A banner I saw made me chuckle all the way to school: POSH ROOMS AVAILABLE ON COT BASIS
Theory of Knowledge
I teach ‘Theory of Knowledge’. That’s part of my job description now. We have many questions that count as TOK questions. Epistemological questions, ethical questions, ontological questions, the works. For once, though, I have a very strong TOK answer rather than a TOK question. The question is, “Can I explain humour?” The answer is ‘no’. […]
Movies and Me
I don’t like horror movies. Or even thrillers, or anything remotely frightening. I don’t find them funny, the way most people seem to. They don’t make me laugh and say, “How lame! That’s not scary at all!” I get scared. It’s as simple as that. I remember a time we got together to watch Hide and […]
The Decimal System
I was just thinking about how glad I was that the decimal system was in place. With the wonderful zero, 10 mm conveniently make a cm, 100 cm make a metre and all of that – how beautifully easy. No more thoughts of 12 inches to a foot, and complicated measurements for yards and miles. […]
Guess what I received today!
A very dear, thoughtful friend of mine sent this to me! I know it’s unclear! But aren’t telegrams supposed to be? (Clicking on the picture does open a clearer image)
What is literature?
I asked my AS Level class, “What is literature?” One by one, students came and wrote on the board what they thought. ‘The study of a language.’ ‘The study of poetry and drama.’ ‘The study of a language, poetry, prose and drama.’ “What about a diary or travelogue?” I hinted. ‘Anything that is written.’ “What […]
On Being Modern
With older relatives, I often get high praise for my ability to use technology efficiently. With great pride, my grandparents and great-aunts and great-uncles, sing praises of my abilities. Some of my abilities that my family advertises: Varsha can fix the speakers! (I put the cable into the socket) Varsha can fix the camera! (I […]
Getting a Promotion
In the Air Force, it is compulsory to speak Hindi to get a promotion. Commands must be given in Hindi. So my grandfather, a recipient of the AVSM (Ati Vishisht Seva Medal) had to prove he could speak at least a little Hindi in order to be promoted. The problem was that he could not […]
Prized Modern Inventions
I remember my great grandfather (who, incidentally, lived to be 105) watching cricket on TV. The volume was very low and that, for some reason, used to annoy me. It was like a constant buzz – neither silent nor noisy. His logic was that he was deaf and would not be able to hear anyway, […]
Imagination
I sometimes think about what other people must be thinking about what I’m thinking. Cycling home from my grandfather’s place early this morning, I was amused at bystanders waiting for buses. I thought about what they would be thinking about how dedicated I was about exercising everyday. I imagined conversations with real people and recollected […]
Counterblast to Tobacco
While researching the history of the Stuarts, I discovered some delightful pieces of information. Elizabeth I did not trust tobacco – it made her sick. But she was also intrigued by it. Once, she bet Raleigh that he would be unable to tell her the weight of the smoke. Raleigh was, always, a performer. He […]
Picnic!
I insist that the way I left school in the morning set my mood. People (read ‘teachers and students’) hate duty that takes them out of school into the hot sunshine. I exclaimed, “Picnic!” Other teachers laughed at me. I replied, “In the afternoon, I can complain; now at least, I’ll go happy!” But even […]
Board Exam
Ought I to be nervous? Concerned? Stressed? My students are writing their board exams. I wished them luck, gave them a pep talk and some last minute ‘tips’. One student asked me for a vocabulary list he can use. I wanted to tell him ‘a’, ‘an’, ‘the’. Instead, I told him not to use ‘hi-fi’ […]
My Camera Journey
Somehow, digital cameras have turned me away from photography. It is, somehow, I don’t know… Too technical? Too easy to get a good shot? Or perhaps a part of me loved the exclusivity of photography that no longer exists. I remember the first camera my father gave me when I was ten years old. A […]
Invigilator
Right through school, I enjoyed exams. People found that odd, so I often did not confess that I loved exams. I loved the excited anticipation just before exams. I loved that clean, fresh uniform. (Somehow, the exam uniform stays cleaner than a regular day’s uniform.) I loved the light bag with barely any books in […]
Non-Cooperation
Leela Samson, in her book Rukmini Devi writes: ‘Mrs Besant disagreed with Gandhi on the issue of non-cooperation. Her opinion was that mass civil disobedience was fraught with dangerous possibilities. She was apprehensive of the nation’s integrity being weakened as a result. She repeatedly warned that if and when India attained swaraj, it should be careful not […]
Dysfunctional Internet
I remember when internet did not exist. I remember when internet at home was unheard of and we always had to go to a Cyber Cafe. I remember when internet at home was the standard dial up connection with loud trrrrrrrr-tiktiktiktiktiktiktik-peeeeeep-peeeeep-khrrrr-peeeeee-khrrrr I remember when the flashing modem constantly made me squirm and count how many minutes […]
Naughty Boys
Everyday at school, I learn something new. Yesterday, the boys in my class did something that I can’t help laughing at, even though I know that the joke is on me. I don’t like wearing a watch and haven’t worn one for several years now. In school, though, I do wear a watch because I […]
Classes at School
I had an awful class yesterday. A teacher was absent, so her class was clubbed with mine. I was not particularly sceptical; I did not think I needed to be. How wrong I was! I did not know what to do with sixteen-year-old children determined to take advantage of a new teacher. There was a […]
Another School, Another Life
I began another life today. I am to teach English at MIT Pune’s Vishwashanti Gurukul. I felt awkward listening to staff room gossip. How funny it is that I had to open yet another bank account in the same bank. What a beautiful campus! What an awful bus journey. What a lovely library! (I want […]