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The Hindu : Beyond his yearsJAIDEEP SHENOYComputers at two, what next?MANGALOREAt two, when most his age break either their plastic bats or dolls, he was busy tapping the key board and handling a mouse. Seven years later, when his peers are busy coping with their fourth standard syllabus, he finds himself matching wits with students four years his senior in standard VIII.Many fansThis wonder kid is Mohammad Yusuf ‘Swaroop’, a standard VIII student of Beary’s Public School, Mangalore. Incidentally Dr. Heggade is just one among the many eminent personalities who has recognised this young talent. Another fan of Mohammad Yusuf, according to his father, Mohammad Rafique, is M. Mohan Alva, Chairman of Moodbidri based Alva’s Education Trust. Eminent art teacher, Gopadkar, has taken this creative genius under his wings and is honing his talent in this area. His talent to grasp any issue at just one go or reading continues to amaze his family.A voracious reader, Yusuf likes reading both fact and fiction. Incidentally, the last book that he read was “Alice in Wonderland”….More

The Hindu : Shashwatha G. is a fifth standard student at Kaveri Public School. There are many things that set her apart from her classmates and most kids her age. She has an excellent memory, is a karate champ and a State-level dancer. Goravale Gopalakrishna R., her father and an agriculturist, said that his family noticed her talent around three years ago.“We did not realise her ability for a long time. We gave her a book on multiplication tables. After going through the book for a while, she started reciting the tables backwards. We were very surprised. Her mother and I don’t pressure her. She has achieved whatever she has because she wants to,” he says.Studying smart“It was not difficult at all. I had the book and thought of giving it a shot. I found it very easy to recite the tables backwards. My teachers and classmates are always very encouraging,” said Shashwatha. Shashwatha has won several prizes for her talent already. She has even taught a few standard X students. “A family friend noticed this and suggested that we let her take the standard X examinations,” he says. Shashwatha said that she and her father approached the officials at the Department of Education. “We were told that there was no such provision in our system. The only State that allows underage children to write the standard X examinations is Bihar,” she said.How does she prepare for examinations? She says, “I always read the questions first and only then get down to studying. I find that that way, I am able to remember better.” Besides studies her interests and hobbies are many and varied.She said that she loves to dance. “I like western dancing. I recently joined Bharatanatyam classes. I still have a lot to learn. I have taken part in many State-level and national-level dance competitions. In my free time, I like to either dance or read…More

The Hindu : Ask any water expert about how to spread awareness about conserving that precious drop and they’ll say “start with the young.” The cynic will sniff and say that “the young ones” are too busy with their Playstations or MMSs. Well, think again, cynic. It was heartening to see that a team of civic conscious school kids, a part of the Children’s Movement for Civic Awareness (CMCA), had undertaken a comprehensive study of the water situationin Bangalore and presented some startling insights into how little citizens of this city are aware about the water they use.Unregulated use80 per cent of middle-class Bangaloreans do not know that the source of piped water to the city is both the Cauvery and Arkavathy. 63 per cent from lower income groups do not even know about the existence of these rivers. 92 per cent residents from the middle class do not know that the water from the Cauvery River travels about 100 km and from Arkavathy river, 30 km, to water the city.Only five per cent from both the middle and lower income groups have rain water harvesting implemented in their houses. Even though Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) spends Rs. 18 per kilolitre to bring water to the city, 88 per cent from the middle class do not know that they pay only Rs. six per kilolitre.Apart from the survey, the students also interviewed government officials to understand what is being done in the areas of conservation, ground water level and water tariffs. In an impressive presentation, the children painted a bleak scenario of the water situation in Bangalore. They said that no department was responsible for regulating use of ground water, allowing for its indiscriminate use and that BWSSB cannot increase the price of water despite incurring losses because the issue is politically sensitive.The survey covered about 3,000 households from both middle and lower income groups…More

The Hindu :  Did you know?Former Brazil footballer Romario de Souza Faria better known simply as Romario, was hailed even by his rivals as a genius. Diego Maradona, in his autobiography described Romario as an “incredible finisher” and stated that Romario would be in his all-time “dream team” any day.NBA star Kobe Bryant’s father moved his family to Italy when Kobe was six years old. Kobe became fluent in speaking Italian and at an early age also learned to play football. His favourite team was AC Milan and he has been quoted as saying that if he had stayed in Italy, he would have become a football player.The Everest Marathon is the highest marathon race in the world. The race starts at an altitude of 17,000 feet close to Everest Base Camp in Nepal and ends at Namche Bazaar at 11,300 feet. To acclimatise to the high altitude all runners enjoy a 25 day holiday in Nepal combining sightseeing and a 16 day trek under medical supervision.Brazil footballer Kaka who won the FIFA World Player of the Year award recently is the fifth Brazilian player to win the award. Others include Ronaldo who has won three times, Ronaldinho (twice) and Romario and Rivaldo who have won it once each.Former Italian footballer Paolo Maldini who recently announced his retirement after the current season, spent his entire career with AC Milan. He is the most-capped player in both the history of the club and the Series A championship. He was named by Pele as one of his top 125 footballers in 2004….More

The Hindu : Brand new yearHappy New year! It’s 2008 now. A brand new year with new beginnings. A time to look forward to a bright and happy future and to fulfil all those dreams. But, wait a minute! Are there some bad things tagging along too? Such as addictions or habits?Oops! But its never too late. This is life’s new chance for us to work at those negative qualities again with renewed vigour. So, it is back to making a fresh list of resolutions, probably, with old habits being repeated? Never mind, we could give it a shot.How many of us think this way. Surely this year too there must be a large number of people that have made resolutions. Now, barely two days into the New Year, wonder how people are sticking to their resolutions? No matter how hard it gets, will they be successful in kicking off their habits? Or… do they just not believe in New Year resolutions at all?MetroPlus does a reality check and finds there are those that believe in them and those that do not. Some felt there was no need for a special day or time like a new year to start something. If it was really important, then you could start it off right away, the minute you thought of it, there was no need to wait for the so-called right time.I don’t believe in resolutions. Have never kept them either. I’ve seen my friends keep them and break them.So what’s the point? I believe in taking life as it comes to me year after year rather than expect something. That has worked for me.ChaitraH.R. professionalNew year resolutions are important. For me it is to prosper financially and to fulfil all my ambitions, to travel abroad, to live a better life… I do not keep a resolution as such but do set certain goals for myself every year, but…More

The Hindu : She seems tired. Her eyes give it away. Though her full-bodied histrionics is as fresh and engaging as it has always been. After repeated performances across Delhi as part of the just-concluded SAARC Folklore Festival, Teejan Bai is in the Press Clubof India, doing what she is best known for — Pandwani style of narrating and enacting tales from the Mahabharata.She loves to talk about her past and the present — the past with pain and the present with pride. “We are tribals from the Durg district of Chhattisgarh. My parents didn’t have time to take care of me because they used to go to the fields to work, leaving me at the mercy of the servants, who would feed me and then put me to sleep. I wanted to study but my parents had no time to get me admitted to school,” she says.Bored of life, she says, she started spending time with her maternal grandfather, Brijlal Parthi. “He was a great Pandwani performer. I started learning from him.”Defining momentThe defining moment in her life came when once he fell seriously ill and couldn’t go to a performance. “So he asked me to go. I didn’t want to leave him in that condition, but he insisted. When I returned after the performance, he was dead. I understood that he wanted me to carry it forward, so I did.”That was her first public performance at the age of 13, in the Bhikli region of Chhattisgarh. Interestingly, Teejan says she didn’t initially learn this art to carry forward a legacy but “to impress” her friends with her knowledge of the tales from the Mahabharata.“But my nana’s death changed my life,” states the Padma Shriawardee. Not that the path was easy. She was accused by many from her community of being a woman of easy virtue as she performed in public.More so as she used to perform…More

The Hindu : Keep it realisticChoose activities that coincide with your child’s interests, temperament and ageIf the activity is affecting academics due to lack of time, drop itIf activities are leaving little time for free play, limit themDon’t underestimate the importance of free time where the child does nothingKeep the competitive edge down, focus on learning and enjoyment…More

The Hindu : “She complains every time I take her to the dance class, but I can’t let her stop, she is talented and doing so well. Her master is very happy with her progress”, says Neeta, mother of nine year old Tanya. While Neeta wants her to learn dance, Tanya would rather play soccer with her brother and the children in her apartment complex.Probably Neeta feels justified in pushing her daughter into learning dance as it is the only activity she indulges in and besides having the talent, it is only twice a week. But how many children can say their out-of-school activities are limited to one or two and does not rob them of free play? Given the current scenario, with acute competition in all fronts, perhaps not too many.So, how much is too much? Universities look for students who are well rounded, balancing academics with sports, music, art or anything that the child has a talent for. Child psychologists too reiterate the need to balance school curriculum with activities that fall outside the purview of school to aid in a child’s overall development.Unfortunately, overzealous parents and sometimes overenthusiastic children can overdo this, packing into a week more than what can be physically as well as emotionally handled.The consequence is early burn out, acute stress and sometimes even depression in the children. This manifests as anxiety, irritation, defiance, sleep and eating disorders. Invariably the casualty of this consequence is academic performance which suffers thanks to over exertion as well as lack of time.Says Dr. Ali Khwaja of Banjara Academy, “Activities are no more taken up for enjoyment or fun. They have become goal oriented with parents focusing on the child becoming a champion. This puts pressure on the child and negates the very purpose of an activity. At times, a child can even be pushed into an activity because it is considered best for him irrespective…More

The Hindu : Say it with cardsHere are greeting cards and calendars for a causeITC has launched a whole new series of SOS Children’s Villages of India greeting cards for the festive season. Titled ‘Expression Regalia’, the series has been created through careful sieving of outstanding work done by renowned artists, designers and photographers.The cards are priced between Rs. 5 and Rs. 20 and the desktop calendars between Rs. 7.50 and Rs. 50. They will be available in 12,000 retail outlets spread over 600 cities.SOS Children’s Villages of India is a non profit organisation, with the objective of helping orphaned children by giving them a family, home and a strong foundation for a secure life.Since its inception in 1964, SOS-India has expanded its services for children in need at a rapid pace.Today there are 39 SOS Children’s Villages including new projects under establishment and 122 allied projects like kindergartens, schools, social, medical and vocational training centres. For details log on to visitwww.soscvindia.org…More

The Hindu : Techno talesNice article on our obsession with technology (City Lights, December 5). But I thought C.K. Meena was unnecessarily critical about ATMs and online banking. Agreed, credit card fraud is a problem we’ve created for ourselves in the long run, butif we were to restrict progress because it gives rise to more complicated problems we’d rather not make any progress at all.There are certain areas technology has helped in making life easier. Not so with Facebook / Orkut.I think the columnist was justified in every claim she made about them.We live like automatons with fake names. Everyone looks as good as their smileys online and even criminals can look good in photographs!Andronicus S. Raja Sukumar (by email)BUS TIMINGSThis is a suggestion to include BMTC bus numbers and timings in MetroPlus with the train and airline information.Many Bangaloreans do not travel by BMTC either because they do not know that it has excellent connectivity or because they cannot read boards.This will be a practical way to motivate people to use public transport and reduce traffic congestion.Simy Joy,(by email)PLASTIC FOREVERNandini Sundar’s article Pave it with plastic (December 6) was very good. Avoiding plastic is very difficult in the city. Practically the first thing we see in the morning is the plastic packet of milk..One day I decided that until I found a way to dispose plastic wastes without polluting the environment, I would collect all plastic in a bag.The bag is now filled to overflowing. I searched the net for ways to handle plastic waste and found that someone in Nagpur was producing petrol from plastics.However, sending plastic wastes from here to Nagpur is not that easy. I hope soon all cities in India will have one plastic petrol bunk.Siva(by email)]Letters and feedback can be mailed to bangaloremetro@ thehindu. co.in or posted to MetroPlus, The Hindu, 19 & 21, Bhagwan Mahaveer Road (Infantry Road), Bangalore 560001….More