I though this would be a good way to return.

I received this via email from a colleague.

Who personally knows Aditi, the author of this email.

So I’m doing the next best thing I can.

Asking you to read it as well.

__________

Dear All,

This email is actually an appeal and since I want you to truly understand what I am trying to say, I will not take any short cuts.

As you may all know I am a fellow with Teach For India. This stated very simply means, I am a teacher. I teach 45 children in a low income school in Goregaon East and make a difference in the lives of about 300 children in the school, in different ways-big or small.

My co teacher and I took 6 of our students to Oberoi Mall, Goregaon, the other day. This outing was conducted with the aim of celebrating their success. Each one of the 45 children was given a differentiated goal to achieve, 6 of them made it.

At the end of a very happy meal  we took them to Crossword Book Store. The sale was on and all the books were out on display. My kids walked in and were truly mesmerized by the sight. The colours, pictures and everything there, was a treat. They picked up books and sat on the carpet, reading.

Some understood, while others simply read.

This is the thought I had while we were there. If you put any child in a place that offers learning, a child will learn without being taught. This store had so much to give.

My class is really colourful. Its walls are plastered with a lot of information. They have storybooks to read, but most of them have been read.

We need books.

Here is my appeal:

In case you people have books, magazines, activity books, picture dictionaries, normal dictionaries, and all or any form of literature suitable for children between 6-14 years – those that you have outgrown, those your children have outgrown, your nieces and nephews, and everyone else – please could you pass them over to me?

I promise, as long as the material is in English, it will be used.

Send me an email on aditirawat@gmail.com and we will find a way to collect the gifts.

Looking forward to receiving support from you. Cause I truly want to believe that everyone wants to help, but does not know where exactly to start from.

Feel free to begin

Thanks!

Aditi

P.S- please circulate this to everyone.

–

Indira Aditi Rawat
Teach For India Fellow.
Class Teacher- 2B
Divine Child High School
Sanjay Nagar
Malad East, Mumbai.

“One day ALL children will attain an excellent education”

PS: Aditi’s kids won in the ‘Top 20 Category’ in the Design For Giving Project. Out of 33000 registrations.

Here is a little video: Click Here

She thinks, agonizes, sweats.

So does he.

An audience of a zillion watches with bated breath.

Hold it.

What is she sweating for?

Trust is frail.

It can break at the slightest poke.

Especially in times of greater individual insecurity than ever before.

What was she agonizing over?

If she actually loved him, why was she worried?

Because the machine’s endorsement of her love was critical in the social context?

What was he agonizing over?

That a “lie” would brand him wrong, never mind what the truth was?

No, don’t expect any links to articles on the veracity of lie detector tests in this post.

I actually don’t care if the lady in question actually loved the man in question or not.

I have a question.

Do programs today operate independently?

Is the social impact they have not a part of the criteria of selection?

This is not a TRP argument.

That’s business.

As a business target, a channel’s job is to gain a greater audience, hence provide a bigger/richer target audience, and hence invite bigger advertising investment.

But a channel cannot ignore the fact that it has a social context too.

Sure, a condom brand’s future sales could lie in it promoting irrational and promiscuous sex.

But it doesn’t work that way.

I have a problem with Sach Ka Saamana.

It’s selfishly irresponsible.

Yes, every contestant is an adult, who probably signed a 40 page agreement before even appearing on the show.

But who are we fooling?

A contestant?

The poor bloke or lady doesn’t know what will hit him/her before it actually does.

Any mass media medium HAS to operate while being cognizant of the impact it will have.

You cannot transfer the responsibility on to the participant.

In any case, most participants who brave terribly intrusive questions actually declare that they desperately need the money.

Like the lady in question tonight.

Individuals are weak, foolish, susceptible and gullible.

Channels are not.

Tonight’s episode, where the young lady, even though she did it of her own free will, was rather saddening – it painted a rather sad picture of the channel and of us, the viewers, who gave the channel reason to telecast such stuff.

I, at a point, did NOT want to know of her personal life anymore.

I hated the sight of her agonizing over that single question.

And her man as well.

The machine can take a flying ****.

Why should we even hear a human subject another human to this crap?

PS:

On a rather unscientific count : enough has been said about love being the most misunderstood emotion of all times.

How do we expect a machine to understand, diagnose and rule a verdict on it?