Education

Parents always compare their children's accomplishments with other children. I know my mom does! It is funny how she seems to always say, "look how your friend studies! She gets A+ in everything and you are sitting in front of me with what is equal to a fail mark? Why can't you be more like her?" My usual reply is, "she is my friend, not yours so I know how much she gets!" "I have spoken to her parents! I know she does very well. At least much better than you!" "Ma, you stretch the truth about how well I…

Making Human Rights a Household Concept is its mission. Standing by victims of discrimination, repression and violence is the very raison d'etre of the South India Cell for Human Rights Education and Monitoring (SICHREM) headquartered in Lingarajapuram in Bangalore. Envisioning a fearless society which uniformly respects the rights of everyone and particularly the marginalized, some concerned citizens started SICHREM in 1995. The NGO has been responding to the growing insensitivity to the law by the state and others through direct intervention, helpline, campaigns and tracking and reporting on unacceptable actions such as torture of prisoners, ill treatment of kids in…

Making Human Rights a Household Concept is its mission. Standing by victims of discrimination, repression and violence is the very raison d'etre of the South India Cell for Human Rights Education and Monitoring (SICHREM) headquartered in Lingarajapuram in Bangalore. Envisioning a fearless society which uniformly respects the rights of everyone and particularly the marginalized, some concerned citizens started SICHREM in 1995. The NGO has been responding to the growing insensitivity to the law by the state and others through direct intervention, helpline, campaigns and tracking and reporting on unacceptable actions such as torture of prisoners, ill treatment of kids in…

Among the many times that I wonder about how the extremely marginalized cope with an empty stomach is when I hear the words "Mummy, I am hungry" on television. It is the ad jingle for a snack popular with children and youth since it entered India over twenty five years back. And it reminds me of the umpteen choices of 'fast' foods (usually unhealthy), available in urban areas. But, unlike the mum in the commercial, mothers of many children in this unenviable position cannot conjure up anything filling or tasty in two minutes! Take the case of Vimala and her…

Among the many times that I wonder about how the extremely marginalized cope with an empty stomach is when I hear the words "Mummy, I am hungry" on television. It is the ad jingle for a snack popular with children and youth since it entered India over twenty five years back. And it reminds me of the umpteen choices of 'fast' foods (usually unhealthy), available in urban areas. But, unlike the mum in the commercial, mothers of many children in this unenviable position cannot conjure up anything filling or tasty in two minutes! Take the case of Vimala and her…

11th Jun is PNLIT Founder's Day and what better way to celebrate it in 2011, than at the local Puttenahalli Government School, JP Nagar 7th Phase. The school, with Chenna Basappa as Head Master, has 850-odd students in Std 1 to Std 10. The first batch of about 90 students is due to appear for the SSLC exam in April 2012. In addition, there is an Anganwadi that the younger children attend. Prize Distribution at Puttenahalli Gov school. Best all-round performer receiving his watch from Nidhi Aggarwal, a donor PNLIT, along with the staff of Puttenahalli Government School, organised a…

11th Jun is PNLIT Founder's Day and what better way to celebrate it in 2011, than at the local Puttenahalli Government School, JP Nagar 7th Phase. The school, with Chenna Basappa as Head Master, has 850-odd students in Std 1 to Std 10. The first batch of about 90 students is due to appear for the SSLC exam in April 2012. In addition, there is an Anganwadi that the younger children attend. Prize Distribution at Puttenahalli Gov school. Best all-round performer receiving his watch from Nidhi Aggarwal, a donor PNLIT, along with the staff of Puttenahalli Government School, organised a…

You are visiting Bangalore and want to spend a few hours outside with your family or friends, preferably in a clean and green environment. Or are an 'old' Bangalorean who wants to relive her/his childhood. Where do you go? Cubbon Park, a lovely lung space in the heart of the city is a great option. And the Jawahar Bal Bhavan, a place for children inside the one hundred and forty year old park is a lot of fun too. Spread over 12.5 acres, it has a toy train, swings, slides, boating and a lot of trees and grassy patches for…

You are visiting Bangalore and want to spend a few hours outside with your family or friends, preferably in a clean and green environment. Or are an 'old' Bangalorean who wants to relive her/his childhood. Where do you go? Cubbon Park, a lovely lung space in the heart of the city is a great option. And the Jawahar Bal Bhavan, a place for children inside the one hundred and forty year old park is a lot of fun too. Spread over 12.5 acres, it has a toy train, swings, slides, boating and a lot of trees and grassy patches for…

 Here's the account of one young man, amongst the many students who take the various entrance examinations for professional colleges.N Arun Kumar took his Common Entrance Test (CET) on the 27th and 28th of March. The registration for this examination was done in a systematic way through his college (Christ Junior College). The application was done about a month prior to the exam, and the hall tickets were received a few days ahead of the exam. Arun's venue was the Oxford Pre university college in J P Nagar."Many of my college mates had to travel far to their venue," he…