MY ARTISTIC ABILITIES

For a few years now I have been meaning to do a serious work of art. Something that would be time consuming and tedious, but which would give me a sense of accomplishment & utter fulfilment. Work commitments and often sheer laziness have always come in the way. The lockdown set me thinking, I could have done it at that time, or at least made a start, but then again, the online work kept me busier than ever. In fact, the computer has taken over our lives as we speak. At least that’s what I believe. Now that I am on leave, the urge to fulfil a long-cherished ambition has stirred within me once more – am certainly going for it this time. “It’s now or never”, I have said to myself. In reality, I have said that before as well, but this time am removing the “never”. Its “NOW”! I have made a firm resolve and will see it through. I vaguely remember when I was in Grade one, we were asked to draw an elephant in a test. I drew my elephant and handed in it – proud as punch. The teacher looked at it really hard and asked me what I had drawn. I reminded her that it was “an elephant”! I presume it must have been good, because the teacher showed it to a few teachers who passed by the class. They stared hard at my drawing and laughed out loud - and then she pointed me out to them! Anyway, forget that - this is the plan – this time I want to do a piece that is meaningful and deep – it should stir emotions – it should make people think. It should be something that people will admire , a piece that will have the wow factor – a sort of centre piece which people will look at ,gaze in wonderment, and enquire as to the source – the artist – have always wondered about a moment like that . Have pictured this so very often - We have a get together at home – about twenty friends come over for dinner. As each one walks in, the first thing that meets their eyes is my artwork. Two things here – it will be at eye level and it will have non reflective glass in a gilded frame. So, they look, in fact, they cannot stop examining – they go closer – they tilt their heads and some squint their eyes to get a better and different perspective - they ask about the medium used and nonchalantly I say “oil”. They then look at me and say, “where have you been hiding your talent you evil man” and I just smile and shrug! Not one to sit back, I did some basic research, and this is what I came up with: - Linen is the best of the best canvases to use but a trifle expensive. If you care about permanence (and I certainly do) and don't mind paying for it, (no I don’t) there is no better option. You can save some money by using a high-quality ‘cotton duck canvas’ which should weigh between 12-15 oz. It is cheaper than linen but is still a suitable choice for permanent paintings. So now I am in a bit of a quandary, as to whether I go for the Linen or the Cotton duck canvas but will work that out. It will be one of the two. Paints are a little more technical though and I have been consulting with a few friends and relatives. There is a wide choice in the market, and this took a few afternoons, but I have narrowed it down to any three of the following – Grumbacher, Bob Ross, Williamsburg & Sennelier. I know that I will never be the next Van Gogh but have also done a bit of reading and am now quite familiar with terms airbrush, blending , decoupage, gesso, high relief , encaustic, egg tempera and the like – words which till a month ago dazed me . There is just one major hurdle remaining – I can’t draw to save my life. Even a ball is difficult for me to draw – you see I am bad with symmetry. As for painting, the least said the better – to top it all I am genuinely colour blind. I guess I must start at the very beginning – that’s a very good place to start. As for my painting – have put that on hold for now .

MY ARTISTIC ABILITIES

For a few years now I have been meaning to do a serious work of art. Something that would be time consuming and tedious, but which would give me a sense of accomplishment & utter fulfilment. Work commitments and often sheer laziness have always come in the way. The lockdown set me thinking, I could have done it at that time, or at least made a start, but then again, the online work kept me busier than ever. In fact, the computer has taken over our lives as we speak. At least that’s what I believe. Now that I am on leave, the urge to fulfil a long-cherished ambition has stirred within me once more – am certainly going for it this time. “It’s now or never”, I have said to myself. In reality, I have said that before as well, but this time am removing the “never”. Its “NOW”! I have made a firm resolve and will see it through. I vaguely remember when I was in Grade one, we were asked to draw an elephant in a test. I drew my elephant and handed in it – proud as punch. The teacher looked at it really hard and asked me what I had drawn. I reminded her that it was “an elephant”! I presume it must have been good, because the teacher showed it to a few teachers who passed by the class. They stared hard at my drawing and laughed out loud - and then she pointed me out to them! Anyway, forget that - this is the plan – this time I want to do a piece that is meaningful and deep – it should stir emotions – it should make people think. It should be something that people will admire , a piece that will have the wow factor – a sort of centre piece which people will look at ,gaze in wonderment, and enquire as to the source – the artist – have always wondered about a moment like that . Have pictured this so very often - We have a get together at home – about twenty friends come over for dinner. As each one walks in, the first thing that meets their eyes is my artwork. Two things here – it will be at eye level and it will have non reflective glass in a gilded frame. So, they look, in fact, they cannot stop examining – they go closer – they tilt their heads and some squint their eyes to get a better and different perspective - they ask about the medium used and nonchalantly I say “oil”. They then look at me and say, “where have you been hiding your talent you evil man” and I just smile and shrug! Not one to sit back, I did some basic research, and this is what I came up with: - Linen is the best of the best canvases to use but a trifle expensive. If you care about permanence (and I certainly do) and don't mind paying for it, (no I don’t) there is no better option. You can save some money by using a high-quality ‘cotton duck canvas’ which should weigh between 12-15 oz. It is cheaper than linen but is still a suitable choice for permanent paintings. So now I am in a bit of a quandary, as to whether I go for the Linen or the Cotton duck canvas but will work that out. It will be one of the two. Paints are a little more technical though and I have been consulting with a few friends and relatives. There is a wide choice in the market, and this took a few afternoons, but I have narrowed it down to any three of the following – Grumbacher, Bob Ross, Williamsburg & Sennelier. I know that I will never be the next Van Gogh but have also done a bit of reading and am now quite familiar with terms airbrush, blending , decoupage, gesso, high relief , encaustic, egg tempera and the like – words which till a month ago dazed me . There is just one major hurdle remaining – I can’t draw to save my life. Even a ball is difficult for me to draw – you see I am bad with symmetry. As for painting, the least said the better – to top it all I am genuinely colour blind. I guess I must start at the very beginning – that’s a very good place to start. As for my painting – have put that on hold for now .

Diet and me

Am planning to go on a diet and cut out the following items - some of which I consume quiet frequently .
 1. All meat including chicken 2. Eggs 3. Fatty foods 4. Carbs and starchy foods 5. Junk food/ take aways 6. Sugar 7 Ice cream 8 Chocolates and sweets . 9 Alcohol 10. Cookies, doughnuts and biscuits 11. French fries, crisps. 12. Pizza and Pasta 13 Colas and sweetened drinks 14. Processed foods 15 Smoothies 16 Protein bars 17 Cakes In fact I made this plan about 10 years ago and just found it on an old computer,so am sharing, as it looks good . . Have still not put it into practice.

Diet and me

Am planning to go on a diet and cut out the following items - some of which I consume quiet frequently .
 1. All meat including chicken 2. Eggs 3. Fatty foods 4. Carbs and starchy foods 5. Junk food/ take aways 6. Sugar 7 Ice cream 8 Chocolates and sweets . 9 Alcohol 10. Cookies, doughnuts and biscuits 11. French fries, crisps. 12. Pizza and Pasta 13 Colas and sweetened drinks 14. Processed foods 15 Smoothies 16 Protein bars 17 Cakes In fact I made this plan about 10 years ago and just found it on an old computer,so am sharing, as it looks good . . Have still not put it into practice.

Yippee I am on holiday

So, I am finally on leave from tomorrow till the 1st of August 2020 Yippee – summer is here and its holiday time at last – much desired However, this year like so many others I am a trifle relieved A trifle relieved is putting it mildly I am extremely relieved, oh so light hearted, ecstatic, filled with a sense of hope and joy No travel this time. Tickets already cancelled – that was heart-breaking No itineraries to be planned – no hotels to be booked No wondering whether my credit card will be misused No suitcases to be taken out, dusted, and sunned No finding money in an old bag No old suitcases and bags to be discarded and new ones bought – I love this No locks and keys to be traced. I hate this I have about fifteen small locks and about fifty sets of keys. Will not have to hear statements like – “This suitcase is too big” “why are you taking so many clothes” , “do you need so many pairs of shoes”? What is the luggage allowance – at times it varies while going and returning too “Will so and so place be cold or hot” “check the weather in advance” “Let’s pray there is no rain” is another. “Take an umbrella – you never know” No No No ! No printing of tickets, no ensuring the passport and visa are valid for travel No comments like “see you don’t lose the passports, tickets, keys, money” Also, the ultimate “your father is so careless” I BEG YOUR PARDON MISSIE No checking out what clothes to take with me and what to discard as they are already too tight Another comment “you better get up early & go to the gym in all the hotels” No medicines to be packed for emergencies “take the Digene and Gaviscon for indigestion” No tickets to be bought in advance for trains, tramways, ferries, boats, hotels, entries to various cathedrals, palaces, museums, day trips, amusement parks etc etc etc No money to be exchanged for local currency – how much do we take? No weighing luggage umpteen times and straining my back while putting it on and off the scale No checking if I have a particular Sim card, extra phone, charging cable , multipurpose plug , adapter . No rushing to airports and no arguments about how early we should depart from home. No counting of items of luggage ever so often. No yellow, red, blue ribbons fluttering from all the items – no name tags to be printed No being over polite and requesting counter staff at airports for better seats, sparing a few kilos of extra luggage, fragile stickers. No eating and drinking in the airport lounge after already eating and drinking at home. Dirty habit of mine No having to smile at airhostesses who have that plastic smile pasted on their faces. No hoping that I am not sitting near an adult with a baby No hoping that the person next to me is not unduly overweight No stuffing of bags into overstuffed lockers and arguing as politely as possible with fellow passengers. No wondering which arm rest to use when sitting near a stranger No eating insipid food on the flight – the drinks are okay. What about those cramped toilets where you can’t swing a rabbit? (Now that is a stupid sentence because we don’t have a pet rabbit , I have never taken a rabbit anywhere with me either and if by chance I did , I would not take it to the toilet with me – and if by chance I even did that unexplainable thing , pray why would I swing it ? ) No getting into taxis and wondering if they will take you for a spin ( or kidnap you for that matter ) Not sure why anyone would like to kidnap us, but one never knows. No vague thought as to where I would hide my passport and purse if stopped by thieves. No hotel checks in and once again no asking for a “non-smoking good room with a view” I do not think hotel clerks look at the booking seriously enough No wondering how much to tip, when the bell boy puts the luggage in the room and smiles his simple smile No rushing to have the buffet breakfast and no overeating ! No jumping out of bed early in the morning in a strange city, to go and see a cathedral or a garden or a market or whatever – it’s a holiday for goodness sake. IT’S A H O L I D A Y – I W A N T TO RELAX No staring at menus and wondering what the dish is all about. Not having to bother with irritating waiters who hang around hurrying you to order Coddled eggs, Bubble and squeak, Clootie dumpling, Welsh Rabbit , Priest stranglers, little tongues , little worms, Armer Ritter, Kalter hund , Bienenstich? For goodness sake what ARE these dishes – so confusing. (And menus in foreign languages are even worse) No longing for Dal, rice, mutton curries, chapattis and masala dosa No Selfies, touristy must have photographs and purchasing of souvenirs. OMG – for goodness sake no more buying fridge magnets and shot glasses ( I have stopped buying beer mugs) No more browsing around in old second hand book shops hoping to find a rare manuscript that will make me a rich man No visiting relatives and friends you have not met in decades and did not want to in the first place No silly “check in” or Status updates on FB – no one cares in the first place No uploading of photographs too. It’s sort of mandatory – let’s tell the world we are on holiday No feeling sad when the end of the holiday is approaching, and you must catch the flight back to home sweet home No weighing luggage before flying back and realizing that the luggage is twelve kg overweight No unpacking – this is the worst part No coming home and wondering where to start with the cleaning and tidying Amen

Yippee I am on holiday

So, I am finally on leave from tomorrow till the 1st of August 2020 Yippee – summer is here and its holiday time at last – much desired However, this year like so many others I am a trifle relieved A trifle relieved is putting it mildly I am extremely relieved, oh so light hearted, ecstatic, filled with a sense of hope and joy No travel this time. Tickets already cancelled – that was heart-breaking No itineraries to be planned – no hotels to be booked No wondering whether my credit card will be misused No suitcases to be taken out, dusted, and sunned No finding money in an old bag No old suitcases and bags to be discarded and new ones bought – I love this No locks and keys to be traced. I hate this I have about fifteen small locks and about fifty sets of keys. Will not have to hear statements like – “This suitcase is too big” “why are you taking so many clothes” , “do you need so many pairs of shoes”? What is the luggage allowance – at times it varies while going and returning too “Will so and so place be cold or hot” “check the weather in advance” “Let’s pray there is no rain” is another. “Take an umbrella – you never know” No No No ! No printing of tickets, no ensuring the passport and visa are valid for travel No comments like “see you don’t lose the passports, tickets, keys, money” Also, the ultimate “your father is so careless” I BEG YOUR PARDON MISSIE No checking out what clothes to take with me and what to discard as they are already too tight Another comment “you better get up early & go to the gym in all the hotels” No medicines to be packed for emergencies “take the Digene and Gaviscon for indigestion” No tickets to be bought in advance for trains, tramways, ferries, boats, hotels, entries to various cathedrals, palaces, museums, day trips, amusement parks etc etc etc No money to be exchanged for local currency – how much do we take? No weighing luggage umpteen times and straining my back while putting it on and off the scale No checking if I have a particular Sim card, extra phone, charging cable , multipurpose plug , adapter . No rushing to airports and no arguments about how early we should depart from home. No counting of items of luggage ever so often. No yellow, red, blue ribbons fluttering from all the items – no name tags to be printed No being over polite and requesting counter staff at airports for better seats, sparing a few kilos of extra luggage, fragile stickers. No eating and drinking in the airport lounge after already eating and drinking at home. Dirty habit of mine No having to smile at airhostesses who have that plastic smile pasted on their faces. No hoping that I am not sitting near an adult with a baby No hoping that the person next to me is not unduly overweight No stuffing of bags into overstuffed lockers and arguing as politely as possible with fellow passengers. No wondering which arm rest to use when sitting near a stranger No eating insipid food on the flight – the drinks are okay. What about those cramped toilets where you can’t swing a rabbit? (Now that is a stupid sentence because we don’t have a pet rabbit , I have never taken a rabbit anywhere with me either and if by chance I did , I would not take it to the toilet with me – and if by chance I even did that unexplainable thing , pray why would I swing it ? ) No getting into taxis and wondering if they will take you for a spin ( or kidnap you for that matter ) Not sure why anyone would like to kidnap us, but one never knows. No vague thought as to where I would hide my passport and purse if stopped by thieves. No hotel checks in and once again no asking for a “non-smoking good room with a view” I do not think hotel clerks look at the booking seriously enough No wondering how much to tip, when the bell boy puts the luggage in the room and smiles his simple smile No rushing to have the buffet breakfast and no overeating ! No jumping out of bed early in the morning in a strange city, to go and see a cathedral or a garden or a market or whatever – it’s a holiday for goodness sake. IT’S A H O L I D A Y – I W A N T TO RELAX No staring at menus and wondering what the dish is all about. Not having to bother with irritating waiters who hang around hurrying you to order Coddled eggs, Bubble and squeak, Clootie dumpling, Welsh Rabbit , Priest stranglers, little tongues , little worms, Armer Ritter, Kalter hund , Bienenstich? For goodness sake what ARE these dishes – so confusing. (And menus in foreign languages are even worse) No longing for Dal, rice, mutton curries, chapattis and masala dosa No Selfies, touristy must have photographs and purchasing of souvenirs. OMG – for goodness sake no more buying fridge magnets and shot glasses ( I have stopped buying beer mugs) No more browsing around in old second hand book shops hoping to find a rare manuscript that will make me a rich man No visiting relatives and friends you have not met in decades and did not want to in the first place No silly “check in” or Status updates on FB – no one cares in the first place No uploading of photographs too. It’s sort of mandatory – let’s tell the world we are on holiday No feeling sad when the end of the holiday is approaching, and you must catch the flight back to home sweet home No weighing luggage before flying back and realizing that the luggage is twelve kg overweight No unpacking – this is the worst part No coming home and wondering where to start with the cleaning and tidying Amen

Are we lowering our sights?

So, finally we have the various board results from different parts of the world in hand. Everyone is elated and it is time to celebrate and congratulate. And why not? The results this year have surpassed all expectations and are so much better than before. Although a few papers could not be completed, and in some cases, the entire examination had to be cancelled, the various boards did their best to ensure, that pupils did not suffer in any way. What an amazing way to end your schooling and move on to college. So, to all educationists, pupils, and parents – HEARTY CONGRATULATIONS. Some degree of happiness amidst the gloom is always more than welcome. However, I feel rather confident in saying, that with me, there are probably innumerable discerning individuals out there who have a question on their mind. Mind you, this is not to take anything away from pupils who have worked extremely hard and teachers who have given it their best shot and then more. Are we lowering our sights a little too low? This is not a criticism but a fact of life. Are the marks and percentages too high for comfort? Aren’t we seeing this happening year after year? Are you having the same thoughts that I am? A few years ago, when the trend began, it was surprising, then incredulous, then genuine disbelief! Now it’s like “where can we go from here”? Are schools reaching the pinnacle of their success? We have pupils scoring full marks in all subjects! I can understand full marks in Math or for that matter a Science subject. But full marks in English, Social Studies, Economics? When most pupils of a grade score over 90 %, the scenario certainly appears skewed & not healthy. One is then forced to question the credibility of the examination system and mind you , before you decide to shoot me down with your poison tipped arrow , I am not referring to any school or board or country in particular – I question the system of Education and as an Educationist I must. Something is not right. Complacency is the bane of modern education and a rethink is the need of the hour- the quicker – the better. Innovation in the classroom is brilliant – what about innovation in the system? Does everything seem honky dory to you? It certainly does not to me! Mark you, this is not only in the board classes. This is a widespread problem in primary and secondary schools all over the world as well. If you dig below the surface, you may be surprised or depending on who you are, you may not be! High marks and grades seem to be becoming the norm. Kindergarten parents expect their wards to score all A’s and when they do not, they question the school as to why! They also say they are worried in case there is something wrong with their child. Is this even real? Further up in the grades, low marks on a report card are like a bear in a room – everyone at home is screaming, crying and in panic mode. The remarks one hears are not only strange but quite absurd. Supposedly “such low marks were not expected” they will certainly “lead to depression and a lowering of self-esteem”. “what will friends and relatives say”. What if the child “does something drastic”? “The school is to blame”! For goodness sake – what’s with us? Please can we all just realize that there is nothing wrong with a child who did not score high marks and you don’t have to run for counselling immediately – trust the school to give the right advice. To quote the renowned education academic, Professor John Hattie ““Part of our problem is that we’ve conceived success at the school level to be high achievement, and the unfortunate implication of this is, if you have high achievement to start with, you don’t have to do as much,” he said. “However, if you turn that on its side and say our job is to make sure that every student deserves at least a year’s growth for a year’s input, then every student – no matter where they start – will have to show progress.” Briefly, such high marks all round could boil down to ineffective paper setting, the quality of the assessment, faulty moderation patterns or just plain inflation of marks. There are other reasons too, but I will not go there. High examination scores may have their merit if you can call it so. They boost student morale, they please worried parents and they are some reward for years of consistent work by pupils, teachers, and schools. It looks like a win win situation all round and no one is cribbing and why would they? I agree that students are more focused, school education is better structured, teachers are better trained, they use modern methods & parents do all they can and more, to give their wards the best education possible. There are also smart private tuition classes attended by the toppers to get them to do even better. However, when almost everyone scores in the region of 95 % and above, the entire euphoria of saying “I have done well” boils down to zero and means very little. Reality hits home when the very same pupil who was elated when scoring a centum in almost every subject, is given a B or a C in the first college examination he or she appears in. Suddenly, from riding on a cloud of unbridled success and beaming from ear to ear after all the adulation, the very same pupil becomes a nervous wreck and feelings of incompetence, total disillusionment and depression set in. Mind you, this can last well into graduation and beyond and that is not healthy. Educationists around the world should continue to look at the deeper meanings of teaching and learning rather than relying disproportionately on often overly inflated numbers. Someone, somewhere, has to stand up and say “The buck stops here” This whole concept has become quite a vicious circle, because when pupils don’t get those high scores that everyone has come to expect , schools and teacher standards are under the scanner for all the wrong reasons . That is not fair. I truly believe, that in this so called modern, 21st century world, schools are so over saturated with testing and so dependent on scores that we are missing the overall end of education and this is indeed , extremely sad. We are sending pupils into the world with a false belief in their abilities, and they are, at times, too naive to know the difference . Somehow, we seem to be over controlling and undervaluing our students by making them believe they are overachieving and this needs to stop. We must realize that if we continue to focus entirely on metrics and data, true education will be a myth and that is a disaster the world can least afford.