jagmohan
November 17th, 2006, 09:36 PM
Dear Friends,
Remember me!
Good to be back after a rather long break. Many of you are aware that I had relocated from Mumbai (FIAT INDIA PVT LTD) to Sukh Ram Memorial Public School, Village Kalirawan in Hisar District wef 01 Aug 2006. I thought it is time to share my experiences with all members. His is my first post card from Kalirawan.
1. My initial and honest opinion is that I am indeed involved in something worthwhile. Nothing can be more satisfying than being with students who realize that education is important.
2. The villager is much more smart and intelligent than many city dwellers. Have no doubts about that.
3. The children are very keen to learn and show a lot of enthusiasm. In most cases there is very little or no parental support. I have no doubt that mothers are keener than fathers. Mr Ram Sarup Arya & Mrs Santosh Arya (founders of the institution) are presently in India and in the village at this moment and it is fascinating to see them so involved and always thinking about the betterment of the institution and children.
4. There is still an attitude of “Humne to school bhej diya”. A lot of effort is being put in to encourage parents to spend at least an hour daily with their children and ask them about education. Difficult task but we hope to drive home the point in the near future.
5. The Haryana Government is recruiting ‘Guest teachers’ for government schools. This has led to continuity problems as some teachers have left. Can’t help it as a government job is still considered to be ‘Mother of all Jobs’.
6. English Speaking is a problem but not understanding. While going through answer sheets I was surprised to see the good handwriting and understanding of the subject by the children but I could also feel that even though the student knows the subject well, he is finding it a problem in expressing his thoughts in English. There is also a need to ‘Teach the Teachers’. There is shyness in speaking the language. Sometimes people also tend to equate English language with prevailing ills in society.
7. Frankly speaking I had thought that this part of Haryana would be lot less crime prone than the NCR Region but it is not so.
8. Yes, men still play cards and women do most of the work. Of course men drink as well. I frequently travel to Meerut via Agroha – Rohtak (Capital of Jatland) – Kharkhoda (Capital of Dahiyas) – Sunpat (No town can ever match it) and Baghpat (Katai nyu ke nyu se). Two things are noticeable: Schools & Temples. I wish the amount being wasted on Temples be diverted to schools. The Gold Medal for Playing Cards goes to Village Bhalaut (Abhimanyu Bhai, please note). There is a small tea stall in front of the State Bank of India on the main road. I truly believe that a world championship of ‘SWEEP’ is in progress! There is a group of men who can be found there at all times of the day, come what may. This is scene repeated in almost all the villages in Haryana.
9. The road from Sunpat to Rohtak is still the same at many places. When will it improve? Even the Rohtak bypass is in a pitiable condition. It gets damaged faster than it can be repaired. There is also a competition for constructing the most irritating speed breaker between Rohtak and Hisar.
10. Too many people are getting involved in ‘religious tourism’. Good for economy but watching people travel in overloaded vehicles is scary and there are too many accidents on the roads each day due to such human circulation. I know there are around 145 festivals in India but too many ‘Babas’ are in circulation and that is leading to increase in superstition.
Warmest regards,
Jagmohan
Remember me!
Good to be back after a rather long break. Many of you are aware that I had relocated from Mumbai (FIAT INDIA PVT LTD) to Sukh Ram Memorial Public School, Village Kalirawan in Hisar District wef 01 Aug 2006. I thought it is time to share my experiences with all members. His is my first post card from Kalirawan.
1. My initial and honest opinion is that I am indeed involved in something worthwhile. Nothing can be more satisfying than being with students who realize that education is important.
2. The villager is much more smart and intelligent than many city dwellers. Have no doubts about that.
3. The children are very keen to learn and show a lot of enthusiasm. In most cases there is very little or no parental support. I have no doubt that mothers are keener than fathers. Mr Ram Sarup Arya & Mrs Santosh Arya (founders of the institution) are presently in India and in the village at this moment and it is fascinating to see them so involved and always thinking about the betterment of the institution and children.
4. There is still an attitude of “Humne to school bhej diya”. A lot of effort is being put in to encourage parents to spend at least an hour daily with their children and ask them about education. Difficult task but we hope to drive home the point in the near future.
5. The Haryana Government is recruiting ‘Guest teachers’ for government schools. This has led to continuity problems as some teachers have left. Can’t help it as a government job is still considered to be ‘Mother of all Jobs’.
6. English Speaking is a problem but not understanding. While going through answer sheets I was surprised to see the good handwriting and understanding of the subject by the children but I could also feel that even though the student knows the subject well, he is finding it a problem in expressing his thoughts in English. There is also a need to ‘Teach the Teachers’. There is shyness in speaking the language. Sometimes people also tend to equate English language with prevailing ills in society.
7. Frankly speaking I had thought that this part of Haryana would be lot less crime prone than the NCR Region but it is not so.
8. Yes, men still play cards and women do most of the work. Of course men drink as well. I frequently travel to Meerut via Agroha – Rohtak (Capital of Jatland) – Kharkhoda (Capital of Dahiyas) – Sunpat (No town can ever match it) and Baghpat (Katai nyu ke nyu se). Two things are noticeable: Schools & Temples. I wish the amount being wasted on Temples be diverted to schools. The Gold Medal for Playing Cards goes to Village Bhalaut (Abhimanyu Bhai, please note). There is a small tea stall in front of the State Bank of India on the main road. I truly believe that a world championship of ‘SWEEP’ is in progress! There is a group of men who can be found there at all times of the day, come what may. This is scene repeated in almost all the villages in Haryana.
9. The road from Sunpat to Rohtak is still the same at many places. When will it improve? Even the Rohtak bypass is in a pitiable condition. It gets damaged faster than it can be repaired. There is also a competition for constructing the most irritating speed breaker between Rohtak and Hisar.
10. Too many people are getting involved in ‘religious tourism’. Good for economy but watching people travel in overloaded vehicles is scary and there are too many accidents on the roads each day due to such human circulation. I know there are around 145 festivals in India but too many ‘Babas’ are in circulation and that is leading to increase in superstition.
Warmest regards,
Jagmohan