Dreamy thoughts!

 On a lovely night by the beach, I would love to lie down on a chair listening to the waves splashing gently on the shore, feeling the breeze on my face, looking up at clear starry sky, soaking in the serene moment. All by myself, yet not alone, filled with gratitude for the bliss.

Not bothered by phone calls, messages, banal chit-chat. Away from the chaos.

Or on a rainy afternoon, off to a long drive, listening to soothing music, feeling the rain drops on my hand sticking out of the car window, soft wet breeze touching my face. Stopping by at a road side stall for a steaming cup of tea and yummy hot pakoras or maggie!

Or on a beautiful morning, beholding the splendid sun rise over a mountain, immersed in the scent of gorgeous flowers and lush meadows. Smell of freshly baked croissants, steaming hot cup of tea, sumptuous breakfast table laid to please the eyes as well as the tastebuds.  synchronous melody of a stream flowing at a distance and Birds chirping on the trees swaying nearby. 

So tranquilizing, so calm, so therapeutic!

ANGREZI MEIN KEHTE HAIN! HERE'S HOW TO TEACH ENGLISH TO YOUR CHILD AT HOME.

Many parents these days are distressed by their kid’s poor English speaking skills. English being the global language has become an essential skill to have. Many moms are hoping to find a magic wand that will hone their kid’s skill overnight. But there are no shortcuts. It requires consistent efforts and heaps of patience. The good news is that it is not impossible to master this language; in fact, it is easier to learn English than many other Indian or international languages.

Starting early will help the kid to master the language better but there is no reason to fret if the kid isn’t catching up. Every child is unique and has his/her own pace of learning and grasping. If the mom is fluent in English, it serves as an advantage as the kid learns the most from the mother. It does help if moms equip themselves better to help the child learn faster. Moreover, a favorable environment at home plays a vital role. So, here’s a guide to help the parents struggling with this issue.

·         Introduce English to your child

Begin by introducing English words to your child. As we all know, there are small hardboard books available in market which have pictures and names of birds, animals, body parts, colors, shapes etc. Buy them and let your child look at them on a daily basis. Read these out to your child and let them repeat after you. When they hear one word at a time it helps them connect it to the picture.

You need not start conversing fully in English language from day one. First let the child get acquainted to English words used in daily conversations. For example: Come, go, drink, sit, eat, stand, chew, sip, turn around, run, jump, here, there, like, want, do, etc. Mix these words with the language you speak at home. Also, try to put up some charts or printouts around the house listing the basic English words, simple conversations and courtesies.   

·         Translate:

Talk to your kid in Hindi or whichever language you speak at home but repeat the conversation in English.

For example some regularly used sentences:

 idhar aao – come here,

ye kha lo – eat this,

darwaza band kar do - close the door

ye pasand aya – you like it?

Ye chahiye – you want it?

·         Talk in Hinglish (Mix Hindi-English):

While talking in Hindi, replace the names of simple commodities/things in English, like body parts, fruits, vegetables, animals, furniture, etc.

For example:

Pani – water, Khana – food, dudh-milk, kapde – clothes, bal – hair, haath – hand, pair -leg

Mix these words in daily conversations like:

water drink kar lo

clothes pehen lo

hand idhar karo

jump karo

mamma cook kar rahi hain

papa rest kar rahe hain

is doll se play karo

·         Start with very basic and small sentences.

Eg: I do, I want, I like, give me, take it, open it, close it, etc.

Remember when they are able to say two/three word sentences like the ones mentioned above, it boosts their confidence and makes them more prepared to soak in more information. So, take tiny rewarding steps at a time. Build it up slowly.

 

·         Teach them basic conversation, question-answers and courtesies.

Thank you. You are welcome

I am sorry. My bad.

Good Morning, Good Evening, Good Night

I like this. I want this.

What is your name? My name is ------

How are you? I am fine, thank you

How old are you? I am three.

Where do you live? I live here.

Can I take it? Yes, you can

May I have water, biscuits, chocolate, etc.? Yes, you may.

Please refer to the charts provided at the end of this article. You may put them on the walls of the kids’ room or the fridge or any place where they can observe them easily several times a day.

 

·         Role play: 

      Do role play exercises with your kid at home. Play doctor, teacher, shopkeeper, etc. and make a set of simple dialogues. Show the child how to talk while playing the character of a doctor or patient and then ask them to enact. This makes it easier for the kid to learn by applying. It also develops their interest in English along with the game.

Example: 

Let’s play doctor-doctor!

So the conversation will be like :

What is your name? My name is ----

What happened to you? My tummy hurts! 

I will do your checkup. But I am afraid.

It will be fine, don’t worry. OK

I will give you medicine. OK 

Let’s play Shopkeeper:

 I want to buy a packet of biscuit.

Sure, Here you go. Please pay 10 Rs.

These are just examples. You know what will be better for your kid as per his/her interest. Some may like to play avengers; some may like to play Elsa or Ana from Frozen. Improvise; find out ways to engage your child in a conversation in English in a fun way! You may even record videos of them enacting these characters, it will boost their confidence.

·         Audio-Visuals

Audio Visuals strongly influence the learning and development of children. Let the child watch educative programs in English language on TV or YouTube under your supervision. If you cannot sit with them then let them watch it while you go about your chores and then ask them questions regarding what they saw and what were the names of the characters, what were these characters doing etc. Beware not to let the kids switch channels or select programs/videos to watch on their own, as there are many predators waiting out there to expose your child with filth. So please let there be strict supervision when they are accessing videos online. You may want to apply child lock and YouTube kids etc. to be safer.

Here are a few recommended programs which will help your kid to learn English:

For younger kids up to 5 years of age

– Coco melon, little baby bum, story bots, ChuChu TV, Dora and Diego, Mickey Mouse clubhouse, Doc Mcstuffins, etc.

For kids up to 6-10 years

– Princess Sophia, Jake and the Never Land Pirates, Handy Many, Seven and Me, Richie Rich, The inbestigators, Odd Squad, etc.

·         Bedtime Reading Habit

Make sure you develop your child’s interest in bedtime reading. Make it a ritual starting at the age of two. Buy some nice colorful story books which are age appropriate and let your kid develop a relationship with books and reading.

 For beginners, you may buy big illustrative books to make it easier to read and understand. They introduce the concept of print and help the kids understand that the book is read from left to right and from top to bottom, how to open the book, which is the front side, which one is back.  

Some kids get hooked right away whereas some don’t find books interesting enough. Try to find out what topic interests them more, they need not be typical story books. If your child is more interested in cars, space, comics, etc. then buy those kinds of books. These days there are activity based or interactive reading books as well. 

Take them shopping with you, let them choose their own favorites. Go to interesting bookstores like Crossword, OM bookshop, etc. Buy what suits your child’s temperament. 

Keep trying and have the reading session religiously every night. Make it a habit and eventually they will start liking it.

·         Appreciate, applaud and support

Remember, each child has his/her own pace of learning. So, be patient in your child’s journey and keep the appreciation and applause coming consistently. Your support and belief in your kids will work wonders in them.

Images source: Pinterest

A Poem after a long time!!

Salam,

Here I am on the first day of a brand new year with a few insights on our life and purpose....our relationship with the Almighty and the key to meaningful living - Zikr (remembering Allah), Shukr (gratitude) and Sabr (patience)!

Jo nahi mila hai uska gila, Jo hua ata vo bhula dia
Na milna bhi hikmat Rabb ki hai, sab bhed usko hai pata
Hai patay ki baat suno zara, Kabhi gaur ispe kia karo

Rahi fitrat teri ae banda e khuda, Kiye gham mein to sajde sada
Jab rahaton ki chali hawa, Tunay Rabb ko khud se juda kia
Khushiyon bhare lamhaat mein, Kabhi yaad Rabb ko kia karo

Jab se hai hosh ye tab se hain, Kitni shikayatein sab se hain
Ruthay huay qismat se hain, Beparwah har ne'mat se hain
Ehsan Rabb ne jo hain kiye, Kabhi shukr unka kia karo

Jab jab kisi ko hai kuch dia, Rahi arzoo k milay sila
Lekin khuda ne jo ki ata, uska sila kya tu de saka?
Vo tera imtihan hai le raha, Kabhi sabr bhi to kia karo

Mili saparasti jinse tujhe, Mamta mili...mili rahatein
Jinki qadr na kar saka zehan, Maa baap bhai aur behan
In begaraz se rishton ka, Kabhi haq ada bhi kia karo

Some word meanings:
hikmat - wisdom
bhed - secret
gaur - ponder
lamhaat - moments
ne'mat - blessing
qadr - value, appreciate
begaraz - selfless

PS: Writing after a long long time, so please excuse the lack of rhythm and rhyme! :-)

House hunting nightmares!!

Heard recently of Misbah Quadri's ordeal in mumbai. How she was denied a place to live just because she is a muslim.

I have been through this unpleasant experience quite a few times....have lived through the gujarat riots.....post which my entire family (uprooted) relocated elsewhere.....it is indeed very sad to be denied basic rights on the basis of ur religion/faith....yes people do get victimised/ discriminated because of their faith but this statement does not hold true most of the time....

In 2006, my husband and I shifted to gurgaon.....newlyweds in search of our first humble abode....filled with excitement to start our lives together...but unfortunately the excitement soon fizzed out and disappointment took its place. Our dream of a decent house came down shattering when we were rudely denied house on rent from almost everywhere as we were muslims.....it was very disheartening.

Just about when we had lost all hopes...we met Mr. Kaul...a retired professor...who finally agreed to rent his beautiful 2bhk in one of the best localities in gurgaon...sushant lok....his decision changed our perception and cured us of the predicament we had been suffering from.....i can never forget what he told us that day....he shared with us that he had been approached by a 'hindu' couple earlier in the day who were ready to pay a good rent for his property but he took the decision in our favor because did not want a promising young couple to start their new life together with such bitterness and that he wanted to restore our faith in people....and spread the goodwill. Our respect for him grew manifold when we found out later that he was a kashmiri pandit forced to leave his homeland and settle in delhi....he had already paid a price for being in minority in kashmir.....he could have very well taken his sweet revenge of sort by denying us...but instead he chose to be the better human being that he was.....we shall always be grateful for his kind gesture.

In life, we meet all sorts of people....good, bad, evil.......there may be demons at large but remember there are angels too.....who restore your faith in humanity.

Civil engineering - presentations

The IPL Experience!!!

This year the sweltering summer heat has lost its way to delhi/NCR…all thanks to the cool western disturbances which have brought unusually pleasant weather in April-May. Every few days we see light rain and thunderstorms……resulting in pleasant evenings……

feroz shah kotla stadium, delhi

and on one such evening faiz took me to watch the IPL cricket match between Delhi Dare Devils and Mumbai Indians at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium…….

jam packed stadium

I was not a very big fan of the Indian Premier League earlier but after experiencing  it….i can’t stop gushing with excitement………..this new format of cricket is super entertaining and watching it in a stadium is far far better than watching on TV….the atmosphere in the stadium is fully charged…..the big screens…banners, flags, drums, music, cheer leaders all add color to this extravaganza. I was a bit apprehensive of the crowd and the seating arrangements at the stadium…..we reached the venue early so did not face much crowd while entering…plus the free ride from parking lot at Shanti Van to the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium was such a relief…..

dirty seats at the stadium, it's difficult to find a clean one.

we made good use of free placards which were handed out to us for covering the dirty seats at the stadium…..……well u can say that everything about IPL is related to money, money and more money….the stadium was jam packed with almost 40,000 people…..and the tickets started at 750 Rs. We weren’t allowed to carry any food items inside not even water….so the vendors inside made good money as no one could sit there for six hours without water and food......each small glass of water cost 10 bucks and after a few glasses we stopped counting……So u can imagine the kind of money ppl spent for watching a single match and can only wonder how much money the IPL guys will make in the entire series….but the money spent is all worth the entertainment….the delhi dare devils were on fire…and the sixes and fours kept coming and thrilling the audience!!

match in progress

The Mumbai Indians and specially Sachin were a huge disappointment….the crowd cheered and bowed and stood up for sachin but the li’l master failed to create magic on the ground………….m glad that delhi won…….n won in style!!!  After six hours of cheering, shouting, waving and clapping…we were  so tired we wished we could just make a huge leap and land directly on our car seats….but then came the worst part…..suddenly all the 40,000 tired ppl at the stadium started rushing out towards the exit to be the first ones to get out…..n there was this huge human sea of ppl filled on the exit lanes……after walking a certain distance…...i realised we weren’t walking anymore…we were actually getting pushed…..we had three small kids in our group which made me panic even more…… thankfully we reached our cars safely……then a lonnnnnnng drive home……..we reached home at 1 in the night……..extremely tired but v v happy to have been a part of a spectacular event!! :)

For those who are planning to go to watch IPL at Delhi’s Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium, here’s a little info which you may find handy :

Try and reach the venue early and by early I mean atleast two hours before the start time of the match…..we started from noida at 4:30pm and reached the venue by six…n the match started at 8 pm. We found nicely placed seats and also got to watch the players’ practice session! Being late will make it v v difficult to find a good seat which means u will have to settle for the last rows n keep standing all thru the match to get a better view…..so better reach early!!! J

The parking facility at Shanti Van is quite good and there are free rides (bus) available from there to the stadium gate. There are several entry points so make sure u remember to get down at the correct gate no., else u may have to walk a lot.

Do not buy flags from the vendors outside b’coz the security ppl at the entry point throw away the sticks holding the flags to avoid any violence inside…….and in any case there is no point buying any placard as all these things are distributed free by the sponsors once u r inside the stadium. (we got placards of sixes and fours by Panasonic, and nice red color hoods by vodaphone……u can also get the flag of ur favourite team painted on ur face for twenty bucks!!)

four placard from panasonic

the vodaphone hoods

You cannot carry any food items or water inside the stadium. But u r allowed to take baby food and milk bottles, tissues, diapers, etc.  for infants. Remember that u cant take any plastic carry bag inside so please bring ur stuff in an environment friendly carry bag made of paper, jute,etc. Also purse, handbags , etc. are not allowed so either don’t carry any at all or leave them in ur car.

If u have hyper kids under three years of age then be prepared to spend all your time trying to keep them happy as they r not interested in the match and will get thirsty and hungry all the time giving u frequent trips to the food and water counters……u wud rather sit at home and enjoy the match on TV.

When the match ends, do not rush to get out of the stadium just wait until the crowd clears, else u will get caught in a human sea where there can be fair chances of a stampede..god forbid…..

Once outside the stadium, be prepared to walk back to the parking at Shanti Van which is a good 2-3 km. There are no rides or autos or rickshaws available at that unearthly hour.

But all said n done....u must must must go n experience the thrill n excitement of watching the match live in a stadium!!! it's all worth the pain!!  :)

it's me again...

Hello there!! back after quite a while......just curious whether i m back b'coz i m inspired to write again...or is it APRIL! uh-oh poor joke eh?!.....well, if u notice, my last post was in April 2010 and then i went into hibernation until the warm april weather forced me out again :)

So, what was keeping me away u might ask?....i had a pretty tight schedule running after my li'l naughty princess Rimsha 24x7.......whoever said it was easy being a mom at home..... but at the end of the day....my cutie pie's sweet jibber jabber and naughty pranks....wash away all the frowns on my face and put a big smile there...feeling really proud of how she's growing up and learning things fast..alhumdulillah!

The thought of getting back to work crossed my mind several times in the past year...but m still apprehensive about leaving Rimsha under anyone else's supervision....though i know my career is suffering real bad b'oz of this long hiatus from work but i would prefer this over losing my "peace of mind".....

This change in role from a "working woman" to "a housewife and a mom at home" has changed my perceptions about life and has left me reflecting over the way i have lived so far....i guess getting good education and living upto my parents expectations was a part well played at my end....next i went to esteemed workplaces and enjoyed excellent growth opportunities......got married to a decent guy....had a happy marriage....was blessed with a lovely daughter.....playing the best role of my life "MOM"............so many blessings n still counting............well, well, looks such a pretty picture so far.....but strangely enough i find a huge vacuum inside me...still struggling to find the meaning of my existence and though i have several roles to play now but i m yet to figure out the purpose of my life apart from being a mom, a wife, a daughter, a sister, etc.....

I jotted down this poem in urdu reflecting the unrest inside me.....it talks about the way i used to feel thrilled about the things in my life when i was a young girl....raring to go...ready to conquer the world, n then i dunno wat happened....i guess as i grew up i just settled down with watever came my way....i didn't really follow the roadmap i had made for myself as a young girl.........n perhaps i waited too long to arrive at the right point in life to start certain ventures....n now it seems that i don't have enough courage n inspiration left to go on the untrodden path..........but lately m trying to put together the pieces of this puzzle called life and make more sense out of my existence....


Vo josh e jawani vo walwala tha kabhi
Kehte the rukh hum hawaon ka badal dalenge
Hain ab zyada zaraaye aur aql bhi zyada
Par ab parwaaz ki sochein to laraz jaate hain


Hazaron pal hain chahakte, mahakte lamhe hain,
Magar ab choti si khushi ko taras jaate hain
Jo pal na lautenge, hum jitni koshishein kar lein
Vo ghataa ban ke ab aankhon se baras jaate hain


Tamam umr ka haasil ye samajh aaya hai,
Tum apne aaj ko jee bhar k jiyo chha jao
Na taalo kal ke intezaar mein bas kar jao
Zindagi ki daudti phirti rawan maujon par,
Na thaamo khud ko is tarah se, bhula do saare dar,
Khade rahe jo wahin doob ke reh jaaoge
Sivay bebasi ke, ranj ke, kya paaoge

Na khona maqsad ko raah e hayat mein Nauras,
Na apne khwabon ko tum yuhi bikharne dena,
Hai zaroori ke jiyo duniya mein is tarha tum,
Ke jaao bhi to tumhe yaad har ek fard kare


Some meanings:
walwala - vigor and enthusiasm
rukh - direction
zaraaye - means
aql - wisdom
parwaaz - udaan - flight
laraz - shiver
rawan - flowing
mauj - wave
ranj - grief
maqsad - aim
raah - path
hayat - life
fard - person