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Showing posts from August, 2020

Peak (ing)

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 Rakhi came back home from school with a wide smile  She had ran the entire distance, which was about a mile Such moments of happiness come far in between and are rare She had promised to herself to better in this personal dare She was a contender for this position since last few years When she did not achieve it, she was sometimes in tears Rakhi topped in school during her first Unit test of SSC Desperate was she to handover her marksheet for parents to see Jumping and smiling, she flashed her marksheet, with expectation What happened next was beyond anybody's imagination Her father actually exclaimed, why were you in such a hurry? Realising his instant reaction, he apologized and said "I'm sorry" His  father was her "in-house" critic as well as her best friend She knew his reaction was an important lesson he wanted to send He said "Peaking early" could be recipe for disaster in the making It may put off the fire burning deep within and stop one i

The Peak

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When a student is born in Science, he wishes to do MBBS When a Student is born in Commerce, he wishes to CA When a runner is born, he wishes to do a Marathon When a Mountaineer is born, he wishes to Summit the Peak - Mt. Everest!!! Imagine a mountaineer who was so crazy to summit the peak that he cycled all his way to EBC - EVEREST BASE CAMP from Sweden. He covered a distance of 13,000 kms approx over his specially made bicycle weighing 108kgs of gear and food.  After reaching the Base camp and Acclimatise there, made several enquiries with the Everest Expedition available there. He then decided to do Solo ascent without Bottled Oxygen or Sherpa Support. This was Goran Kroop. Being an experienced mountaineer, Mr Kroop was confident enough to reach the summit. He started his journey from Sweden on 16th October, 1995 and reached EBC during April 1996.  ****************** Mount Everest is the highest Himalayan mountain at 8,850 metres and is considered as the highest point on Earth. Mount

IKIGAI (Book Review)

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IKIGAI - A Japanese Secret to Long and Happy Life by Hector Gracia & Fancesc Miralles (translated by Heather Cleary) A very small but an effective book which shows the way for living a long life. The authors have not only stated the definition and other features of the word "IKIGAI" but took pains to travel to the actual place and interview the "CENTENERIANS" and many such stories are published in this book.The entire narrative is simple to understand for an average reader and tips to implement the same is also given. Hailing from the West, the authors have made comparative study of various practices on similar lines and how "IKIGAI" helps people of the Island OKINAWA survive for longer years is put up beautifully. The travel to a smaller village within the island - OGIMI - called as the Village of Longetivity is penned up wonderfully that the reader can actually have a sense of belonging. IKIGAI in English roughly translates to "the happiness of

The Best (Poem)

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One must pass through the test Perform better than the rest To be called as the "Best" Many things are at stake in this game Money, time, respect, ego and even fame For being the Best, the urge is always the Same The difference is always a thin margin A micro second decides whose out and  whose in One person loses and the other person win The results of this race are always subjective  What matters is not only the efforts you give Its important to focus on goal and achieve The Mind needs to be trained with adequate rest For the Competitor will put his abilities to test You have to sacrifice the luxuries in your nest And on the d-day perform better than your best A simple word of caution amidst this preparation There is always a life beyond Competition The  most important aspect is active Participation Your presence inculcating fear and Perspiration Give your best and emerge a Winner In the process, do not be a Sinner Its important have peaceful sleep and good Dinn

The Best!!!

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 He Came, He Conquered, He Left!!! Millions of Fans all over the World!!! An Awesome Cricketing Brain!!! Huge Risk Taker!!! Believer in No.7!!! The most successful Indian Captain!!! (Captain Cool) The BEST!!!     - Yeah you guessed it right - Mr.  Mahendra Singh Dhoni!!! (Mahii) "When you die, you die. You don't think which is a better way to die" This reply of Dhoni speaks volume about his character and mettle. It was in a press release when he was asked which was more hurting - The England 2011 Whitewash or The Whitewash in Australia.Not only the meida tears you apart after a losing foreign tour but the burden of expectation of 1.3 billion Indians is too tough to meet. Being the Captain of the Indian Cricket Team is probably the most difficult job in India. Even though no captain leaves any stone unturned to bring out the best in the team, failures are part of the sports but Indians can never digest the same and immediately react to the same negatively. Even stalwart li

The Fall

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Rakesh and his trekking team does some magnificent   job for Conservation of Forts built by the Great Maratha Warrior - Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.  The entire team travels to different forts on weekly basis, analyses the existing situation at fort, comes back and calls for a meeting of core members, decide the course of action to be taken. The visiting team is generally of lesser number while the executing team is large. One word of caution, that Rakesh shares is whenever Fort Conservation is to be done - Approval from concerned Authority is compulsory. All forts are taken care by different authorities like Archaeological Department or Forest Officer or Gram Panchayat.  A Written permission is required approving the nature of work any team is going to perform because these are historical monuments and you may be held responsible for any damage happening now or some time later too. The application sent to above Authorities must have all the detailing of the work to be undertaken so tha

The 'New' Normal - Online Teaching (My experiences)

When online teaching was enforced upon teachers, the first to stand up and accept the challenge was Coaching Class teachers. It was really difficult to adapt to the new way of teaching. MCOA, our parent association, swung into action immediately and taught the new ways to be adapted and various tools available for online teaching. The  most experienced teachers were the most affected ones as their age was not allowing them to Shift the Paradigm. Their belief in the existing system of Classroom teaching was strong and the students in front of them are better manageable than those who hid behind their names on screen was very true.  Starting early gave them control over the way the lectures were being conducted. Some additional time was now invested for preparing PPTs to make lectures interesting and improving typing speed for better reach to students.Kudos to each teacher who took efforts at this level for this mammoth task on hand. With dawn of August, it was almost 4 months of online

Cozy

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That day, Arjun woke up suddenly early morning. Actually, he could not sleep the entire night. It was his results day and he knew for himself that he had not attempted his papers to the best of his abilities and he knew somewhere down the line that he would not be able to cross even this time. This was his 3rd attempt at Board Exams and Arjun somehow could not give his best when it came to studies. Though his parents did not say anything through words but their actions always pointed out his failure. Arjun digested these gestures but he was frustrated from inside as this education was ruining his otherwise normal life. This frustration was slow-poisoning his mind and he was becoming a victim of depression too. His mother came rushing to him, she tried to calm his nerves as she was aware of things going through her child's mind His father though did not talk to him, gave a glance and moved away. He completed his morning Chores and went to school to know about his result. Anxiety and

The 'Chain' of Unknown

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Raj was lazying on his sofa after finishing his work for the day. It has been a frustrating period of Work from Home since past 2-3 months due to Covid -19 situation.  Just then the phone buzzed and a Whatsapp message popped. It was message from his good friend, Suraj - "Urgently need A -ve blood. If you have any reference, please contact Mr. Suraj, phone number xxxxxxxxx, Get Well Hospital". Raj was zapped and immediately called Suraj to ask the whereabouts. Suraj explained Naresh met with an accident and was in urgent need of blood. Naresh had A -ve blood group. Since the blood group was rare, he was finding it difficult to get the blood bags. Moreover, all the blood banks ran out of blood during the Covid-19 days. Suraj hung up the phone requesting Raj to check out for any availability through his contacts. Raj swung into action. He was a part of few socially active group which had regular blood donors as members. He immediately forwarded the Whatsapp message  across the g

New Education Policy 2020 - My views

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The New Education Policy 2020 was approved by the Union Cabinet bringing about transformational reforms in the Schooling system as well Higher Education existing in our Country. A first glimpse of the Policy highlights various positive initiatives w.r.t development in the World of Education. To be at par with international level, it is absolutely necessary to revamp the entire existing system.  The NEP 2020 proposes to change the existing 10+2 pattern to a 5+3+3+4. The Concept of Education through Play for the toddlers is a Wonderful thought process which would be coupled with Teachers Training for the same simultaneously.  Further, to improve the basic learning and writing through a National Mission for students of 6 years to 9 years is appreciable too. At the next stage, The concept of Skill development through Vocational Training and Internship would be path breaking thought process.  Also introducing Coding at 6th Grade is an appreciable move to bring out revolution in  the field o