Task day two: Post secret

This was a task Steven (our teacher) had given us on the second day. We were given one postcard from post secret to write the introductory paragraph of a novel. I got this one. Those interested please check out the site. Great ideas hidden here.

I turned from the blackboard to check on the students, one in particular. Although he is very ordinary looking, he is very special for me. I found him bent over his papers trying to figure out the answers. I have taught here before but the feelings I am experiencing are for the first time. I wish I could make myself see think clearly.  You don’t fall in love with your own students. These are not only my students; they are serving their term here in the central jail. There are all kinds here, convicted murderers, conmen, and thieves. His hair is cropped short. He is stuck with his answer and is scratching his head, probably used the same hands to strangle his partner to death. They proved the charges, he admitted to them. His partner had found out that he was cheating.

Is jogging on roads safe?

This was a discussion I had joined at Helium.  The points I made here were liked by readers at helium.

I had also coined a term "jog-jacker" here, I could not find a legal English term with the same meaning.

Before deciding to jog, one should be clear as to why do we want to jog. Most people jog to improve their health, to improve their stamina, to reduce weight etc. I do to start my day in the most peaceful manner I know.

So now with these statements clearly in our minds, we should try to evaluate the pros and cons of jogging on the road. Road is a hard surface specifically built for the traffic to ply. Is it really that good for us to jog? Of course there are mindless motorist for whom we are not the prime concern and they can roll us into a carpet, but not every time and not every one.

But the following can happen to every jogger on the road and every time. Anatomically we are a bag of bones connected to each other on the ends. Any impact on any extremity affects the whole body, especially the ends which support the rest of the body. Jogging on a hard surface is like slamming your hand hard on the wall. How does that feel?

Jogging on hard surfaces like roads can be very painful and stressful for your feet, knees and especially your lower back. Individuals with the slightest back pain or those who are a bit over weight, feel lot of stress. For overweight individuals the back along with, the knees and the ankles are already under pressure and jogging on concrete roads worsens the situation. The right shoes are of course doing their bit.

Besides this, another answer to why jog is to have a healthy life, a healthy life comes from the fresh air we breath. Jogging helps to increase our lung capacity and our oxygen taking capacity, this in turn affects all the other processes of our body. This happens when we inhale and exhale fresh air. So here we are, is the air

we are inhaling while jogging on the roads fresh? The pollution from the vehicles constantly plying on the roads might be under the government norms, but are they really within the physical norms of our body.

Carbon Monoxide, a dangerous byproduct of fuel combustion, binds with hemoglobin more readily than oxygen. So that means we are delivering carbon monoxide to our body and not oxygen as we think. Carbon Monoxide happens to be just one of the byproducts, most of us do not know about any other.

Stick to grassy lawns and jogging tracks for jogging. Jog where the ground is not as hard as concrete road, for your body is precious and you are jogging to improve it. Jog where there is greenery around and stay as away as possible from the vehicular pollution for you are jogging to be healthy.

By the way, do not forget the about the other perils of the road, the jay driver or a jog-jacker.

Fitness for children: Tips for great workouts for kids

This was the first article I wrote for Helium. Now they have limited their contributors and had asked me to keep a copy of my article.

With the increase in sedentary lifestyle and sedentary leisure, and preference for high fat, low nutrition food,no wonder our kids are on a fast track to a lot of health problems. Obesity, asthma, allergy are few of those problems to name. It becomes the responsibility of the parents to ensure that along with the proper food, the kids should also have access to exercise. It is important here that the parents take an active participation in their child's leisure to ensure their healthy life. These children are our future and one would like to have a healthy future.

Right exercise and right food is important for everyone to remain fit. Biologically and physically the children are different from the grown ups. That is why they need exercises that are different from the ones prescribed for grown ups. Exercise is done with an intention to enhance three basic components, strength, flexibility and endurance.

To make it simpler, the children can be divided into three major groups. The first group has children in the age group of one to five. This age group hardly needs any extra exercise. The kids are so active themselves that any extra exercise will become a burden. These kids should be encouraged to play and enjoy themselves in the playground. Their play takes care of all the components of exercising. This is their exercise.

Children in the next age group 5-12 should be educated about lifetime sports and other physical activities. Enjoying while playing should be the key here too. Kids of these ages should be involved in activities such as bicycling, skating, swimming, soccer etc. These activities will help in increasing their strength, flexibility and endurance.

Children in the age group of 12 and above should be encouraged to participate and compete in sports. Strength training and other exercises should be included in this age group. Strength training here should not be confused with weight training. Children should not be asked to do body building, weight/ power lifting. Strength can also be enhanced with simple equipments like resistance bands, free weights and specially their own body weights.

Certain things are to be kept in mind while keeping the children active. Children should never exercise or play unsupervised. Care should be taken to keep the children hydrated at all times. Soreness in muscles and joints indicates that the intensity of exercise is more than what is required. Also children should be attired for the game they are playing to avoid injuries. Children with problems like, asthma, diabetes, obesity etc should consult a doctor before taking up any sport actively.

The tree house

This was a creative writing test given to us. I had written this short story in the class.

During our school vacations each year we would make our pilgrimage to Dehradoon, my grandparent’s home. Preparations would start days before, what to take along, whom to ask to come over and house sit, tend to our kitchen garden etc etc.

The train journey would be very hot and excruciatingly long.

“When will we reach there?” we would ask every 10 minutes.

“Wake up tomorrow morning and we will be there”, mother would reply.

After endless comics, getting down at stations to brush our teeth, wash our hands, fights with my brother and disciplining gazes from my father, we would finally reach the beautiful Doon valley. Somebody would be there at the station to take over the responsibility of looking after us. Arriving home was the next important thing for me.

Initially everybody thought I loved my grandmother a lot. Well, yes, I did and still do, but it was the mango orchards which were calling me. I loved those big shady mango trees. I was so content sitting on the branches. I wished if some kind of house could be built on the tree so I could even sleep there at night.

Every morning for the next two months I would be up before everyone else, find a comic book to read and perch on the highest branch, read  and reread it till I knew it by heart. Then, go down and get some more books. My family fortunately did not interrupt me during those escapades. Food and milk would be regularly sent up for me. I guess they were also happy to have me out of the way, one kid less to humour! I saw squirrels eating things, birds flying around with twigs to build their nests, pale eggs in a nest, worms wriggling their way up the tree, ants swaying with loads way more than they weigh. Everybody around me was busy, too busy to notice me.

As the vacations came to an end, I would be in tears not ready to leave my paradise so soon.

“We will come again next year.” Mummy would console.

“We will plant some mango trees at Puri so we don’t have to make this expensive trip every year.” Papa would laugh.

“Why don’t we pack some mango trees for you?” Grandfather would comment.

“Please let me live here. There are schools in Dehradoon too.”  I would cry.

The scene would be similar to an Indian bride crying for her parents during her vidai. It was heart breaking for me, and a matter of few laughs for everyone else.

Then during the last year of schooling, I saw the mango trees being cut down. My grandparents had sold the orchard. One by one they were all killed, the mango trees, the pale eggs, the birds with twigs, the ants with heavy loads, the wriggling worms, everyone.

I no longer wish to go there.  I often visit the orchard in my memories, sit on the highest branch and eat the ghee-chini- roti (chappatis rolled with sugar and ghee) that used to be my food during those summers.

Awakening

This was the first short story I had written long back and for my creative writing class I had modified a bit to fit the word length.

The door creaked again as the nurse walked in carrying the baby. Sneha clenched her fists to stop herself from yelling. “She was very hungry” said the nurse as she laid the child down beside Sneha. “Mamma is right here so you need not to cry again” she said in babyonese as she smiled and opened the door. The door creaked again.

There was a monologue in the background. Her mother-in -law was elaborating her pains of mother hood to ma. “It’s so convenient these days, we just had a nurse and she too even left soon after the delivery as if there was nothing for her to do after it.” The shrill of her voice was making Sneha edgy.

Her father sat quietly in the waiting area and went through all the newspapers provided by the nursing home. The door screeched again. “How are the mother and baby today?” It was the doctor this time. The nasal tone of the doctor was irritating. Strange Sneha had never realised that her doctor had a nasal tone.

Soon everyone was in the nursing home, with gifts for the baby. Sneha wanted to sleep but every time she would try to sleep the door would squeak again. She wanted to hold the baby and did not want anybody else to pick up Chidiya. But no one would listen. Chidiya too did not like being disturbed, she cried every time. The door creaked, “Lunch time” The food was all bland, “no salt for you” ma said, “Have some dalia or halwa instead”. Tired Sneha now started crying and shouting. Her father came in and sat on the foot of the bed and asked, “Is she sleeping?” Unable to eat, sleep, or rest Sneha could not take it anymore. “You people have never taken any care of me. You just got me married and then forgot about me. I do not want anyone of you here”. Mother-in-law hurried out saying, “My sister has come, and I have to bring her up here. Will be back in a minute.” The door squealed. Ma took the milk pot and went out to get more milk. “Screech”, said the door. Sneha was livid, “how dare they run away like this? Can’t they stand up to the truth?” All this shouting had woken up chidiya; she opened her blue eyes and started wailing. That was the last straw, Sneha turned to her father, tears running down her cheeks, “When will I get some rest?” Her father gently picked up the baby, rocked her back to sleep, put her in her crib, and then turned to Sneha and said, “I have four kids. I will inform you the day I get some rest.”

Ashamed Sneha went to sleep.