Listless day

Mythily sacked the yoga master today.

Mythily felt we should learn yoga only through a master although we didn't need one. We engaged this person to come home and teach yoga. He was young and impressionable. Five of us learnt yoga in an open air area on top of our house. But he made us do a single routine one by one for nearly an hour and the same thing continued for the second day. This was a well known routine and none of us actually needed much prompting. However, what irritated Mythily was that he used his feet to correct our postures. This is a complete no-no in India. You normally touch the feet of elders with your fingers. But touching someone with your feet is downright degrading in India. Though my elder brother did not care, Mythily rightfully felt offended. I also did not like the way the class went and the way he treated Radhesh. I supported her and he got the sack. So we are without a yoga master. Anyone who doesn't use their feet inappropriately is welcome.

The picture taken from inside our vehicle is of a street scene on the outskirts of Colombo, Srilanka. The streets were unusually clean and the traffic well behaved - a far cry from Indian conditions. However, the streets had armed soldiers every 100 metres as we neared Colombo CBD.

School children

Shane thinks that children are only good for mulch. But Indian schools think otherwise. Coporal punishment is still common in schools. I still remember with some dread my days at school where the teachers took to boxing my ears, punching on my head, caning me or other imaginative punishment. Mind you I was one of first three in the class. No wonder some people think that I am wierd because of my treatment at schools.

But this is the latest of cruelties meted out to children in Indian schools in amongst other horrible things. But the idea is quite novel. Normally we expect the parents to be punished for the misdeeds of the children. However, some Indian schools think they can punish the children for the misdeeds of the parents. There is also picture in the link.

"Bangalore: More than 20 children studying in the government-recognised Camlin English School here were made to sit on the draughty basement floor away from the classroom for around eight hours on Monday. The fault: their parents did not attend the parent-teacher meeting in the school on Saturday."

Bring on home schooling. Radhesh does it here.

Picture of the whole family when Mahima came to sing at the Darwin Festival last year. The other picture with Mythily showing of the wares in preparation for garage sale just before our trip out of Darwin.

Can you guess

Here is a photograph of a vehicle used by the man who supplies us milk from the village. Can you guess what that red object just behind the front wheel is in this photo?

MP on life term

I saw a news item that an MP of the Indian Parliament who was sentenced to serve a life sentence was allowed to take part in the no-confidence motion voting process. Whilst I think everyone should be allowed to be MPs, this is interesting. How do you manage the affairs of the parlaiment from the jail.

The photos are from Wayanad in North Malabar of Kerala. The phone tower caught my attention and there was a broadband connection available amongst the forest in remote Kerala.

ராதேஷ் - காலை kadhir

இன்று ராதேஷ் காலை கதிரில் முதல் பக்கத்தில் தோன்றினான். ராதேஷ்க்கு ஒரே மகிழ்ச்சி. அரசு இசை பள்ளிக்கு போன போது புல்லாங்குழல் கட்ற்றுகொள்ளதான் அங்கே போனோம். ஆனால் அவனுக்கு தவில் வாத்தியார் நன்றாக தவில் வாசித்து காண்பிக்க, அதிலேயே அவன் சேர்ந்து கொண்டான். பள்ளியின் தலைமை ஆசிரியை மிகவும் அன்புடன் நடத்தியது அவனை மிகவும் கவர்ந்து விட்டது.

மேலும் இந்தியாவில் உள்ள எல்லா அரசு நிறுவனங்களும் எல்லார்க்கும் அணுக கூடிய அளவில் உள்ளன. இப்பள்ளியில் செலவு ரூ. 152. இது ஒரு வருசத்துக்கு! இப்போ பல இடங்களில் லட்ச கணக்கில் காசு கேட்கும் நிலையில் இது இசைக்கான மிகப் பெரிய சேவையே. இது தான் எனக்கு இந்தியாவில் பிடிததது. இதனாலே என்னை போன்ற பல ஏழை மாணவர்கள் படித்து முன்னேற முடிந்தது.
வாழ்க இந்த நிலை. வளர்க எல்லோரும்.

Erode - Kaalai kadhir

Mythily and Radhesh inside CuttaCutta caves in Katherine

Radhesh appeared in a local newspaper. in Erode. Radhesh was all excited about this interview he gave the local newspaper. He was prominently placed in the local section of the newspaper published from a different city. Shame I do not have a scanner. Will try and get one.

He has joined the Government music school in Erode. We initially went there to enquire about flute lessons for him. But it turned out that they have no one to teach flute but they can teach 'Thavil". Someone played the instrument and he really liked and agreed to learn it. The school authorities encouraged him to study for a princely sum of Rs152 a year (less than A$4). The school has some dedicated teachers and know their music and above all, know how to teach it. The school is not very well patronised which is a shame. Many young children are sent to regular schools where they are overworked to learn by rote. I find the regular schools a waste of creative energy for the students. The things that they teach in school can be learnt in 0ne third of the time actually spent.

Mythily is coming back from Kerala after visiting her mom.