'Each of us was given a ‘beat’ to the angry ‘tune’ of our HM...'

 24 August 1994

#memoriesfromdiaries

Teen Days | HSC days

Woke up at 5.30 am.

We had jogging this morn! 

from my personal diary entry, 24 August 1994

After that, went for – you guessed it right – coffee! ☕😋

Well, coffee and tea were placed on the dining tables in the Dining Hall, piping hot-o-hot in attractive kettles, with tumblers all around!

Our only sincere duty, that was expected of us there was to pour the cuppa to the brim-o-brim, and sip-o-sip it all away to our heart’s content, over a lovely-o-lovely chat time with pals! 😍

Since we had water scarcity in our hostel today, and water came quite late, most of us were late in getting ready for our morning assembly.

Our Headmaster, not aware of this problem, came up to our dorms, and asked the wardens to lock up the dormitories, for being late!

Each of us was given a ‘beat’ to the angry ‘tune’ of our HM – on our hands, for being late!

Then, we all saw a drill that was happening, for a grand celebration that was in the pipeline!

Evening Sunil treated me to my favourite ice-cream! 😍

Much more on the next page as well, but not of such great interest! So here’s winding up on the day’s memories dear reader! 😍

'I participate in Seminars and Workshops in my individual capacity as well, and apply all that I had learnt there in my classrooms...!'

Innovative Pedagogy | National Awardee

from today’s Dinamani, Tamil morninger

[Mr. Manohar Subramanian, Govt School Teacher]

I chanced upon a very inspirational article in today’s Dinamani.

It’s about a dynamic Govt School Teacher from Karur who has bagged the National ICT Award for his innovative, computer-based learning programme for students.

From today's Dinamani Supplement

His innovative methods look so inspiring, and hence me thought of translating just a few excerpts from his talk – (from Tamil to English) for the benefit of a larger reading audience!

So here goes -

Information technology has become an indispensable force in the 21st century.

Mr. Manohar has been applying innovative, computer-based learning programmes in the teaching – learning process for students.

He has also bagged the ‘National Information and Communication Technology Award’ for 2018.

In this connect, he had this to say –

I work as a secondary grade teacher at the Velliyanani panchayat union primary school, from Velliyanai Village, Thanthoni Block, in Karur District.

I regularly take part in all the information-technology related training offered by the Govt of Tamil Nadu, and I would also promptly try and implement all that I had learnt in my classrooms.

This apart, I also participate in seminars and workshops in my individual capacity as well, and apply all that I had learnt there in my classrooms!

My aim is to improve the learning skills of the students and thereby simplify teaching!

By means of my first-hand experience, I came to realise that the teaching-learning experience gets enhanced -

Through an audio-facilitated reading programme titled Rainbow Reading, Activity, Implementation, Net Refer, Book Refer, Oral Practice, [Viva Voce, Asking Questions], Written Exam etc.

This apart, I drafted an action plan for providing a rich teaching-learning experience, using software like Immersive Reader, Gardena, Activity Minecraft, OneNote, etc.

I’ve been implementing this action plan in my classes from 2018 onwards.

I took my inspiration from the TN state board text books which were introduced in 2018 with QR code, and decided to have QR code in the identity cards of the school students.

The idea of QR code for students helped him create a digitized database of a student’s profile.

Added, parents could also get to know the academic performance of their students, says Mr. Manohar.

Game-based tools also became an instant hit among  students. These tools brought out the best of creativity in them.

I'm currently working on my next programme called microlearning centre!

Through this venture, around five students from a particular area will be connected online and they will be involved in a collaborative study.

With this, the students in a small group will learn together and help each other.

Likewise, a total of six centres will be created with 30 students and these centres will be monitored thoroughly to give them sustained interventions.

I also feel that, by encouraging group learning, we can develop diversity and multifacedness in our students,

says Mr. Manohar Subramanian!

'We are given salary only to teach and not to cheat...'

22 August 1994 | Guru tattva

#memoriesfromdiaries 💕

[Musings from more than a quarter century ago!]

A teenager’s little musings ✍🏻

Since chilly weather persisted today, we didn’t have PT this morning as well!

Woke up at 5.30 am, and we were asked to be ready for our morning prayer and assembly at 6.30 am.

I went for my elixir of life – coffee - first thing in the morning!

My personal diary entry, 22 August 1994 - part 1

Then after reading the day’s newspaper, went to class, placed our books on our respective tables, and came back in time for the General Assembly.

Well, the General Assembly is a regular feature on Mondays, where the HM gives us instructions and important announcements as well.

From my personal diary entry, 22 Aug 1994 - Part 2

During our Chemistry Practicals, Master taught us on the preparation of salts and tabulation. Since we had a free period, I took a kutty little nap in class today.

Our Zoology Master in particular, usually gives us valuable advice, for which we regarded him very highly.

From my personal diary entry, 22 Aug, 1994 

On this particular day, he highlighted the importance of text books in our class.

Text books have the capability to beget creative, critical thinking in you; whereas guides sound the death-knell to your creativity quotient that’s latent within you,

he used to tell us very often!

Today, he had this to say - [and I quote from my diary]

If anybody has an abundance of money, let him give it to me rather than wasting them on buying guides.

Money is precious. I know how much your parents suffer for this money. Some even force themselves into extra work for money.

Some boys go to shop or market and buy a dozen guides.

Many guide-writers come to me asking me to recommend their guide.

But I refused them.

I want all of you to become a guide for yourself. 

But if there are reference books, I’d gladly appreciate.

We are given salary only to teach and not to cheat.

Else, you can join some tutorial colleges for 3 – 4 hours a day, which are advertised on the trains.

Physics Master met us in the next hour, and started the third lesson.

He said,

Only when two people are concentrating, the teaching will flow smoothly, as in the case of the battery & wire, he said.

He also added on an ironic vein,

People bring the exact change of Rs. 10.25 paise for their Cinema show, while they pull out a 100 Rupee note for a 70 paise ticket in the PTC buses.

He compared himself and other teachers like him to bullocks, symbolically connoting to mean that, a teacher has the sweet burden and responsibility of carrying along all their students with them!

And then he spoke on inertia as an inability to do work!

Coming back,

Evenings were for antakshari, when we all sat in a sweet circle in the garden, and sang aloud to our heart’s content!

Night, played three games of chess with Girish – lost 1, won – 2!

PS: For a similar staff antakshari - a very adventurous & memorable one @ MCC, [Dept of English] you may want to read this past post of ours, HERE!

'Today there was a big galatta in our dorm! Three galattas rather...!'

20 August 1994 | A Klepto Spotted! 🙈

#memoriesfromdiaries 💕

Today being a Saturday, we three of us, Girish, Sunil & myself, we decided to go for weekend outing! 🛺

Our friends followed suit in yet another autorickshaw!

Our destination?

The Anna Flyover! 😁

From my personal diary entry, 20 August 1994 - part 1

You see, outing was permitted on weekends, after we got the ‘Outing forms’ duly filled in and signed by the warden!

Well, we went to the Anna Flyover for two reasons!

Anna Flyover was in itself a landmark to Madras (Madras became Chennai only two years later, in the year 1996!)

from my personal diary entry, 20 August 1994, part 2

Secondly, the famous Woodlands Drive-in was quite a stone’s throw away from the Anna Flyover.

The Woodlands Drive-in was our favourite jaunt not only because it gave the best degree coffee in town, but also because celebrities used to frequent this restaurant during weekends.

And perchance, if lady luck smiled on you, you could even catch a glimpse of your favourite stars here, all of them under one roof! 😍

Autorickshaws were our trusted means of cruising through the labyrinthine lanes of Madras! 🛺

All seven of us had a sumptuous lunch there, which cost us Rs. 186.50/-

Then we swainggg returned to our hostel, by 3.15 pm, again via auto.

This was our weekend outing summed up! 😍

And in what other ways did we spend our weekend? you may ask!

Well, we all usually huddled up in any of our friend’s cubicles, playing chess or chatting endlessly all through the night! 😍

Today there was a big galatta in our dorm! 🙈

Three galattas rather! 🙈🙈🙈

It seems a mischievous fellow hosteler had shaved off the eyebrows of our classmate Murali, when he was fast asleep! 🥴

Then, yet another guy (name withheld pls 🙏) had attempted to try the locks of most of our cupboards!

Since our boys had caught him in the act, they all surrounded him and gave him sound kicks, venting all their anger on him, for stealing our money and valuables, when our warden came to his rescue!

We all complained about him, and also warned him, after he admitted to having tried the locks of Girish’s, Jopi’s and Riyaz’s!

Thirdly, in the ensuing melee, a washbasin was broken as a mark of protest, in our dorm by an indignant hosteler.

Only later, we came to know from our warden Mr. Parthiban that the said guy who had tried our locks, was a klepto!

A confirmed kleptomaniac!

There was a great sense of unrest and hullabaloo amongst all of us hostelers because of a klepto in our midst!

Connecting the dots, we could see the bigger picture for ourselves.

He hailed from a very rich family.

His father was working in some prestigious concern abroad, and used to pamper him with money and valuables more than what was needed it seems!

So when our Warden spoke to his father on his son’s inclinations to klepto, the father almost broke down over the phone, and had requested him to go slow on his son, thus admitting to his klepto streak it seems!

Today I looked up the word ‘kleptomania’ on the Oxford Handbook of Impulse Control Disorders, and found some intriguing points on the subject –

Here goes –

Kleptomania is characterized by repetitive, uncontrollable stealing of items not needed for their personal use.

Although kleptomania typically begins in early adulthood or late adolescence, the disorder has been reported in children as young as 4 years old and in adults as old as 77 years old.

Intense guilt and shame are commonly reported by those suffering from kleptomania.

Items stolen are typically hoarded, given away, returned to the store, or thrown away.

Many individuals with kleptomania (64 % to 87 %) have been apprehended at some time due to their stealing behaviour.

Additionally, individuals with some impulse control disorders (kleptomania, compulsive buying) frequently report hoarding symptoms that resemble those of individuals with obsessive compulsive disorder.

Bleuler classifies kleptomania (impulse to steal) and pyromania (impulse to set fires) under the heading of impulsive insanity!

Esquirol was probably the first author to provide a nosological framework for ICDs.

His monomanias describe a number of disorders, including arsonism, alcoholism, impulsive homicide, and kleptomania, which share the common features of a compelling or irresistible urge and a tendency to act impulsively.

In the early twentieth century, Kraepelin reported similarities between excessive buying in women (oniomania) and men’s unrestrained gambling in the context of pathological impulses.

It has been argued that Impulsive Control Disorders [ICD] share analogous behaviour with substance addictions.

Like people with substance addictions, those with ICDs, such as pathological gambling, pyromania, and kleptomania, experience a growing urge beforehand and relief, gratification, and/or pleasure afterward.

The drive to undertake a repetitive act that is to some extent rewarding may be termed a behavioral addiction,

says the entry on the book!

“Every person I meet is my superior in some way, in that, I learn of them...”

On Suchindra | A Great Mind! 💛

19 August 1996

#memoriesfromdiaries 💕

Emerson once famously said, “Every person I meet is my superior in some way, in that, I learn of them.”

How true with all the people we meet in our lives!

In other words, Emerson says that, true learning happens for me, only when I consider every person I meet to be superior to me in some way! 💛

More especially with our friends who double up as classmates!

My personal diary entry, 19 August 1996

There are certain friends with whom you would love to sit next to, when lecture classes are in progress, ain’t it?

That’s because they’d share your vibes, your passion and your enthusiasm for the subject, and in listening to the lecture and taking down notes word by word, line by line!

When you miss out on a word, you look up your friend’s notes, and hey presto, he’s got it down so right!

I loved Suchindra a lot because he was that friend of my own heart! 💛

He was very clear of his calling!

Unwavering in his purpose!

Added, he was a thinker!

The thoughts he shares with you are so profound!

Something that’s quite a rarity in ‘teen’ talks!

On this particular day, after a little siesta, I headed straight for my tuitions to T.Nagar, the hub of all great tuition classes back then!

[Remember Brilliant Tutorials, anybody? That was also housed in T. Nagar!]

Some of his thoughts were so enriching and ennobling that I wanted to write them down in my diary!

Firstly, on Muhammad Ali – After Ali had won the gold medal at the Rome 1960 Olympic Games, he was once teased into a fight by some street men it seems. But Muhammad Ali refused to fight the street men, because of his Olympic fame and glory.

He is said to have angrily thrown his gold medal into the river, because of racial abuse! [after he was denied a room in a hotel / declined service at a restaurant because of his African American roots!]

Secondly, Suchindra narrated an incident from Russia about a boy who had been programmed to function like a robot; and the scientist who programmed him got a hefty fee for it, he said.

Thirdly, he shared some interesting snippets on Discovery Channel’s adventurous quest citing a few examples.

Finally, he spoke on scientists from Russia, who were on mission mode, trying to find out the end of the Universe, since, if they succeeded in calculating on that, they could then easily predict the destruction of the earth as well.

Although Suchindra spoke still more on a lot of other interesting aspects, my day’s diary has just one sheet, you see, and hence I’d written down just the essence of his conversation with me!

What a great blessing to have such amazing friends who share such enriching and ennobling ideas with you, ain’t it?

As the good ol’ saying goes –

‘Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people’.

By this yardstick, then, my dear friend Suchindra could very well be called a real great mind! 💛

PS: You may want to read more on the topic of "Great Minds vs Small Minds" HERE on our past blogpost!

'Not allowing even a kutty little attempt at an interception from any of our weak-kneed opponents...'

17 August 1994 | HSC Days

Fun on the Football Field

#memoriesfromdiaries

No jogging today due to the chilly weather.

My personal diary entry, 17 August 1994 - part 1

All of us - hostelers - were hence asked to be ready for our morning study time by 6.30 am.

I was up an about by 6.10 am.

17 August Part 2... contd...

After studies, cleaned cubicles as usual, and went for breakfast.

Today we had ‘punishment breakfast’ for hostelers!

17 August, part 3

Well, you see, when hostelers were up to some mischief or the other, or they had defaulted on their daily duties, the management always had some ingenious ways of meting out punishment to us!

Yes! they wouldn’t deprive us of our breakfast.

Rather, they’d give us a special variety of breakfast called punishment breakfast!

Guess what?

It was a Bread & Sambhar Combo as part of our punishment breakfast menu today!

That’s why I’d jotted down the phrase, ‘very nasty!’ (which today I feel I shouldn’t have!)

Then, read ‘The Week’, one of my favourite magazines, before going to school.

Coming back,

During our PT Period today, we had a funny incident that had happened -

Since it was a rainy day today, we had puddles of water all over the football field, with patches of loose sand at places!

Chandramouli was our ever-reliable centre-forward at all times! 😍

Today, since we had PT for just an hour’s duration, there was added urgency on us to score a minimum of at least one goal, and that too, as quick as possible! 

Chandru was hence enthusiasm personified all over, quite busy dribbling the ball on a labyrinthine streak across the field, not allowing even a kutty little attempt at interception from any of our weak-kneed opponents! 😄

We were whipping up passions in our own sweet ways, by our yaays and ooohs, even as our forward  was busy finding a little loophole to shoot the ball straight into the goal post…. when… 🤭

In a split second, the unexpected happened! 🤭

The loose sand had almost proved to be our nemesis of sorts! 

Well, you see, it so happened that, Chandru was just about to kick the ball straight into the goal post, when, to our utter disbelief, the loose sand gave away!

He had attempted the famous ‘scisssors kick’ resulting in a record slipping of sorts!

Could have been a whopping distance of a few metres at least!

Although we witnessed our own team member swaingggg slip in the sand, the occasion proved konjam hilarious as well, and so we all burst out into spontaneous ripples of laughter! 😁

And fortunately for us, Balaji saved the day by fetching us a goal as well!

So yes! we won, 1 – 0!

And all’s well that ends well! 🤗

Coming back,

Following our PT Period, we then had our Math class, followed by our English class!

English classes were added fun for all of us!

Today in our English class, our English Master had assigned each group the task of asking questions to the other groups. The group/s that lost out, had to give a royal salute to the winning group. That was the catch!

Nawaz my hostel mate and friend was the most mischievous lad of the lot!

[Highly] unfortunately for him that he was placed on another group!

Since he hadn’t prepared himself well enough for this particular day’s quiz, (and me, his pavapetta friend not wanting to let him down) I offered to quiz him – and with a very easy one at that!

He mumbled a reply! 

The way in which he mumbled his reply felt so funny that it provoked laughter from all around, and I too laughed, spontaneously! 😅

That turned out to be his undoing as well! 😁

Coming back, 

I received two letters today!

Afternoon during Physics Practicals, I did Simple Pendulum!

The last period was free, (we call it send off!) - something that we hostelers look forward to, with such happiness on us!

This happiness was only short-lived, as we were given an announcement through the Public Address System in our class that - our Head Master had asked all of us to stay back for watching a Silambattam show. 

As the good ol’ saying goes –

There’s many a slip ‘twixt the cup and the lip! 😎

“The important thing in life is not the triumph, but the fight...'

16 August 1998 | Endeavour

#memoriesfromdiaries 💕

UG Days’ Memories

We fared quite badly! 🙃

Yes! But still, ‘It was a good endeavour!’

My personal diary entry on 16 August 1998

As part of our DOE Club and Quiz Club activities, we had always excelled in any of the inter-departmental competitions that came up within our College!

Be it Elocution or Creative Writing or Just A Minute or Turn Coat or Extempore, our DOE Club members did amazingly well, and yes, we made a clean sweep of all the prizes as well! 😇

Ironically, or rather sadly, 🙈 that was not the case when we represented our College in inter-collegiate competitions!

We used to have the Spell Bee Championships at Hotel Sangam every year.

Our Quiz Club coordinator Dr. VKB had immense confidence in our abilities and he had also wished us the best, just the previous day!

A bevy of participants were busy buzzing around the Bee! The Spell Bee!

As is usual, participants from the hundreds of Colleges were then given the Preliminaries [also called the elimination round!]

We [Keerthivasan & Myself] representing our College, fared so badly in the Prelims, much to our shock and dismay.

But then, as I’ve written in my diary entry,

It was a good endeavour!

As noted critic Scupin Richard rightly points out,

Success teaches us nothing; but failures give us a beautiful reality check!

Well, the Oxford English Dictionary defines the word ‘endeavour’ as –

An attempt to do something, especially something new or difficult!

On that note, yes! it was an attempt!

A beautiful attempt we made – with our heart and soul!

We tried giving our best in this attempt as well!

And yes! We were able to learn a lot from this attempt!

The chinks in our armour were exposed big-time in this attempt!

We were able to introspect on our ‘Achilles heels’ with gusto in this attempt!

So we were simply glad that…

We attempted!

Yes, we did! 🥳🥳🥳

Reminds me of the Olympic creed which says -

“The important thing in life is not the triumph, but the fight; the essential thing is not to have won, but to have fought well.”

Interestingly, only quite recently, [on 20 July 2021] the Session of the International Olympic Committee approved a change in the Olympic motto that recognises the unifying power of sport and the importance of solidarity.

The change adds the word “together” after an en dash to “Faster, Higher, Stronger”. The new Olympic motto now reads: “Faster, Higher, Stronger – Together”.

The Olympics Official Page adds to say,

Together, the Olympic motto and creed embody an ideal that Coubertin believed in: that giving one’s best and striving for personal excellence were worthwhile goals. And where better to do this than through the pursuit of sport and participation at the Olympic Games? This is an important life lesson that is still equally valid today, not just for athletes but for everyone!

How true!

So yes! Just go ahead!

Attempt! Give it a shot!

All the best! 

PS: Personally, I’ve had this great fascination for Spell Champs of all hues! One reason I’ve so loved watching the 2006 movie, Akeelah and the Bee, that has some amazing life-lessons as take-aways for us all!

The climax scene especially, is... that ‘Chance-yyy illa’  type! 😍👌

So yes! do watch it asap! 🙏

In the meantime, you may want to read our past post on Akeelah and the Bee HERE on our blog! 😍