BIOGRAPHY - SWAMI VIVEKANANDA

"Arise, awake and stop not, till your goal is reached..."

an inspiring quote by Swami Vivekananda that comes to mind as one reads about the various programs associated with the 150th birth anniversary celebrations that are in progress all over the country. 

The greatest Hindu monk India has ever seen,that is Swami Vivekananda in most simple terms.

He was born on 12th January,1863 at Calcutta(presently Kolkotta).His first name was Narendra Nath Datta.His father, Viswanath Datta was an Attorney General in Calcutta High Court.His mother, Bhuvaneshwari Devi was a pious house wife. His brother is Dr.Bhupendranath Datta.

Narendranath (Swami Vivekananda) was an ardent disciple of Sree Ramakrishna Paramahamsa.Narendranath met him during his graduation studies and was attracted to his personality and gradually surrendered to his guru.

As a student, he was a genius. He learned not only literature, science and philosophy but also about all religions. he believed in One God that is formless and universal. In his words, service to mankind is the most effective form of worshiping GOD.

After graduation, Narendranath travelled all over India as a brahmachari under the name Swami Bibidishananda. He lived on alms and followed celibacy all through his life. As part of this journey searching the soul of his nation, he reached Kanyakumari (Cape Comorin in Tamil Nadu). The place where he sat in meditation continuously for three days is now a popular tourist centre- Vivekananda Rock. He gathered the famous Vision of One India here. Its also called Kanyakumari resolve. According to this resolve, Swamiji realised that preaching religion to empty stomachs is useless and so uplifting of masses should precede spiritual awakening.

Maharaja of Khetri, Ajit Singh, an ardent devotee, crowned him with the title Swami Vivekananda in1892.

Swamiji made a historical speech in September 1893 at Chicago.He introduced Hinduism at the "Parliament of the world's religions". The Indian philosophies of yoga and Vedanta gradually became popular all over the world. Swamiji was India's spiritual ambassador and our patriotic saint.

As he traveled all over the world, he felt ashamed at the degenerating plight of our nation and called it as a lunatic asylum. India was then filled with people who believed in superstitions, followed caste system, apartheid, and were vain talkers. Social tyranny was hindering progress. So, Swamiji addressed Indians to come out of narrow holes and to look abroad...

To uplift masses and gradually instill spiritual awakening, he established Sree Ramakrishna Mission and Sree Ramakrishna Math. Swamiji's had an extremely inspiring way and vision for our nation. India celebrate his birth anniversaries as National Youth Day.


Swamiji attained Mahasamadhi on 4th July 1902 at the age of 39 at Belur Math in Calcutta.
(Image courtesy: Belur Math)

DOES HUMAN BODY CONTAIN WATER ?

Human body contains 55 to 79% water by body weight. The quantity of water is high in babies (79%) and it starts decreasing with age. An adult woman can have 55% water in accordance to her body weight. 

For example, the total quantity of water in an adult man of 70kilos is about 40 litres; ie., 57% of his body weight. Of this, 25 litres is inter cellular and 15 litres is extra cellular. By extracellular it refers to the water element in blood plasma, interstitial fluid and transcellular fluid.

cells are the smallest unit of our body building materials.cells contain 65 to 90% water.

lymph is 96% water.

lungs is  90% water

blood is 83% water.

lean muscles is 75% water.

brain is 70% water

bones are 22%water.

body fat is 10%water.

and so on....

Water is essential to keep our body clean, digest food, absorb nutrients, expel toxins and waste materials etc.

A SHORT QUESTIONNAIRE ON BALANCED DIET.

What is a balanced diet?

A balanced diet contains adequate calories of energy to keep us active and for growth. It will have a balance of major and minor nutrients derived from different types of food. It also includes an adequate quantity of water intake.

Do you know what nutrients are?

Vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, proteins, fats, antioxidants, fibre etc are some of the nutrients. If our food contains all these nutrients in proper proportion, then it is called a balanced diet.

What are body building foods?

Proteins, minerals and water are the components considered useful for body building. These help in the growth of bones and muscles. They even help in the growth and repair of body tissues and internal organs like muscles, blood, skin, hormones and enzymes.

Is non-vegetarian food good?

Yes of course. They give us different types of protein. It has high fat content. So, if we eat more non vegetarian foods, we would become obese.(Obese means a disease where we have more weight than normal standards for our age and height.)

Some of the non vegetarian foods are the following.

•          Egg whites – purest form of protein; it is easily absorbed by the body; low fat content. (egg yolk contains lot of fat and cholesterol. SO eating 2 egg whites a day is a healthy habit)

•     Fish – Small fishes contain omega3fatty acids. The fats in fishes are healthy.

•     Lean meat – Chicken breast and lean are high protein.

What carrots give you?

Carrots give us lot of carotene which makes you orange in colour. It is a precursor for vitamin A.

What is the daily energy requirement of a child of ten years?

Girls – 1740 calories.

Boys – 2000 calories.

Name the following?

• Vitamin good for eyes – vitamin A
• Vitamin present in abundance in fruits – vitamin C
• Vitamin good for skin – vitamin E
• Mineral nutrient in milk – calcium
• Milk protein is called – casein

What is roughage?

We get lot of fiber from green leafy vegetables. This helps in proper digestion of food and smooth movement of stools. This is called roughage.

Name some source of protein for a vegetarian diet?

Mushrooms, Algae like spirulina, Pulses, legumes and nuts are good sources of protein for vegetarian diets. Eg: dhal, soyabeans, ground nuts, etc.

What is the role of water in a balanced diet?

• Water helps in proper digestion of food
• Water helps in absorption of nutrients from our food
• Water helps in elimination of toxins from our body and so on.
• Drinking enough water makes our internal organs healthy and gives us a glowing skin! 

                                                 QUESTION TIME!

1.  Which is the milk protein?

  ans :  Casein

     2.   Which of the following is a lean meat?
     a)   rabbit meat
     b)  quail meat
     c)   chicken breast
     d)   none of these
      e)  all of these

      3.    Name the pigment in carrots?
     
   ans :   Carotene   

CHILDREN'S WELLBEING AS PER CDI and SDI

http://in.finance.yahoo.com/photos/world-s-top-10-children-friendly-nations-slideshow/

This is the link to a slide show in Yahoo, that depicts the state of children in different countries. India ranks 112th among 141 countries evaluated for CHILD DEVELOPMENT INDEX. The indicators used were infant mortality, child education, health, nutrition etc.

http://in.finance.yahoo.com/photos/world-s-top-10-early-childhood-education-environments-slideshow/world-s-top-10-early-childhood-education-environments-photo-1341207385.html

This is a related link on preschool education in 45 countries. Termed START WELL INDEX; In this study, it appears that India enjoys the 45th position.

SIGNIFICANCE OF ARTS, SPORTS AND LITERARY ACTIVITIES IN ELEMENTARY EDUCATION

 Nowadays parents focus on getting their kids the best education available. But the scope of education seems to have shrunk to a level of academic performance alone. Attending classes, rote learning of what is taught and getting high scores is the general rather only aim for many.

 Is this enough?

Or should we let our kids play well?

Should we let them participate in group activities at school?

Should we train them on arts or sports?

Should we hone their writing skills? So on…

The world is definitely becoming more and more competitive day by day. So, should we totally avoid all other aspects ? 

Let’s peep into the importance of arts, sports and literary activities in elementary education.

Time spend on these activities enhance a child’s multiple intelligence and this reflects in the kid’s academics and behaviour too. Hence these are integral parts of quality education.

Every child is unique. What matters is that every child goes through a joyful and meaningful experience that instills self confidence and self worth. It is an identification of one’s path towards excellence.

Let us begin the discussion with a simple question. What is an art?

Art is the response of an individual to the call of the real, said Rabindranath Tagore.

Art is the special language of children, who even before they learn to speak, respond intuitively to dance, music and colour, said Dr.Boyer.

Art includes performing arts and visual arts or fine arts.  Performing arts are of the entertainment type. This includes dance, drama, dance-drama, music – both vocal and instrumental, puppetry, etc. Visual arts now use technology and give us animations, films, etc. It also covers drawing, colouring, painting, clay modeling, sculpture, pottery, jewellery design, weaving fabrics, and so on.

An exposure in arts during formative years also promotes cultural awareness in kids.

According to Prof.Antonio Domasio from U.S., art education can bring about better balance between cognitive and emotional development. This in turn contributes to a culture of peace.

Tagore reminiscing his childhood once said: “we wrote, we sang, we acted, we poured ourselves out on every side. There was tremendous excitement and cultural richness.” This base is what facilitated him to establish Shanthiniketan Viswa Vidyalaya…

Sports cover both indoor and outdoor games, that too both individual and team events.  Even moderate physical activity stimulates growth. It improves a child’s skill at arithmetic, memorization and reading. It enhances motor skills.

Children who play well have team spirit, stay fit and healthy and are mentally active. They are stress free, understand the importance of healthy living and the benefits of regular exercise extends in to adulthood also.

Dr.Glyn Roberts says that sports are an important learning environment for children. It affects a child’s development of self esteem and self worth. Within sports peer status and peer acceptance are also established.

By literary activities we mean reading, story telling, creative writing, spell bees, debate, quiz, recitation, essay writing, public speaking, news reading, making presentations, discussing stories and fiction, and many more. Literary activities facilitate better utilization of library facility. Kids are facilitated to read during their free time. They can choose from picture stories to short stories or novels, depending on their caliber.

“Reading makes a complete man” said Francis Bacon. Reading improves vocabulary, generates better interpersonal skills and so better communication and also gives problem solving skills. It thus fosters creativity. Strong reading habits enhance analytical thinking and better literacy. This helps pursue social activities, leading to a better community life.

All these activities have a strong emphasis on “learning by doing” and “practice makes perfect”. Active participation in such activities stimulates child’s imagination, and instills values into young minds. Hence music, dance and drama are treated as foundation subjects in International curricula.

In other words, education in general, and art and literary activities in particular, is a way for a child to grow into a balanced personality. It helps one to become sensitive to the beauty in nature, of social values and aesthetic aspects of life as a whole.

The primary goal of parents and teachers is to identify the best suitable art or sport for their children. Success in an activity makes them feel valued and wanted. Every child can be successful in one or another. Let us take the time to find what is right for our child.

“The purpose of education is to bring out the best in you” stated Mahatma Gandhi. For this, literary education must follow the education of the hand – a gift that distinguishes man from beast. Basic education as per Gandhian philosophy is an integration of arts, crafts, health and academics.

QUALITIES OF A WELL MANNERED CHILD

A well mannered person is one who has good manners and knows the correct way to behave in social situations. One who is polite and doesn't cause any trouble to others is usually called a well behaved child.Actually how can one be so???

Value Education series of Flamingo books, New Delhi enlists a child to possess the following qualities to be a good mannered fellow.

1. HONEST

2. TRUTHFUL

3. POLITE

4.PUNCTUAL

5. KIND

6.HELPFUL

7.OBEDIENT

8. RESPECTFUL

9.GENTLE

10.HUMBLE

Lets see how Lexicographers define these terms in the most simple way.

• An honest person always tells the truth, doesn't cheat or steal.

• A truthful person does not usually tell lies.

• Being polite is to behave in a way that is correct for the social situation you are in and showing that you are careful to consider other people's needs and feelings.

• To be punctual is to be on time, ie., to be present or complete a task exactly at the arranged time.

• A kind person refers to someone who tries to help people and make them happy or comfortable and shows that they care about them.

• Helpful points to providing useful help in making a situation better or easier. Such a person is always willing to help others.

• Obedient kids are those who always do what they are told to do without questioning the authority(parents or teachers). They also follow rules and laws.

• Respectful is a feeling or showing of admiration for someone for their personal qualities, knowledge,skill etc.

• Gentle nature refers to the careful way of doing things so that you do not hurt or damage anyone or anything.

• Humble  is simple, ordinary, useful and effective. Such a person doesn't consider their ideas or themselves as important as others. 

Is this an easy task? Lets try out by putting maximum effort to follow one by one...

BIOGRAPHY (5) HELEN KELLER

Helen Keller was an American girl. At the age of 19 MONTHS, when she could just walk,  she had severe stomach pain and brain fever. After this, she became blind and deaf.

Do you know what it is to be BLIND? 

Yes, A blind person cannot see. Similarly, Helen Keller also lost her eye sight and she couldn’t see with her eyes anymore.

To be deaf means, one cannot hear with her ears.

What would life be if we cant see and hear? How sad  it would be? Isn’t it?

But, Helen Keller was a courageous girl. She had lot of will power. She was good at her studies also.

She explored her ability to communicate by using signs and later the sense of touch.

Miss Anne Sullivan an intelligent teacher taught Helen Keller.She was also visually impaired. She became her governess and later her companion and they remained together for 49 years.

Helen could speak 5 different languages.

She went to college and took a degree.

She wrote 12 books and many articles too.

Great isn’t it?

Helen Keller has a place in history as the first blind person to be a graduate. She was an excellent author and speaker too.