5th September is celebrated as Teacher’s Day in honour of Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan. It is a day to acknowledge the contribution of teachers towards society. I must say, I wouldn’t be half of what I am without the teachers that helped me all throughout life starting from my parents to the esteemed professors that are teaching me now.

Happy Teacher's Day

Looking up to teachers for inspiration, I have grown to appreciate the profession. To be honest, I hope to become a good teacher one day to spread the love of education that I have, in my students. I recognise the immense impact the teachers have on an individual’s life and am grateful for everyone of them that have influenced my life. Education is not the filling of a pot, but the lighting of a fire.

My Inspiration

When my father was teaching one day, I realised that his voice was loud and booming. It took me by surprise because normally he is as soft spoken as they come. I have seen plays in theatres when the actors and actresses “throw” their voice. It was almost like that. When I asked him about it, he told me, “teaching is a performance.”

Teaching is a performance

I asked him whether I could be a good teacher when I was such an introvert. He told me, “teaching is very similar to acting. You have to tell a story and also perform it to make your students understand it. You have to think of yourself as a character who is a great teacher. ” To be something or someone that I’m not, seemed counterintuitive. It was much later that I really understood what he was saying. It is not merely a character that he portrays, it is a no-filter version of himself. In a way, while teaching he is more of himself than he is in any other time.

A Truer Self

When I was young, I remember thinking that teachers are all knowing superhuman creatures. But gradually I learnt that that’s not true. They are as human as us and as such, can make mistakes. I observed over the years that most teachers made mistakes. But the teachers who stood out as the most excellent would always admit their mistakes and correct them. One of them said to our class, “it’s OK to be wrong for a teacher. What’s important is that they admit it and teach their students the correct version. Because what matters in the end is that their students know more.” That speech stuck by me.

It’s OK to be wrong sometimes

Being open minded is a necessary part of education. Human knowledge is incomplete. We learn more everyday with new discoveries and inventions. It’s possible that what we know today to be true, can be proved false tomorrow. It’s especially required for a teacher to be open minded because you never know when what you are teaching becomes obsolete. The notion of “I’m always right” leaves no room for error and is very harmful in a learning environment. So, an open mind is necessary for both a student and a teacher to achieve the highest learning.

Keeping an open mind

All students can learn and succeed, but not in the same way and not in the same day.Not everyone has the same learning speed and same learning method. For example, someone might learn better by reading books and theory while some might understand the same material through hands on experience. It is upto the teacher to accommodate everyone of the students so that they can learn what needs to be learnt. I understand that this must be very hard. In a classroom, when one teacher is responsible for about fifty different students, I have no idea how the teachers accommodate everyone.

It’s all about the perspective

Observing teachers has taught me to try to see things from other people’s perspectives. Obviously, a subject which seems easiest to a teacher with a degree will seem complicated to a student of fifth grade. Therefore, it is very necessary for a teacher to view things from the student’s perspective.

A New Perspective

A well educated mind will always have more questions than answers.Teachers always encourage students to ask questions. Someone once told me, “there are no stupid questions. The only stupid idea is not asking.” Asking questions demands critical thinking and greater understanding of the subject. In turn, knowing the answer further enriches our knowledge. I’ll admit, I didn’t like asking or answering questions but I’ve grown to love them since. But, for a teacher to always be able to answer the questions a student asks, the teachers must always be prepared to answer them.

Questions are great and preperation is greater!

Above are just a few things I picked up about teaching from my teachers. Teachers teach us a variety of things. Not just the lessons in our syllabus but also life lessons. I look up to all of them for their wisdom, knowledge, patience and zeal for learning. Whatever I know was taught to me by someone or the other— whether it be my parents, my teachers, my friends or just life itself. In a way, I am a cluster of different lessons taught to me by different teachers. If you have to put someone on a pedestal, put teachers. They are society’s heroes.

To sum up

To celebrate Teacher's day, I have jotted down a few of the lessons I learnt from teachers about teaching itself.

parenting

Parenting

strategy

Strategy

education

Learning & Education

problemsolving

Problem Solving

What my teachers taught me about teaching— Happy Teacher’s Day

The spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings: it takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquility.This is the famous definition of poetry given by Wordsworth. In the same book he calls his poetry ‘experimental’. According to him, it is the poet’s business to embody in their poetry the general passions of men. Poetry should be full of emotion and passion to convey through it the feelings of the poet themselves.

What is poetry?

I have always been captivated by poetry. I used to think that all that rhymes is poetry. Soon, I found out that is very very far from the truth. Rhymes are not always poetry. Likewise, poetry doesn’t always have to rhyme. In fact, I understood very recently that rhymes, meter, caesura and so on are just the technical aspects of a poem. But what makes poetry what it is, is the emotion and passion carried through the words.

A poem- technique or emotion?

Surrounded by books from epics to golden treasuries to song books, I have marvelled at the skill of poets from ancient to modern times. As alluded in Shakespeare’s Sonnet XVIII, poetry is eternal.As long as men can breathe or eyes can see,So long lives this and this gives life to thee.I am intimidated by all the giants that have written the World. The emotion they delivered through each and every word, each and every letter haunts me. If each one of the poets is as big as the Milky Way, I am smaller than an ant. The only thing I can do is look up to them in awe.

The Giants of poetry

But, I can write too. I cannot write good. But I too pour my passion into my words. It is my shortcoming that the passion doesn’t reach the readers. That is why, I need to improve.I have understood that I don’t really write as much as I need to. A friend had recently reminded me of the words of the great Sankha Ghosh. I cannot find the exact quote but it said that the first 100 poems one writes is essentially trash and needs to be torn up and discarded. I had said that I haven’t even written 50 poems yet. So, I am more than 50 poems away from even the starting point of poetry.

An ant with passion

That is why, I decided to challenge myself to a 30 day poetry challenge. I will write one poem everyday for thirty days. No excuses. So, at the end I’ll have 30 poems to show for the challenge.I don’t expect any of the poems to be any good. But what I will promise is that I’ll write each and every poem from my heart.

The 30 day poetry challenge

When searching for poems to quote on writing a poem everyday, I came across <a href="https://www.poetryfoundation.org/harriet-books/2011/04/on-inspiration-practice-and-blocks">this </a>that talks about undertaking exactly this challenge, only the writer Kwame Dawes is a prolific and experienced poet who did this for a different reason. I am aware that this is not a new idea. While searching for tips and tricks about succeeding such a challenge, I came to know that April is poetry month and a 30 day poetry challenge is done every year in April. However, it’s June already and I don’t want to wait almost a year to practice my craft. So, I chose to do this challenge in July, 2021.

This is not an original idea

I’ll be using words as prompts for the first 20 days. I chose the final prompts and their order with an online random chooser from the prompts my family and friends gave me. Here’s the 20 prompts:For the last ten days, I will decide the topic on my own. As a very indecisive person these last 10 days would be the most difficult for me.I’ll post each poem each day as a seperate blog post. Along with the poem, the post will contain an “author’s thoughts” explaining the poem and the theme or providing any relevant information.

How does the challenge work?

This challenge will begin on 1st July with the first poem and continue without break until 30th July.On 31st July I’ll be posting the final blog post in the series containing all the links to the 30 poems.I may share my experience about doing this challenge in a separate post if I have the energy to. But that’ll not be posted untill the second week of August.

The timeline

I am giving myself the liberty to post bad poems. All the poems will be written from the heart but my words don’t always co-operate with me. But if I sought for perfection in every poem, I doubt that I’d even post one poem.The ultimate goal of this challenge is simply to have 30 poems at the end of July with one poem written everyday for 30 days.

The ultimate goal

There’s no conclusion, at least, not yet. Follow along on my journey as I attempt this self-imposed challenge. Hope you enjoy!

In conclusion

I have a gig on Fiverr where I’ll write a poem for you on any topic you want. You can find that gig <a href="https://www.fiverr.com/s2/5bafd258da">here </a>if you are interested in availing my service.

Some shameless self promotion

I decided to challenge myself to a 30 day poetry challenge. I will write one poem everyday for thirty days. No excuses. So, at the end I'll have 30 poems to show for the challenge.

personaldevelopment

Personal Development

communication

Communication

30 days of poetry— I challenge myself

Macbeth was first performed on stage in the year 1606. It is a play in which Shakespeare wished to get inside the skin of a murderer showing us the psychological effects of committing such crimes as Macbeth and the other characters (specially Lady Macbeth). However, as interesting as the subject of the mind of a murderer is, I find the witches to be equally intriguing on their own.

The Play

Witchcraft was a ‘vogue’ issue in the early reign of James I. Even before he ascended the throne, King James I himself, believed he had been the subject of a plot by three Scottish witches to shipwreck him by stirring up storms. Learned books were also published on the subject such as A Discourse of the Subtle Practices of Devils (1587) and King James’ own Demonology (1597). Some of the learned works expressed scepticism as to the more far-fetched claims made about witches, like Reginald Scot’s The Discoverie of Witchcraft (1584, banned under James I), but they agreed in their existence.

Supernatural in contemporary England

We do not know Shakespeare’s personal opinion on witchcraft. But the belief in witchcraft could be used by him for dramatic purposes at a time when almost everybody supposed that witches were,"channels through which the malignity of evil spirits might be visited upon human beings.”

Shakespeare's views on witchcraft

The supernatural in Macbeth exists in many forms beside witchcraft such as ghosts and the reversal of natural order. If we remember the start of Act II, Sc i, the old man and Ross talk about the unnatural events that were observed by both of them such as an owl hunting a falcon, Duncan’s horses fleeing into the wild and eating each other, dark night even when it was supposed to be day and so on. This unnatural deeds were perhaps occuring in response to the unnatural act of regicide commited by Macbeth.

Supernatural in Macbeth

There are three characters in Macbeth that are dubbed as the witches. These characters materialize for the purpose of temptation, their natural existence remaining unearthly. Banquo’s cry,"The earth hath bubbles as the water has, And these are of them,”is perhaps best suited to describe the nature of such beings. These characters do not refer to themselves as ‘witches’ preferring the term ‘weird sisters’ instead. The witches are projected as primal, elemental beings inhabiting the world of nature beyond our senses.

What are the witches of Macbeth?

Their appearance as described by the dialogue of Banquo is feminine with womanly attire, yet they have beards. This apparent femininity with the interjection of masculinity is again used by Shakespeare in the character of Lady Macbeth (discussed later).

The appearance of the weird sisters

The weird sisters are followers of Hecate, the classical Goddess of the Moon and sorcery. They are shown to partake in dark magic, necromancy, prophecy, and so on. They have the power to control the weather. These witches have a power over a soul that has admitted to have evil in it, such as Macbeth’s. This power led some critics to believe that these weird sisters were actually demons in the form of witches.The weird sisters appear in thunder, lightning and rain. It is implied that they can make storms. To add to their ominous nature, they also preside over the ‘hurly burly’ of battles.

The powers of the weird sisters

Opinions vary greatly on the role of the weird sisters in the fall of Macbeth. Some critics believe that these witches were the epitome of evil fully responsible for the fall of Macbeth. Their false prophecy and deceitful flattery is what tempted ambitious Macbeth to walk to his own ruin. Again, some critics consider the witches to be the mere embodiment of ambitious thoughts which had already moved Macbeth and his wife to murderous intentions.

The role of the witches in Macbeth‘s fall

I believe that the weird sisters are actually neutral. They prophesied that Macbeth would become Thane of Cawdor and finally the King. However, they never incited him to commit the crimes or suggested that he would have to act in any way to gain the throne. Instead, Macbeth comes to this conclusion on his own in Act I Sc. iv:"If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown meWithout my stir.”The witches are like an evil catalyst in Macbeth and their power is to double the already present evil.

Are they neutral agents of fate?

The opening scene of the play begins with the end of the weird sisters’ meeting in thunder and lightning in a desert place. This sets a very uncanny supernatural stage for the whole play. Their chant,"Fair is foul, and foul is fair;”sets the keynote for the whole play. What strikes Macbeth as fair, such as the prophecy of Kingship and apparent invincibility in battle turns out to actually be foul. Again, what was perceived as foul such as the sudden arrival of Duncan at Inverness proves to be fair.The witches talk in rhyming couplets while the other characters talk in blank verse.

The dramatics of the weird sisters

However, it was Lady Macbeth’s tongue that was valorous. She, herself, pretended to be ruthless while she was guilt ridden and plagued by the consequences of the plethora of murders that followed King Duncan’s murder as well as the regicide she was a co-conspirator in. These evil deeds went against her very nature and caused her to spiral into a rabbit hole of guilt and trauma that caused her to obsess over washing her hands, sleepwalking and eventual death (which, though ambiguous, is apparently a suicide).

Lady Macbeth is complicated

One of the regular critical views on the play mention a fourth witch in the form of Lady Macbeth. Indeed, she is cunning and ruthless while planning for the murder of Duncan. The witches call forth the ambition in Macbeth causing him to wish for power at all costs. But it is Lady Macbeth that causes this desire to take actual form in the ‘real world’. She gives physical form to the concept introduced by the witches. Lady Macbeth invokes the ‘spirits that tend on mortal thoughts’ to fill her with cruelty and ‘unsex’ her. ‘Unsex’ here, refers to the stripping away of womanly characters.﻿

The fourth witch

Macbeth is a play steeped in supernatural and uncanny. So, it is perhaps no surprise that superstitions surround the play itself. In the theatre and film industry, it is considered bad luck to mention the name of the play, Macbeth (not the character Macbeth). There have been instances where various accidents, injuries and even deaths occurred when Macbeth is uttered. It is said that Shakespeare had used real Witches’ spells in Macbeth which led the witches to curse the play itself. If they need to refer to the play they use the name, ‘The Scottish Tragedy’ instead.

Bonus: Superstitions about the play

William Shakespeare was a legendary playwright. He wished to keep the witches as mysterious figures that kick off the play of Macbeth and consequently the downfall of Macbeth. That is why, it’s not surprising that the witches of Macbeth seem mysterious even after four centuries. There is so much more I couldn’t cover about the the Macbeth Witches because I lack the knowledge or because I couldn’t fit it in in this blog post. If you found this interesting, I encourage you to do a little bit of research on them. I promise you’ll not be let down.

The Conclusion

Macbeth was first performed on stage in the year 1606. It is a play in which Shakespeare wished to get inside the skin of a murderer showing us the psychological effects of committing such crimes as Macbeth and the other characters (specially Lady Macbeth). However, as interesting as the subject of the mind of a…

The Macbeth Witches

World Environment Day is observed annually on 5th June to raise awareness and action about the protection of the environment. It was first observed in 1974. In the present, 143 countries participate in the global platform for public outreach. Each year, a theme or forum is provided to engage governments, businesses and citizens to address the pressing issues that concern the environment.

World Environment Day 🌱

This year, the theme is <a href="https://www.decadeonrestoration.org/what-ecosystem-restoration">Ecosystem restoration </a>. Ecosystem restoration means helping in the recovery of degraded or destroyed ecosystems. However, it also includes protecting the ecosystems that are still intact. Studies show that every three seconds, the world loses enough forest that can cover a football pitch. Over the last century, 50% of the World’s wetlands have been destroyed. Again, over 50% of the world’s coral reefs have been destroyed. By 2050, it is estimated that this number will be 90%. Ecosystem restoration means putting a pause to this damage.

This year's theme

The restoration of ecosystems can be assisted by anyone— from big governments and businesses to individual citizens. Here are some ways, you as an individual can help:<ul><li>Taking action such as starting or supporting an on-the-ground restoration project</li><li>Making smart choices like buying only sustainable products and changing diets</li><li>Raising your voice in support of ecosystem conservation and restoration</li></ul>

How can you help?

As cliche as it sounds, planting trees can help significantly in preserving the terrestrial ecosystems. Go one step further and take up a leadership role in organising a planting campaign in your community. You can also support organisations that plant trees or volunteer in such programs organised in your locality. Other ways you can help is by feeding the animals that have made your locality as their own home like the stray dogs, cats, pigeons and other birds. You can always keep a water bowl in a convenient place so that this animals and birds can quench their thirst specially in the summer.

Taking action such as starting or supporting restoration projects

Almost all products such as clothing, accesories, storage, stationary, food and so on, now have sustainable alternatives. It is high time that we support businesses that provide such alternatives and walk away from the much less environment friendly companies. However, it comes as no shock that sustainable products are more expensive than their harmful counterparts. We must make it our habit to shop sustainably whenever we can. Changing our diet to a vegan or vegetarian diet is good for the environment. At the very least, we must explore and adopt a more environment-friendly way of life.

Making smart choices like buying only sustainable products

Raising your voice in support of ecosystem conservation and restoration might seem like it won’t make much of a difference. But in this day and age where social media is such a powerful tool, such voices matter a lot. Big brands and even governments care about their image on media— traditional and social. You can take this opportunity to raise your voice. These big names are bound to be pressured to make sustainable efforts to preserve the environment if enough people speak out.

Raising your voice in support of ecosystem conservation

It is everyone’s responsibility to protect the environment that we are part of. It is crucial to preserve all types of ecosystem. No matter how small a part we play, our part is still absolutely necessary.﻿

Your part is important

Learn about the World Environment Day, it's theme for 2021, how you can help to restore ecosystem and so much more.

World Environment Day 2021— it’s theme and how you can help

As the second wave of the pandemic attacked India, I started to wonder what we'd have done without social media. There was utter chaos in the country owing to the poor management and unpreparedness of the authorities. The oxygen deficiency arised. Absence of vacant beds led patients to run from one hospital to another even when they were so sick they could barely walk. Infection spread everywhere. So many people I know got infected in such a small time frame. I felt so scared and helpless.

Social media during a pandemic

I felt like crying and complaining all day. But then I remembered, if the authorities have failed us, we should take up the reigns ourselves. I was inspired by some amazing friends who were using social media, their clout and influence to share resources about the pandemic. They shared bed availability status, phone no. of oxygen dealers, food availability and all kinds of help that a good government should have provided. And I followed suit.

Influence of friends

I started collecting information. All kinds of information. Where were beds available, where was testing being done, who can supply oxygen in these areas, and sadly, even how to arrange for the disposal of the dead body of an infected person. I started sharing all these information. I was surprised by the number of people that helped me share it all. And that day, I began feeling so proud of the people on my friendlist.

My meager part

There were several groups created to help the people find resources. I joined one of them to mainly get information and share it with my friend circle. Requests for help kept pouring in. The group admins somehow kept their cool and kept helping them. They found out verified hospital beds, oxygen dealers, blood donors. They worked day and night, finding the resources to help the people, calling the resources themselves to verify. They didn't get a penny for the tireless work they were putting in.

Social volunteers

Another group of people gave me hope— the volunteers of a certain political party. They shared their numbers on social media and helped as much as they could. They were delivering oxygen, food and any necessities a family needed if they were quarantined. They also delivered their services to people not infected, but unable to leave home. Maybe, they were doing it for political gains, however the fact that they were doing this, when no other party took this much of an initiative, was enough.

Political volunteers

The doctors, nurses and healthcare professionals were no less than Gods and Goddesses. They worked long shifts, sweating profusely under their PPE. Some didn't see their family for weeks and even months. They spoke up saying none of them had seen so much death together in their lifetime. They too used social media to warn everyone about the disease and it's symptoms. They shared ways to prevent the disease. Some of them even shared contact details to provide 24x7 online consults.

Healthcare on social media

Disadvantages came in the form of excessively shared fake news about the virus and ways of preventing it. That is why, everyone was urged to verify the news before sharing it. Fake leads of necessities like oxygen and vacant beds were like diseases of their own. They caused nothing but a increase in stress of the already stressed patients and their family.

The disadvantages: fake news 

I consider social media as a literal life-saver during this trying times. People were forced to stand beside the affected from far away, and social media arose as the perfect solution to that. It took a pandemic to make the World realize that social media is not essentially bad, but how we choose to use it is how it really is.

Opinions on social media

A side effect of trying to help (personally, for me) was a panicky feeling, sleeplessness and even headaches at the stress of finding leads, seeing the quantity of requests for help, worrying about everyone that requested and so on. My heart was broken to realize that if I— a third person observer felt this way, what tension the patients and families of the infected were suffering through.

Decline of mental health

Miscellaneous social media groups were transformed into pandemic resource groups. For example, the photography community I am a part of, stopped talking about photography and instead devoted all their time sharing resources.

Miscellaneous efforts

Social media in a pandemic, the second wave of the corona virus in India. How did all groups of people came forward to help in the pandemic?

health

Health

artsandculture

Society, Arts & Culture

Social Media During The Pandemic

Earth Day is celebrated on 22nd April every year. The first Earth Day was celebrated on 22nd April, 1970 following the ravaging oil spill in Santa Barbara in January 1969. Senator Gaylord Nelson was inspired by the student anti-war movement and wanted to infuse the student energy into the emerging consciousness of the public about pollution. He and his co-chair Pete McCloskey recruited an young activist, Denis Hayes, to maximize student support. He organized campus teach-ins on April 22, 1970 as it was a weekday falling between Spring Break and Final Exams.

The very first Earth Day

Hayes recognized the idea as a potential to inspire all Americans. He spread his organizations across the country. The name was changed to Earth Day, which immediately caught on and sparked media attention around America. the first Earth Day saw 20 million Americans taking to the street to demonstrate against the impacts of human activity on Earth. Groups that were fighting individually against oil spill, polluting factories and power plants, etc. came together under the banner of Earth Day.

Earth Day's popularity

As cliche as it sounds, planting trees and plants is a great way to help the environment. The trees do not merely produce oxygen but also purify the air. If you do not have a garden, or space to grow your plants outside, do not worry. Indoor plants are popular now, keeping you on trend and also helping the environment.

Plant a plant

Used products sometimes can be used to create beautiful crafts and other useful items. For example, in keeping with the theme of indoor plants, plastic bottles or cups can be upcycled into beautiful planters. There are tons of tutorials on this topic and I am sure you'll find the ONE for you.

Recycle and upcycle

Instead of using plastic bags, use and reuse jute or cotton bags for your shopping. Carry reusable water bottles if possible. And if you have a little more budget, use metal straws instead of the one-use plastic ones.

Switch to eco-friendly options

Do you have paper that isn't useful anymore (like old school notes, unusable Xerox copies) ? Shred it up and create your own paper. It is not as straight forward as the others but at the end you'll be able to marvel at your own creation of paper. Plus, it will help you reduce waste and play a part in protecting trees.

Make your own paper

Instead of using paper to spread the message of Earth Day and creating irony, use digital media. Create a post on social media about the importance of Earth Day, what you can do to help. You can even share this article to show as an example to your friends and family. Make posters digitally to reduce paper usage and keep the environment clean.

Create digital posters

Use this opportunity to inform others of the dangers of not protecting the world seriously. Spread awareness by sharing resources and articles such as this one. Use programs such as Ted Countdown to learn more about saving the earth.

Educate others

Earth Day 2021, 6 home activities to observe Earh Day, History of Earth Day

scienceandnature

Science & Nature

6 activities to celebrate Earth Day at home🌏

Wondering how to get one of your own? Whether one is even needed? And where does gallery representation and audience fit into this whole equation?“How do I get a style” is definitely the top question asked at every workshop or course I teach.And the second is “Do I have to have a style to sell my paintings?”

The questions to be asked:

The two questions may sound really different, but they have the same answer. And that’s what I’m going to cover in this video.Don’t let “getting a style” slow you down.

A short answer

Style is a characteristic way of doing something that develops naturally over time.Focusing on it intellectually is not going to help you develop one. It’s not something we can consciously impose.Instead it develops over time with consistent painting. In fact, if you paint consistently, you can’t NOT have a style.Paint what’s around you, what you know. What you love and are passionate about and style will happen. In exactly the same way that your handwriting developed a style over time.

Remember— your style is your story

A daily painting practice forms the painting habit.That means that you’ll gradually and naturally create a routine or process for making paintings all on your own.

Starting to develop your own style

How long will that take?That depends…on time and consistency. But it usually takes several years.But you can speed up that journey by adapting someone else’s process to your work. Not their painting, but their process.

How long will it take and can you speed it up?

We've been talking about painting STYLE over in my Facebook group, ART+WORK+LIVING. Wondering how to get one of your own? Whether one is...

What my teachers taught me about teaching— Happy Teacher’s Day

30 days of poetry— I challenge myself

The Macbeth Witches

World Environment Day 2021— it’s theme and how you can help

Social Media During The Pandemic

Pousali Bhar