Relevance of Mythology today

Many of us who grew up in the 70s and 80s cannot forget Amar Chitra Katha (ACK). Uloopi, Chitrangada , the beautiful pictures of Sita and other princesses, the unique sounding names, Pingalaka, Bhasuraka, the beauty of Malavika of Kalidasa – each one has a special place in my life. More than History lessons in school, I learnt about Baji Rao and Kannagi from Amar Chitra Katha.

Such was the allure of the pictures and stories that my father used to bring one or two titles every month. There used to be competition among classmates and friends on the titles one possessed. Titles were exchanged, to be read and enjoyed. It was a matter of pride to possess titles of ACK.  

My initiation into mythology was through ACK only. I was attracted towards Indian mythology and the intriguing stories of the great heroes and heroines like Rani Lakshmi Bai, Rani Padmini inspired me no end.

By the way, once upon a time it was fashionable to be knowledgeable about Indian mythology.  I wonder why it is no longer so now. Why the gen Y, gen X gen Z are running after angry birds, Pokemon, Doremon and other monsters?  What is not there in mythology to attract the active minds of youngsters? Mythology has alluring beautiful ladies, great warriors, black villains, breathless adventure, exciting action and to top these all, values and life skills to follow and imbibe.

How many of the young generation knows the story of Ramayana and Mahabharata? Why do they consider that it is infra dig to know about two of the greatest epics? Is it not the duty of the schools, teachers and parents to introduce mythology to the young generation?

All the schools make it a point to have life skill activities. What better way to introduce life skills and smart thinking than stories of Panchatantra and Hitopadesha? So many competitions are being organized in schools. They have themes in the morning assembly, themes for their annual function, themes like sustainable living, green and clean world etc. these topics again have become fashionable. These can be taught in a wonderful manner with the use of interesting stories from the mythology as well as panchatantra / Hitopadesha.

Planting and preservation of trees are made sacred in religious functions Indians have worshipped trees, we have tied sacred threads around them, we have taken shelter under them, have held social ceremonies around these, offered these water, milk and sometimes even cow dung.

In short, I mean to say that today’s children are ignorant of mythology, their importance and relevance in today’s time. This ignorance is not bliss. This is nothing but ignorance which can be rectified to make a positive impact on the society. Connect the mythology to science, art, social science and of course literature too. It is a wealth of knowledge and wisdom. Use them wisely to overcome the evils of society.

QUEST for British Council International School Award

QUEST for British Council International School Award

“Persevere in thy quest and thou shalt find what thou seekest. Pursue thy aim unswervingly and thou shalt gain victory. Struggle earnestly and thou shalt triumph.” – Gautam Buddha

The British Council International School Award programme, is not a simple journey, it is a Quest. A Quest for knowledge, a Quest for experience, a Quest for friends and peers, a Quest for personality development, in short a Quest for all things good and beautiful that education can give.

This Quest is not a one man Quest but a team one. The urge for it came from our Principal Madam Mrs Prem Lata Garg, whose motivation and inspiration spurred the ISA team and the entire school staff to move ahead relentlessly in achieving the Quest.

From our earlier experience, we have a clear understanding that the path is neither simple nor easy. Right from planning activities for the Action Plan till the submission of the dossier, our focus should be on the target. This is what we had gained from the first ISA experience.

This time too the whole school was involved in planning and of course implementation of the Action Plan. The ISA team got unflagging support from all the stakeholders without which the Quest would have faced great turbulence. There was turbulence, but everything was manageable.

The school has come a long way, as teaching-learning is beyond the concrete wall and the printed text books. Our students are guided to be on the Pegasus, and enjoy the whole wide universe of which they are the citizens. International Projects make us one with our transatlantic peers in thought and action. The ISA and the Projects have given the school a vibrant and evolving international Policy and ethos. These have been harmoniously blended into the school systems.

Teachers and students upgraded their 21^st century skills especially collaborative skills through technology. The technological skills of students are par excellent, but the need for thorough and proper guidance is needed. That is what the teachers did. With their navigation, the students were able to successfully improve their online skills.

Our Quest was not devoid of turbulence. There were many which were overcome with strong and focused leadership, togetherness and team work. As Henry Ford had said “coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress and working together is success.”  When the team works like a well oiled machine work is no longer a task but a joyous enterprise. The entire ISA Quest was a joy for each teacher and student as we supported each other. Team members for each assignment were chosen with great care so that they complemented each other. Finding the right person for the right task was the toughest job. But as each one was eager to learn, they adapted wonderfully to the job at hand, helping each other, smoothing out frayed nerves and moving ahead.

Getting the ISA Kite mark doesn’t end our Quest. As the school has applied for re-accreditation, we understand that the Quest never ends but it is a constant movement ahead. Our partnership with one of the schools in the UK is its successful 4^th year. We have another school from the UK as a new partner. We plan to work on sustaining these partnerships as well as look for and sustain more such partners from other countries. We also propose to have interesting collaborative activities with our international peers.

We began the Quest with the aim to achieve re-accreditation of the British Council International School Award. The school will not stop here. The Quest will continue as it is the Quest for knowledge, the Quest for experience, the Quest for friends and peers, the Quest for personality development, in short the Quest for all things good and beautiful that education can give. The ISA Programme has given us this unquenchable thirst for more and more rewarding experiences such as what ISA has given all of us.