Police Station; then all of a sudden we almost had an head on collision with a
monstrous JCB--Road making machine of L&T ECC
in the Lane-1 of Adarsha Vihar, that is near Big Bazar Patia; unannounced. As
they would dig up the road to lay the new concrete road of JICA program of
Government of Odisha; we had the choice of 10 seconds to decide either to
remove the car from Portico or not use the car for next 30 days. In a state of
shock and disbelief we approached a close friend of my wife for help to park
the car in their unoccupied parking space in nearby Subhadra apartment. She
also agreed to show us the place and introduce us to their apartment security
staff. In this connection both of us visited the flat of Swati’s parents’ who
are no more. I found their flat has been kept as a living organism just the way
their parents left it--untouched by time and maintained as if some body is
living their. The seating area was as speak and span as the curtains in blue
and brown shade (now available in Amazon). Her parents photograph adorns
the wall without any dust and now one garland added to the photo in mark of
respect. The living deity Durga in all her cosmetics and jewellery looked
majestic in the Puja room generously lit up just like a conventional Bengali family.
Wall hangings and paintings were gleaming
from the corner to corner walls, wind chimes creating its own music while
southern window was open to let in fresh air, Divan covered with an ethnic bed
spread looked like freshly polished recently, kitchen with all equipments
neatly covered and master bed room and guest room arranged impeccably as if
some one was living their regularly not a crease on the bed covers and pillows
neatly placed on its proper place exuding an aura of a fully living home. They
also keep the refrigerator live to prevent any malfunctioning. At the end Swati
surprised us by stepping out on some excuse to arrange some snacks and sweets
for us and served us with indulgence as their parents would have done for a
visiting daughter and son-in-law sealing those moments with love and affection
for both of us which is exceptional in our times of living.
Three sisters Swati, Sweta and Sharmista have taken on
themselves to keep their parents memory live and legacy uninterrupted despite
their absence. Instead of sharing the booty, these sisters share the cost and
labor of preserving their parent’s legacy as it is dear to them. It will not be
inappropriate to ask how many so called sons (male child) manage to keep
the legacy of their parents in such a beautiful manner. Eventually, truth
prevails; and, this writer and his brothers can’t claim to have preserved their
father’s rich legacy in a befitting manner as Swati and her sisters have done.
Then, why so much craze and paranoia for a male child in our society even
today?
Bikash Choudhury
Author’s Bio: Freelance writer on Socio, Economic &
Political issues and events; he also writes on art & culture apart from
being a passionate activist. Contact: streben.market@gmail.com
Gulab Gang—The New Political Party
Bikash
Choudhury
Even today in some
parts of our country educated and professional women are murdered by their own
parents for their choice of life partner; we have seen what happened to the
lady doctor on the street of Hyderabad; and, the perpetrators of ‘Nirbhaya’
still living and countless ‘Nirbhayas’ happen each day and even in each hour.
In contrast we see college going girls, university students and young
professionals smoking cigarettes and spewing toxic fumes on our faces and they
even visit pubs with their male classmates or colleagues to get ‘sozzled’ a
little on the rocks. If boys have the gall to snuff out human lives at the call
of testrones—can’t the girls have the liberty to get drunk a little at the call
of free spirits? No, that is not the issue. May be a deeper social revolution
is quietly taking shape to explode on the faces of “we the men folks” of our
country sooner than later.
Earlier lower casts and dalits could not dare to cross a
higher cast people raising their heads on a village street. One fine day
Behenji Mayabati’s mentor emerged from the shadows of trade union activities
and cycled around the country to organize the dalits, scheduled casts and down
trodden to convert them into a vote bank to capture political power in order to
make a difference in the lives of its stake holders with brutal power play and
some policy intervention which is irreversible now.
Can our top leaders among women from all walks of life get
together to follow in the foot steps of late Kansi Ram? There are provocations
before and there will be ample number of cruel and brutal incidents continue to
happen with Indian women; but, their collective and studied response has been
silence while swallowing their pride of being wooed as goddess Laxmi, Saraswati
and Durga by men. It is about time they make up their minds about their status
and what to do with the deeply ingrained “patriarchy” in our society. At the
least the top leaders of the women wing of each political party in the country
need to think if they were better off in the mainstream political parties or
will it be better to have a single all women political party that garner nearly
50% votes and no Governments in the States or at the Center is possible or
feasible without their blessings. A thought on these lines could send all
political parties into a shivering. The “hullabaloos” about CAA ,
NPR and NRC would be a think of the past and quietly buried. And, a new
Economic and Governance model would emerge from the ashes of mainstream
politics--- and girl power would return to rule the street on their looks,
their attire, their body language and of course with their free spirits---
humming silently; we actually need 1/2 you can’t console us with just 1/3.
[Author’s Bio:
Freelance writer on Socio, Economic & Political issues and events; he also
writes on art & culture apart from being a passionate activist. Contact:
streben.market@gmail.com]
Friday, February 21, 2020
KAMRAJ PLAN TWO- ODISHA
Kamraj plan
was orchestrated in 1960 to cut some very popular politicians in high positions
in the State and Union Governments of those times and parcel them into Congress
Party organizations to stave off any challenge to the then Prime Minister and
his heir apparent. However, a lot of times have passed since then and currently
a new Kamraj plan is needed in the context of Odisha. Naveen Patnaik has gone
from strength to strength in past twenty years so much so that he has thrown
some of his arch rivals or his contemporary into the dustbin of political
history of Odisha. And, they are unlikely to pose any electoral challenges to
Naveen or BJD. But, these Naveen challengers have Name, Fame, Political Skill
and Organizational Abilities which can be better utilized for the betterment of
Odisha and its 4.5 crore people.
Many
political and economic commentators have written millions of pages about the
necessity of a strong leader in the union government during UPA two consecutive
tenures. In order to give a firm and decisive direction to the country and to
resolve its socio-economic issues that stand as it is for very long time. But,
after watching, observing and analyzing the performance of incumbent Prime
Minister since 2014—those commentators are now hiding in the hibernation and
begging for covers including this writer. The so called magic of a decisive and
strong leader has all but evaporated keeping in view the current socio-economic
conditions of the country. In the hind sight, we can’t blame the Governments
for our current financial outcomes of our economy and its people. Sensitive
Governments can only do that much to work as the catalyst; nothing more and
nothing less. In the annals of human history and even of our undivided country
the economic prowess was the natural outcome of “intensity of human
activity” and our Nation was genuinely written as the ‘bird of
gold’ (Sone Ki Chidia). This Nation under the sweat of its labor,
output of its agriculture and agro forestry could corner over 27% of Global
Trade just three centuries before and currently it holds the Hindu Rate of
Growth very dearly. Next logical question would be what do we do?
My take is
that henceforth let us concentrate our economic might where our mouth is—in
other words we need to decentralize our economic policy making to the Districts
along with devolution of resources as decided by a Finance Commission with a
term of reference “faster overall economic growth” of the
country. Further, it would be necessary to adopt the “Gandhian Economic
Model” of Gramya Swarajya to add further muscular strength to economic
activity from bottom-up (Village-District-State) eventually marking a double
digit National Progression for a considerable period of time in a sustainable
manner. But, this is neither enough nor sufficient conditions for elusive
economic growth. The buyers of an air conditioner in India knows too well that
a split AC is just show off but Window AC is best and more effective as its
engine of cooling is direct unlike the split AC. Unless our people are aware
about their own economic growth potential and steps needed to kick start the comatose
economic activity; then, no amount of external governmental package could be
able to do an inch.
Therefore,
we now need a Kamraj Plan Two for Odisha. That will draft senior politicians
like Tathagata Sathpathy, Bijoya Mohapatra, Srikanta Jena, Baijayanta Panda,
Dilip Ray and Damodar Rout into Socio-Economic work for the State through an
organization to be incubated as suitable for the purpose. The organization
would have mandate to deal with the urgent and important socio-economic issues
of our State that no amount of Government intervention could be able to
deliver. The urgent and important issues are Water Conservation, Revival of
Rivers, and Restoration of Green Covers; Need to return to our Traditional
Agriculture, Revival of Micro Village Industry, Need of ODF Villages, Women
Security and their empowerment, Education and Health Awareness. The politicians
drafted for Kamraj Plan Two are very senior and competent players of politics
with monumental administrative skills with an ambition to be the ‘Numero Uno’
of the State; not for the chair alone, but to contribute to the progress of the
State in their own debonair ways. There is a need and there is an opportunity to make a difference to the socio-economic conditions of our State in a substantive manner. And, that would be their fitting tribute to Biju Babu; who in his inimitable style envisioned recapturing the glory of Kalinga in his life time.
[Author’s
Bio: Bikash Choudhury, Freelance writer on Socio, Economic & Political issues and events; he
also writes on art & culture apart from being a passionate activist.
Contact: streben.market@gmail.com]
Labels:
# Political-Economy
Location:
Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India
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