The Lustre of Food Lust

We all have grown up witnessing Maslow’s hierarchy in action even if all may not have studied it in a classroom setting. The world-renowned theory of needs and motivation places basic physiological needs of every individual at the very bottom of the pyramid — food, clothing and shelter. In fact, very rightly so, because only after the fundamental needs are fully satisfied, that one gets to think about other aspects of life — entertainment, self esteem, and eventually self actualisation. But perhaps, change affects everything, sometimes even the seemingly unquestionable facts. What if the basic physiological needs start rising up the hierarchy and offer a way to achieve ‘safety’, ‘love and belongingness’ or ‘self-esteem’?

In many ways and on various fronts, food has actually progressed from being a means of surviving to an end in itself. For some, it has become a common ground to build life-long friendships and associations, it lends immense confidence and sense of achievement to many and for some it has earned a lot of recognition and respect of others. If this is not conquering higher levels of needs, then what else is? 

Broader canvas

The change is visible in every stage of the whole process, from purchasing of vegetables/grocery items, cooking, to plating and serving the dish. Earlier, buying vegetables was usually among the most mundane chores around the house, but not so any more. Now food enthusiasts painstakingly look for fresh produce, unheard of herbs and condiments making mental calculations of combining flavours. Herbs like celery, buckwheat, parsley, lemon grass, pak choi, leek, rosemary, asparagus and basil are being used not just in continental-style cooking but also in Indian dishes. The variety is not limited to herbs and condiments only, newer vegetables — artichokes, broccoli, brussel sprouts, zucchini, lettuce, yellow/red bell peppers, and many more — have made an entry in the regular kitchens. These vegetables were not to be seen in the local markets a couple of decades back. 

Whole activity of cooking has undergone a makeover as well. Store-bought spice mixes like garam masala, sambhar powder, chaat masaala, biryani masala and black pepper are a passé now. The new in thing is freshly ground spices and condiments for that ultimate flavour. 

Anybody can cook

The process of cooking food itself has become an interesting activity thanks to the concept of open kitchens, which does not make the home cooks feel banished to one corner of the house away from the company of other members and visitor’s in the house. Rather, the work area has become a place to show off with beautiful modular kitchens and attractive gadgetry giving the erstwhile lowly, dingy kitchens a modern, trendy look. 

Moreover, it is no longer just the lady of the house who is assigned the job of cooking. Movie like Ratatouille and TV shows like Masterchef have led people to believe that anybody with a bit of passion for it can cook. Nothing is impossible for those who have the slightest intent to make a decent meal in the kitchen. A lot of help is available in the form of recipe books, blogs and websites, cooking apps, YouTube videos, just a click away. 

Once cooking is done; serving the creativity is nothing less than an art in itself. Even little children have adopted the terminology like plating in their role-play these days. Yes, this can be considered as a side boon of shows like Masterchef Australia and many other versions of the same show, including our home-grown series. 

Preparing a meal is just not to fill stomach anymore; it has become a medium of bringing laurels to many individuals. Names like Tarla Dalal, Sanjeev Kapoor, Kunal Kapoor, Vikas Khanna, Karen Anand, etc. are household names because of their superlative culinary skills. The space for good looking, delectable dishes is huge; one just needs to make one’s presence felt there. Food enthusiasts keep posting their exotic dishes regularly on their websites, blogs, YouTube or share on social media sites, inspiring many others to try some of the recipes at home. 

Food has opened a wonderful avenue for photographers as well and food photography is fast becoming an attractive proposition as a profession these days. Professional food photography encompasses many aspects and involves an art director, a photographer, a food stylist and a prop stylist along with an army of assistants. 

Who would have thought even considering mentioning words ‘food’ and ‘porn’ in the same sentence but that is no longer impossibility. ‘Food porn’ is a well-recognised term now and has even found a place in some dictionaries. Wikipedia description of the word says — Food porn is a glamourised visual presentation of cooking or eating in advertisements, infomercials, blogs, cooking shows or other visual media. Foods usually boasting of a high fat and calorie content, exotic dishes that arouse a desire to eat or the glorification of food. Food porn often takes the form of food photography and styling that present food provocatively.

Seeing such enticingly beautiful display of food and alluring photographs all around, one does feel the relevance of this statement more — eating is a necessity but cooking is an art. 

This article appeared in The Tribune on 4th Oct, 2015

e-Wallets

Mobile Wallets are digital equivalent of a physical wallet that we all need to carry. It actually stores digitised information for authorisation at various levels. It could take the form of a credit card number, a password, a digital certificate, picture identification or any other information. In short, these are entry points to access a user’s most sensitive information and data. Hence, the security of these entry points is highly critical.

Empowerment with a single device

A mobile wallet facilitates the users to pay for the purchases at NFC payment acceptance terminal, besides helping them buy train or airplane tickets on the go. The information is stored on the smartphone, which can be at the actual travel time, get logged in to the company’s network to work remotely, enter the office premises without having to swipe any identification card, check in to a hotel, pay for movie tickets and enter the movie hall without having to produce any physical ticket and much more.

Although mobile wallets potentially hold keys to innumerable possibilities, these are primarily being used for payment. It is working as an online platform which allows a user to keep money in it, just like a bank account. The concept of mobile wallet is still in its infancy in India but is already gaining a lot of fan following and patronising among for payment purposes. According to a study by the research firm RNCOS, the current Indian market size for m-wallets stands at about Rs 350 crore and is estimated to rise to Rs 1,210 crore by 2019.

How does it work?

The user creates an account with a mobile wallet service provider and adds money to the account as in a regular bank account. Debit, credit and other online transactions are then conducted through this account. This facility offers some great advantages over online banking — users are not charged for any transaction, one does not have to enter the card details/pin numbers/passwords for every single transaction and the transactions can be conducted on the go. Nothing beats the mWallet in terms of convenience that it imparts to the users.

Though the target users of mobile wallets are predominantly young tech savvy section of the society, yet it holds great promise for all those who use smartphones in their daily routine. The reach and accessibility of this facility is only going to increase with time as it frees its users from having to maintain cash and waddle of debit/credit cards.

Among the forerunner companies in this space in India are PayTm, MobiKwik, Oxigen, mRupee and FreeCharge. Paytm mobile payment service is the RBI-approved digital wallet. It provides recharging and bill payment facilities, including electricity bills, gas bills, telephone bills. It is a preferred choice of payment across companies like Uber, BookMyShow and MakeMyTrip.

MobiKwik wallet can be used to pay for various utilities bills and in addition to that, users can make purchases on popular e-commerce sites, including eBay, Snapdeal, ShopClues, MakeMyTrip, redBus, Domino’s Pizza, HomeShop18, Infibeam, Pepperfry and many more.

Using Oxigen, people can share money with their friends and family over social networking sites like Facebook, WhatsApp, Google+ and Twitter. Users can also use Oxigen to pay bills and make online purchases.

mRupee, another company licenced by the RBI, enables users to take care of bill payments and transfer money to near and dear ones. Citrus Pay, Free Charge, Zaakpay, ItzCash are some more players in this field. With changing digital lifestyle, mobile wallet is going to play a significant role in the transactional routine of people.

This appeared in 'The Tribune' on 12 September, 2015.

Love for the Virtual Word

Perhaps, one of the most blissful experiences for many would be — entering into a new world through the pages of an engaging book and losing oneself in it. Regular readers would agree with this quote, “Books are the plane, and the train, and the road. They are the destination, and the journey. They are home.”

As we have been progressing on our evolutionary path far away from the time when language was first invented, the body of written content has been increasing at almost a mind-boggling pace. Just the variety and range of the written books is astoundingly high. On top of that there are journals, magazines, dailies, comics, encyclopedias, dictionaries and many more diverse categories. However, the sticklers of reading usually do not consider reading newspapers and magazines same as reading complete books and novels but it is reading nonetheless.

Reminiscing the past

Just go a couple of decades back in time and the whole scene looks quite different from the times that we are living in today. Imagining a life without gadgets which have almost become an extension of our bodies, is just so hard now. But those were the times when reading, as a hobby, was one of the few ways through which people liked to unwind, relax, rejuvenate and recreate. Curling up with a book, visualising the world of the written world, becoming a part of it and riding the waves of the narrative was one of the most pleasurable pastimes.

Come back to the present, the multimedia sector has gifted innumerable ways of recreation and relaxation to humans in ongoing times. Has the hobby of reading become a casualty among many others in today's times when gadgets, video games, social media sites and YouTube are ruling the roost? With multitude of entertainment sources to choose from, where are the loyalist readers? Is reading a dying art competing against many other glamorous and attractive entertainment sources now?

i-Age invasion

There is no doubt that the number of activities, engagements and distractions that have cropped up to lay claim on the same twenty-four hours of a day has increased tremendously. However, eBooks and eReaders do show a glimmer of hope to salvage the habit of reading among people, especially youth. Electronic version of books have extended the accessibility of books to a wider segment of people. Whether it is a tablet, Kindle, reading apps on phone or e-version of books on laptops, the options are aplenty for those who want to indulge in this pastime. Reach, accessibility and availability do not pose any issue any more. One can download almost all classics for free or at a very nominal price. Many sites and apps make free sample chapters of books available so that buyers are able to make informed decision regarding purchase of books. Kindle version of books are priced at very reduced price anyway which can be read either on a Kindle device or on any other device with Kindle app installed on it. The features that come along with reading apps and e-version of the books are not be ignored either. One can customise the font size, font style, resolution, brightness and many other things to suit one's liking. The dictionary and thesaurus support that is built in almost all good reading apps helps readers in looking up the meanings of the words by just clicking on the word. Readers can annotate wherever they want to by adding small notes along with the written text. If anything is to be looked up online, even that is just a click away when one is using apps on tabs/phones. The notification bars would keep the reader updated on the critical mails or messages that one cannot afford to miss. So if one is really looking and wanting to read, then there is absolutely no dearth of options — either in terms of books or of mediums on which it is to be read.

Features or distractions

Having said that, some of the above mentioned features do come as great hurdles in the way of uninterrupted reading experience and true purists would not want to adulterate their reading time with any of these. To them reading is just their self and the book and nothing in between, no e-mails, no messages, no Whatsapp, no notifications, no reminders and no easily accessible internet. They would rather open their trusted dictionary than look for easy solution online. But purists or otherwise, readers are readers. To them mediums do not matter, nor does the level of customisation of the written material, what matters is the book which captivates them like a trusted friend and leaves them asking for more.

But the million-dollar question is, have the eReaders and ebooks been able to spell their charm on non readers to adopt reading as a hobby? An avid reader Kannan from Chennai, studying in class IX says eReaders have just given another easy option to those who were anyway in the habit of reading. For others their existence has not made any difference. Keshav Sharma, a student of class VIII is a die-hard Harry Potter fan and has read the whole series many times over. He says, “None of my friends is into reading, for them gadgets means a device to play games on. They have not read any of the Harry Potter books either, however, they have watched all the movies. They find watching movies much more appealing than reading thick books.” Malathi Jain, who teaches English to senior secondary classes in Chennai, shares, “Reading among younger generation is fast dwindling. Chats, social media and sharing pictures and updates online take away most of their time. There is not time left to sit quietly and become a part of the world that the books open in front of us.”

A standard tablet and smartphone can do as many as 30 different tasks these days, many of which most customers don’t even use and care about. eReading features, options, variety, mediums and similar such features are for those who want to make use of them in enhancing their reading experience, otherwise the same get added to the list of unused traits of devices.

Signals point more towards the trend that spells : reading is fast turning into an endangered hobby if not extinct yet. Although electronic media can facilitate the process of reading to a great extent, but can do little to turn unwilling readers into avid readers.

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Handy world of words

Among many eReader apps available for the hand-held devices, Kindle, Nook, kobo, google playbooks and iBooks are the famous ones. If one wants to keep reading separate from other phone activities then eReaders offer a great option too. Though considered as forgotten siblings of smart phones and tablets, eReaders do satisfy the inner reader in many. These are designed for reading books and deliver that excellently. Amazon Kindle Paperwhite, Kobo Glo, Kobo Aura HD, Barnes & Nobles Nook Simple Touch Reader (with glowLight) are rated as the top eReaders these days. ‘While one can read on any tablet using eReader apps but simple eReaders won over the regular pads as one is spared of the temptation of notification, gaming and browsing in the exclusive eReaders.’

This article appeared in 'The Tribune' on 5th Sept, 2015.

To Heal a Grieving Heart

“Don’t grieve. Anything you lose comes round in another form.” ? — Rumi

Nothing and nobody can prepare one for loss of a dear one. But talking about the experience and experiencing it personally are two very different things. Nothing and nobody can be prepared for it.

Though no words can justify the emotions but if one is really forced to put them in words then vaguely it would feel like — extreme pain somewhere inside beyond any comparison, a sinking feeling haunts every single moment of the day, the vacuum-like emptiness does not leave one's side, the yearning to have 'at least one more day with the loved one' doesn't end, but this is not all. The overwhelming emotions of loss and void just seem to trample one, leaving one exhausted and gasping for some anchor, some foundation to hold on to. There is no set pattern of grieving and every individual goes through this phase in a very unique way. Doreen Virtue and James Van Praagh in their book How to Heal a Grieving Heart write, “Grief, like love, is immeasurable. No one loves the same, not grieves the same. Some people demonstrate their sorrow openly, while others keep it deep within their being. It is a very personal, human and spiritual experience.”

(Un)knowingly we tend to define our identity with the relationships that we form with other individuals here in our mortal bodies. Going away of one of these — a spouse, a parent, a sibling, a child or a dear friend — makes one question life itself. One feels as if one is to re-learn to live minus that very significant one. Logic and reason don't work at times like these for a grieving heart and soul. In spite of the wisdom that everyone seems to carry right from the very early age that everyone has to go and it is the cycle of life; yet when it comes to actually facing that time, one feels quite ill-equipped and unprepared.

What the bereaved heart needs at that time is an empathetic support, a compassionate shoulder to cry on and a non-judgmental listener. The best that the support system can do at that time is to observe patience and wait for the person to slowly stand again mending a broken heart. Questioning the dejected person, “Why are you taking so long to come out of mourning”, or trying to give advice, does not help, rather it alienates the person further.As Sheryl Sandberg (COO, Facebook) in her letter, post the loss of her husband says,“Real empathy is sometimes not insisting that it will be okay but acknowledging that it is not.”

With family sizes getting reduced and people being connected virtually more than physically, the support system that was so naturally available earlier is dwindling now. Most of the times, one grapples with the changed reality on one's own. The lifestyles and times have changed, and not many have the patience, energy and compassion to offer that warm, unconditional support. Most often, the grief=stricken person needs to make an effort to crawl out from darkness of dejection to the light of hope. Experts suggest some proven strategies that may help one through a healthy and effective grief experience — Be gentle with yourself and be patient, take care of your body, demand the right to grieve in your own way, cling to hope — things do get better, trust the grief as a best friend, don't try to numb the experience by any external aids'.

For many it is nothing less than catharsis as one faces the reality of life from so close. As one slowly learns to carry on with the life once again, there are a few things which help along the way to set pace on the path to recovery. Resuming the earlier set routine and the activities that one earlier engaged in are the easiest things to start from, although even the simplest tasks seem to demand much more effort now. It helps to bring back the faith on whatever that brings peace for the person. Long walks, yoga, meditation, chanting, listening to discourses, reading and similar such activities, help bring some succour to the battered soul.

One thing one must remember, there is no right or wrong way to grieve and there is no time limit to it either. It is a human emotion that must be duly acknowledged and gradually time does put healing balms on the wounds. Though the mark of a wound will always remain but then who wants to erase the memories anyway.

“The deeper that sorrow carves into your being the more joy you can contain. Is not the cup that holds your wine the very cup that was burned in the potter's oven?”

— Khalil Gibran

This appeared in 'The Tribune' on 23rd Aug, 2015. 

One Flew Over the Empty Nest

It is that time of the year again when a big change is in offing in many households in which kids outgrow the schooling phase of their lives and are ready to enter college and hostel world.Admission in dream engineering/medical/law colleges is taken, seat secured by paying the fees, hostel room is finalised, important dates are marked in the calendar and the stage is set for the next phase. Preparation begins in full swing for the soon-to-be hosteller — keeping in mind what all he/she would require over there — from toiletries to laptops and phones — all are lovingly selected and purchased.

Finally, the day arrives when the new collegiates leave. While these young adults are eager to experience the charming world that awaits them, there is a set of individuals — the parents, who find themselves in an unfamiliar territory.

It begins from the moment parents reach home and an eerie silence greets them. After having spent every moment of their lives thinking and planning about their kids, continuously for almost 18 to 20 years, it is not easy to accept that suddenly there is no one at home who needs their care. This phase is often termed as empty-nest syndrome because it is actually the letting-go part which is difficult. One misses being part of the daily lives of one's children's and their constant companionship. Often, this time coincides with the mid-life phase of the parents when they start experiencing slowly declining faculties, decreasing energy levels along with some physical and emotional issues which ring mild signals that the peak of life is about to bid them goodbye. Reena, a happy mother as her daughter is going to Amritsar for her M.B.B.S., shares, “I feel as if there is no meaning in life anymore. I will have to learn to live without being a part of my daughter's busy schedule. I had completely forgotten about anything else for the last 17 years."

A few decades back this phase used to scare people as it was almost synonymous with depression and loneliness, but not so anymore. Like many other health issues, empty-nest syndrome is a well studied issue now and people are aware what to expect and how to handle the symptoms wisely when that period of life comes. Experts’ advise that one must not shirk from taking this phase head on and seek support and stay positive. To begin with, accept the change graciously. Give a pat on your back for having raised and a responsible child who is all set to make his/her own mark in the world in his/her own small or big way. Experience and enjoy the feeling of freedom from some responsibilities. Approach this phase of life as a chance to explore yet another world of opportunities and interesting avenues.

The parents get time as a couple and the opportunity to reconnect with each other again, to improve the quality of their relationship and rekindle their common interests. Pick any new hobby or some activity that you have always desired to learn, start a routine, engage in some philanthropic activity, join some hobby club like a reading or a cookery club, start writing a diary, exercise the green thumb that you may have, join a yoga class, start meditating, go on long drives alone or with the spouse, enjoy the togetherness of the two of you and sometimes just the silence.

One just needs to change the perspective and the point of view, take it as a beginning of another innings when there is no end to what one can do, learn and engage in. So, why not play on the front foot this time! Madhavi’s second child went to hostel last year. She shares , “Initially it was very hard adjusting to the empty house, more so, as I am a homemaker but eventually I started finding things that interested me but I had lost somewhere while taking care of kids. I have picked up my lost passion - fabric painting again. I have started a healthy routine. It feels like I am living for myself for the first time.'

• According to a research by Karen L. Fingerman, a psychologist, most parents now enjoy greater freedom, a reconnection with their spouses and more time to pursue their own goals and interests once their children leave home. In her study, most parents report that seeing a child walk the path toward successful adulthood gives them a feeling of joy and pride. Most importantly, the parent/child relationship actually improves for many parents and kids when children leave home. While the kids are all set to write something of their own on the canvas of life, the parents get fresh opportunities to paint their canvas anew with something unique reflecting the volume and substance of the years spent.

This article appeared in 'The Tribune' on 12th July, 2015

Article : Materchef in Every Kitchen (The Tribune : Feb 22, 2015)

Move over daily soaps, cookery shows have taken the nation by storm, as housewives from Kashmir to Kanyakumari are plating and presenting their dishes

Read the full story here...

Article : When Play Becomes Work (published in Spectrum, The Tribune : 16-11-2014)

ADULTS of today are a part of perhaps the last fortunate generation that can relate to the feeling of ‘playing with abandon’. When they talk about their childhood play days, a lot is laden with the feelings of freedom, the touch of verdant grass, the feel of mud, the rustling sound of dry leaves under bare feet, the feel of first rain on the face and much more. It was the combination of these that made the childhood play, a pleasure and a complete experience which the new generation may never get to experience.

‘Simplicity’ and ‘relaxed’ are two terms which have become extinct when it comes to the pace and nature of life now. Seeing the children of these days, it feels as if they are constantly on a treadmill running to meet some deadlines. Their schedules are much tighter than that of a person who is working full-time in a highly demanding job. A dance class on Monday, tennis classes on Tuesday and Thursday, art-and-craft class on Wednesday, music class on Friday, swimming class on Saturday, plus the regular tuition classes on all days or alternate days — yes, this could be a typical after-school schedule of a child these days. Whatever limited free hours are there, these get spent in front of one screen or the other.

We, as parents, are a generation who want value for everything — whether it is time, money or resources. We do want children to enjoy various activities for an all-round personality development but then the unstructured play has fewer takers now. Since the benefits of free-form play cannot really be quantified as such, so it gets side stepped easily in favour of scheduled times for everything, even play.

Innumerable stadiums, clubs and sports complexes are haven for people who, earlier, could not find any place to hone their skills in any sport but these same centres are now seeing beelines of parents with their children in tow right from the toddling stage. In the hope to see their wards grow up to become another Sachin Tendular, Saina Nehwal or Abhinav Bindra, parents want to start early. There may be some child prodigies who could get benefit at some level by early coaching and training but such children form only a small percentage of the whole lot. For the rest it is testing, judging, evaluating, appraising, comparing and training all the way with no foreseeable respite.

Playtime that should have been easygoing and carefree is losing its charm under regimented version of the same that rests on strict time schedules and evaluation-based promotion. Hobby/after-school classes is one of the most discussed topic among parents soon after they are out of discussing the sleeping-and-eating patterns of their infants. Number of classes that a child goes to and his/her performance in these become a sort of status symbol among many parents. Unaware of this, the tender minds of children get overwhelmed by trying to meet innumerable expectations at countless fronts.

With nuclear family system and surplus income on the rise, hobby classes have become a good way to keep the children positively engaged. This apparently solves security concern of many parents as well, who are more comfortable sending or carting their wards for guided playing than unguarded and unsupervised street play.

It is a proven fact that play nourishes every aspect of a child’s development from physical, emotional, social, intellectual to creative. Child psychologists believe that playing in the absence of any adult supervision is the best environment in which children learn to interact with each other on their own. They gradually figure out the nuances of social skills rather than being taught every step of the way in the fast-evolving ‘play-dates’ settings and instructions-driven coaching classes. By interpreting and trying to fill the gaps between children’s interaction, they are not being helped in anyway, rather their natural ability to understand and make sense of the world, get snubbed, overshadowed and overpowered.

We as parents are going overboard on various accounts — over protective, over indulgent, over paranoid…. Since children do not have anything else to compare their situation with, they take it as the norm of this world. They will not ask for their space and time but we as responsible and compassionate parents need to realise this basic requirement, which is a fundamental right of every human.

Sadly, the children of today when grow up will never be able to reminisce thus — Woh kaagaz ki kashti woh baarish ka paani... (that paper boat...and that rain water...)

Article published here.

Article : Schooling at Home (published in Spectrum, The Tribune : 2-11-2014

Homeschooling : Parent led, home based education 

"What children need is not new and better curricula but access to more and more of the real world." - John Holt

Schooling routine begins early for children these days, almost as soon as they are out of their cradles. Queues for the admissions outside the prestigious schools of the city keep getting longer every year. Anxious parents find the succour only when they pay a handsome amount as school fees to the school where their children as young as 2 years, are ensured admission. Expectations of parents from schools soar sky high when their ward(s) secure the coveted seat in pre-primary. In the race and competition to provide more, better and early education to the new generation, parents as caregivers do not leave any stone unturned when it comes to preparation, application and payment of fees. Post admission, the education of the child becomes a shared responsibility of teachers as well as parents. Endless routine of rushed mornings, time-bound periods of teaching-studying, homework, assignments, evaluations and much more, ensues. Besides these, many other things come along with schooling - some good while some not that positive. While getting acquainted with a mini-world in a regulated environment of school, a child learns basic nuances of social interaction with peers, elders and the ones who are younger to him/her. The benefits of the same cannot be ignored, however there are parents who are opting out of the grind of the school system. They are passionate enough to take up the challenge of schooling their own children, allowing them to learn as they explore the world themselves.

Self Learning - Swashikshan

Homeschooling is a parallel methodology of imparting education to children. Parents choose to educate their children at home instead of sending them to a traditional public or private school. 'Families may choose to homeschool for a variety of reasons, including dissatisfaction with the educational options available, different religious beliefs or educational philosophies and the belief that children progress better when they learn at the pace that they set for themselves rather than being dictated by external impetus.' The homeschooling movement began in the 1970s when some authors and researchers such as John Holt and Dorothy and Raymond Moore started writing about educational reforms. Homeschooling as an alternative educational option was being suggested by these educational reformists. In Raymond S. Moore's words, "[Homeschooling]…recipe for genius : More of family and less of school, more of parents and less of peers, more creative freedom and less formal lessons." The trend of homeschooling is on the rise all over the world and in India, the Association of Homeschoolers is known by the name Swashikshan. It was formally launched in July, 2012 and is a community which takes pride in celebrating learning and growing without school. While minds of most of us are attuned to only one style of education - the traditional system, there are many other educational philosophies as well. Waldorf, Montessori, Charlotte Mason, classical, interest-led learning, unit study, leadership education - are just a few. Homeschoolers have the flexibility to pick and choose the mix that best suit their children's needs.

Praba Ram along with her husband began homeschooling her two children when they decided to break free from the limiting school experience. They are contented that they 'are able to provide an environment free from teacher triggered pressure and other unnecessary negativities. We also believe family values can be better incorporated and a child's natural learning methods can be nurtured and not squelched.'

When it comes to giving structure to education at home, parents use a good mix of unstructured studies and structured curriculum that follows either NCERT, CBSE or IGSCE. Institutes like National Institute of Open School (NIOS) offer plenty of flexible options to suit the requirements of learners of different streams.

Learning the art to learn

Homeschoolers at home adopt different strategies, some parents choose to give preference to only those subjects in which the child shows more interest while some introduce all subjects regularly encouraging the child to freely make his/her own curriculum. However there are some who do not adhere to any structure whatsoever.  Praba says, 'We determine a schedule around our needs and priorities, set the pace according to the child's unique interest, giving a balance of curricular and non-curricular activities with adequate time outside for them to interact with children in their age-group.' A homeschooling parent Sangeetha when asked - don’t you feel incapable of being the sole education provider, answered - 'I don't teach my children, I teach them to learn themselves. I provide material and expose them to different ways of learning, it is up to them to pick the one that suits them.' After having homeschooled her three children, she is one satisfied parent.

As the community of homeschooling families is growing rapidly, there is plethora of resources, curricula and social networks that are accessible to the desirables. The key objective of adopting the parallel means of education is to personalize and customize the education as per the individual talent and capability of the child and to let the students discover their passion and desire to learn in a conducive environment.  A parent-teacher gets the luxury to make it a reality which is unimaginable in formal school system with class strength of 40 to 60 students. Often homeschoolers say and believe that when you homeschool, all in the family learn rather than one teaching another.

When talking about this alternative form of education, lack of socialization is often mentioned as one major downside of homeschooling. But Dr. Mary Kay Clark, Director of Seton Home Study School for 25 years has an answer for this, 'don't worry about socialization. Wherever people congregate, there is going to be interaction, socialization. Where is it written that it needs to be in schools? ' Nonetheless, homeschoolers make sure that field trips, travel to see the places that one reads about, experiment based learning, play-dates, hobby classes, group outings and many other activities are included in this parent-directed education process.

Customized learning solution

When every individual is unique in so many ways, it is hard to find one method suiting all. If one goes by this logic then homeschooling is a great way which can be tailor made keeping in mind the needs and preferences of the learner. It may seem like an overwhelming proposition for the parents but then 'the only prerequisite of homeschooling is the desire to do so, along with a dedication to the educational process.' The idea of freedom from deadlines and strict time schedules sound very liberating. Moreover, the number of variables which can limit or interfere with the child's desired learning process can be reduced significantly. One gets the freedom from peer pressure, hobbies do not get ignored, family values are not compromised and as parents one can completely take control of the child's education.

 In Mahatma Gandhi's words, 'There is no school equal to a decent home and no teacher equal to a virtuous parent.'

Complete article here

Article : The Blog Sphere (published in Trends : 25-10-2014)

Blogosphere : The Fifth Sphere of Earth!!

थोड़ी सी ज़मीन, थोड़ा आसमान... तिनकों का बस इक आशियाँ (a small piece of land, a handful of sky…a humble abode)

Lives are spent just fulfilling these simple wishes and desires. However, in current times when we are witnessing the many boons of internet in our lives, blogging is just a way to ensure that one can indeed get a little cyber space if nothing else. Yes, this has become the  fifth sphere of Earth beyond the well studied four - Geo, Litho, Hydro and Bio.

Blogging (which is actually the combination of two words - web and logging) is a method of journaling online. This four letter word is precise and accurate self description of the word - it is a log of writings posted publicly on the World Wide Web. Any blog has almost the similar format as that of a traditional diary and the entries (posts) are arranged in calendar format with the most recent post appearing first. Blogs may contain general observations, experiences, commentary on various issues, wishes and anything that a writer thinks about. Images, audio and videos can be a part of the posts. Blogs are like mini-websites but the best part is that they are free. Besides helping chronicle one's views in the manner that one likes, it gives immense opportunity to connect with people with similar interests, preferences and likings. It gives one a presence on the net, a presence which enables one to nurture relationships and build a reputation. Based on the areas on which bloggers write, virtual communities are getting formed whether it is of the zealot readers, travel enthusiasts, creative people, food connoisseurs, mommies, computer geeks - you name it and you will find a companion sharing  similar interests. So this is another area where boundaries of any sort from physical, religion, ethnic  to cultural, cannot put any hurdles.

Colours of Creativity

Rang décor is not just any blog, it is an epitome of colours, festivities, beauty, grace, exuberance and creativity. Just the header picture of the blog has the potential to light up one's day. Having been bestowed with a unique talent of capturing beauty in the most mundane things of everyday life through her camera, Archana Srinivas is a well known Indian blogger. She began blogging in the year 2007 as she 'needed a space exclusively for archiving and sharing interior design ideas from India.' She finds blogging as an outlet for keeping her creative instincts alive. Besides Rang Décor, she has a personal blog - Rang : The colours of life where she shares her various interests like photography, food, travel, art and everyday musings.

Momscapes

If one is in the mommy's blogosphere, it is hard to miss one of the most articulate bloggers gracing this arena - the madmomma. She began blogging in 2006 soon after she had her first child. She used to read American mommy bloggers and had a notion that there couldn't be too many Indian moms blogging. She began to blog as a way to record her thoughts. A while back, she was interviewed by blogadda and when she was asked 'what does she find the most gratifying aspect of blogging', she said, "I find the community it builds to be the best part of blogging. I don't believe in ethnic and religious communities. I believe in communities built on shared interests - they are stronger and are more stable."

Another mommy blogger artnavy (aboutthingsnow.blogspot.in) says, "my blog is a journal of and for my kids. It serves a ready reckoner when memory fails". For her blogging is a passion and a discipline.

Travel Bugs 

Sankara Subramanianm is the founder of a well recognised and well respected travel blog - 'Be On The Road'.  He is of the opinion that blogging makes one a mini celebrity as more people connect with you. "It is a powerful medium which has given me appreciation in mainstream media, tourism boards, travel companies and much more. Moreover, through blogging I have met people with similar interests and today, many of them are my friends. "

Sankara's blog is his career, hobby and passion. This is his space where he gives expression to his creative juices and contributes his two cents to the world of online content. He says, 'Be On The Road is my platform to showcase my interests and my talent. In simple words, it is my brand and it represents me and my style of travel.'

Foodie's World

For the food blogger Aliena Verghese blogging began as a way to ward off the boredom of being confined to household chores. She started blogging in order to record the recipes online. 'I thought whatever I cook for my family and whatever they like, whatever can be easily accessed should be put into my own space.' She soon figured out that there were food enthusiasts who keep looking for recipes to try out and who became regular visitors of her blog. For her 'the joy of blogging is not in the statistics or in how many comments that I receive, but the joy lies behind in knowing that my recipes are being tried by someone else out there and how it turned out for them, the joy behind getting the dish right…that's where my happiness lies. Aliena is not the one to get complacent, so when she felt that blogging recipes was turning monotonous, she started getting invited to review restaurants, menu launches and product review. She feels that this has added an extra dimension to blogging.

Ranjani blogs about her musings, thoughts, experiences, children and life in general. She is not worried about how many people read it but she feels good writing about something which she strongly feels about. She says, "Blogging for me is also very cathartic, when I write during low and depressing times. It is almost like a monologue with a good friend, who just listens without saying anything. However, since the blog is open to all, I do draw a line with what I want to go public about."

Besides these handful of blogs, there is a huge blogging space where immensely talented people are adding their content online. The blogging trend is fast catching up with the younger generation as well. More and more children are going online to share with the world their opinions on everything from politics to fashion, books to bones. Yes there are bloggers as young as 8-9 years old who want to share their own findings, experiences and observations. Joanne Mallon has started a Kids Blog Club, a website that acts as a hub and support center for child bloggers and concerned parents. She has observed that the number of young bloggers is increasing every year.

Besides helping the bloggers have an online identity, it is observed that giving expression to feelings and thoughts has various other advantages too. In one of the studies conducted by Scientific American the therapeutic benefits of blogging were discussed. It was mentioned, "besides serving as a stress-coping mechanism, expressive writing produces many psychological benefits. Research shows that it improves memory and sleep, boosts immune cell activity and reduces viral load in AIDS patients and even speeds healing after surgery. A study of the Oncologist reports that cancer patients who engaged in expressive writing just before the treatment felt markedly better, mentally and physically, as compared to the patients who did not." Some hospitals have taken it as a helpful cue in the treatment of their patients and have started hosting patient-authored blogs on their Web sites. Nancy Morgan lead author of the Oncologist says, "Individuals are connecting to one another and witnessing each other's expressions - the basis of forming a community".

While sharing one's feelings, thoughts and opinions is fine, one must always keep in mind that with every word that one puts online, a digital footprint gets created. So one must be aware of the security issues and as such, blogging allows the authors to exercise full control of when to share, how much to share and with whom to share. Happy Blogging!!!

Published in The Tribune (Trends).

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