Know your history through History.com

Most of us have seen the History Channel in our cable channels and probably dismissed it in treating along with Discovery and National Geographic genre.

I came across History.com, the online edition of the channel and its a wonderful resource!

Especially, this day in history page lists and details what happened on this day on different years. Here is what I thought various ways to leverage this resource:

a) What Happened On Your Birthday:  Click on the link "What Happened on Your Birthday" and learn how 'special' you are!

b) Here is an idea to make others feel special. You may also want to use the Birthday feature to compile the list of events happened on somebody's birthday or anniversary. May be offline, we can create a personal greetings card / write a note highlighting these events.

c) Remembering somebody's birthday!  We can mentally link somebody's birthdate and the events, so that its easy to remember.

d) Talk to your children about these events on everyday basis.

e) Peek in advance for a week or a month and compile the list of events and look forward the date. Plan some activity based on that event in the weekends. For example, if you are a teacher, learn in advance what happened in August; every week talk about how Independence Day was declared, or  Anne Frank was captured or Death of Genghis Khan.

f) If you are like me, blog about the events!

History text books are so dry since our days and its time that we kindle and rekindle the interests in history through one such resource!

Please share your thoughts.

Teachers' Bad Behavior Impact Children

Today morning, there was a news (link) in the media where a Hindi teacher insisted the girls sit on his lap. The brave girl students have complained to the parents and the teacher is now absconding as the police is in search of him.

Here is what the child psychologist and counsellor Swarnalatha Iyer recommend -
Many a time child wouldn't know if what's happening to her is good or bad. Such behaviour by a teacher can leave a negative impact on child's mind. Also, there's a chance that a child would grow up thinking there is nothing wrong if a teacher behaves like this and may learn something which is not appropriate for the society. Parents play an important role in teaching a child about a good touch and a bad touch. Child should be told that only parents can touch her body, no one else.

Teachers are the architects of the society. Their behaviours impact the society multitude!

Teachers' Behavior Impact Children

Today morning, there was a news (link) in the media where a Hindi teacher insisted the girls sit on his lap. The brave girl students have complained to the parents and the teacher is now absconding as the police is in search of him.

Here is what the child psychologist and counsellor Swarnalatha Iyer recommend -
Many a time child wouldn't know if what's happening to her is good or bad. Such behaviour by a teacher can leave a negative impact on child's mind. Also, there's a chance that a child would grow up thinking there is nothing wrong if a teacher behaves like this and may learn something which is not appropriate for the society. Parents play an important role in teaching a child about a good touch and a bad touch. Child should be told that only parents can touch her body, no one else.

Teachers are the architects of the society. Their behaviours impact the society multitude!

Essence of being congruent

A salesman knocks at your door to sell a product.  Even if the product is good and a needy one, sometimes you feel the salesman is not 'genuine' ; and you do not buy the product.  This is a sign of salesman being incongruent.
Congruency is what we are when we are completely "integrated" with our mind, speech, body language, "be the one" and "not trying to be one".
Congruency comes when you have a strong conviction.
If you are a Hindu, you do not pretend to be one - you are one; you do one what a Hindu supposed to do and you are completely in the mindset.
If you are a Keralite, you talk the marvels of the brown rice and you go on and convince your friends to go for it.
When someone is incongruent, you sense their eyes lie; even if you are not an expert in analyzing the body language, you know someone that 'something is wrong with this guy'.
To be congruent, one needs to be more of it. Believe more, do more and pull the evidences being so. Practice every single opportunity till the person and practice becomes inseparable; a natural thing.
All of us are congruent in several things and incongruent in several other.
Have you ever wondered why you were not chosen in the interview  inspite of answering all the questions?  Because to the panel, you did not appear congruent.
Relationships fail when one of the partners fail to be congruent.
Focusing everyday to build on what we would like to become, will make us congruent.

GIrls need protection in public places

Here is an another story of molestation to a young tailor - a girl working in a garment factory.  She wast not just molested but also thrown out of the train. She managed to stay alive with some severe injuries but is our law strong enough to prevent such incidents recurring. The culprits have been identified; but they may be let of few hundreds and thousands after several days of dragging the case. If there are enough evidences, they should be put under rigorous punishment serving as a lesson for others.

Here is the narration from the victim -
I am a tailor at the Hinduja Garments factory in Bangalore. I was going to my home town, Mysore. When the train was approaching Maddur station, four youths began teasing me and sexually harassing me. They passed lewd remarks and tried to molest me. When I protested and threatened that I would inform police about their misbehaviour, they pushed me out of the moving train. I fell on the rocky ground and lost consciousness. When I regained my consciousness, I was under medical care. I was in acute pain and there was blood all over my body.

Read more on TOI page: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bangalore/Girl-molested-thrown-out-of-train-in-Karnataka/articleshow/15133349.cms



Also, the railways should ensure adequate police force travelling to protect the passengers in train. Not just police, even medical emergency system also should be available. I recall the TV newsreader and actor Varadharajan submitted a request to the then President Dr.APJ highlighting the need for medical emergency in trains when his family member had an emergency during travel.

Girls need protection in public places

Here is an another story of molestation to a young tailor - a girl working in a garment factory.  She wast not just molested but also thrown out of the train. She managed to stay alive with some severe injuries but is our law strong enough to prevent such incidents recurring. The culprits have been identified; but they may be let of few hundreds and thousands after several days of dragging the case. If there are enough evidences, they should be put under rigorous punishment serving as a lesson for others.

Here is the narration from the victim -
I am a tailor at the Hinduja Garments factory in Bangalore. I was going to my home town, Mysore. When the train was approaching Maddur station, four youths began teasing me and sexually harassing me. They passed lewd remarks and tried to molest me. When I protested and threatened that I would inform police about their misbehaviour, they pushed me out of the moving train. I fell on the rocky ground and lost consciousness. When I regained my consciousness, I was under medical care. I was in acute pain and there was blood all over my body.

Read more on TOI page: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bangalore/Girl-molested-thrown-out-of-train-in-Karnataka/articleshow/15133349.cms



Also, the railways should ensure adequate police force travelling to protect the passengers in train. Not just police, even medical emergency system also should be available. I recall the TV newsreader and actor Varadharajan submitted a request to the then President Dr.APJ highlighting the need for medical emergency in trains when his family member had an emergency during travel.

1001 events that shaped the world

Here is a little secrete of mine. During my schooling, I scored 98 in social studies.  (until my friend quips in to say that he scored 101; yes the total marks were for 200; and I just scored 49%).   History and Geography books used to be very dry accounts of people, place, and events and I always wondered why all these happened.  Be it the printing of the book, or the context of the text, lack of pictures (most of them were hand drawing or black and white faded images) and appeared more like a law book.  There was no sufficient material for me to think that I am proud of this country's history.

These days, having been exposed to a lot of new age books and popular historian authors, History is really a fascinating subject for me.  It made me pick several books on history accounts and I really did read them all.

The recent pick being 1001 events that shaped the world. A voluminous, encyclopedia kind of book, it has sequence of events narrated starting with BC and until recent '80s.  With a One Page - One Event concept, its really easy reading and a great compilation. Unlike other history books, there is nothing to memorize here. Almost every page has a suitable picture. Where photographs are not available, the oil paintings and art pictures are presented. But mind you, most of the oil pictures had nudity, violence, massacres, murders - not really disturbing but unless you make up your mind that this is our history and this was how the pictures were drawn.  One odd finding was that Gandhi's death was in colour photo - I am wondering if it was taken from the movie. The Index that appears at the beginning of the book is another wonderful listing countrywise.

I recommend this book to nourish your general knowledge. Its expensive. But its not just a coffee table kind; it truly has the essentials.

Tags: Books, History