A Trip to Karjat

This Sunday, we had been to Karjat, or rather , to a small village near Karjat , where my husband and father-in-law have been involved in Social Service activities. They go there every weekend without fail for some service activity or the other, but this was a family outing for the inauguration of a bridge that they have built. It was a small event which was to be attended by our family, a few invitees, and the local villagers.
Students from the local school were the first to arrive, dressed in their best, and full of excitement. They also put up a good show, singing bhajans to the best of their ability.
The villagers of course, turned out in full strength, which was expected, but the surprise was the arrival of the local politicians, most of them uninvited. It is amazing to see how well the local grapevine works, for all the politicos were there to see how someone had managed to, single handedly, and without their co-operation, built a bridge in that remote location. All of them, of course took the opportunity to air their views ( it is amusing to see how much a politician loves a microphone !) , and kept the kids waiting for food, sitting under the hot sun…….
To see photos of the event, click below…………….

 

karjat bridge inauguration

A Mother’s Worries

I read an interesting blog the other day, about instilling values about money, and finance in general in kids..http://jezziemapuche.wordpress.com/2007/12/19/how-to-raise-a-financially-savvy-child/

As a mother of a four year old, I am constantly trying to instill the right values in him at an early age, and the world around us scares me all the time..

Just two days back, my cousin visited me. She is a first year medical student, and we got into an argument regarding the proposed compulsory one year rural internship. It has been apparent from the newspapers that the move has been opposed strongly by students all over India, but I was shocked when she also supported the popular view that rural training wasn’t necessary and important, as it wouldn’t bring in any money…..It all boils down to money finally… She was actually under the impression that rural service meant working in slums… No matter what I said, she wouldn’t  agree that there was a world of difference between a village and a slum. That’s when I realised that most of the youngsters today, born and brought up in metros, haven’t seen a village in their lives.. They don’t really know what the real India is like, deep in the heart of villages…That most of India doesn’t live in cities, but in the villages, is only a textbook concept to them.

Again, all that the current generation cares about is MONEY. They all want to study in a field which will get them a job as soon as possible, a job which will pay them 5 figures to begin with. As soon as they get  a job, they want to buy a car, and then a house, go abroad, and the get married. All this, before they are 25. And parents don’t seem to mind either…Of course,who listens to parents anyway !

On one hand, we have people who have given up good jobs abroad, and are working in slums and villages, trying to help people lead a better life, like some of the Times of India Lead India finalists, and on the other hand, we have a majority of the youth running after materialistic things…. We need far more of the former to actually make a difference….’

Which brings me back to my main area of concern… My child… I sincerely hope he grows up to be a good human being, trying to help other people, and I am trying my best to make him so…..

Taking a leaf from Sudha Murthy whom I admire, I make him give clothes and toys he has outgrown to our maid, who has a child of his age. It helps that I live with my in-laws, who are extremely generous by nature, and provide food, clothing , and books to  the needy year after year. It also helps that my husband and father-in-law are involved in voluntary service activities in villages near Mumbai under the aegis of the Sathya Sai Organisation….. I try my best to expose him to all these activities as much as possible, and yet,  I am worried.

Maybe I am just a mother, who worries all the time, but when I open the paper in the morning and read about rapes, suicides, and shootings by students, it worries me.. I am trying my best, and I only hope that the one up there stands by me.

I am sure there are many other mothers like me out there. I would like to hear from all of you….

People who come into our lives

I read an interesting post today, People in our lives http://gtarman.wordpress.com/2007/12/16/87/ and it brought back lots of memories, about people who have stood by me, those who have made me what I am. I totally agree that we meet people because of a reason. God wants us to meet someone, so they can shape our life the way He wants….

I lost my father when I was four and a half, and every time I would think of him, I would burst into tears. It was only hen I was about 25 that I realised that maybe God took my father away from me so that I could be independent, because if he was alive, he would have pampered and cossetted me all my life. It was only this way that I, at last, reconciled myself to my loss……. 

I also missed having no siblings, a feeling I got over when I made friends with Ashvin, who stood by me the way I always imagined a brother would…..

When I remember these people, I cannot avoid mentioning my uncle, who has been a second father to me, in fact, more than a father, standing by me, and helping me out at every point in my life, one to whom I turn , the minute a problem arises……

Truly, God has a motive behind everything that happens to us. We cannot hope to understand the reason behind everything that happens to us, but we can try to make the most of it, and get the best we can , out of the people we meet..

Who needs to learn ? Children or Parents?

I attended my son’s sports day yesterday, and what really stood out was the difference between the parents and the children.

The children were so well behaved, marching with exhuberance, participating in all sports with enthusiasm, not minding whether they won or lost, accepting both with a smile…. being courteous to all…… helping teachers when needed,  cheering on when the others were participating….. I was  truly happy with my choice of school for my son….. the teachers were teaching the kids just what I wanted them to learn….

And then, there were the parents…..exhilarant, no doubt at seeing the success of their loved ones, but noisy, and uncaring about the others, who were there for the same purpose…… People stood up in their places, not caring that they were obstucting someone’s view, they took pictures incessantly, never mind that the invite clearly requested parents not to take pictures- photographs and videos would be taken and given later to them, by the school. There is nothing more irritating than seeing a parent run on to the field to take a photograph, and nothing more distracting than a parent talking loudly on a cellphone while we are dying to know who will be awarded the best sportsperson trophy this year…..

I wonder why parents behave like this. Every year, the school authorities make it a point to emphasize that they like to statr things on time, yet, some people are always late. The teachers reprimand parents for coming near the stage or track and taking photographs, yet people continue to do so…..If parents set examples like this, what can we expect from the children ?As of now, the children do listen to their teachers, but if they keep seeing their parents not caring about what the school authorities say,what will be the situation ?

Hello world!

I have been blogging about my travel experiences since a couple of months (See my travel Blog- A Wandering Mind at http://anushankarn.blogspot.com), and I find myself wanting to write more and more about my day to day life….. In short, I am, like countless others, getting addicted to blogging. It remains to be seen how far I am going to be able to keep up my blogging, with my attention-seeking four year old son hovering around all the time , but then, life is all about challenges, and challenging oneself all the time… So, let me says Cheers ! to blogging, and start with, maybe not a bang, at least a Pop!!