We are surrounded by so many patterns. Where most see trash, few see ideas. Everything around us is an inspiration. An inspiration to create and to innovate. Following are some pictures of drawing boards at an architecture institute in India. Amazing to see, what students left behind unknowingly.

To-Do lists scare me. Even if I start writing one, I am sure I will intentionally and consciously miss upon several things, I do not want to do. These might have already become a top priority, like accounts. Anyway, long ago somebody advised me to maintain a To-Do list and become more organised. I started one, but soon forgot where I saved or kept that to-Do list. Also, personally, I find fun in chaos. Organised day and life style do not motivate me.

I have a simple formula here: “Do all things first that you do not like, then all the remaining time is for the things you love.” I have been telling this to my daughter and students both. But wait, I myself do not follow this. Who the hell, would like to start the day with doing things that are not liked?

 

 

Do not walk with me like my shadow.. I am afraid of losing  you, in the shade of tress..

मेरे दिल और दिमाग की लड़ाई में, जीत चाहे जिसकी हो, हारता तो मैं ही हूँ. (In the battle between my Heart and my Mind, no matter who wins, I always lose.)

“Tea?” The Professor asked Prof. Devika Sharma, as he saw her entering in the faculty room.

“Yeah, sure. Thanks!” She replied promptly with a gentle smile and kept her belongings on the table before pulling out a chair and seating herself. Her computer was flashing a wallpaper with a quote on sustainability. She glanced at it and then looked at the Professor to say something.

“Looks like you had a tiring day?” He asked her, waiting near the vending machine, for a second cup to be filled and before she could say something,

“Yes, but it was interesting too.” Prof. Devika replied with a joyous smile.

“I talked about Sustainability and Green Design today. You know what? I was shocked…. the students hardly knew anything about it, not even about any Architects who practice Sustainability or any building….” Prof. Devika continued and took her first sip of the tea. By now he also sat, carefully placed a book mark in the book he was reading and closed it. A signal that he was all ears.

The institute had recently reopened after summer vacations. In most of the parts of the country these were like extended summers with no sign of rains, and high humidity.

“And we all know how important the subject is today. We are experiencing drastic climate changes, global warming, but these students, they seem to be very casual about it.” Said Prof. Devika. She was an authority on the subject, or at least she thought so, and, with the increasing demand and popularity of the subject she too was gaining a good recognition in the institute and among her network.

“Absolutely. Students must have enjoyed your talk and gained a lot.” He hinted for Prof. Devika to continue her talk.

“Yes. In fact, many students came to me and asked for more information and some names of Architects and buildings that they could study.” Prof. Devika replied almost instantly.

For the next ten minutes Prof. Devika held forth her talk on Sustainability, her discourse not only included the content, but the presentation skills also. Prof. Devika almost sounded like a God on the subject, ‘sustainability’.

He listened to her patiently throughout but kept waiting for a reasonably good pause…

“Madam, I am sorry, I will have to leave, have a lecture with second year.” He didn’t let go the opportunity and filled the pause as soon as as it appeared. “We will discuss this later, hope you don’t mind?” He smiled and got up from his chair to leave the room after shutting down his computer and picking up the book, he was reading.

“Yeah, sure. Even I have a ‘part II’ of same lecture in some time.” Prof. Devika smiled and gulped the last sip of tea.

She sat there for some time, reading a document on Sustainability on her computer, preparing for her forthcoming lecture with same students. She glanced at her watch and hurriedly closed the document, picked up her belongings and proceeded towards classroom.

Left behind in the empty room, were the tube lights competing fiercely with the broad day light of summer, the squeaking sounds of fans in complete sync with the sound of Air Conditioner and blinking green and red lights of the CPU, and, HER COMPUTER, which sat silently on the table, flaunting a quote by Hervé Kempf

Consume lessshare better.”

Special Credits: Prof. B.S.Keshav, Indranil Chatterjee, Dwaipayan Chakravarty

If a teacher gets bored with assessing assignments, I am sure even students must have got equally bored doing it.

Happy Teacher’s Day!

First Draft

“What is the point in continuing to keep this? I have never seen it being used in last so many years. It is unnecessarily occupying lot of space.” HE continued to clean the newly bought lens for his DSLR camera, on the dining table. While SHE sat reading a book and listening to HIM talking about The Sewing Machine, gifted to her by her parents on her wedding.

“Also, it doesn’t look good any more. We should either sell it off or give it to someone who needs it.” HE continued further.

SHE closed the book and kept it on the dining table, looked at HIM and asked, “Do you even remember, where your Manual SLR Camera is kept?”

My favourite quote on Teaching:

Teaching is like getting paid for learning.

And other, may be little harsh, but true for many teachers:

We (Teachers), generally teach students what we know, instead of teaching them what they should know.

Many times, teaching happens, learning also happens, but, ‘education’ doesn’t happen. For me, everyday, teaching is getting little difficult. May be I am not able to understand students, or not able to innovate sufficiently, as I used to do earlier.

To keep the teacher alive inside, it is must, that I innovate new ways of teaching. Else, I will be doing injustice to the students.

I wish, all my students a very happy teachers day. Why not, they have been my best teachers.

I am not teaching the batch’ of 40 students, I am teaching 40 students.