Are we Investing Rightly - with Children & the Elderly

I was invited to a talk at a school in Mysore to speak on “Health the most important aspect of life”. As a usual practice I reached about an hour early to familiarize with the who’s who of the school, also look at the stage arrangements and set up my equipment (laptop, Projector etc). Since the heads of the school were yet to come, I sat out in the school garden looking at the students who were trickling in. The first came the kindergarten kids & parents – these were emotional moments of the children and the parent (some mothers & some fathers were dropping their children off at the school) that I happened to see. The children were clinging onto their parent, crying, weeping & never wanting to let them go. When the school staff tried to hold the child and take them inside the school, the grip of the child on the parent further strengthened & the resistance was such that they are never separable. Amidst the emotional outbursts, I noticed that the parent too had tears in their eyes and some fathers somehow hid their tears. The entire scene unfolding before my eyes was really heart rending.

After some time, I witnessed the older children entering the school being dropped by their parent. Perhaps they were studying in high school and I was surprised to look at their behavior which was a little different. They just got off the vehicle and just rushed into the school, never bothered about the parent who still waited & watched till his child entered the school gate. It was even more surprising that the child did not even bother to turn back or waved a bye at the parent as they entered the school gate, nor was there a last look that they had of their parent as a thanking courtesy. 

Looking at this parent-child response, a question came to my mind “what happened to the inseparable act, that perhaps the same child would have done a few years ago..?” further more a few more questions came to my mind – Was it really a feeling of separation..? Or was it a drama or a tantrum that the child was putting up to avoid going to school..? Or was it the first steps of the life’s training that the parent gave (an unconscious investment) that could have registered in the child’s mind and reinforced over various circumstances that “I am required at another place and not with parent”..? This last question really struck my mind like a bolt of lightning and made me to reflect and think deep – Is it that this first step parental training that has led or is leading to many elders being deserted by their children..?

Reflecting over the past decade that I have been part of geriatric care, I recollected my experience with 42 elderly couples whom I was treating at a Geriatric Care Center. The elderly whom I was treating looked at me with absolute hate and despise. There was no politeness in the way they responded to me but were absolutely rude and with a vehemently vengeful attitude. They refused to even share their health issues making it difficult to treat them because I was not able to understand their psycho, physio & medical issues. In-fact they hardly communicated with each other too. I tried everything ways of getting closer to them by celebrating their birthdays, sponsored their daily needs, sometimes brought food from outside, volunteered to take them out etc etc yet their hateful treatment and resentment towards me remained unchanged. No matter what I tried it just failed to impress them.

One day emotionally low when I came home, my mother asked me what the problem was..? I told her what I was experiencing and that I had reached a dead end in trying to help the elderly at the geriatric care center. She wished to accompany me to the geriatric care center the following day. The next day at the Geriatric Care Center she asked me to stop my car at the gate and to return to my institution that I was working and to come back later in the evening to pick her up – she wanted to be with the elderly for the day. End of the day I again picked her up and headed home – I asked her “Any break through with the elderly..?”. She just said to give her a couple of days. The same routine repeated for over a week. On the 8^th day at about 11 in the morning, I received a call from the geriatric care center that my mother had a fallen and she was hurt. I panicked grabbed some medications and with deep concern rushed to the geriatric care center only to see my mother sitting with the elderly and they were all laughing and in a cheerful mood. I rushed to my mother, uncared about other's presence, asked her where she was hurt and what had happened. Looking at my concerned face my mother just smiled and asked me to calm down and said it was just a prank – and that she wanted to know if I was really concerned about her. I just sat down for a while trying to contain my emotions with teary eyes I just stood holding her hand in mine against my forehead. When I was normal I looked at her and said jokingly “so the mother was happy playing the joke on her son.?” She said “NO!! I just wanted to show these elderly that if you invest in the right feelings with your children, the outcome will be a strong bond of togetherness, of concern, of love, of a deep sense of belonging & that I had done this over 40 decades with my son- & you passed the test Avin”. Her words shook the insides of the elderly who now with teary eyes approached me and said “truly whatever your mother said and shared about you, the work you do, the way you involve her in every aspect of your life & work, the way you keep her engaged through your work stories and achievements, nothing goes past her without her say or advise or guidance that you do or write or work. Truly we feel she is blessed”. I looked at my mother and could feel the pride and a sense of belief in her eyes towards me. I just held her by her shoulders and I said “I am the lucky one to have such a mother and thankful to god for this great opportunity to be her son”.

Well, I learnt a lot that day – what I could not accomplish over the last one year, how my mother befriended them in 7 days is still astounding for me. But the following days I noticed a significant change in the behavior towards me and it was as though we were an enlarged family now. Over the past few years I have realized that:-

“People donate a variety of things to a senior citizens home with a clear intention of firstly to avail TAX benefits and secondly for personal satisfaction that they have helped someone as a social cause. Yes! A bout of money, a few necessities, a quanta of groceries/ medicines, a quart of health drinks & tonics, a range of hosieries/ clothes/ warmers/ blankets etc etc – these certainly are essentials for the Care Center to ease out on their costs of maintaining the elderly & these are essential commodities. There are many who pour in materialistic support, these donors however monetarily sound whether big or small or socially influential etc etc don’t understand is – the elderly need a psychological satisfier too which give them the warmth of “I Care… I’m there for you!!.” – this the elderly are always bereft of.”

So then what is the way forward…

Well one way is – if your company or your self are wealthy enough and are looking for a dual benefit as mentioned above then look at enjoying the 3^rd benefit too by creating a new beneficiary other than you or your company – ADOPT A PARENT. Today in the world we are adopting animals, children etc then why not those abandoned parents as part of your family..? We invest a lot of our time & money in parties, inviting guests home, celebrating our anniversaries, birthdays, festivals etc.. Can we not on weekends brink home our adopted parents allow them to stay with our family for a couple of days a week; share the eat-outs involve them in the parties/ functions/ festivals with them; be with them talk to them engage them in everything that you do on those days. This will psychologically erase their feeling of being deserted by their children and relatives; it will also emotionally help in healing their illnesses; it will to a large extent make them feel belonged and that they have a new family that care for them and IS WITH THEM. This act will certainly bring in a lot of blessings from them and this to me is a serious personal responsibility an act far worthier than the Social Personal Responsibility or Corporate Social Responsibility.

Another way is – many a times in the corporate world experience is certainly irreplaceable an experienced guidance can be highly beneficial to maneuver through the thick times as well as through tough competitive situations. Many of the seniors have a tremendous amount of corporate exposure and industrial experience that can make them a very good guide or a coach to the company or to us who are decision makers. Their hands on experience or knowledge of people/ practices/ situation & crisis management/ management of staff/ delegation of work & responsibility etc etc can be utilized to help us take better mature decisions and clear our pathway with preventive measures such that we achieve steady growth and progress in our corporate world. In fact I have seen many of my close friends to who have employed such deserted elderly as their personal corporate advisors or company consultants. Such an act will erase the minds of the feeling that they are no more useful to anybody or they are unwanted people to the world & the corporate world. It will reinforce in them that they still have the capabilities & competencies to be of use to someone – be it a decision maker or the corporate.

We need to overcome our mindset of looking through the coloured eye-piece of fulfilling their materialistic need but wear the spectacles of humaneness to recognize that the elderly truly are a spectacle that can make our lives beautiful too. It is not how much we give or what we give that matters but who they are for us and what value we have for them that matters. A lesson I learnt that day from what my mother told me and the same that I shared with the school students today with a hope that it will keep them & their parents connected to each other with the binding formula “Till death we don’t part” – So the coming week they begin afresh with a great bonding with their parents & grandparents because the next weekend is 1^st Oct the “International Day for the Elderly”.

Dharma Dwaj _ The Identity of Bharat

 Dharma Dwaj

मैं कोई हरा पत्ता नहीं सूखी पेड़ की डाली पे

न मैं श्वेत कफ़न का कपड़ा ओढ़ा गया निर्जीव पे

जैसे सेंधूर चढ़ाया हो तांबे-सोने-चांदी मिश्रित पे

ऐसे भग्वा रंग ढल गया सनातन धर्म के स्वरूप पे

लहराता आगे चल रहा था राम जी के अभियान में

वानरों में साहस भर दिया युद्ध के भीषण काल में

असुरों को काल दिख गया इस ध्वज के फहराने में

रावण भी टिक न सका इस ध्वज आरोहित रण भूमि में

कुरुक्षेत्र के युद्ध में इसे थामा था हनुमान ने

प्राण उर्जीत कर दिया उस पर श्री कृष्ण के गान ने

प्रेरणा देता अर्जुन को अधर्मियों को सम्हारने

धर्म विजय का प्रतीक बना सारे विश्व के सामने

सशक्त है तू सबल है तू निर्भयता से खड़े रहना

निष्ठा बद्ध शिष्ठ आचरण विनम्रता से काम करना

मातृ पितृ राष्ट्र गुरु व धर्म हेतु सदा इन्हें सम्मान देना

मुख से वेद आंखों से नम्रता हाथ में मुझे थामे चलना

जो भी धारण करता मेरी सीख धन्य करदू मैं उसे

विजय तिलक सदा प्राप्त होगा मेरे आशीर्वाद से

आया मैं मां भारती के आंचल के पावन हिस्से से

भग्वा नाम मेरा जुड़ गया भगवान शब्द के प्राण से

सनातन धर्म का प्रतीक हूं धर्म ध्वज कहलाता हूं

हर पावन अवसर पर मैं हमेशा ही लहराता हूं

मंदिर का शिखर या तिरंगे मैं सबसे ऊपर बस्ता हूं 

हर परिस्थितियों में मैं देश वासियों में जान फूंखता रहता हूं

धर्म ध्वज हूं धर्म ध्वज हूं मां भारती का शान हूं

धर्म ध्वज हूं धर्म ध्वज हूं हर भारतीय का प्राण हूं

धर्म ध्वज हूं धर्म ध्वज हूं अधर्मियों का काल हूं

धर्म ध्वज हूं धर्म ध्वज हूं सुख शांति का पैगाम हूं 

धर्म ध्वज हूं धर्म ध्वज हूं हिंदुत्व की पहचान हूं

धर्म ध्वज हूं धर्म ध्वज हूं गुरुओं का आशीर्वाद हूं 

धर्म ध्वज हूं धर्म ध्वज हूं संयासियों का मान हूं

धर्म ध्वज हूं धर्म ध्वज हूं मैं हमेशा आपके साथ हूं

Contentization of History to be taught in schools - A Reply to the MHRD Request

To :     Shri Narendra Modi, The Prime Minister, Government of Bharat, New Delhi

 Through: Shri Dharmendra Pradhan                                                                   

            The Education Minister,

            Government of Bharat, New Delhi

           

Dear Modi Ji and Dharmendra Pradhan Ji,

 

SUB:   The Inclusivity and contentization in the study of History of Bharat in School .

 

Everyone of this great country be it entrepreneurs, self – employed, professionals (from the engineering fraternity, Medical fraternity & Information technology fraternity), educationists (school teachers, professors and administrators), students, agriculturists & agribusiness specialists as well as people working in the government sectors - each one of us shares a dream to make Bharat a “Vishwa Guru” and a “Vishwa Sarathi”. We have accepted that our past is unchangeable but we certainly feel we can pave a much better path for achieving this vision.

 This letter is to address the need for the inclusivity of contents that meet the criteria of relevance, true history of Bharat and ensure that pride and patriotism is established in the minds of the school students. We urge the panel of the HRD ministry under your able leadership to view this message seriously and look at how best these suggestions can be implemented. The points mentioned hereunder are an outcome of intrinsic research of my team with discussions had with parents, educational Institution Heads and students too .

 Understanding The Students Mindset On History….

When we have enquired with students about what they think and feel about history as a schooling subject? The most common responses that we received is

1.       It’s all about wars and dates

2.       Its story about the lives of kings and queens and how they ruled.

3.       It gives information about ruins (the remains of places destroyed) and the monuments that were built in the memory of the kings or their kinsmen.

Though this was their primary understanding, we thought there was more to know and learn from history. It is the subject that not just reveals what happened in the past but also act in building and strengthening the internal makeup the learner or student. It is keeping this in mind that we have envisaged into answering 3 questions (1.) What needs to be revealed to the students and at what level?.... (2.) why should these contents be revealed…. (3.) What is the manner in which it should be revealed?.... 

 What We Feel History Should Mean….

However, we felt there’s a lot that history as a subject can talk about, mean and be taught. Thus, we feel that

1.       The subject should not just be informative but be educative too. It should reveal not just people but also on the science, technology and the wonderful contributions of the people of Bharat from ancient times to the recent medieval times.

2.       It should work on character building through role modelling that reveal the qualities of individuals (Kings, Queens, Ministers, Saints & Other People) that instil valour, courage, steadfastness, honesty, intelligence, wisdom, integrity and should instil the feeling of Bharatiya in them.

3.       The subject should ensure positive reinforcements and mental constructs that bring about constructivism into the children and shun all contents that give or introduce negativism.

4.       It should be FACTS UNVEILED – thus leaving no scope for doubts or disbelief on the content revealed to the students.

 Who should be made responsible for Contentization?

Earlier the onus of creating the content of the history was laid in the hands of well-known historians or writers/ authors or senior schools teachers/ College Teachers teaching history etc who we feel have never proven to be authentic in revealing the true history of our country. They are either fictional or they have had their own interpretations that have brought the present education setup to the cross roads or reworking on the history subject itself. Therefore, it is imperative that this responsibility should be entrusted to the Archaeological Survey Of India (ASI) who are custodians of the evidence (by way of documents, coins, artefacts, ballads, folklore, that reveal the truth of those times. They are authoritative and authentic in actually owning the data through scientific validation and research that will reveal the true history of the country that is essential to be known and made known to every single citizen of this country.  

 What should the content contain and how should it be revealed?

Subject Area	National History	Regional/ Local History
LEVEL 1 – FOR CLASSES 3 TO 5 People & Personalities   These are the years of heroics, hero worship and idolization thus, the students in these classes need inspirational stories that can embed qualities of courage, valour honesty, integrity, patriotism,  pride that can work on building and strengthening the character of the student.	The students should be introduced to people & personalities that create a positive mindset about those people & personalities who made a difference to elevating the name of our country by their presence during their times. These are people whose presence was universally found across the land of AKHAND BHARAT. The lives of these people impacted the whole country though it may have happened in a specific region.   There have been a lot of invasions on this country that were well handled and managed by those great Indians needs to include – about valiant Kings like: Puru (during Alexanders Invasion), Chandragupt Maurya (established the first Akhand Bharat), Skanda Gupt (Huns Invasion), Bappa Rawal (Persian & Arabic Invasion), Pritviraj Chauhan (Ghori Invasion)   There have been saints & sages whose contributions have given an identity to the country & to us too so as to be known in the world as Bharatiya – like Vyasa (Mahabharata) Valmiki (Ramayana), Kashyapa (who was instrumental for Kashmir), Bhagirath (invoking river ganga), Madhwacharya (Proponent of dwaita Philosophy), Adi Shankara (proponent of shaivism/ Advaita),  Ramanujacharya (Shri Vaishnava philosophy),  Meera Bai, Kabir das, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Vivekananda, Aurobindo Gosh, Down to those common men and youth of present India and ancient India who worked through towards attaining Independence.	The students should be introduced to local and regional people & personalities who gave an identity to that region/ local/ state that they are presently living. This will connect the regional history to the children thus making them remember those worthy people who created an impact at those times in that state (Karnataka or Delhi or Orissa or Andhra or Gujarat etc.. each state having their own heros)     The reign of Hakka Bukka, Pulakeshi, Krishnadevaraya, Abbaka, Chennamma etc for Karnataka or Raja Raja Chola, Pandya, etc for Tamil Nadu or Shivaji, Baji Rao Peshwa, Ahilya Bai Holkar etc for Maharashtra and so on for each state they can have their own set of worthy personalities.   Veerabramhendra Swamy, Raghavendra teertha, Ramadasa, Hatiram baba etc of Andhra or  Samarth Ramdas, Tukaram, Namadev, Gnaneshwar etc of Maharashtra or Purandara Dasa, Vijaya Vittala Dasa, Kanakadasa, sakku bai, Basaveshwara, Kaiwar Tataiya etc of Karnataka  and so on for each state they can have their own set of worthy saints who with their contributions brought about a coherent social order..
LEVEL 2 – FOR CLASSES 6 TO 8 Places, Art, Culture & Monuments   These are the times where the students mind is inquisitive and in a state of awe for anything and everything it sees or hears. It is here that he learns to appreciate the wonders around him, seeks to explore and experience without any analysis. Hence the student needs to be introduced to segments that fuels and satisfies the wonders in his own way.	These should Include Forts, the construction and science behind their construction, the systems prevalent there eg the siphon system of water lifting at Golkonda Fort, The whisper communication at Gol Gumbaz, The enemical communication at Golkonda, the Simha Gad/ Kondanda Fort, Mewad fort, Srirangapatnam Fort for their impenetrable quality,  the longest fort in Asia kumbalgarh. Etc..   The temple architecture & the construction of Brihadeeshwara (Tanjavur), Sriranganath Temple (Srirangam), Meenakshi Temple (Madurai), Durga Temple (Aihole), Shri Padmanabhaswamy Temple (Travancore), Chand ki Baudi (Rajasthan), Sun Temple (Konark), Vijaya Vittala Temple (Hampi), Sharada Temple (Shringeri), Chausat Yogini Temple (Madhya Pradesh), Varadaraj Swamy Temple (Kanchipuram), Shore Temples (Mahabalipuram), Maluti Temples (Jharkand), Rabdentse (Sikkim), Basgo (Ladakh), Unakoti (Tripura), Patadakkal (Karnataka), Kanch Mahal (Agra), Bada Bagh (Jaisalmer), Rosary Church (Hasan Karnataka), Zampa Gateway (Diu & Daman), Arvalem Rock Cut (Goa), Undavalli Caves (Andhra), Karle Caves (Maharashtra), Bhangarh Fort (Rajasthan), Jageshwar (Uttarakhand), Cellular Jail (Andaman), Rani Ki Vav (Gujarat), Champner Pavagadh Park (Gujarat), Bidar Fort (Karnataka), Sarkhej Roza (Gujarat), Salim Singh Ki Haveli (Jaisalmer), Maner Sharif (Bihar) etc…. These are places and monuments that are unheard of my almost all the students which have a great history behind in construction, usage and educative making the students well informed about the whole of India rather than just the Taj Mahal or Red Fort of Agra/ Delhi. This can also result in promoting tourism of the respective places.   Art forms Gandhara and Mathura, The paintings of Ajantha, Ellora, Elephanta Caves, Bhimbetka, Lenyadri, Bagh, Sittanavasal, Aramamalai, Badami, Adamgarh, Jogimara etc…. These can help relive the art forms and also encourage students to take up a new skill in painting or sculpturing. Another way of encouraging tourism too.	There can be a few monuments that are regional/ local too present in the respective state that the state can add & propagate it to the students.
LEVEL 3 – FOR CLASSES 9 & 10 Science, Technology & Other Contributions by Indians   These are the years where the students mind gets into mode to exhibit broader comprehension and understanding. It will be their innate nature to explore, analyse, accept and adopt all that can be scientifically explained and supported by facts and evidences.	This section needs to be introduced in 3 segments 1.       VEDIC PERIOD: Years Prior to 1 AD: Vedic Science and all the sciences, achievements, inventions, knowledge bases, philosophies, subject matters which reveal the inventions and sciences that were in existence/ brought into existence/ used and applied at those time. 2.       NEO-VEDIC PERIOD: 1 AD to 1950 : This era should reveal the sciences, technology and the subjective mastery that the neo-Vedic 3.       MODERN INDIA: POST 1950: This era should outline the inventions, innovations, achievements and sciences that have been great contributions in this modern world.

 How should the History Subject be delivered?

It is important to delivere in a manner that is completely different from the way other subjects are taught. This is because all other subjects meet the intellectual aspect of the mind but History goes further deep into addressing the emotional, moral and spiritual aspects of the mind thus impacting the individual as a whole.

 However, when designing the contents and its delivery, it becomes all the more important to look at the IDEA principle.

PRINCIPLE	CONTENTISING & DELIVERY
I – INQUISITIVE	Should create curiosity and satisfy the inquisitive mind
D – DESIRE	Should instil in the student the desire to know more
E – EDUCATE & EXPERIENCE	Should educate through facts/ evidences and placing un-doctored truth before them to help them accept it whole-mindedly. There should be enough ways to help the student experience the history of place/ monuments/ art/ architecture/ painting/ culture etc that will help them ingrain value for the past and also pave their minds towards preservation and conservation.
A – ASSIMILATE	This is the most important aspect of the IDEA principle which partakes in character building. It is the way the entire knowledge and experiential learning is assimilated that results in strengthening his belief system, instilling positivity in him and establishing a healthy mind-set of being pious, progressive, compassionate, respectful and contributive to the nation’s growth and preservation of its identity and culture.

 To deliver the best the teacher needs to be properly and adequately trained and well informed. It therefore becomes a must for ALL HISTORY TEACHERS to

1.      Learn and MASTER THE ART OF STORY TELLING – It is stories and the way it is told creates an impact on the young students mind. The teachers can be trained in story telling by organizations like KATHALAYA who are a group of experts that can help teachers build this most important skill.

2.       SPEAK IN POSTIVE ONLY – History always gives a dichotomy state – winner/ loser; ruler/ruled; master/ slaves; suppressor/ oppressed; believer/ atheist; creator/ destroyer or invader etc… hence the way the teacher communicates can lead into negative aspects or negativity being learnt by the student rather than having and living with positivity, this is because any mind has a tendency to look at either positive or negative and it becomes the duty of the teacher to only do positive reinforcements. This too is a skill that deals with the attitude of educators which can be imparted by organizations like EFIL which specialise in this aspect.

3.       RESEARCH AND ASCERTAIN BEFORE REVEALING or informing or educating the students.  It is essential to get the facts right before putting any content or information across to the learners.

 Respected sir, there is a lot of ideation on the inclusion, contentization, delivery methodology and ways to enable learning in the students has been looked into by our group named Mera Bharat Mahaan. All the members of the group are of the opinion that Character building can happen only through history and therefore this subject needs to be carefully well thought-out and taught such that our future generations exhibit a higher level of patriotism and love for our country – its art, its culture/ traditions, its past and the present such that they tread on the pathways of truth always.

 Therefore we have herein placed our suggestions and recommendations that we urge you to peruse through and take into consideration the vision that we have envisaged with. We sincerely hope that this document will meet the requirement of harnessing in the new era of youngsters who will further leave a mark in the future thus becoming legends for their future generations. We are working on other areas too to share the ground realities which can impact the lives of the masses such that these too can be looked into by the government to make Bharat the Vishwa Guru and Vishwa Sarathy.

Jai Maa Bharati.