Examining Exams

Acquiring Knowledge through Education is an indispensable part of a student’s life.  But how do we assess our level of learning? Exams Of course! But, what if the examination system itself is flawed? In today’s dynamic world where methodologies of learning are changing constantly, the examination system needs a complete overhaul.

The stagnant Indian exam system assesses a theoretical  and redundant  syllabus which does  not serve any useful purpose in ‘real life’.  The obsolete theories need to be replaced by relevant content preparing the students for future adaptability in tandem with global education. The exams should be predominantly practical assessment with minimum theoretical questions, because, after all, it’s how well we’re able to apply what we’re learning that matters.  

The real world is not compartmentalized into subjects. Hence education system should have subjects which are interlinked. So should the exams be.

What good are exams if they do not help in identifying a student’s true potential? Indian Examination System tests how much a student can cram into their heads and how much they retain. Then, what exactly is the difference between a memory test and an exam? A lot of brilliant students do not fare well in exams, because they are brilliant in application of what they have learnt. On the contrary, a lot of students who do very well in exams actually will not be able to put whatever they’ve written into practice. They’ve just mugged it up word by word for the exam.

 How many students actually understand what they’re reading? How many of them will be able to put this so-called knowledge into practice? How many students hailed as ‘toppers’ actually know the subject in depth? These are questions that need to be answered and with these answers will the inherent flaws in the Indian education system be exposed.

Our Examining System produces a huge volume of  unemployable graduates whose memory power has been tested but who have not been taught to question.  The Indian Education System stifles curiosity. Without curiosity, nothing that is there today would have been. 

A true seeker of knowledge asks ‘Why ‘  and ‘Why not’?    

Our academicians and educationists need to model exams that will identify the student’s true potential instead of creating memory machines out of students.   

What Is India Coming To?

WE, THE PEOPLE OF INDIA, having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a SOVEREIGN SOCIALIST SECULAR DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC
Well, that’s the very first sentence of the Preamble to The Indian Constitution. 

Also, Article 15 prohibits the State from discriminating on the basis of religion. Article 25-28 are the ‘Right To Freedom of Religion’. Article 325 states that no person can be ineligible for inclusion in an Electoral Roll on the basis of religion. 

Now, 
“The Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) became law after receiving the President’s assent on Thursday(12th December, 2019), following a bruising debate in Parliament. Assam has been in the throes of violence since Wednesday(11th December, 2019), when Rajya Sabha took up the Bill after it was passed in Lok Sabha, with its capital under indefinite curfew, and Army and paramilitary columns rolling across multiple towns.” 

The CAB contradicts the NRC, which states 24th March, 1971 as the cut-off for immigrants. Under the CAB, the cut-off date is 31st December, 2014. It means, all illegal non-Muslim immigrants will become citizens of India whether or not they can show proofs that were required for NRC.
Pointed To Be Noted: The Protests in Assam have a different angle altogether. The Assamese have always been skeptical towards the Bangladeshis (The Assam Movement). It has more to do with illegal immigration becoming legal. 

The rest of India is in uproar because of the discriminatory law that it is. Why, it goes against the very foundation of our Constitution!!!
16th Dec: Police opened fire on a group of protestors in Jamia Milia Islamia University in Delhi and Aligarh Muslim University in Uttar Pradesh. 

“Cops in both Delhi and Aligarh have been accused of using excessive force during protests that turned violent. The clashes left a total of nearly 50 students injured and the 100 Jamia students - who had been detained after cops barged into the campus without permission - were only released after a massive show of strength by students outside Delhi Police Headquarters throughout Sunday (15th December) night.” 

Peaceful protests are being banned. Curfew was imposed in Assam. It has been relaxed during daytime now. Kashmir is still cut-off from the rest of India. Unity In Diversity no longer holds true. India was supposed to be a secular democratic country which treats all religions equally. Forget secularism, where is the democracy? How is turning violent on a group of peaceful protestors justified? The Indian Government is turning dictatorial. 

India’s foundation itself is crumbling.The economy is in shambles.Prices of essential commodities are sky-rocketing. On top of that, Bills and Laws like these are being passed. Obviously, there will be a controversy… the Bill is violating the very principles that define India’s! Everything is turning political. Humanitarian cases are being linked with politics. What is India coming to? 

Apart from the CAB, the Priyanka Reddy case too. So brutal, so animal-like. (Animal-like is a wrong phrase that I used. Animals would never ever behave in the barbaric manner in which the four men did) Why? It is because an educated, independent woman is an alien ‘object’ to some men. They objectify women. They do not consider her normal, they consider her to be a threat to the patriarchal society and hence decide she’s not fit to live. The case against the men would have gone on and on in Court. Such is the sad state of affairs with the Indian Judicial System, that yes, I am not ashamed to say that I’m glad that the rapists were killed. It should serve as an eye opener. But again, would any amount of justice bring back Dr. Reddy? No. Honestly, how horrible would people have to be to do something so heinous? It makes me sick to think of it.  

Drastic steps were the need of the hour and I’m glad they were taken.

MY VERY OWN BUTTERFLY

She came home wrapped in a pink cocoon,

With her face shining like a sunny moon.

Day after day she cried and cried

I exclaimed “Oh god! What a boring child!”

Little by little she grew

Anything she found she would chew.

She drooled all over, while she rolled like a rover,

The naughty little brat wearing my red hat,

Crawled all over her mat

She drove us crazy and mad

Throwing things this way and that.

Her first wobbly walk and cute lispy talk

Melted our hearts into a million parts…

But the best part was her smile,

For it, I could walk a mile.

The monstrous angel is now my best friend

Many precious moments together we spend.

If she sees this poem, she’ll jump with delight,

At least for a day we’ll stop our perennial fights.

THE MAGNIFIQUA SERIES- PART 2 : MAGNIFIQUA & HER SANDY ENCOUNTER

Ruby and Diamond, the brave Princesses of the beautiful Kingdom of Magnifiqua, returned home to a grand welcome after vanquishing the evil witch Malbruja and her pet dragon Centojo.

The King rewarded his daughters by crowning them as HEADS of MAGNIFIQUA. After ruling  tirelessly for thirty long years, the King and Queen wanted to relax and tour the world.

Diamond and Ruby did their parents proud and much to the delight of the citizens of the kingdom, performed their administrative duties sincerely and efficiently.

After a few months of hard work, the young Princesses wanted to refresh themselves by taking a short holiday in a tiny virgin beach called Pristinia, located at the far end of the kingdom. As planned, the sisters set out on horseback. The pristine white sands, swaying palms, the crystal clear, blue green sea mesmerized them.

As they were strolling on the beach, a single step taken by Ruby changed the course of their tranquil holiday…she screamed out in terror as felt herself being sucked into the sand. Diamond rushed to her aid and tried to pull her out. To their shock and fear, the sisters felt themselves sucked into a deep, dark, sandy bottomless hole. As they were speeding down to what they thought was an endless hellhole, they struck ground!!! Dazed, the girls looked around dumbfounded but relieved that they were alive and unharmed. Confusion & panic seemed to be reigning supreme in whichever place they had reached…..

They were amazed to see human like creatures, but made of sand with eyes of shell running around helter-skelter. They also saw smaller sand creatures looking like lobsters and crabs.  What they saw next was blood chilling….and explained the panic ..A huge swarm of thousands of big, hairy black multi-eyed spiders were chasing the sand creatures and spewing liquid venom. As the liquid touched them, the creatures were falling to the ground in a heap of dust.

Trying to make some sense of the chaos all around, Diamond & Ruby held each others hands to calm themselves down. In a flash they remembered their secrets the royal family guarded with utmost care to prevent misuse - Diamond’s embedded priceless diamond controlling the future wellbeing of the kingdom and Ruby’s power to commune with nature, animals, the sun, moon and stars. The sisters tried to think how best they could use their secret magical powers to bring the scenario under control.

As they were contemplating their next course of action, a huge sand figure in golden robes came towards them, wearing an anxious and worried expression. Ruby and Diamond, stepped forward and introduced themselves and offered to help. Quartzar, the King of the SandKingdom, narrated in brief that his peaceful & isolated underground kingdom had been attacked by a vicious clan of poisonous eight-headed spiders called OCTARIUS. He was helplessly watching his own coming to a terrifying end. Ruby and Diamond realized that destiny had accidentally sent them to help these helpless sand creatures.

Using her power to commune with nature and animals, sun, moon and stars, she hypnotized the spiders and lead them into the sea. Urging the moon to work her wonders, she got them drowned in the high tide, created in close cooperation of the moon & the sea. Diamond with her superior power for peace, harmony and well being helped revive most of the creature by drawing out the poison from their bodies.

With tears in his shell eyes, QUARTZAR, was speechless with gratitude. He held onto the hands of the young and brave princesses and vowed eternal allegiance to the kingdom of MAGNIFIQUA.

The Princesses, tired yet happy to have been able to save the kingdom, returned to their palace, contented. 

Months passed and the Princesses were carrying out their responsibilities extremely well. They were enjoying themselves too. Meanwhile evil forces were also not sitting idle. Malbruja, the evil witch, who was killed by the Princesses, had a brother called BRUJO. To avenge his sisters death, he was studying the scriptures of witchcraft and metamorphosed into a clone of the hundred eyed dragon, Centojo. He named himself NuvoCentojo.

One night when the kingdom of MAgnifiqua was fast asleep, Brujo in his NuvoCentojo avtar, flew across the hills and valleys, cities and palaces, spraying the entire kingdom with his jelly like oily and combustible saliva. When the sun was about to rise, NuvoCentojo breathed out flames and set the entire kingdom on fire.

While the entire kingdom was still in deep slumber, flames had started to engulf the kingdom.

While Magnifiqua was set ablaze, Quartzar, the SandKing was praying to the SunGod on the shore of Pristinia. He smelled smoke and then saw ravaging flames all across the sleeping Magnifiqua.  The kind King, ever grateful to the Princesses of Magnifiqua, mobilized his entire sand kingdom. With all their might, the entire kingdom of sand rose like a tsunami of sand and lashed repeatedly all over the kingdom to douse the flames. NuvoCentojo’s fire breaths were choked with sand and he dropped down dead. The kingdom woke up to a smoky and sandy sky, its natural beauty partially charred but still safe and alive.

Now it was the turn of the Princesses to thank Quartzar for saving the entire nation from inevitable death. A friendship was forged for eternity between the two kingdoms. The hills and valleys of Magnifiqua and the pristine white sands of Pristinia united to make it the most beautiful and peaceful region on earth, protected in unison by the brave sisters and the kind and courageous Quartzar.

MAGNIFIQUA AND ITS ENCHANTED SECRETS

Once upon a time there was a beautiful and prosperous kingdom “MAGNIFIQUA” with crystal clear streams, lush green fields and pretty flowers. The king and queen had two daughters - Diamond and Ruby. Diamond, the elder child, was a quiet and gentle girl who loved to read books and paint. Ruby was a vivacious, intelligent and inquisitive child who loved to spend time outdoors.

The royal family had some secrets. Did you ever wonder why Diamond was named Diamond? She was named so because in her was embedded a priceless diamond which controlled the future of the kingdom. Ruby was a blessed child who had the power to commune with nature, the sun, moon and stars. The royal family guarded these powerful secrets with great care.

One day the princesses went to a beautiful hill which the locals called Crescent Mount. They plucked flowers, made pretty flower crown and enjoyed themselves amidst nature, birds and bees. On the way back to the castle, they were attacked by the evil witch Malbruja. Much to the dismay of the princesses, Malbruja, using her magical power, had discovered the royal secret and now wanted the diamond for herself. She knocked Ruby unconscious and took Diamond with her. Upon regaining consciousness, Ruby set out to search for her beloved sister.

Meanwhile, the witch was torturing Diamond to tell her in which part of her body the diamond was. But Diamond, though gentle, was not a feeble princess. She flatly refused the witch. In a fit of rage, Malbruja with an evil spell, sucked all the power out of Diamond. Malbruja enclosed Diamond’s powers in a crystal drop, kept it in a crystal jar and placed the jar in the fourth room of the fort. She created a thousand keys, out of which, one was the correct key to the forth room. She left Diamond to die in a sealed iron room of her magical dragon guarded fort. Just then she heard some loud noise and the growl of her pet dragon Centojo. With a swish of her cape she ran out and in her hurry, unnoticed, fell a diary & pen from her pocket………….

Malbruja had a major problem……. she had no memory!! But clever as she was, with her magical power, she had created a magic pen and diary in which all her thoughts and actions got noted down for her future reference. And those were the diary and pen that had fallen off……

While all this was happening, Ruby was frantically searching for her sister. She asked the Sun, Moon, Stars, streams and flower what to do, where to go. Guided by her special friends, she finally reached a deserted, sprawling fort guarded by a hundred-eyed dragon named Centojo. Smelling human flesh, Centojo started growling and flashing fire (hearing which Malbruja had come out). But little Ruby sneaked into the fort and tiptoed into the alleys, searching for Diamond. At last she came upon a room with an iron door. She huffed and puffed and put in her best efforts and finally managed to push it open..

Ruby was horrified with the sight that met her eyes. Diamond, frail and thin as a reed, was sprawled on the floor and was trying to reach a little diary lying in the corner of the room. Ruby ran to her sister and hugged her tight. She then picked up the diary with a little pen tucked into it. The diary opened to a page which read “in the 4^th room of the fort will be a crystal drop in a crystal jar containing all the powers of Diamond. Consume it to gain supreme power over the Kingdom of MAGNIFIQUA. Open the 4^th room with the crystal key in the bunch of the thousand keys” Ruby rushed to the fourth room, found the key, the jar and the crystal drop just as mentioned in the diary. She fed the drop to Diamond. Immediately Diamond regained her strength and became well again.

The diary less Malbruja was already powerless with a failed memory. She had forgotten how to control her pet dragon Centojo. The confused dragon burnt himself and his mistress to death with his fire fumes.

The two sisters, now supremely powerful, ran out of the fort, and rushed back to their kingdom much to the joy and relief of the King & Queen. The royal family and the whole kingdom lived happily ever after, safe with their powerful secrets.

Initial version was penned down by Aatreyee sometime in 2015. Elaborated and fine tuned for a story writing competition held in August '16

Futuristic Cities 2030

Futuristic Cities 2030.

Flying vehicles

Robot cleaners who are on strike

Oxygen bubbles 

Chip embedded humans

Giant electronic news tablets

Skyscrapers of different and dynamic shapes

The Limericks Fever

This was triggered by a school Limericks contest but went on to become an obsession when Aatreyee kept creating limericks all the time...often driving us up the wall.... ;)

Limerick - 1

A girl called Twitter had a dog named Butter.

Twitter and Butter fell into the gutter.

Deep in the river of slime

Poor things were covered in grime,

Butter barked, Twitter cried, "O what a disaster!"

Limerick-2

A dog called Red

went early to bed.

He loved to draw hearts

And he ate only tarts,

And he only sang songs of the dead.

Limerick-3

I have a neighbour

Who hates child labour.

She's very nice,

She gives the poor rice.

Every Sunday she does a favour.

Limerick-4

There is a school

Which is smaller than a pool.

It has a bus which is big

Which is covered in fig.

Its every student is a big fat fool.

Limerick-5

I have a recipe book

Which I hang on a hook.

I read it every night

Under the kitchen's dim light.

Every Sunday I cook, eat and again cook.

Limerick-6

I have a fudge
On which I hold a grudge.
It is yummy,
But does not fill my tummy.
So I melted it into a sludge.

Limerick-7

There is a girl called Ferry
Who loved to eat Cherry.
She made a yummy dish
Which was made of fried fish.
This made Ferry very merry.