Scarlet Writes

Schools must do more to bring students out of their classrooms and into the community Soon after I appeared for SLC in the year 2003, I got an opportunity to volunteer at St. Xavier's Social Service Center. While volunteering at the center, I got a chance to see the reality that was so different from what was real for me within the confines of the classroom and my circle of close friends and family members. The hardships and challenges faced by the differently-able children at the center awakened my senses and as I look back on it, they made me more empathetic and compassionate.  I only wish I had an opportunity to experience it while I was in school. As a secondary level teacher now, I advocate for students to have a firsthand experience in community service so that they are aware of the social reality and they know how their small efforts can positively change the larger community. Student participation in community services has multifaceted benefits. While the s...

I clearly remember how it used to be like when I was in school. Teachers primarily used to deliver lessons, take daily attendance and check copies. The only time that the parents got a chance to interact with the teachers was during the report card distribution. There used to be a different person checking the nails, ensuring that the hair was done properly, that the length of the skirt was appropriate. Information was bound in books and children were confined in classrooms. The role of teachers in a child’s education has changed a lot and education is no more confined to books, classrooms and schools. Children today are exposed to electronic and print sources of knowledge and are exposed to massive information every minute. Teaching today is one of the most challenging and demanding professions everywhere in the world. It is disheartening but this profession is not for someone lured by long holidays anymore. Teachers’ roles have been redefined and to survive in this cons...

“It’s the fire in my eyes,   And the flash of my teeth,   The swing in my waist,   And the joy in my feet.   I’m a woman   Phenomenally.”   ―   Maya Angelou ,   Phenomenal Woman: Four Poems Celebrating Women I consider myself very fortunate to have had this opportunity to work with so many women, so closely. The more I understand fellow women, the more I respect every woman. This blog is an attempt to pay tribute to the beautiful, powerful women I know.   I respect women for the roles they play as mothers, sisters, daughters, wives, friends, role models, teachers, creators of life and many other roles they play.  And I really feel that every woman should be able to feel special and celebrate womanhood just because they are. Soon after my marriage, I was bestowed with the responsibilities of a wife, a daughter-in-law and a responsibility of striking a balance between two families and work. There is frustration and fati...

She tried to fly. Fly high. Unaware that the wind was strong and her wings so weak. She remained unflustered. Unperturbed. Put up a brave face but with a trembling heart. Slowly, the gust of wind underneath her wings carried her higher. Then, she soared. She soared so high. Never to look back ever again. Have you ever felt like giving up? Not knowing where you went wrong and what you didn’t do enough. I have felt like that. So seldom but yes, I have. The last few days have been tough with a few mishaps here and there and every day bringing a new challenge. Sometimes I feel like I haven’t made the right choices and a thought has crossed my mind, more than once, that may be I overestimated myself. I have reflected upon my decisions and wondered where I went wrong.   And just like that, I have also realized that there is no right or wrong decision. There are only decisions. Decisions made. That decision may have proven not to be the best one with time but it wa...

As I scroll down the news feed on Facebook, I see a lot of friends. If I had to categorize them, this is how I’d do it: a. Close family members and friends about whom I’d know even if facebook wasn’t there. b. Classmates and friends whom I haven’t met since the last day in school. c. Friends of friends who are now my kind friends, the kind I wouldn’t meet without that one common friend. d. Friends I have never met in my life but became friends on facebook somehow so now we are friends who never meet. e. Friends who were once only coworkers. Or coworkers who could never be friends. f. Neighbors and their friends. g. (And this is the most interesting of all friends) Once best friends. Well, there aren’t many of them. But I do visit their profile every now and then to see what’s going on in their life. And there is also facebook sending you daily reminders of how life once was with them through “See Your Memories”. I never miss out on seeing my memories. It tells me ho...

Like every other year, this year too I thought of trying out my luck by applying for DV. And with the situation that our nation has been stuck in for so long, I was very sure I’d apply for DV this year. However, like every other year, I didn't try this year either.  I am almost certain I am not the only one who thinks of leaving everything behind and taking off in an airplane to a faraway land. Think of it; we have no safe drinking water running in our taps, let’s not even talk about fuel and cooking gas shortage. On top of it all, when the electricity went off at home for more than 12 hours yesterday, I was sure that this country is an uninhabitable country and I was applying for DV, the first thing today. Well, some of my plans never materialize. But this godforsaken country is such that you can’t even abandon it so easily. I really don’t know what I mean when I say country. Am I referring to the impotent, imbecile government which has failed us so many times or am I referr...

Divya came to see me this morning with her 1 st Term Examination Report Card. I had gone to collect the report card yesterday to her school. If you don’t remember Divya, here’s a quick flashback. She was studying in Teresa Academy and was struggling very hard to pass in every exam. She requested us to admit her in a Nepali medium school because she thought English was very difficult for her. So we admitted her in Grade VI this year at Baba Boarding School, a morning school located at Tilganga that’s run as a private school till Grade V and as a public since Grade VI.   So, she came this morning. She scored 64% and stood first in her class. When I was at her school yesterday, she also introduced me to her friend who stood second. Divya was super- duper excited and I am just so glad that we didn’t insist her on studying in an English medium school. There is another little girl we are supporting right now. She is way above the age for studying in Grade I but she comes to school...