CHILDREN

என் பள்ளித் தோழி மும்பையில் இருந்து, தன் ஒரு வயதே ஆன செவித் திறன் குறைந்த மகளுக்கு பேச்சு வருவதற்க்காக, பாலா வித்யாலயா  இளம் செவித் திறன் குறைபாடு உடையவர்கள் பள்ளி பற்றி கேள்விப் பட்டு சென்னை வந்திருந்தாள். அவர்கள் செவித்திறன் குறைந்த பிள்ளைகளுக்காக ஆற்றிடும் சேவைகளை பற்றி விரிவாக எடுத்து சொன்னாள். 48 வருடங்களுக்கு முன்  பாலா வித்யாலயா, இளம் செவித் திறன் குறைபாடு உடையவர்கள் பள்ளி தொடஙக்கப்பட்டு, இதன் மூலம்  ஆயிரத்துக்கும் மேற்பட்ட குழந்தைகள் பேசும் திறமை பெற்று உள்ளார்கள் என்றும் கேள்விப்பட்டதாக சொன்னாள். அப்பொழுது, நான்  20-2-2016 ல் 'தி டெலிகிராப்' (The Telegraph) பத்திரிக்கையில்  வால் நரம்பு உள்வைப்பு  (cochlear  implant) பற்றி வந்த செய்தியினைப் படித்தது நினைவிற்கு வந்தது . இக்  கருவியின் மூலம் பழுது அடைந்த ,   திறன் குறைந்த செவிகளுக்கு வரும் ஒலியினை மூளைக்கு மின்னணு  சமிக்ஞைகள் மூலம் அனுப்ப முடியும், அதனால் பேச இயலாதவர்களையும்…

As we know, a majority of India's underprivileged children are not educated. Even when they do go to school, they are often deprived of the staples for supporting their academic journey. Most urban kids start school with a fresh set of stationery and books each year. If you and I can have it, why can't underprivileged children have the same as well?  Gnawed at by this thought, six of my schoolmates and I, supported by our parents, decided to help the less privileged through charity. We built a mini organisation called "Kids4Kids" where children like us would help other less…

On a Tuesday morning in early April this year, over a thousand teachers and students at a Kilpauk school were part of an interactive, fun-filled session, that was unlike any other they had ever taken part in. For, while there were fun and games and audio-visual presentations, as there might have been during other school events, the focus on this occasion was different. It was a session meant to raise awareness among those present, as well as break the silence around one of the greatest social evils of the times - child sexual abuse, or CSA. Much as we would…

Last February, Marvel destroyed all their carefully set precedents by making a movie that the fans actually wanted to see: Deadpool. Deadpool was one of those movies that you had to be 18 to watch but 16 to fully appreciate. It features, to quote the makers, "God's perfect idiot, A hot chick, A British villain, The comic relief, A moody teen, A CGI character, A gratuitous cameo," and, if I might add, absolutely zero reverence for anything at all, ever. Deadpool is one of those quintessential teenage flicks - those movies where the theaters are packed with 16-year-olds with popcorn…

When was the last time that you took your children to a public park, where they found other children to play with and a chance to engage in fun activities and learning experiences? When was it that your neighbourhood park was filled with the babble of children and their collective excitement and energy as they took part in events targeted at them in particular? As India urbanises, the open spaces in cities shrink, the people get busier and increasingly caught up in their frenetic lifestyles and the few parks that do exist become dull spaces, used occasionally by the early…

Garbage it seems has become an unavoidable part of our lives. However, we can reduce the amount we generate. A few months ago, 11 of us, all part of the Grandma & Grandpa's International Early Learning Center's Leadership Development Series, were discussing cleanliness of cities and their waste problems, and decided to go on a walk around our neighbourhood to understand how clean it actually is. While walking we came across piles of garbage on the streets everywhere and overflowing from the bins! We were overwhelmed to see so much waste and this caused a switch to flick in all of us.…

One of the inequalities of life is that children may not be allowed for many theatre productions...but adults can certainly go and enjoy children’s theatre. The enjoyment is all the more, when one goes with one’s own child...or grandchildren, because there are then multiple layers to the experience. There was a fairly large audience of children, accompanied by their parents or relatives,  to watch “How Cow Now Cow” by the Sandbox Collective a group that has just crossed its second birthday.   I have not watched the work of this young theatre group before, and I am always interested in…

I first met Faiza Aijaaz a month back. Her school in Hyderabad was one of the seven Minority Welfare Schools where our organisation was all set to start working. Faiza was one of the smallest girls in Grade 7, a class of girls aged between 11 and 13. Shy and reserved at first, Faiza turned out to be bright as a button. As a part of vetting the students and the school, our team was to have a short interaction with the girls. During this session – an activity that placed the spotlight on the various physical, emotional and societal…

Whenever you meet her, Nandhini’s enthusiasm is overflowing. Talking very rapidly, she shows me around the Trust for Youth and Child Leadership (TYCL) rooms in Pondicherry. Children of all ages run up to us excitedly to bombard me with questions. The walls are covered in motivational quotes, alongside posters detailing the important role a child can play, whiteboards and book shelves. TYCL works to empower children and let them realise their potential. At age 21, Nandhini heads their programme N’Ka Na (my sister and my brother), which aims to connect children with professional mentors to help the children achieve their…

In the third week of February, a horrifying incident of child sexual assault was reported from a playschool belonging to a popular franchise in Bengaluru. In this particular case, the parents of the child reported the incident with the police and the perpetrator was arrested, the playschool was shut down. The main accused in this case was the school supervisor. Meanwhile, the parents of the victim alleged that the school management had also tried to cover up the matter when they were informed about the incident of sexual assault. A case under The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO)…