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Assault on
innocence
Educationists need
to assess their contribution towards moulding children, writes J.S.
Rajput
| WHAT
has happened in Gurgaon School on December 11 is no less than the
warning of an educational tsunami that is building up. One is shocked
and sad at the loss of a precious life and the damage that the system
will inflict on the other two budding lives. There are sufficient
reasons that the trend if not responded to professionally and
seriously, may become uncontrollable in coming years. No society can
ignore such clear warning signals. |
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Lesson
for teachers
Teachers need to deal with
aggression by becoming more aware of disruptive behaviours and
managing them at an early stage, says Simmi
Waraich
WHY
does a 14 year old boy kill a classfellow? Story has it so far that
the boy bullied the assassins. Another newspaper reported that the boy
who pulled the trigger had "Bad boy" or "Ziddi
boy" written all over his books. So was the child an aggressive
stubborn child who as a result of his behaviour received harsh
criticism from parents / teachers? Where does the "bad boy"
self projection come from?
Wake-up
call
The recent shooting
incident in a school has brought the role of parents and schools
centrestage, Aarti Kapur reports from
Gurgaon
THE
recent incident at the Euro International school, Gurgaon, where class
VIII boys killed their classmate with a revolver in the school campus
as he used to bully them is an eye-opener. We are forced to think
about the environment in which children are growing up under the
influence of arms and money. Money and the status of parents is the
criteria for the admission of children to the top schools of the city.
Somerset
serenity
Rajbir
Deswal & Chander Koumdi visit a quiet coastal village in
south England that maintains its own rhythm and pace. Even the sun
seems to go down in Porlock as if it is not in a hurry...
WE
started from London early to avoid the morning rush. A couple of
hours’ drive took us to some of the most scenic slopes. Initially we
had planned to visit the three most beautiful counties of south
England — Somerset, Devon and Dorset. But information collected from
a tourist centre on the way changed our mind and we decided to zero
down on an English village in Somerset close to the sea.
Few
takers for serious cinema
Films based on women issues
like Gauri – The Unborn and Provoked have failed to
click with the masses, says Vimla Patil
Marketing
is the soul of success of a Bollywood film today. "Today, with
the network of multiplexes spreading their tentacles into the entrails
of smaller towns, the ‘life’ of a movie is barely five to seven
weeks after release," says a leading distributor, "Thus, a
film has to wrap up its collection within the first week of its
release and book its full investment and profit immediately within the
next week."
New-look
Hanuman
Hanuman in shirt and knickers
and Narada doing a jig while chanting Om Shanti Om on his guitar are
all set to storm the kids’ world with Hanuman Returns, says Randeep
Wadehra
Sooner
or later this was bound to happen. With the wealth of Pauranic and
other mythic tales and well-honed craft of storytelling as part of our
culture, it was only a matter of time before these found the right
medium for reaching out to the national as well as global audience.
Star-struck
Aamir
Taare Zameen Par is
the most important film on children to come out in India, says Aamir
Khan about his directorial debut
Aamir
Khan, who has lately been
in the media spotlight for slamming the award winning film Black,
says his upcoming directorial debut Taare Zameen Par is the
most important film on children to come out in India. "In my
opinion it is the most important film on children to come out of
India. I mean in its content," Aamir has written in his blog
aamirkhan.com.
German
TV takes on death
Tony Paterson in Berlin
THE
Germans will soon become the first TV viewers in the world to enjoy
the dubious privilege of watching a "This was your life"
series about their deceased relatives and friends on a channel devoted
exclusively to old age, death and dying. Etos TV, which takes its name
from the Greek word for a year, will feature documentaries about
graveyards, televised obituaries, retirement home tips and even advice
about installing in-house stair-lifts for the elderly or infirm.
Enduring
entertainers
Randeep Wadehra
THERE
are TV shows that are ‘long running’, they appear to be eternal.
With the dawn of satellite television in India, new paradigms for
entertainment were set. During the DD days certain limits were
prescribed for the portrayal of women characters and family conflicts.
Anger was muted even in such bold serials as Aur Bhi Hain Rahein.
But Zee TV’s Tara came up with a bolder and yet vulnerable
version of womanhood.
Games
that sharpen your mind
Chennai-based organisation
Kreeda has revived several traditional games to give
children and adults an alternative to electronic entertainment and a
means to bond,
writes Ambujam Anantharaman
A
concerted effort is being made by Kreeda, an organisation in Chennai,
to revive the traditional games of India so that they do not die out.
Through such efforts, Kreeda also hopes to give children and adults an
alternative to electronic entertainment and a means to bond, while
also exploring ways to use such games to teach, impart life skills and
facilitate corporate training.
Xmas
is all about giving
Selecting Christmas gifts for
friends is difficult because homes today are cluttered with all kinds
of consumer items. Ultimately, what matters is the sincere thought and
genuine affection that wrap the gift, says Anju
Munshi
SO
what are you doing this Christmas? What to wear? What gifts would be
the most unusual and cherished by your loved ones? Admittedly, you are
under pressure to live up to their expectations as no one likes
mediocrity these days. Every year around this time, these thoughts
nudge you to do things differently this year— different clothes, a
different party theme, different venue, different gifts.
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