I asked my 8-year grandson "WhatsApp"?
He smiled and immediately, pointing finger with head high replied promptly,"hmmm, blue sky, birds fly, setting sun and a plane also.....!"I laughed .
***I am Indian and Bengali. So any good words about Bengal gives me joy;I like to share it with others .
Calcutta is the capital of BENGAL;Calcutta is a metropolitan city .I am born in Calcutta;I did my higher education in Calcutta. I love Calcutta of my own time .
Calcutta has its special charm. In spite of having the same features of all other metro cities of the world, it surpasses something more. It has 'terrible beauty' of contrast: a cocktail of British sophistication and simplicity of curious native mind that inspires and embraces whoever comes in contact. "City of Palaces", City of Joy", or "Midnight Children"fail to depict the true spirit of Calcutta, the soul of the city.
Surprisingly, I felt sameness in both tone and tune between Calcutta and NewYork in many points. Obviously, I don't mean only the landmass of New York. But the people of New York. European snobbery cocktailed with chivalry and native simplicity with heterogenous diversity walk parallel, peacefully; crossing over the conflict of race religion wealth.
Anyway I wish to share the accumulated glories of my birthplace with others .I jot down the long list but I will mention only some of them. Bengal holds the 4000 thousand years old civilization and it is world's 3rd ethnic community, right after Arabs and Chinese Huns.
Calcutta is the first metropolitan city, first Metro rail, first University of India, ( estd in Jan 24, 1857). First college of India. Presidency College (1870) First male graduate is Bankim Ch. Chatterjee. ,First bank of India, Bank of Hindustan( 1770),later known as State bank of India ((1806)
First Nobel prize winner in literature is R.N. Tagore (1913).
*** Indian National Anthem : Written by R.N. Tagore. National Anthem "Janagana-mono.." is declared as the best anthem of the world by UNESCO.
First newspaper is published in Calcutta BENGAL GAZETT (1780)
World's largest drinking water tank is TALA TANK. of Calcutta (Estd 1909)
Largest National Library (1903) situated in Calcutta.
First "Miss Universe from India (1947) is Promila from Calcutta.
Calcutta high court (1862)
Second largest stadium in the world : Salt Lake Stadium in Calcutta.
Founder of BJP: Shyamaprasad Mukerjee from Calcutta.
Tenjing Norgay from Darjeeling(Bengal) is the first to climb Mt. Everest. The first Indian to promote Hinduism in the West was patriotic saint Narendranath Dutta. (Later known as Swami Vivekananda)( 1993).
*********************************************************Today I went to the school of my grandson (8years)as they had fete and day of winter closing. My grandson did not come running to me nor to my son, his father. It is a private school.
My son's schooling was in St.Xaviers and daughter's was in Mt. Carmel; both in Durgapur ( W. Bengal).I was ruminating the superb performances of the elementary students, the dedicated and efficient teachers, the elegant school building of my children compared to this private school of America with poor performance and exorbitant charges!
I felt sad both for my grandson and for my son who is lacking required fatherly vision, in spite of being extraordinary student himself. I was thinking of good Boarding school of America where my grandson can be shifted.
I volunteered several times here, in US with students of grade four and five in elementary school. It was so disappointing experiences. for me. I won't be astonished if within 25 years this land become one of the poorest country in knowledge, education and economy. The future of nation is potential within each and every child ; they are the future leader of the country. A country with diverse nations, races, religions and languages must have something unique to mould them, to unify them as a nation. There is no national anthem in regular school curriculum . The syllabus is bogus and superficial; neither teachers nor students understand well the head or tail of it;both teachers and students are overburdened with extra-curricular activities which spare little empty time, free space to think ;most dangerous symptom that I felt is the decay of curiosity and imagination in kids which is the amazing world of creativity; Story books enriched the young brain!
There should be some sagacious 'base' of selecting the Storybooks for reading, considering their emotional hunger and curious mind of the kids, of the teens; story books are not less but rather more important than syllabus books. *******************************************************
So many publishers, so many writers, so many books but few proper English reading books suited to the grades of students ! When I entered the classroom of grade five (in US) first time with Indian mind, I noticed the 'freedom' of students in contrast to my country.The British left India ;but they left back many valuable imprints such as rules regulation, 'discipline' which are still prevalent in all good schools...Anyway, the noise decreases as each table with 3/4 students with one volunteer teacher settled down. I noticed in every class the girls were smarter than the boys; although all seemed equally intelligent ;boys were relatively quiet. The young teacher was too gentle and polite while talking to the students. I diagnosed some extra-cautiousness in her body language instead of students. It was just reverse in our school life. In the past the relationship between teachers and students was mixture of fear and reverence accompanied with distance. Now the relationship between the two is more friendly but absense of distance has stolen desired respect about teachers.
I was never asked any question by students. Once the title of reading piece of the story-book was"keep Quite".
Mahatma Gandhi ,who was called as father of the nation, preached three lessons : 'keep quite', 'don't lie','don't listen rubbish'.
I asked, the students 'Do you know in which country mahatma belonged to'?
One of the students answered,'yes, it is India'.
'Thank you !'do you know I am also from the same country?
'Nobody showed any interest about me .'Who can say the other two lessons of him?'
Nobody raised hands. I myself answered but nobody paid heed to me.
Though I had in my mind to say few words about 'Mahatma' to enrich their G.K. but I checked myself.
Curiosity is dead or may be gasping. and curiosity is the 'Mother of Invention !'
End
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