 |
|
| Monday,
June 16, 2003, Chandigarh, India
|
|
||||
HAMARA SCHOOL If you want your little one to master the craft of making photo-frames or pencil holders out of cardboard, besides learning the art of singing and dancing, "Fun and frolic" summer workshop being organised in Sector 38 (West) is the right place. Even before you enter the ground floor hall decked up with cheerful balloons and bright cut-outs, the excited shrieks of enthusiastic children, over the thumping beats of latest dance numbers, greet you. As you step inside the hall, you see scores of youngsters cutting foot loose in perfect rhythm. Guided by organiser Sonika Thatai, they change steps just like "dextrous dancers taking part in boogie woogie or some other song and dance competition". This is not all. As soon as the high-wattage stereo is switched off, the children comfortably sit on the polished floor to paint pots or breathe life in clay after moulding it in the shape of animals. They listen with full attention as another organiser Swati Arora teaches them the way of preparing decoration pieces after gluing wooden ice-cream spoons. Or else prepare giant cut-outs of characters in cartoon films. When they get bored of painting and drawing, the kids sit in front of the computers. No, not just to play games, but also to browse through the relevant information about plant and animal kingdom after inserting the floopy disc. They
also learn the art of typing in the relevant information, even
preparing an annual planners for keeping track of their day to day
activities, including homework. |
Grooming of a different kind
When the entire student population of Chandigarh is busy grooming themselves through one or the other summer workshops, a group of young children and young adult are struggling hard to grasp at the basic facts of life. They are the people who are mentally challenged, coming from various corners of the city - some of them do have a certain degree of formal education and rest having none.
The summer camp for mentally challenged children are being organised by Government Institute for Mentally Retarded Children in sector 32. This 25 day long camp which started on June 2, focuses on teaching its participants about the basics of life - colours, shapes and different objects. For those with relatively higher IQ, there are classes on art and craft, besides dance and music. Special films are being shown to the participants to help them identify vegetables and flowers, different objects and animals. Towards the end of the workshop a team of special educators will also impart training on day to day activities like how to make a bed, getting dressed up and table manners. There are about 45 participants below the age group of 20 years are taking part in the workshop. As many as 25 are from the Institute itself while the authority of the institute is giving more focus on bringing the outside children to participate in the workshop. The workshop is open for all children having severe retardation, profound, moderate and borderline retardation. It also includes children and young adults having physical disability so that a mixed group is formed and they learn to draw courage and inspiration from each other. "Through this workshop we are also trying to generate awareness that such special children needs plenty of care and patient handling but they can overcome the hurdles in life in the long run," says Sister H B David, one of the special educators of the institute. Six volunteers from outside are joining hands with the inhouse team of special educators for achieving their goal. The workshop concludes on June 27 with a cultural show and exhibition of the craft items made by the students on this occasion. |
||
|
Making science a part of everyday life Centre for Education and Voluntary Action is making an endeavor to cut through the fear most of the women suffer from when it comes to explaining science to their children. The group of participants contains a mixed bag - children, housewives and teachers who will be given training on how to relate science in day to day activity from a layman's point of view.
So it is interesting how the explanations on balancing act or displacement of water bodies flow with CEVA's theatrical elements attached to it. This workshop is a part of CEVA's Development of Science and Technical Literacy project which aims at training resource persons as well as making an activity bank on the teaching methodology. Science teaching has come a long way Ms. Harleen Kohli, Co-ordinator of the workshop. “It is no longer confined to the once a week trip to a smelly laboratory. There are many creative possibilities to hook a child’s mind to the wonders of science, to bring to her consciousness the mysteries of existence,” she adds. While most of us know how certain things are happening in our lives but when it comes to explain it in a scientific backdrop, most of us fumble with words, feels Ms. Kohli, Co-ordinator of the workshop. "This workshop is to make people understand that science is not something alien but just a systematic explanation of things which are happening in our lives everyday and it makes life better to understand those happening from a scientific point of view," adds Ms. Kohli. Though essentially science based workshop, it does not come without a minor dose of humour attached to it. "Roti kyo phulti hai" is a skit specially designed to show the comic side of science finding its way into a women's kitchen. There are other activities like participatory songs and query sessions to relate science with everyday life. The workshop concludes on June 16. |
||
|
SCHOOL WORLD AS we all very well know that the term in the “counselling” is used to describe activities, which may include; careers advice, the ‘lending of a listening ear’ and, more formally, support for children and young people, through the work of a professional and qualified counselor. Why I say “professional and qualified counsellor” is because it is an activity in which you deal with the finer emotions of a child and any wrong step or advice can lead to serious consequences. To quote the definition given by British Association of Counsellors, “Counselling is a process which assists the individual young client to focus on their particular concerns and developmental issues, while simultaneously exploring specific problems, making choices, coping with crisis, working through feelings and improving relationships with others. Counselling enables young people to gain better understanding of themselves and situations as well as developing strategies to cope with change.” A child spends more than half his/her waking hours in school and it is here that he faces most of the difficulties of life, whether it is academic or personal pressure. So emotional turmoil’s that a child faces may impinge on, or have the potential to interfere with his/her learning and personal development. For example, children may experience family conflicts, bereavement, bullying, examination pressures, inferiority complexes, and drug or alcohol abuse. To cope with and support their pupils through the difficulties, schools need to provide counselling services to them. So it becomes essential for the schools to understand the need of counselling cells in the present scenario. There are just a countable number of schools that provide Counselling services in their campus. Even these are not always available in schools when young people need them. This problem arises either because teaching staff has other commitments, or because external services are provided only at certain times of the week. All of the schools working with external voluntary agencies also feel the need of greater access to such counselling services. Now the main difficulty faced by the schools in providing counselling services is that of finance. So arises the need of finding a suitable way of providing these services in the set budget of the schools. I personally feel that teachers, if given proper training and time, are best placed to guide and provide help to their pupils .So what we can do is develop counselling skills in our teachers. Train them to help their pupils to obtain a balance and harmony between their personal and academic development. Every teacher should understand the paramount importance of this activity. It is not only the patient list provide them but also you need to be their friend and guide. So the schools need to coherent approach to staff development and training, and also provide provision of accrediting the qualifications for those who provide counselling services. A few ways in which counselling can be introduced are: Arranging and involving the teaching staff in more specialists counselling roles; Employing counsellors as staff members ; Opting to work with external voluntary agencies which provide a counselling service within the school and inviting psychologists to the school at regular intervals. Along with the counselling services provided to the child in the schools there is also a great need for home liaison counselling, that is counselling for parents also. *Dr (Mrs) Madhu Chitkara, ex-senior lecturer, Dev Samaj College of Education, Sector 36-B & Best Teacher State awardee, 1987 |
||
|
TRICKY CROSSWORD-17
Down 1 The resinous substance which forms the base for shellac (3) - 2 Many eggs, merely the female gamete (3) - 3 Destruction, wasteland (10) - 4 The white matter of the brain and spinal chord (4) - 5 Kids play with it, dogs love to fetch it (5) - 6 A traditional dress among the Arabs made of camel hair (3) - 7 Relating to (10) - 8 A coffee cake (6) - 11 A hostile predatory incursion [pl.] (5) - 13 A showy plant with arrow shaped leaves (4) - 16 Kings of Russia (5) - 17 Of the clock (6) - 19 A drop of clear saline fluid secreted by the lacrimal gland (4) - 21 Small, as in the bourgeoisie (5) - 25 Grassland marked by light thicket[pl.] (4) - 27 Honorific among the Hindus (3) - 28 No, aye (3) - 29 Gross National Product (3). Solution to last week’s crossword: Across: 1 Gads, 5 Waive, 10 Here, 11 Anvil, 12 Enol, 13 Loyal, 14 Tenfold, 16 Tie, 17 Daemon, 21 Odd-job, 23 Ala, 24 Unyoked, 26 Siena, 29 Levi, 30 Elect, 31 Aden, 32 Cocoa, 33 Vole. Down: 1 Ghetto, 2 Aeneid, 3 Droned, 4 Self, 5 Wallaby, 6 Anode, 7 Ivy, 8 Via, 9 Ell, 15 Odonata, 18 Make do, 19 O-level, 20 Nadine, 22 Junco, 25 Olav, 26 Sec, 27 ILO, 28 EEC. © Dr. M . Rajivlochan |
|
DAILY NEWS QUIZ Answers to the following questions are hidden in the last one weeks’ Tribune. Happy Hunting!!!! 1.Which
relative of former Chief Minister Mr Prakash Singh Badal was arrested this week? 2.Where in Punjab did a blast and fire in an industrial unit claim 3 lives this week? 3.Which city will host the 13th IAAF
World Half Marathon championship scheduled to be held in October this year. 4. According to an international news report, which nation has been given a clean chit on production of chemical weapons? 5. Which company will be opening an e-governance centre of excellence at Gurgaon? The first ten correct entries received will be published in this space next week. Your entries should reach us by email at contest@tribuneindia.com by June 21, 2003 Answers to last week’s quiz:1Surinam 2. Jalandhar 3.Living History 4. Hennen-Herdenne 5. Weapons of Mass Destruction. Correct entries sent by : Antarikh Saini, Ravneet Kaur, Sushant Verma, Kartar Singh, Imandeep Singh, Swati
Billus, Rajinder Thakur |
|
|
Kids end workshop
with gusto Chandigarh, June 15 Starting the show with a prayer, the participants staged a play highlighting the parental pressure on children to perform well in areas chosen by them, which many a time has nothing to do with the actual potential of the child. The script was evolved during an interactive session during the workshop and dialogues were written by the participants. A dance drama by Nityanshu followed in which he portrayed a few scenes from famous Walt Disney movie “Lion King”. The show picked pace by a fusion dance, Versatile Moods, in which both junior and senior groups danced to a number of songs. Another play, Raju Ki Kahni, was staged by the junior group. The show concluded with a kathak recital by Amandeep. |
|
Personality
development camp Chandigarh, June 15 Speaking on the moral values, Mr Brahamjit Kalia, former District Education Officer told students about the importance of self-introspection. Dr P.N. Thapar, president of the Punjab State BVP, and Dr Mamta spoke on health issues. Ms Ved Nanda, expert from the Institute of Dynamic Memory, gave useful tips on learning and memory retention. The camp concluded with Swami Brahmeshananji, ‘Secretary, Ramkrishna Mission, Chandigarh, interacting with the students. An exhibition on the life and teachings of Swami Vivekanand was also organised on the occasion. |
|
‘Reschedule counselling dates’ Chandigarh, June 15 |
Dancing their way to happiness Chandigarh, June 15 After taking a visharad in kathak from Nandan Mahavidyalaya, Mumbai, Shailja settled for her mission, which entailed not just physical but an equal amount of emotional labour. “I remember how people used to mock at me. My commitment became an object of controversy, with people saying all kinds of things. But I knew my path. All I did was follow it with faith. It was just not easy. Even these handicapped children were not forthcoming to seek my services which were available all the time. I worked my way up the ladder of faith and finally I was thrilled to see my dreams taking shape. I was actually helping children, without fully functional limbs, dance and feel good about it too.” Today Shailja is the only one in the country who has trained over 3000 disabled children in dance. She is perhaps the only one who has also trained her children to dance with crutches. In “Baisakhi”, her special home for the physically challenged which she runs in Nagpur, Shailja has 12 children. From their education to their grooming, Shailja takes care of all their demands. As she says, “It is a virtual home and also a school. Girls are taught and trained to value themselves for all that God has endowed them with. My biggest achievement is not that my troupe won the first prize in the all-India dance contest in 1996, but that they did it in style. For them, their disability is also an asset. And why not? It is a part of many elements which they have been born with. If beautiful eyes can be counted among a girl’s asset, why can’t a deformed leg be? Where is the distinction. Nowhere, expect in the mind.” Like teacher, like students. Shailja’s children love to talk about her as their mentor. As Rameshwari, who has learnt to dance bhawai balancing seven pots on her head, says, “For us, she is God. She had nothing to gain from us but she never gave up until we were gathered to courage to move on. Thanks to her, I have stopped feeling miserable about my disability. I would rather love myself as I am.” Others in Shailja’s troupe, who performed at Pracheen Kala Kendra later in the evening were Abhilasha, Kanta, Raja Yadav and Rukmini. There were also four normal children along with nine disabled. Said the director, “The idea is to bridge the gap. When they dance together no one can make out the difference between bodies and how they move. The difference is only visible during normal movement.” The presentation was truly inspiring. It had ingredients of a rare show of determination and grace. The children performed feats on stage — Abhilasha, with her deformed limbs danced on pieces of broken glass, picked up currency notes and also sported seven pots as she performed bhawai, the Rajasthani folk dance; Raja Yadav danced with crutches; four other physically challenged children presented Chari, another folk dance form in which the dancers sport burning vessels as they seek blessings of
Nataraja. |
|
Shiamak Davar to attend dance show Chandigarh, June 15 The 14-day dance workshop is being organised under the aegis of the Durga Das Foundation at Bhargava Auditorium tomorrow. |
 |
| Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir | Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs | Nation | Editorial | | Business | Sport | World | Mailbag | Chandigarh Tribune | Ludhiana Tribune 50 years of Independence | Tercentenary Celebrations | | 123 Years of Trust | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
Across 1 Also known as Lydda (3) - 4 Taken by surprise (5) - 9 An expression of greeting used in the Asterix comic books (3) - 10 To work (6) - 12 A port town in Morocco widely known for a film of that name (10) - 14 Pertaining to the mouth (4) - 15 The Greek symbol X (3) - 16 The balsam of toly (4) - 18 A spirited horse (5) - 20 A naughty boy (5) - 22 Eagle with a white tail [pl.] (4) - 23 Alternate, also altitude (3) - 24 Vigorous spirit or enthusiasm (4) - 26 To engage in noisy revelry (10) - 30 In metal working it is known as slag otherwise also the word for lava pieces (6) - 31 Anagram from Ann (3) - 32 To tie together [pl.] (5) - 33 Simply put, to cheat (3).