What it takes to educate a single child?

Karanvir Gupta — Sun, 02 Oct 2016 08:08:00 +0000

A teacher alone? Or books shall be sufficient enough? Maximum we can think of is a combination of both so as to ensure that what is there in the books reach effectively to the students. Unfortunately this is far fetch a reality.

I have always believed in the supremacy of the education. Because I believe Education alone can get us rid of many a vices that are so ingrained in our system and society. Be it corruption, lackadaisical attitude, indifference, lack of civic sense, economic disparity, – all these could be easily eradicated once we ensure that each and every child born is given education.

This left me wanting to work towards this cause. I wanted to make myself available in the best possible capacity. And it took me to volunteer with Teach For India. While I attended workshops, sessions by social influencers talked to different stakeholders and met people who have created a huge impact in the lives of impoverished sect, I saw the other side of reality up and close.

Education – it turns out – is beyond education. Too many hurdles in the ecosystem that prevent a child from consuming education.

Elder sibling studying, hence no education to the second child; an idle father, children have to earn; mothers working as helpers, children do not want to study; not so congenial atmosphere at home, high rate of dropouts and etcetra, etcetra.

And the ones who reach to school have no infrastructure (I am not talking about benches here but toilets, boards, electricity and sometimes even teachers are missing).

In such a pity state of affairs this becomes almost next to impossible that children will attain education in its entirety and ever. This seems to be no closure deal! Saddening though but it makes me to believe that organisations alone cannot overcome this problem unless people like you and me take a step forward.

While I talk to you about all this, I sincerely urge each one of you reading this to make small little attempts to provide these children education. Some of the simple ways that come to my mind are:

Share the food with your helpers and offer them food for their family members if you can
Do not belittle them and create happy work places for them so that they can spread the same congenial atmosphere when they reach their homes
Talk to them about civic and other issues (abuse, etc.) they are facing and help them overcome them
If finances permit you, sponsor somebody’s education
If time permits, be a teacher to children in the locality
Educate them about the importance of health and fitness
Share with them civic values in a language/gesture they can understand

While at home, these are few steps we can take to spread the wings of education because Education is beyond just education. It is the ecosystem that promulgates the importance and acceptance of education. This danutsav– Joy of Giving week, let us pledge that we in our best possible capacities shall give the gift of education.

For one child we help getting educated

Can lit the spark in the lives of yet another million

And you never know where and when a seed sown

Shall reap the healthiest of the harvests

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Buddha in a Traffic Jam – Caught in Real Times!

Karanvir Gupta — Sun, 15 May 2016 16:32:00 +0000

Very off beat, very unlike Indian cinema yet very much us. That is Buddha in a Traffic Jam. It’s all happening out there yet we are oblivion of the fact as if all’s good and we are all happy-happy. That is Buddha in a Traffic Jam.

Some movies might not have a story, like I didn’t find one in this one. Some movies are dreadful, intriguing that make you so lost in the thought process that make you wonder WHY (of so many kinds)? You are entangled in the muck which you start believing might exists everywhere.

“Corruption is good” is the catch phrase that Professor uses to identify his targets who can be an accomplice to him in his mission against imperialists and the capitalists. And so you pretend to be one among the flock, which you are eventually putting a fight against. Yes, the movie is about Socialism vs. Capitalism.

Well, neither I am so well read on the subject matter nor do I have the capacity to give a verdict of my own on what is better and what is not; there were messages that I already find interesting and saddening enough.

A large poster of Cola companies put out there in the open in front of which millions go thirsty. Fast Food outlets where we hurry up through our meals and children just begging outside for that single meal of the day. The nakedness that sells in commercial mode is a symbol of poverty in the rural boundaries. What is supposed to be the property of public is enjoyed by handful of people. This resonates with my opinion that only few select groups/individual have a hold on the wealth and resources.

And rest of them are left to starve and die. I strongly believe that everybody should have an equal opportunity to make their lives and career (which too is missing in our system). Because at the end of it connections matter more than merit!

Contradistinguish, I felt perplexed as circumstances evolved in the movie because at one point of time, I started feeling that how Education makes you so opinionated and puts you at risk. Not only that, it also makes you caught up in your own sweet world which might actually be a beehive.

I wonder if education can ever be an enemy of development. Can education teach people to go for bloodshed? Does education gives you the courage enough to put a face of terror to fight against injustice. I believe it does! Education is NOT all so hunky-dory. It can very well wear a mask that is dangerous. And that is the scariest part of the movie.

All this makes me wonder more that how we as society, as parents need to give our children a strong moral and civic sense so that when they attain education, it leads them to liberal thoughts and point of views and they contribute in building a developed world. And most importantly enable them to make a distinction of good and bad (which otherwise too is a very subjective world)

Overall, wonderful screenplay, brilliant dialogues, fair-good enough acting, okay-ish storyline but a powerful concept!

I think our generation must watch this because these are the times we belong to if for nothing else!

And by the end of movie I realise that there can be 2 different reasons for keeping the title so:

a. As a satire that how we behave as Buddhas in such conflicting times

b. Or let us be Buddhas in such a conflicting times

(left to interpretations and that is such a big turn-on for me in a movie)

The post Buddha in a Traffic Jam – Caught in Real Times! appeared first on Thebuswindow.

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What it takes to educate a single child?

Buddha in a Traffic Jam – Caught in Real Times!