A Song For A Purple Heron - A Poem

A cool breeze ruffles yellow leaves of grass even

As a Purple Heron stands silent, unmoving, waiting,

An unmoving form, merging into the background,

A curved neck dipping into the horizon, peeping, 

Peering into the distance, waiting, waiting for food.

He offers A lesson in the stillness of patience, and

 Dominates the landscape with his presence, at least

The knowing few who have an eye for the unusual.

The connect is there, a moment of stillness, a  kind

Of communion twixt two souls, seekers of secrets.

I move away leaving him to his silent

 Meditation, retreating the way I came,

Softly, silently,quietly,giving him back his

His sacred space, two travellers lost in their

 Thoughts. I retreat - leaving, simply -

Daren't disturb someone so important!

And as I sit back to think of what I saw, I wonder

What his thoughts were, the secrets of life, or fish

  For breakfast (for both are too slippery to catch).

The Purple Heron is so valuable a teacher, few

Like him might be found that facilitate true learning.

Lessons we learn from so many but few would

Matter, and fewer teachers we find that teach us

Lessons of life - to respect nature, merge with grass

And weeds as inconspicuously as possible, a life

Scented with fragrance of patience, respect & harmony.

But, alas! Few would know of the breeze that 

Blows, nor of Purple Heron that sits so quietly,

Waiting for the right moment. Alas, know they only

Of tinned air and the bottled joys of virtual games.

What of nature would they know, nor of its teacher?

We live in a world of tailor made solutions, where

With flick of switches scents would flow, wind blow

At voice's whispered command, but little we know

Of paradise so rich, and teachers so keen, even

As we shut ourselves in dingy cells that do stink!

Mother Nature so less we know as we shut us away

 From the sweet and healing breeze, sounds that

Soothe,music the soul to calm. If only we'd step out

The Purple Heron to see, of patience to learn, respect

To gain, a blessed life to live, sweet dreams to see. 

Did George Leigh Mallory and Sandy Irvine Summit Mt. Everest?

One person who has grabbed my attention in recent days has been George Leigh Mallory, ( 1886-1924) a mountaineer who made daring attempts to climb to the summit of Mt. Everest in days when mountaineers did not have high tech equipment like high tech clothing and crampons or even pitons or even GPS let alone computers. Pioneers in the true sense, Mallory and Sandy Irvine were lost while on their final assault of the summit of the North East Ridge on the ninth of June 1924. They were last seen when they were 245 meters from the summit close to the first or second step by Odell, one of the members of the support team. They had the time, enough time to summit the peak and return in good time. They were using oxygen this time. That was the last time they were sighted.

George Leigh Mallory was an enigmatic person torn between his loyalty to his love, his wife Ruth and his obsession with the other mistress, Chomolungma, the Goddess Mother of Mountains. George Mallory would have retired from mountaineering after summitting Mount Everest and dedicating himself to his family if everything had gone right. His is a story of romance and conflict of emotions, such as that faced by all those out there who want to follow their dreams.  Mallory was 37 when he made his last ascent and he was probably driven by the fact that he would probably not be able to make another ascent because of his advancing years. He was desperate to make the final ascent, therefore and so might have made errors of judgement in his obsession to summit the peak. His partner for the final attempt was Sandy Irvine, a much younger mountaineer though less experienced than him.

My reading of Jeffery Archer’s book, “Paths of Glory” and my viewing of the documentary “The Wildest Dream, Conquest of Everest” featuring Conrad Anker have fuelled a gut feeling that Mallory might have after all summitted Mount Everest much before Edmund Hillary! I am not in any case a mountaineer, just a reader of account, though my gut feeling is that the pair might have summitted Mt. Everest much before Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay! What adds credence to my belief is that for one thing they had enough time to reach the peak because when his body was discovered by Conrad Anker, his goggles were in his pocket suggesting that he had no need for the goggles since he and Sandy Irvine were on their way back after sundown. Moreover, Ruth, his wife’s photograph was not in his pockets. He had promised her that he would place her photograph on the peak once he had been able to summit it.

Jeffery Archer’s book, “Paths of Glory” is based on majorly on Mallory’s letters to his wife. The correspondence with Ruth his wife speaks volumes about his state of mind, and that he was quite aware about his ability to summit Mt. Everest. His correspondence, moreover suggests that he was quite adamant on leaving her photograph on the summit. But then, where was the photograph? Mallory’s detractors might suggest that he was not equipped to surmount the first, second and third steps before the actual peak, but then, Conrad Anker proved in the film, “The Wildest Dream” that the first, second and third step could be surmounted without ladders.

Proof of the assumption that George Leigh Mallory and Sandy Irvine might be present in the film of the Kodak Camera they carried, but then the camera has not been found, nor has the body of Sandy Irvine been found although a Chinese climber did state that he had found the body of an ancient European in the yellow zone had been found although this could not be corroborated since he was lost in an avalanche. Things did change when George Mallory’s remains were found by Conrad Anker, 75 years after his last summit attempt. Strangely enough, Sandy Irvine’s Ice Axe was found placed rather casually or carefully on a rock at the height of 230 meters below the first step.

Evidence suggests that George Mallory and Sandy Irvine had a fall after summitting the peak. The frayed remains of the rope around the waist of George Mallory’s body suggest that both climbers had been tethered to each other when they fell off the rock face. Critics suggest that the route taken by George Mallory and Sandy Irvine was too treacherous, (mountain climbers don’t take this route any more) but then Odell’s report that he had seen them close to the first step suggests that they had surmounted all the preliminary obstacles.

So what then is the mystery surrounding the fate of George Mallory and Sandy Irvine? My guess is that one day, climbers will come across the Kodak Camera that the pair was carrying, and the mystery will be solved. The discovery of Sandy Irvine’s remains will explain further what happened on that fateful day. Surely their ghosts will finally be laid to rest and history will be re-written!

You might also like to read:

Paths of Glory, Archer Jeffery, St. Martin’s Press, 2014

Or watch the documentary:

The Wildest Dream Conquest of the Everest,2010

Damdama Lake - A Weekend Getaway

This time when we visited the Damdama Lake, it was on a whim, moreover to try an Intex Challenger boat. I was a little apprehensive about the boat, but then when we filled it with air, there was nothing to complain about. Initially, my brother Sanjay and I tried it and then, it was like everyone wanted a ride! Of course, I lead the team to a secret spot that I knew from many years back and sure there was some water. A few locals who arrived on the scene warned us that the water was too deep, but then I knew the spot and so I decided to inflate the boat and strike away. Many years back in the early nineties, there was more water, but then today, there was none! Nevertheless, I knew the spot and drove my car on the dust-covered track.

Initially, at least no one was ready to get into the boat, and a couple of locals who were leading a few buffaloes warned us that the water was too deep. I was, of course, aware of the depths of the water though I humoured them.

My wife Nidhi was not so sure about the safety of the boat, but then when my brother Sanjay and I did a couple of rounds, she agreed to get on board. The pump did fail for a moment, but then we did fix it up.

A tete a tete was due and with all due respect, we had to respect the serious nature of the conversation meant that  I had to give them leeway.

Sun-tan apart, I guess they were quite happy to smile for the shutter, for once I was not the one taking the snaps, what with having to pull an oar or two!

Careful, that is not a handle, far from it, that is an oarlock! Well, he surely had a great time pulling on the oars!

Well the deflating of the boat did take some celebration even as everyone made an effort to jump up high, but then I guess the successful launch of the "Challenger 3" did call for some jumping!

The Saras Complex that we went to next doesn't have much to boast about. In fact, there seems to be less footfall in recent times, probably because Damdama is not being maintained properly. What used to be a proper lake has now become a mere pond! The unfortunate fact is that the Gurgaon region has seen a steady loss of its precious wetlands. Excess construction has ensured that the rainwater channels that once fed the water bodies have been cut off. Images that I have shared on this blog will become mere memories.

The Damdama Lake and its surroundings once supported an extensive ecology with migratory birds arriving during the winter season, and resident Neel Gais taking a wallow in the waters. What we saw instead was a pack of Jackals by the edge of the water on the opposite side from where we had camped. I did try to take a few snaps, although they were a bit far away.

The lawns at the Saras complex, however, are great for camping and we had our lunch there. The cool shade of the trees was a welcome break from the paddling in the sun. I guess it would be a great idea to visit Damdama during the winter season.

The Caterpillar and other Poems

The Caterpillar

Softly, slowly, bit by bit you move,

There were leaves, but only a stump remains!

You were there but now are not.

Dragonfly

I can see through your wings,

A fine tracing of rigid lines, random patterns

Of art abstract - might you a fairy be?

The Kingfisher

A splash of colours in the sun,

Head turned skywards, is there something

I missed? A rainbow fish perhaps!

A Flock of Buffaloes

They march into the warm horizon,

Men and animals, to green pastures so sweet,

Perhaps they will bring news of YOU?

A Purple Heron

Spread out your wings and fly away,

Into rising sun, great bird, to places I know not.

Bring back hope & joy to when you nest.

Beauty is for all to seek - A Poem

They know not what beauty be, 

(Their eyes dulled by flashing lights, ears numbed by machine sounds.)
 To know how beauty might created be.

Neither hope nor faith they know,

'Cept  to buy the latest in clothes and shoes from shops & malls,

But to question everything so well they know!

Tho, not bad it would be, to question and query-

But to appreciate the beauty of faith, the sweetness of

Hope would much better be!

Alas! Know not they, what beauty be, for neither tree nor

  Gentle stream have they seen in a  vista of concrete buildings, grey

Asphalt tracks and smoke belching dragons.

They know not what beauty be,
For if they've not seen the sunrise, how might they the sunset?
Those who in a boxed virtual world be!

The butterfly in vain did flap its wings,
The dew-drops in vain did flash so bright, hanging from leaves
 At an audience so blind so dumb to nature's gifts.

Neither faith nor hope they know,
 People lost to gadgets and trends, who live in ersatz worlds where
The sun never sets - of rising suns would they ever know!

Alas! They know not what beauty be,
For in chaos would they comfort find, with empty eyes stare at
The world so fair, empty souls without hope that be.

If only we'd taught them to pause and wait,
 The golden sun to see, and  twittering birds to hear, perhaps then,
They'd see the Hand that made it all, their eyes to sate!

Beauty perhaps has a lesson to teach,
(But then we taught them to love the race and not to pause.)
Not all who start will win the race.

So take a pause and watch the sun so warm, or
Sniff the winds for the scents so sweet, open your ears for
A message so clear, if beauty is near, can God be far?

But beauty might in a dew-drop be found,
A caterpillar that feeds on a stem, a dragonfly might arrest,
Perhaps e'en in a drop that falls might it be found!

Alas, one does not see the art that the artist has made,
The Kingfisher painted so fair, the Stork that the Sun does greet,
All for our joy the Creator has made!

But the joys of life are there to seek,
They lie scattered around,  for us to see, but pause awhile and
The gifts do take, all for our sake He did them make!

A Plea for "Just-in-Time Learning"

‘Just in time learning’ caters to busy work environments and works best where there are constraints of time. The usual Professional Development programmes often require employees to pull out time for the same from out of their own busy schedules. An already overworked environment is not ideal for lengthy professional development sessions. Professional Development or P.D. as it is called is not different from the older terms of In-Service or Career-Development Training. The Department of Education New Delhi holds In-Service Programs for its Government and Government Aided School Teachers in the last week before the commencement of the summer vacations in India. Often teachers are given compensatory leaves for the days that they have spent in the In-Service Programme. I remember attending many such In-Service Programme as a Government Aided School teacher. The In-Service Programs set up by the SCERT/NCERT were termed YUVA SLP Programs. The focus of these In-Service Programs is better Life Skills, how to handle adolescents and adolescence related matters.

Just in Time Learning, however, provides more autonomy to the in-service teacher and it provides instant access to tailormade solutions to specific problems. It is like an On-Demand Resource that helps you out of sticky situations. At school, Just in Time Learning equips the educator with resources and tools to teach a unit. It is like a storehouse of information, instructions and tips and readymade plans that help the educator go about his or her tasks in a smooth and efficient manner. What makes Just in Time Learning more effective than traditional week-long in-service programs is that it is instantly accessible on most of our social networking sites and it provides the educator with instant access to resources that make life easier! Pinterest, one of the most convenient sites, provides ample Just in Time Learning Resources.

Schools and colleges today should focus more on empowering their teachers to access resources online rather than make them go through hours-long traditional Training Sessions. Training staff to embrace Just-In-Time Learning strategies will help them to keep abreast with the latest in the field. According to Bradenberg & Ellinger, 2003, p 311, “Just-in-time learning is an evolutionary response to the demands of a knowledge-driven and speed-oriented marketplace.” In times when there seems to be no time to spare for teachers, it makes sense to piggy-back a learning program that is minimally invasive and least disruptive in nature.

The advantages of Just in Time Learning far outweigh its disadvantages as such. For one thing, just in time learning offers instant solutions which hours long, week-long Professional Development sessions can’t. Often the solutions appear at the end of the session and by that time it is already too late! Take for example a teacher who is teaching transformation of sentences to students. The students find it difficult to differentiate between coordinating conjunctions and subordinating conjunctions. How then, does the teacher learn how a child thinks and thus create a lesson that is tailormade specifically for a group of students who study in a specific section? Would it be right for the teacher to wait for a professional development workshop on how to teach challenging portions of grammar?

Dovetailing Just in Time Learning Strategies with actual working conditions in school like taking classes, correcting answer-scripts and general supervisory duties might, in fact, enhance teacher performance and thereby students’ results. One of the reasons for the success of Just in time learning thereof would be that teachers would be able to focus on their teaching, remediation, evaluation and other roles without getting distracted by long hours of In-service programs. What makes hours long Professional Development sessions boring is that they are more distracting and slow acting. Often, attendees tend to zone out, ending up more confused than enlightened. Just in time learning skills however, seem to be a better bet because they provide instant solutions. In times when the talk is about machine learning, deep learning and predictive learning, such that is driven by Artificial Intelligence, would it not make better sense to go for smaller professional Development sessions that are more focussed on actual classroom requirements than on abstract philosophies of learning? What teachers need today is resources and tailormade solutions for specific problems. We need, therefore to focus on grass-root level challenges that teachers face in classes and not identify solutions for problems that do not exist!

A proliferation of internet-enabled devices like laptops, Tablets and even Smartphones has made it easier for teachers to learn on the go. Learning today can happen anywhere, it can take place inside the bus, the canteen, or even the playground. Learning on the go helps professionals access bite-sized information which is most relevant to their needs. Educationists would benefit a lot by learning new things on the go without really having to devote extra time to learn new things. While we tend to find our own tailormade solutions for our students, what one does not perhaps appreciate is that the same solution or lesson plan will not work for other sections. The way a science section will tackle note taking will be different from how a commerce section will tackle the same topic. In the interest of differential learning and for that effect tailormade learning, one needs to provide the autonomy to teachers to identify and narrow down what works best for them. To this effect, it is important to train teachers in the use of Just in time learning strategies so that they can research, identify, collaborate, and share strategies that work best in their classroom. A training in research skills, using social networking sites, creative polls, surveys, dabbling with virtual reality, experimenting with augmented reality, gaining access to databases online, having film resources on lessons taught in class would do more justice than the traditional In-service training programs. However, Just-in-time learning capabilities can only be effective when internet-enabled devices with very good internet connectivity are available! Poor internet bandwidth cannot be an option for progressive schools. The traditional library is gradually getting replaced by online libraries. This is because the information found online on different websites can be accessed faster than by reading books and moreover, information accessed online can be filed into categories more easily. Just-in-Time Learning is about equipping educators with skills for accessing knowledge and information online so that they can use the same effectively in the classroom!

This article is based on an article appearing on the 15^th of September, 2018 on SH!FT DISRUPTIVE ELEARNING. The link is given below:

https://www.shiftelearning.com/blog/just-in-time-learning