CREATIVE HOMEWORK (VOLUME VIII)
Projects or Assignments are not to be based on the text book or require recall from memory. They should stimulate curiosity, make the students go to the library, read books and magazines, meet and interview people, visit organisations and gather related information from different sources, collate them, assess, synthesise and make a meaningful report.
The projects given below will ignite, trigger and stimulate the minds of students towards engaging themselves in a purposeful intellectual endeavour.
Whenever the author went to any class as a substitute teacher, he used to put these questions to make them think.
The author and the children learnt with each other and from each other. It was a wonderful, useful and happy Co-Learning
CREATIVE HOMEWORK
- Normally when a leg or hand is damaged, doctors advise amputation. But One doctor in Kerala, Dr. Shibu John Varkey cures fractured patients without amputation, using a Russian Technique known as the “ Ilizarou” method’.
Won’t you be interested in knowing more about this new very helpful method? If possible, visit the doctor at Chenganassery in Kerala and interview him on his technique.
- Do you know the ways of expressing the future perfectly? Dr. Albert Rayan, Prof. of English and an ELT Resource Person explains the difference in the meaning of sentences
I A) I will present a paper at a conference next week.
B) I am presenting a paper at a conference next week.
C) I am going to present a paper at a conference next week.
II A) The CM is meeting the PM tomorrow.
B) The CM is going to meet the PM tomorrow.
C) The CM meets the PM tomorrow.
D) The CM will meet the PM tomorrow.
E) The CM will be meeting the PM tomorrow.
F) The CM is to meet the PM tomorrow.
III A) John is going to marry soon
B) John is getting married next month.
IV) A) I think it is going to rain.
B) It is raining
V) but the meanings of the sentences (1) it is raining and (2) it is going to rain are entirely different. (courtesy: the New Indian Express)
Can you think of more sentences like this?
In a village called Glenelg at the tip of the Scottish Highlands we can find mysterious ‘BROCKS’ believed to be 2000 years old. They are 30’ high, double walled courtyard 10-15’ in diameter.
Why don’t you dig out the details about the mysterious structures—who built? What for? And the indicators of its constructions.
3) Celebrating Mothers’ Day and Fathers’ Day
– sending parents to the old age home.
– visiting them, once a month or a year.
– occasional telephone calls
Juxtapose these and write “what you feel as a daughter / son?”
4) As a student of Economics and Commerce can you locate which of the following causes is of prime importance to assess the sign of a company in trouble:
- low liquidity ratio
- reducing net profit margin
- negative free cash flow
- increasing debt expecting profit margin
- low conversion of inventory to sales and excess inventory
- wrongful manipulation of financial investments.
- compromising on quality
- drop in stock prices
- inability to generate sufficient cash
- short term assets not enough to meet current debt obligations.
- improper accounting system
Rank them in your order of importance
5) “When we are both kind and honest to ourselves, then we can be kind and honest to others”—Gualwang Drukpa.
Describe how you can be kind and honest to yourself.
6) It is said that travel confers on a person the following benefits. Describe how each one has happened in your life when you traveled:
- build people skills
- makes you an expert in management
- helps you to learn how to adopt
- tests your decision-making power
- makes you innovative
- makes you a better time planner.
7) Have you seen a pearl?
An invading parasite or a tiny grain of sand or a drop of rain water can be a threat to the life of an oyster. But it does not accept defeat easily. It has its own technique of converting its difficulties into positive experiences. It does not wail about its misfortunes or cry about its sufferings. It concentrates on what it should do next and starts to heal itself.
Can you recollect a situation (s) when you converted a problem into an opportunity and produced a beautiful result?
8) In life we have so many boundaries: viz.
–created by man –called memory
— called focus — called fidelity
— called integrity — called loyalty
— called etiquette — called time
— called discipline — called jurisdiction
— called responsibility — called duty
— called relationship — called work
— called character — called health
— called economy
Can you explain how you have kept to these boundaries in your life at various times?
10) Abdul Kalam said: While children are struggling to be unique, the school is trying all means to make them look like everybody else. According to you, in what ways does the school try to make them look like everybody else?
11) In your class there may be one who gets selected as a leader. All others are called the followers. In what ways, do you think, we can make the followers excel in the process of following?
12) Out of the following, can you identify which one makes you feel happy?
(a) Spending quality time with family (b) meditation
(c) making another person happy (d) yoga
(e) serving the poor (f) worshiping work
(g) practising truthfulness (h) following your passion
(I) listening to classical music (j) keeping physically fit
(k) watching and wondering nature (l) travelling
(m) pilgrimage (n) sports (o) art work
(p) research work (q) writing (r) dramatics
(s) quizzing (t) taking care of the elderly
(u) visiting saints (v) hiking (w) attending discourses
(x) swimming (y) trekking (z) mountaineering
13) Michael Jordan’s last 3 minutes (also the last 3 minutes of the game) will take one to the edge of his seat as they would change the game in his team’s favour.
Lionel Messi’s side kick nets the goal.
A cross court shot by Federer seals the win.
A sixer by Dhoni finishes the match.
Captain Khanna went down with his ship INS Khukri.
These are called professionals.
Satyam Raju, Rajat, Lt Gen Kaul, Vijay Mallaya, Rajaratnam
These are dishonoured names. Find out how unprofessional they were.
14) According to you, when does a teacher become a real-life hero?
15) Two words “one minute” are commonly used. Describe the occasions when you used these two words in connection with some work.
16) Very often we say “thank god for this blessing”. Can you recollect situations when you have said so and what for?
17) “In God’s kingdom there are no preferences, no irregularities, no injustices” – how do you understand this statement?
18) Krishna told Arjuna I do not work for you
I work with you and I work through you
If you consider yourself as Arjuna……….. ? How would you interpret this?
19) if you are a Sanskrit student, here is a question for you to think: in the Bhagawat Gita, Krishna tells Arjuna (Ch. 10) that he is
(1) the Sun among those that emit light
(2) the Fire among those that shine
(3) the Moon among the stars
(4) the Samaveda among the Vedas
(5) Indira among the devas
(6) the Mind among the sense organs
(7) the Sense of touch among the living things
(8) Siva among the 12 Rudras
(9) Kubera among the asuras
(10) Meru among the mountains
(11) Bruhaspathi among the Gurus
(12) Skanda among the army chiefs
(13) Ocean among the water bodies
(14) Brighu among the maharishis
(15) ‘a’ among the letters
(16) Japa among the yagnas
(17) Himalayas among the stable things
(18) Peepal among the trees
(19) Narada among the Devarishis
(20) Chithraratha among the Gandharvas
(21) Kabila among the Siddhas
(22) Uchaisravas among the horses
(23) Gajendra among the elephants
(24) King among the human beings
(25) Vajrayudha among the weapons
(26) Kamadhenu among the cows
(27) Manmadha among the delivery operators
(28) Vasuki among the serpents
(29) Adhisesha among the Nagas
(30) Varuna among the marine species
(31) Aryama among the ancestors
(32) Yama among the judges
(33) Prahlatha among the Dadyas
(34) Time among the astrologers
(35) Lion among the animals
(36) Garuda among the birds
(37) Air among the purifiers
(38) Rama among the warriors
(39) Crocodile among the marine species
(40) Ganges among the rivers
(41) Beginning, middle and the end among the creation
(42) Atmavidya among the subjects
(43) Adjudicator among the contestants
(44) Conjunction among the grammar
(45) Death among the destroyers
(46) Reason among those for the future
(47) Kirthi devatha, and Saraswathi, Medha, Thruthi, Kshama Devi among the women
(48) Bruhatsaamam among the Vedasaaras
(49) Gayathri among the Chandas
(50) Spring among the seasons
(51) Talent among the plyers
(52) Victory among the winners
(53) Judgement among the decisions
(54) Satva among the Gunas
(55) Dice player among the deceitful gamers
(56) Vyasa among the saints
(57) Sukraacharya among the poets
(58) Weapon for the soldiers
(59) Wisdom for the Gnanas and
(60) Seed for the origins.
That which is great, powerful bright that I am.
When Lord Krishna ascribed to himself all that is the best among all creations, why did he say that he is the dice player among the deceitful gamers? Think and write.
20) Find out the reasons for the difference in the longevity and literacy rates of the different states of our country.
21) Have you ever made a “u” turn in life – complete change- recollect and narrate.
22) In life a person has two things (a) a circle of concern and (b) a circle of influence. Can you explain your two circles?
23) When there is a person with you; he should feel as secure as being in the womb of a mother. Have you, at any time, given that feeling to anybody?
24) It is said that one can shape his own destiny. How do you think you can shape your destiny?
25) water is needed for everybody for everything. Here is a question if you are a biology student.
Humans drink from a container
Animals- elephant, lion, tiger, bear, cheetah, hyena —suck water with their mouth
Dog, cat, monkey – lick with their tongue
Cow, horse, donkey, goat –drink with their mouth
Birds pick drops of water with their beaks.
Snake, caterpillar — how do they take water?
Fish in a sea – do they drink the salt water?
Human beings cook the meat. Carnivorous animals take raw meat. How do they digest them?
Elephant takes bamboo, sugarcane and coconut branches. How does it digest them?
Insects – don’t they need water?
Think and respond.
26) Galileo propounded that earth revolves around the sun, and not vice versa. This was not in consonance with the religious belief that existed in the medieval times. Galileo was ordered by his clergy to retract his theory. He said- “fine, if you all will be happy if I do so, I shall and accept your theory that the sun goes around the earth. But I am sorry that the sun and earth do not hear me. The earth continues to go around the sun.” – what thoughts arise in your mind on reading this statement?
27) Dada Vaswani said,” selective compassion is selfish compassion” – what is the nature of your compassion?
28) The search for love is not fulfilled by being loved, but only by giving love. – recollect occasions when you showered love.
29) Music is Prayer
Balances my emotions
Brings lot of peace
A language so sacred and pure
Is a medium to erase all negativity
My best companion
A motivator
Is healing and divine
Is one’s liberator
Can you tell situations when you have felt like this?
30) Can you list out 5 expressions when you hear
- A) fills you up with great joy (b) creates a sparkle in your eyes
(c) stirs a smile on your face (d) your whole being is inspired
31) Would you like to embark on an interesting study of the scripts of various languages of the world? And also about the signs and symbols of different religions of the world?
32) Abraham Lincoln said: “better give way to an angry dog than fight it, for even if you kill the dog, what about the injuries you will suffer in the process?” – can you recollect any situation when you thought it wise to give way to an angry dog (it need not be a dog only)
33) When the dots get connected you will understand the meaning of cause and effect — do you remember any occasion when you understand that a thing that happened in the present to be the effect of something that had happened much earlier?
34) Faith is abandoning and sometimes one question is enough to abandon all faith – have you at any time abandoned all questions to develop faith? Or, has any question made you abandon your faith?
35) In Japan, the Tsunami came, destroyed everything and went away, a journalist was covering the all-round devastation in a small coastal town. He saw a long queue of shivering people waiting for food. He saw a 9 year old boy at the end of the queue. Talking to him he learnt he had not eaten for 2 days and his whole family had been washed away. The journalist gave his food packet to the boy who silently took it to the front and gave it to the people distributing food and came back and stood in his position. When the journalist asked him why, the boy replied,” whatever food is there has to be shared with everyone. Whenever my turn comes I shall accept whatever food God gives me through them.” – what lesson do you learn from this?
36) What are the things that radiate from your within and help you move forward?
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EMINENT THINKERS (VOLUME VIII)
(whose ideas have been adapted for education management)
Nighat Gandhi
(1) P.B. Shelley (2) Mahakavi Kalidas
(3) Mark Twain (4) Nirmal Sekar
(5) Biswanath Gosh (6) Lavanya
(7) Goplakrishna Gandhi (8) Nangia
(9) Raghunathain (10) Longfellow
(11) Walt Whitman (12) Pamur
(13) Alex Hailey (14) Yusuf Idris
(15) Ambrose Pierce (16) Maya Angelou
(17) Nighat Gandhi (18) Harsh Mehta
(19) Pankaj Sekhsaria (20) G. Sampath
(21) Mohan Singh Sodha (22) Eric Weiner
(23) G. Seetharaman (24) C.R. Sukumar
(25) Margaret Atwood (26) Andal Priyadarshini
(27) Arun Meira (28) Acharya Mahaprajna
(29) Sudhamathi Reghunathan (30) Nina Kraus
(31) Thomas Carlyle
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REFERENCES (VOLUME VIII)
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WE have a feeling that “Ananya Bhakti” consists in surrendering to God, saying “I have no Saviour other than you”. We think that simply by declaring “You are mother, you are father, you are friend; you are my saviour, Oh God of Gods”, we have surrendered and are practicing “Ananya Bhakti”. Real “Ananya Bhakti” comes from deep inquiry into the Reality of the Inner Self. – Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba
