Week 2: The Rediscovery of Gita

So here are more pictures of Week 2. During the weekend, we visited the Isckon Temple. 12 years ago when I came to India, I basically went all over the South. One of my stops was Bangalore where I visited the Isckon Temple.I couldn't remember exactly what I did but I have a vivid snapshot of  the idols Lord Krishna, Radha and Lord Balaram. I remember being so happy that the temple was clean and that no priests were demanding for money. I especially felt happy that there were no beggars around. At that time, I officially declared the Isckon Temple the best temple in India.

But with that declaration came many changes. The visit to Isckon transformed my father into a Krishna devotee. He gave up meat and embraced being a vegetarian. He began reading the Bhagavad Gita and the Srimad Bhagavatam.I was being preached about God. Being 9 years of age, I did not understand his fascination with what the Gita was all about.I did not understand what is so great about being vegetarian. I understood why he did it, but did not share his convictions.My dad also understood that its his duty to tell me what I needed to know about the spiritual knowledge but he also knew that he can't force that knowledge on me.And I thank him for that

The temple ahs changed so much. The added security and the expansion astounded me. I felt different once I was there. I can't quite describe it, but I left the temple content and happy. In Iskcon, the Maha Mantra is constantly being recited.It goes like this:

                 

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna

Krishna Krishna Hare Hare

Hare Rama Hare Rama

Rama Rama Hare Hare

Now that I have returned to Isckon for the second time,I began picking up the Gita wanting to know more.And I look forward to learn more.

"In order to deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to re-establish the principles of religion, I advent Myself millennium after millennium."

-Bhagavad Gita

Week 2: PremaVidya

               As I have written in the previous post, PremaVidya makes and distribute videos as a form of teaching supplements in class. The videos are made with the assumption that the students in schools are visual and auditory learners and therefore these videos are able to help them in memorizing concepts in Math, Science and Social Science. These videos are used in schools through three different models: SSS,ISSS and TASSS. SSS is the model where the teachers within the school is trained how to use the videos and the videos are used at the teacher's own discretion. ISSS is a model where a group of 4 students sits together with a DVD player and uses the video of their choice. There is a facilitator that keeps the DVD players recharged but does not conduct any teaching.Students who have any questions about the material will write them on "Doubt Slips". These doubt slips are then given to the teacher, where the teacher will answer them. The third model is the TASSS model where a Teaching Assistant from PremaVidya conducts one period of lesson using the video. The TA's do not necessarily have to know the material but he/she does have to know how to encourage discussions in class and initiate peer to peer learning, a key aspect while using these videos.

The ISSS model

Some of the charts used for reference

One of the school managers explaining the ISS model

SaAth Centre,the centre

Some of the students' work

I like the angle

         

The government school in Begur

The kids in school

TA in the school explaining

             We had the opportunity to visit these schools to learn more about the different models.The students were very engaged with the material and it's really nice to see students' who are excited with what they are learning.

The next day, we we spent time with the Tech team to learn how the videos are being made. The videos go through a screening process by the State of Karnataka before they can be distributed by schools. Making those videos were NOT easy. First, you prepare powerpoing slides on a topic. Then, you prepare a script where you will record your voice in the VoiceOver room. Here comes the tricky part. You will have to sync your voice recording and the powerpoint presentation. We took about three days to do all of that.We started on Tuesday and got it in on Friday since we did not go to work on Thursday as there was a transportation strike due to the increase in petrol price.

This.Is.India. (TII)

Week 1 of India:Discovering that Indian Food is the Solution to Everything

Week 1

So I left Kuala Lumpur International Airport on the 23rd of May for Bangalore and I flew with Malaysian Airlines.The one thing I noticed in regards to the in flight service was that the MH staff was rather condescending. Watching them interact with the other passengers, I have noticed that they were very dismissive and not attentive to the requests of the other passengers. For an airline that is going down the drain, they sure are not improving the quality of the in flight service.

The view from the plane

Anyway that was a 3 hour flight and I safely landed at 11.40pm. I went through immigration and got bombarded with a lot of questions.I have to admit those immigration officers certainly have a talent of finding fault in every single thing.

I was picked up by my uncle and my second cousin who I have never met. It was funny to see them holding my name and waving it around since they don't know how I looked like. They came all the way from Tamil Nadu, which is a neighbouring state(Bangalore is in the state of Karnataka and their state language is Kannada).The drive from the airport to where I am staying took about an hour. I am currently staying in a service apartment and it is a really nice place. My window is facing the main road, so every single morning I get to hear the sweet, sweet sounds of blaring honks.

Mathyoo(the place I'm staying in) is opposite the military school where my uncle was trained! So,its definitely safe and we get served breakfast every morning, which is great. I am with 11 other students and we are all split to work with 3 different NGO's. Me,Kristen, Parisa and Maddy are working with PremaVidya. Sam, Amanda, Maria and Yoshi are working for Hippocampus. Phu,Abby,Matt and Varun are working for Sattva.

Our first assignment was to look for our organization by ourselves.These are the things you should be aware while you are in India.The roads have holes...everywhere. You don't text while you are working or you may trip and fall. Your eyes should always be on the road. Pick proper shoes to wear. And don't expect a comfy ride on a public bus.And people will always honk at you...always.

PremaVidya is located in JP Nagar and obviously we had a little difficulty finding where it was but we managed to figure it out...since we are Strong, Independant Women(Well except Maddy, since she came a little later). JP Nagar is about 20 minutes from the place we stay but the traffic jam makes it worse.

After we managed to search for our respective organization, we headed to Indira Nagar for lunch and discovered that it was a fancy place. After lunch, we went to Sattva and had a discussion with Krishna and Vikram in Sattva.Later we went back to Indira Gandhi for a group dinner.This is when things get interesting. I took an auto with Kristen and Sam and none of us have an Indian cell phone. We didn't really know where this restaurant was but we know it's somewhere in Indira Gandhi. So we were dropped off and we began asking people.The one thing about the people here is, they are mostly helpful. I mean, they really are...But half of the time they don't know where a place is and they will make something up.So, we went the opposite way asking people along the way where everyone giving opposing directions. Using my Malaysian phone, I called Cathy where I spent RM 19 on a 1 minute conversation. So there goes my money. She gave us directions and some landmarks and after one hour, we found a lady who actually knew what we were talking about. We finally arrived at a Rajashtani restaurant where we were served like a king, literally. They would put food on your plate and hover near you to make sure that you eat what they placed on your plate.

The next day, we went on a field trip to two different organizations in Bangalore. This field trips were organized by Madam Aruna and Panni Uncle from the Centre for Social Initiative and Management(CSIM). We visited The Association of People with Disability(APD) and SELCO. Please visit their websites to learn more about what they are doing.

To end my blog post, here are some pictures of Indian food!

 Orange lassi.Best drink ever.

Tomato Soup.

 

The Journey Begins!

It's been more than three weeks since I arrived in India and we are already halfway through our respective projects. I am currently working with PremaVidya.

PremaVidya is under the umbrella organization called Swami Vivekananda Youth Movement. This organization was started by a group of medical students in 1984 in Mysore. While pursuing their medical education, they felt that the medical career they envisioned was not the same as what they were learning. Therefore, they decided to start of small, by helping a group of displaced tribal people in the rural Mysore area. They started with a small clinic and this organization eventually grew and they currently work with over 60 projects in the socioeconomic, education and health sector.

PremaVidya currently has a few initiatives under them but the one that I am working with is called Project 1947. Project 1947 is a project dedicated to the freedom fighters in India. One of the main goals of this project is to make and distribute video lessons to complement lessons in school. There is no copyright restriction and the videos are available for everyone. The mission of this project is to increase the pass percentages of the Secondary School Leaving Certificate(SSLC). SSLC exam is a public exam done at the final year of secondary schooling in India and is literally a ticket to higher education or jobs.

I will be recapping what happened over the past 3 weeks with lots and lots and pictures and a few words. Feel free to keep up with my blog and please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. I can be easily reached through my email