In an increasingly globalised world, all it takes is the click of a mouse for students to get their hands on the far way Caribbean island of Aruba; but how many are well acquainted with the history and heritage of their own land?
An appreciation of the various facets of one's motherland not only acts as a catalyst in instilling pride but enlightens the young generation of the rich legacy it inherits as citizens, was the crux of the recent Newspaper In Education(NIE) session on ‘Pride of India'. The ‘Know your country' module saw students of Brindavan Vidyalaya ICSE School gleaning new trivia and rehashing old ones.
Resource person Punitha Natarajan threw the ball in the students' court with a poser, ‘Are you proud to be an Indian?”. Enthusiastic affirmatives poured in validated by reasons touching on India's cultural diversity, great leaders and the Taj Mahal. Shooting off from the world wonder, students assisted by the Resource Person compiled a list of the seven wonders of India including the Red Fort, Nalanda University, Jaisalmer temple, Konark Sun temple Khajuraho and Meenakshi Temple, Madurai.
Holding questioning to be the best means of gaining knowledge, Ms.Punitha divided the class into two groups for a battle of wits that tested their knowledge of all things Indian. The first round that probed student's knowledge of ‘Ancient India' had them identifying Takshasila as the world's oldest university and Patanjali as the father of yoga.
While the second round tested their grasp of the nation's economic development from five year plans to the current governor of the Reserve Bank of India, the subsequent round on monuments had students exploring the claim to fame behind Fatehpur Sikri and Ajanta caves.
The fourth round made students sit up as they tried to distinguish traditional dances and harvest festivals of various states. The penultimate round on personalities had Jamshedji Tata and Sunil Gavaskar on the list and the final round centred on national symbols and awards.
