Looking within: Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi

Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi

Today I saw this SRK starrer and came back completely entertained. The story was about an arranged marriage and this ordinary guy who has quite different interests from his wife. He is an average, disciplined guy with average looks and mediocre living. However married to a girl who loves dancing, is modern and happening. Now the entire gamut of emotions revolves around this girl who has lost her lover in an accident and for her this marriage is not more than a compromise. SRK in the role of her husband is a silent lover. He gets an opportunity to play another role as Raj to woo and dance with his own wife whom he madly loves but never reveals the fact that both the characters are same. Eventually this girl starts liking and loving this SRK disguised as Raj and wants to step out of her compromising, mediocre married life. Here comes a twist in the story. After a lot of emotions being portrayed this girl sacrifices her love for Raj and sees GOD in her husband and gets back. Gradually it dawns on her that both the characters were same and she realizes true love in her husband and is happy.

We as an audience love the script, songs, setting and overall the ending that emancipates this ordinary man to the level of GOD and we ally with the story. If this story had an alternate ending where the girl would have stepped out of her marriage and gone for her fulfillment of dreams, this movie would have crashed at the box office? Have we ever wondered why? Especially I shall like to question the females that aren’t we traditionally conditioned into this male dominated society? Emancipating husband to the level of god, fear of stepping out of our marriage, social taboo associated with women fulfilling her desires. I find it no different from the incident of agni pariksha in Ramayana. Sita had to prove her loyality towards Rama by sitting in the pyre of fire. Marriage has always remained in Indian society a very patriarchal institution. Do we all remember the fate of Karan Johar’s Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna that showed a man and woman having audacity to step out of their marriages and fulfill their desires. It crashed at the box office. What I intend to point out is that what rocks at box office is not very different from the existing social order that is predominantly male dominated. We all are groomed in a way to conform to existing gender schemas. Rarely in some households we find androgenous models of parenting where both men and women are not gender typed and participate equally in the processes of child rearing.

I wonder as to when shall we realize the pervasive effect of patriarchy on our psyche and be more critically aware of reality. We all need to live in peace with our inner selves and not just conform to the order of the day. Imagine what kind of turmoil might this wife character in this movie must have faced while succumbing to her marriage and saying No to her love for Raj. The movie also showcases the spell bound charisma of SRK as husband that unfolds in the climax, which was in the backburners when his wife was developing a liking for this SRK albeit Raj. I would say that Raj was equally faulty of mesmerizing Taani (wife) in one role and remaining silent in another role. But as an intelligent audience we need to understand the silence of husband and the flow of the script that largely remains pro-marriage institution. Most of us would have critiqued the movie if this wife would have fled with Raj and would have called her different names. What we need to look is within ourselves and reflect that how much conditioning has gone into this that has eventually shaped our attitude. This is what is important looking within, questioning and executing our choice. We as women always remain disempowered due to our conditioning. Not to mention that even men are equally harassed due to the macho-schema that has just somehow stuck with them. I think if we all simply look within, love ourselves, are aware of the choices we make, we shall live in harmony with ourselves and the outside world.

Any views??

Wonders of Class libraries

Wonders of class library, Published in Education Times, Times of India on 8 December,2008 by Meeta Mohanty

Class library is a wonderful way of ushering children into reading and writing. Let’s examine some ideas that shall make our class library engaging for learners.

• Variety of literature: A class library needs to be equipped with a variety of children’s literature, short stories, poems and reading material. Variety of children’s literature can include wordless picture books, fantasy stories, humorous stories, mysteries, tall tales, biographies, experiential stories, folk tales etc. Other reading material can range from catalogues, brochures, pamphlets , magazines, newspapers etc.
• Children’s work: Children’s projects, diaries, work , journals, self made books ought to find place in a class library. These material serve as excellent resources and personalize learning. Children can be encouraged to share the books they read at home and place it in the library for others to read. This inculcates a value of sharing in children and enriches libraries.
• Choosing material: Whose choice should prevail while selecting material for the class library? Both teacher and the student. It is worthwhile to visit resource room or the main library with children and allow them to select material for reading. You can also place a few books which you feel relates to the theme done in the class.
• Language: Emphasis of the class library should not be only English. The purpose is exposure to language, helping children become proficient readers and writers and learn language/s. Thus it must have stuff available in the regional language. Children draw parallels between languages and thus cross language exchange needs to be encouraged .
• Set classroom routines: It is important to allocate time for reading. Give at least 15-2o minutes of reading daily in the morning. Introduce this as a practice, it is important for you to read during that time to set an example and not engage with classroom chores.
• Issuing books: Books from the class library should be issued to inculcate reading habit in children. Children can select books on their own at times and home works can be carved around these books, if needed. Children should know both reading for pleasure and also reading for a purpose/ task.
• Sharing routines: It is also important to introduce sharing time where children share their reading experiences. This can be a whole class activity and can later be followed up in small groups. This gives children real stuff and audience to share.
• Response to literature: You can also engage learners in responding to what they read. This can be oral in the begining and can shape into written reviews later. However children need to engage with text again and again and you need to support their thoughts. The idea is their opinion about the read material and view point needs to be respected.
• Energizing libraries: With due time you shall also witness that level of engagement with libraries trip and this is a strong indication towards changing the stuff in the library. Make it a habit to replace books and stuff in the class library fortnightly.
• Drawing attention: At times you need to draw attention to the library by talking about a book you read, placing your comments in the reading log, planning your lessons and activities around the books.
• Nature of activities: You may ask children to read and narrate a story, make picture books using the characters of a story but altering the plot, frame riddles about the characters they studied and play a quiz, build story maps. Other literary activities may include writing an introduction for a book, making a poster, role play, letter writing. Entire gamut of genres we want children to explore can actually be blended with the stuff from the class library.
• Respect for books: Wear and tear of books is a natural concomitant when children use library. They should be engaged in mending books and thus tapes, scissors, glue should be provided to them. Replacing a torn book with money never inculcates in children the value of books as they do not see money as their own and are not engaged in the process of mending.
• Economic costs: Some people might just reject the idea of class library thinking it to be too expensive an affair, however it is not. Quality children’s literature is available in market published by National Book Trust, Children’s Book Trust, Eklavya, Pratham, Scholastic, Tulika, Katha amongst many others that can suit the running costs of the library.
  One can attain miraculous reading and learning levels in a classroom if one allocates space for class libraries that is accessible to children. As parents one should demand the schools to provide this rich exposure to children right from kindergarten.