Reflections and a new beginning

My child comes home from his evening play. ‘Hands dirty? Shoes full of muck? Soiled clothes?’ , and the voice gets louder and louder… If the tree felt, my root is getting dirty, we would not see flower and fruit. The soil is a living force an intelligent force – an inherent component of my body and my child’s body too! (And I thought I was intelligent - with my inability to dig my hands in the soil of our motherland).  Recently I took a workshop with 7th graders on ‘Soil’ as the subject. Sitting in the locked up areas of our homes, my mind was reeling – this subject has to be an experiential teaching – amidst the green fields and farms. And now a lock down? Then I thought - The children should at least touch, smell and feel the element that I am talking about. So the online class was about sitting through the first half of the lesson with their feet and legs embraced in wet mud. Sharing their experiences of that mud after the session was mind blowing!  HAVE YOU FOUND YOUR RAP...

Inspiring our children to discipline themselves is the whole & soul responsibility of the parents. Discipline is a prerequisite to prepare them to face the challenges of this world. To bolster them with inner strength to: Conquer themselves, Set their goals, Follow their dreams. Age group of 6 to 15 is the perfect time to make children aware of right conduct, obedience, and regulations (Anushasan, Agyapalan, Niyam palan) – which is a preface to ‘conquering themselves’. Four Pointers towards holistic discipline in life: स्वाद   संयम – Self Control on Food Eat what comes to your plate with a grateful heart. Be mindful of the nutrient values, which enhance your healthy growth. Take little and do not leave / waste food on the plate. 2.  अर्थ संयम – Self Control on Money Discriminate wisely when to spend money and on what. Fancy expensive scented erasers. Is it essential? Learn the art of valuing things. Do not measure a person by money, but by character...

It is no secret that life is full of tough choices and challenges on a day-to-day basis. It is a relentless cycle of problem solving and constant internal strife. Success, though it holds different meanings for everyone, is no easy task in this age especially. But whatever be your destination, getting there is no child's play. But is it possible to make it easier for our children? As strange as the question is, the answer is surprisingly a YES! Discipline, along with oodles of love and encouragement, is key to building their life skills. It takes a lot of hard work and commitment to raise your child to be a kind, determined and conscientious adult. Parenting is intrinsically a dynamic responsibility. Just as doctors or architects 'practice', parents are also constantly learning and growing. At the very outset, there are some myths about discipline that parents need to be aware of. The following are a few examples - ‘My wife will discipline, since I’m at work the whole day a...

||   पालकत्वम   ||  (Paalakatvam) A parent education initiative by BMS   Article No. 1   Ever noticed… …while your eyes are gazing at the screen of your phone, the little footsteps approaching to greet you gleefully in the morning. How do you react? Ignore? Break your so called meditation? In your mind shout ‘NO’! …when you are engrossed in an ‘intense wassap’ chat with a friend and you little child comes and grabs your phone. Your instant reaction is ‘NO’! …In the rush of your morning duties, while you are rolling chapatis, when there’s just 10 minutes left for the school van to arrive, and your child comes enthusiastically asking to roll them with you. Your instant reaction is ‘NO’! …scribbles in your office book, and you scream ‘NO’! Can we count the number of NOs we tell our child everyday? Have we ever thought of how we are massacring the curiosity of our child? A certain list of prohi...

The Cycle Continues On… Scrap, crush, roll, press, cut, use, scrap… and the cycle continues… It is an everyday exercise to open our books, turn its pages and read/write from it. Where does it come from? What do we typically do once we finish using notebooks? Dump it in raddi shops? Crush and trash? The Handmade paper Factory, located near the Agriculture College, Pune has an impelling philosophy and history to add sensitivity in our children. Started by Gandhiji in 1945 with the motto, ‘ Make Paper, but Save Trees’ , the Paper Factory stands honest to its principle till date. It carries the legacy of having supplied custom made handmade paper upon which the Constitution of India was written.  Approximately 20 enthusiastic BMS children gathered at the entrance of this historic setting. They were amazed to see the entire process as to how the scrap paper and cloth was crushed by machines, turned into pulp and pressed into sheets to form exquisite paper of different shades, ...

THE DILEMMA How does it help, just ‘me’ being a ‘good human being’ when the ruthless world is out to pulverise my morale, and my ethics? How do I internalize the value systems imparted to me, and yet be compatible to the world I live in? This is a world of challenges, opposition, injustice and attackers, to which our children will soon play a part - attackers not just on the people, but on the mind-set, culture and character. When I heard the talk of Mr. Nilesh Bhise, I found great pointers to some of these questions – sharing below. THE MUSE A woman, who had the toughest choice, won both! The choice between Saubhagya and Swarajya . She advised her son strategically - when to befriend the enemy, and when to strike them. She possessed internal forbearance and strength. This granted her the mind power to ‘risk her child’ to pursue the path of righteousness against extreme adversity. An insightful mother, guru and guide – none other than Rajmata Jijabai recounted chronicles of ...

Rice Plantation - Awe and Hardwork In the vastness of the fields, and the endless mountain ranges, topped with shining silver clouds, I walk. They all have existed before me, and will continue to even after I die… What is my relation with these forces of nature? Much has been said about the existence of our true identity. Having the purpose revealed to us, we tread on this beautiful path of devotion. Can children experience that divinity?  We can facilitate their experience of the divine within, by providing them the experience of the divine in the environment around them. In cities, we live in a man-made bubble, quite distant from nature. If one sees how food is actually created, instead of just buying it off the city shelves… it springs into anyone’s heart that real sense of awe, that very spark of reality aspired by every sadhaka. The footprints of each child’s tiny feet in the fields, of Gorak Farms in Mulshi within the water laden fields enveloping their legs; their busy...

REFLECTIONS… Gazing out from the window of our lock-down home, I observed the green parrots with their sharp tails, and the distant hills as though shaped and textured by divine fingers passing its way through the mounts. The entire world is locked. Not a country is spared! How glaring is that? Is it an anomaly or a cure? The lofty talks of architectural sustainability and green buildings alone… is surely not adequate. The earth, our shelter where we step every day, breathe every moment - is undergoing a major crisis – a catastrophe. TOVP The decade long worship of my life is the manifestation of a glorious building. The building bears the potency to inform, educate and uplift – the millions of souls who will come and place their heads in the sacred dust of the special space in Mayapur. Sounds of drilling machines, hammers and marbles. Smells of wet concrete, and dust of cutting stones. Sights of scaffolding, and busy helmets appear like movement of ants amidst blue domes –...