Rest. Pause. Recharge. And Little Princess****

Today I'd like to present, for the Butterfly award, Makiko Itoh, of Just Hungry, a blog about Japanese food. Her photos are so mouth watering, and the writing so lucid that I am sorely tempted to try something myself. And the bento boxes she features! Wow, I do wish I could find a Japanese shop somewhere, or even one of those 100yen ones online, to get all that cute stuff - at reasonable prices, the disclaimer that keeps me from getting them! Makiko's blog was one of the first blogs I ever met, plus it is so totally exotic that I can't resist it... yummm!

And now, to business. From "Mr. God, this is Anna", by Fynn -

"What," she asked us one Sunday afternoon, "was God's greatest creative act?"

Although I didn't go along with Genesis, I answered, "When he created mankind."

I was wrong, according to Mum, so I had another shot. I was still wrong. I ran through six days of creation and drew nothing but blank looks. There was nothing more that I could think of. It wasn't until I had run out of ideas that I became aware of the exchange between Mum and Anna. So often with Mum that smile happened. It was her Christmas-tree smile, she lit up, she twinkled, and there was no other place to look. She sort of gathered everything around her. Anna was watching her intently, chin cupped in hands. There they sat, looking at each other, Mum with her wonderful smile and Anna with her intense look. The insulation of the six feet or so that separated them was beginning to give way. Anna drilled away at it with her blue eyes while Mum melted it with her smile. Suddenly it happened. Anna slowly placed her hands on the table and pushed herself upright. The gap had been bridged. Anna's matching smile had to wait while astonishment shaped her face. She gasped, "It was the seventh day - course it was - the seventh day."

I looked from one to the other and cleared my throat to capture their attention.

"I don't get it," I said. "God worked all his miracles in six days and then shut down for a bit of rest. What's so exciting about that?"

Anna got off her chair and came and sat on my lap. This I knew. This was her approach to the unseeing and unknowing infant - me.

"Why did Mister God rest on the seventh day?" she began.

"I suppose he was a bit flaked out after six days' hard work," I answered.

"He didn't rest because he was tired, though."

"Oh, didn't he? It makes me tired just to think about it all."

"Course he didn't. He wasn't tired."

"Wasn't he?"

"No, he made rest."

"Oh. He did that, did he?"

"Yes, that's the biggest miracle. Rest is..."

Think about it. Whether or not you believe in Genesis, or any other such concept, isn't rest such a lovely miracle?

Do you have a little princess on your hands, or even a little prince? The series of books about the Little Princess by Tony Ross are a great delight at out home, so I was thrilled to find this website featuring the princess, now copyrighted by The Illuminated Film Company / Tony Ross and licensed by TV-Loonland AG.



Its as yet a smallish site, with a few games, few very short videos, and sadly - no way of contacting them. But it is enough to showcase Little Princess, and to act as a springboard for their online shop for all kinds of related merchandise. The outlay is cute, very much like the books, and the use of the phrase "I want to.." immediately resonates with those who have read the books or watched the animated series. As with the books, the entire site is geared towards the younger kids, including the use of the large arrow pointer. You can choose to play, watch the videos, or make - which will lead to some printable activities like colouring and dot to dot.



There are four games. Or rather three. Listening is good for toddlers and those just learning mouse control, as it involves hovering over various objects to listen to their sounds.



Dressing up options are as above. The dress components are presented and just have to be moved to the right place.



Counting rabbits is a nice and simple game for the pre-schoolers.



Catching apples involves use of the arrow keys on the keyboard, but unlike most games of this sort, this is especially made for little fingers. The apples fall real slowly so there is ample time to catch them and accomplish the given task. All in all, a nice sweet site.

The url - http://www.littleprincesskingdom.com/#

P.S. There are books. And then there are 'Ah!' books. I don't recall where I was introduced to this term - it was eons ago, but I have since adopted it for my own. An 'Ah!' books is a book that evokes no other response than 'Ah! what a book!'. It is a book that I can't do without, that I would read again and again and again, and then some more. It may be great literature, or wonderful writing, or magnificent concept, but in addition, it has a certain something that resonates deep within me. I like these books, I respect them, I admire them - but I also, in response, simply say - Yes! "Mr. God, this is Anna" is one of my 'Ah!' books, and you will no doubt see many excerpts now and then. Which are yours?

Of Schrodinger's cat and Giraffian**

There is Schrodinger's cat, which is perpetually occupying that funny space between being alive and dead since that great scientist first formulated his thought experiment.

And then there is my last molar which is lazing around in a supine position, unwilling and indeed unable to stand straight and do a honest day's worth of mastication. I don't in the least mind this lassitude: in fact I much prefer it to its fellow's best efforts, which resulted in a partial eruption, a huge cavity and a painful extraction. Nevertheless, there is a quarter, an interested and biased if knowledgeable quarter if you really want to know, which feels rather insulted by this attitude and is all in favour of its extermination. I suppose I shall have to acquiesce, in due course of time, the duration of which shall be entirely subjective, decided by my fears, and not open to questioning. But - and here is where Schrodinger's cat comes in - what would have happened if I had not got the X-ray done? This itself is asymptomatic, and could remain so for my entire life, assuming that I do live that long. Or it could lead to some major complication next month. In the meantime, isn't it somewhat analogous to the cat which is neither dead nor alive till observed? Till the tooth was seen on an X-ray done for another purpose, it was in a limbo between potentially dangerous and totally harmless. Nobody in the world knew of its state save itself, but once seen on the X-ray film, it has nowhere to hide....

More of this later :)

And now to Giraffian. This is a labour of love from Robyn Stanley of Australia. [12th Jan 09 edit - I had originally created Robyn's father, the artist Stephen Stanley for the website, which is wrong. Robyn wrote explaining - "And I've obviously mislaid my 'about' page when I upgraded to Drupal - Stephen Stanley is my father, I offered to host his editorial comics because he is a 50something internet fearing luddite. I'm Robyn Stanley and I live completely in the middle of nowhere in South Australia with two small children and a cat :)" ] The layout is simple, uncluttered. It does host ads, but they are predictably placed and children can be instructed to leave them alone. In any case, which child would look at insurance ads when there are games to be played! There is no audio, so you have to be present for most part, to provide commentary and enlightenment.



Use the menu on the left to navigate. Although the photo does have some clickable links, not everything is represented, and sometimes the links are broken.

Starting from the top, the jokes section is good for the early schoolers who would appreciate both reading themselves and being read to. The craft section has some beautiful images which can be used online or printed for craft activities. There are no charges for the low resolution images for personal use, but you must be sure and give credit.



The shapes game is very simple - click on colours and shapes to change the image in the middle, but it still keeps the younguns occupied for a long time. Plus it allows you to teach them the names of shapes you yourselves had forgotten... :)



The alphabets are simply but adequately illustrated, and quite simple, but a major drawback which has prevented me from using this site more is that the entire image doesn't fit into one page. You have to scroll down to see the image, and to click on the next link, and that means you can't leave a child to explore it on its own. It would have been lovely had the images been smaller, and if all the kid had to do was to click the image itself for the next one...

Emotions is just a collection of six images portraying different moods. Online books are small picture books - nothing spectacular, but adequate.



One of the books however, is actually a game kids enjoy a lot. Its called whose tail, and features a number of animals you have to guess the names of by looking at the tails. The pictionary is somewhat like a wiki, but it is pretty much incomplete. The number book is like the alphabets: one image per page.



Telling the time is a pretty useful little gadget which can be used for both analogue and digital time. It is one of the few time related games I have found which can be used for small children. The time tables may be useful if you have an older child you wish to leave alone on the computer for a while, but the best part is getting the time table for any random number you want! Arithmetic exercises are a set of ten simple exercises - not being a teacher, I failed to grasp the advantage in having them here when a simple pen and paper does as well. [Another edit - the exercises are generated randomly each click, so you don't repeat something over and over.]

As to the other links, well, you do have to do something when you reach the site, don't you? If you must ask for homework, find out where his cartoons are :)

The url - http://giraffian.com/

P.S. Probabilities and possibilities in the field of medicine constitute a concept that nearly everyone - the doctors included - have trouble with. I suppose statisticians and other mathematicians don't, but I can't vouch for them, not being in contact with any. The body is not a rigid box of organs, each fixed in position or function; instead it is a system in flux.Things change, and sometimes they move so far outside the normal range that we call it a disease - and that needs cure. So far, so good, but every state in between this and the healthy one, is in the nature of the abovementioned Schrodinger's cat because of the uncertainty associated with it rather than the change in system with observation. [And well, I admit to misleading and erroneous use of the famous cat to get your attention....]. Will the system restore itself, will it mend if something goes wrong, or will it tilt dangerously into the precipice of disease? How can you tell? Sometimes there may be clear cut signs, but so very often we are only faced with numbers. For instance, let us suppose there is a 65% chance of my lazy tooth being infected: should I get it extracted now, when it is totally asymptomatic? Or should I wait and watch if I am lucky after all... What of the other figures - what happens if I do get it removed? What of the possible complications of the extraction itself? If (suppose - these are imaginary figures all - ) there is a 90% chance of severe pain which is easily controlled by medication however, 10% of bleeding which can be controlled, 2% of bleeding which can't be, 5% of infection which can actually worsen the situation inside my mouth? Grrrr. Way too many figures! And it is not easy to decide, is it? Because after all these are only figures in the nature of "if hundred people have this sort of a tooth, 65 will have some infection later" or "if a hundred get their tooth extracted, 2 will have such severe bleeding that they need transfusions". There is no way of saying if I will be among the 35% or the 98% - lucky or unlucky as the case may be....

So what exactly is the point of this post? My ramblings, dear fuddled reader, do have a point even if it is totally obscure :) For all those who stand in my 'patient' shoes, it is this - think it through and list in advance the figures which would be most relevant to you, and therefore, which questions you need to ask of the doctor. Think through each branch of the possible outcome, including non-medical factors, eg. if you are going to be traveling abroad, taking care of that tiny cavity in your tooth is a good idea, or if you are going to retire in five years, and currently the company takes care of your dental insurance, why not get that lazy molar removed? (Not the case with me, alas!) Are you more scared of possible complications of surgery or are you scared of the long standing toothache? Which should you be more scared of - if you actually knew all about it? Don't just assume that the doctor is pushing you for an unnecessary procedure: find out more about it! Be an informed patient!

And for those who stand in my 'dentist/doctor' shoes, it is this - if your patient is symptomatic, there is enough on his or her plate to begin with: the symptoms of the disease itself, the resulting disturbance of daily life, including livelihood in some cases, the strain of unfamiliar diagnostic procedures, the disease diagnosis you have just pronounced - it is not therefore easy to shift gears and decide on the best course of treatment objectively. Be patient. Know what you are talking of. Repeat, reassure, respond. Be prepared to do it all over again, and to tell it all over again and again - to sundry relatives as well. And if asymptomatic, educate, emphasize and empathize!

Hmm. Too preachy. That is what happens when I don't get to eat for a week because my darned mouth won't open. But I have decided not to go for the second surgery in a fortnight as advised, so be of good cheer ye readers!

P.P.S. And the only reason this silly post has even made it is because I had inadvertently already posted it once, in the draft phase, so its already been out in the open...

Also, the next awardee will be announced in the next post, because this one is too long anyway!

Introducing Alternate/Parallel and Peter Rabbit***

There, I have spent far too much time on the ancillary post which was meant to accompany this one, because the subject is just a bit too morbid for this blog - and incidentally, the post too long. So now, I have to cut short this one here, and leave you to read about the NOIDA gang rape at Alternate/Parallel. (I am not even going to mesh it into this as I had planned on doing.)

If you haven't gone and read it, sensible of you. It really is horrible. And if you have, and are now back, let me cheer you up by recommending Swistle's blog as the coolest blog no. 2 - not second place to another, but simply of another type but second in being announced. Hope that is clear. In any case, here is to your good health and cheer Swistle! May you continue to dispense wisdom and humour in equal measure, talking of the routine of a normal life...

EDIT - Gosh, I just realized that the award is supposed to be passed on to ten more blogs....

Do you like Peter rabbit? Beatrix Potter's beautiful creation? The one who nearly got caught in Mr. McGregor's garden? Well, have you met him online lately? Here he is, at his own website, copyrighted by Frederick Warne Co. Ltd. of England. And what a beautiful site it is! Some people have been working hard here! Unfortunately my computer has decided to update itself, and is even now threatening to restart ever five minutes - and because it has been so busy, my photoshop has hung itself thrice in the last hour. Heck, even my task manager got hung up. So, enough. I get the message. It is really too late and I can't possibly showcase the site as I meant to, but I can begin. The layout, as mentioned, is exceptional.



If you choose to play, the book opens,



and it is a pop-up book inside!



With tags to be pulled here and there as well. There are three games, which, if I remember rightly from the last time we played these, were fun, but I am not being given a chance to find out today :( Adios then, gentle reader of Beatrix Potter books. We shall meet again, when I supplement this post with more pictures. In the meantime, remember to explore, and ye shalt find... Ecards and desktop calendars in the section about the author for instance :)



Edit, 12th Jan 09: More about the games as promised. Find Peter involves catching Peter under a flowerpot before Mr. McGregor does. You only get three tries, but if you observe carefully, the pot Peter is under wiggles slightly as he sneezes. Its rather an Eureka moment when a child finds that out 'all by mesself!' Vegetable picking involves clicking on the plants as they pop up and then disappear, but not on the flowers. Fairly easy because each has a fixed place, so once you see which the flowers are, you don't lose points. And the last game, netmaze is the one mine enjoyed the most, despite not being able to read yet. Clicking the wheel will move Peter ahead, but each time you have to answer a question regarding the story correctly else...!

And, oh, do remember that these games will take a long time to load up on slow connections. And as heavy flash usage crashes my laptop, I am having to refrain from looking at the 'make and do' and 'meet the characters'.

The url - http://www.peterrabbit.com/index.asp

P.S. Be back on monday. Sunday is a day of rest.
Ha, as if!
But still. Monday.

Cool propagated and Between the Lions**** at PBS kids

Upon the nature of cool

Original thesis research work by Swati Guide - Own self

Towards partial fulfillment of the promise made in the last post

Alex Hailey in his incomparable book 'Roots', talks of the inescapable rite of passage for growing boys of the Mandinka tribe, when they 'become men'. As its initiation was heralded by being literally kidnapped from your own home, the process held equal amounts of fascination and terror for the young boys. The training itself was as rigorous and exhaustive as it was tyrannical, but it served its purpose well: it produced legions of young able men equipped to perfection for a life in the deep African jungle, where they belonged. Their life was as much a part of that eco-system as of the hyena or the wild monkeys they had for neighbours, and the skills and behaviour they were taught ensured the survival of the tribe itself. In another setting and another era, the three years I chose to spend in a - well, equivalent of a manhood training - were equally 'rigorous, exhaustive and tyrannical'. And in the middle of it, as a sort of landmark, was the research thesis which we all were supposed to produce with originality, flair, dedication and sincerity that is the hallmark of a scientist. Some of you will therefore recognize the echo of that thesis in today's title...

For the real question I intended to ask was, what exactly is cool? A simple googling throws up - neither warm nor very cold; giving relief from heat; marked by calm self-control (especially in trying circumstances); unemotional; unfriendly or unresponsive or showing dislike; without exaggeration or qualification; fashionable and attractive at the time; often skilled or socially adept; something that is very good. If you follow Between the Lions show on PBS kids or elsewhere, you might might remember the cool song which encapsulated this confusion - 'The many meanings of cool'. To all these, I guess I shall have to add another definition - being awarded a cool blog award by a fellow cyber citizen! But now that it is my turn to award it, who shall I choose? What is going to be my definition of 'cool'? I think I shall choose five, of different types. Today the award goes to 'Shop little gifts' for the fun and sweet gifts Sweettooth features daily. Going through her blog is like going window shopping without stirring from my chair... Cool, eh?

Edit 11Jan 09 - Er, Sweettooth, I just might mention that the award needs to be passed on to ten more...

And since I have already mentioned Between the Lions at PBS kids, let us talk more about them. This educational series is a classic that has endured since 'April 2000. It's designed to foster the literacy skills of its viewers, while playfully demonstrating the joys of reading. Each show aims to give kids three to seven years old some of the experiences they need in order to become successful readers.' Making good readers! With an aim like this, I would love it anyway, but it is the execution which is important, and in this case, it is superb. Sadly we don't have access to it on the local tv here. Sigh. If only a fairy godmother would appear and gift us the entire set of past episodes DVDs!



The newly redesigned webpage is attractive, and to the point. They have, of course, removed some of the videos/songs that were present before, but I guess that is a cost I'd be able to live with...

The games are easiest approached through the 'Find It' index of the parents and teachers section, where you can search for games and other activity by skill level, topic or curriculum. In fact, before you take your kid into Lion land, do go through this section once, to get an idea of the philosophy and methods employed by this program, which will help you use the site as intended: for teaching while playing. Given below are three games chosen at random -



The best trampolini game requires the child to pull the rope and shuffle the cards till they match the set of words given below. A great game for strengthening their understanding of 'comparing' words.



Fuzzy lion ears is for the younger kids just starting to spell. A word is pronounced and a picture shown, after which children have to fill in the blank with the appropriate letter. Each letter is read (phonetically) by hovering over it with a mouse.



In the game Flood, books have gotten mixed up due to recent flooding, and have to be returned to shelves in groups as per the subject they pertain to, like basketball here. An interesting and challenging game.

In addition, there are stories and videos, and even downloadable set of audio/video clips in the Lions to go section. A really cool site, wouldn't you say?

The url - http://pbskids.org/lions/index.html

P.S. If you haven't read, Roots, heavens, what are you waiting for? Read it, man, read it! The subject is as moving as it is topical; the prose concise and dramatic; the facts solid and dependable; the imagination - AWESOME!

P.P.S. And we duly did write those theses. With as much of cutting corners, falsifying figures, manufacturing evidence and outright lying as we could manage with the deadline for submission a mere day away... For there never was any time, out of the other work allotted to us, to truly spend on the research itself. Too many variables were out of our control, there were too many real responsibilities, and there was no money to spend. The only thing that mattered was that the thesis 'in partial fullfilment towards the degree of...' was submitted on time, in many cases at the last minute. Whether it was rejected or accepted depended on your guide, but like the manhood training, everyone did get out of it. Alive. With a full understanding of what exactly research entails, how an ideal paper should be prepared and presented - and, depending on your conscience, a published paper or two.

In case you are interested, I never did publish any paper from that thesis, though the idea itself was original and promising, because in the end I too had had to add figures here and there. And I am still bearing the punishment for not writing in a paper - I don't have the experience certificate for two crucial years, and we all know how paperwork is everything...

P.P.S. And of course, PBS kids, being a too large site, must be featured in bits and pieces only... And because I forgot to tell you this about the program, here it is, at the end - BETWEEN THE LIONS is produced by WGBH Boston, Sirius Thinking, Ltd., and Mississippi Public Broadcasting, and is funded in part by The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a cooperative agreement from the U.S. Department of Education's Ready To Learn grant, and by the Barksdale Reading Institute.

An award, some thoughts, and Pigeon presents***

December 23rd. The day this blog received its first award, from a person I would love to get to know in person, for - for what? Her sense of justice, of rightness, of beauty, of the wholesomeness of life? For what? What is it about her that I like - through the glimpses her blog has afforded into her mind? Tiny intangibles pepper our knowing; there is no untangling of threads once the mantle is woven: we can only add and keep on adding, and though we may cut the cloth to size now and then, the colour, the feel of it remains, essentially, unchanged... First impressions... last. And yet, we can but see what we are allowed to see. The jharokhe are latticed both within and without: the face we see is but a tiny part, perhaps true, perhaps not, and what we see is coloured and shaped also by what we were, at that moment in time and space. Such infinite breathless choices, random kaleidoscopic combinations, and you and I - we meet in just one throw of the dice... Isn't that even more true of blogs, which are created, and the craft, while it reveals, also conceals all that is superfluous to the perfection of that one entity? Would I like Nino's mum if I knew her - would I know it is her if I did? Would a mind recognize another, shrouded as we are in foggy shreds of conventions, good manners, personal shields and walls of life's accumulated detritus?

But perhaps I do know her, in the essence that matters. With age has come the realization that it is possible, that, in fact, it is alright to know and like a person in parts; that even if there is a little bridge, a tiny bridge which joins me to you, that connection is sufficient in itself; that there are infinite shades of gray... Some relationships in our lives are named, are solid and demarcated and easily identified, and socially accepted. Others, whether soul deep or barely significant, are vague, indescribable, confusing or unformed, yet they all complete us.

And so, with these unintended musings I present my tribute to Nino's mum, and thank her, both for the award, and the thoughts which she has inspired now, and before. I did not mean to write so; the post has written itself after the first sentence when I fell short in describing what I liked her for. But perhaps it is all for the best.

And now, for another bit of backlog. Wishing you all a very happy new year! I have been - am - traveling, and there hasn't been any opportunity to post before, for which I apologize. Perhaps I shall be better this year, more regular, more productive. At any rate we shall hope so!

Also, this computer I am using currently doesn't have any image editing program installed on it whatsoever. Weird but true, so I am going to post images later. Hopefully.

Are you familiar with Pigeon books? If so, you may already know about this site. But even for those who haven't read any, Pigeon presents is a cute site which will keep kids busy for an hour or so.



Three games, not more, but they are fun and somewhat quirky. Try them out!



Elephant and piggie dance to different tunes with moves that you choose - but will interact in funny ways in certain combinations, so be sure to hint that to your kid.



Dressing up a hot dog is fun, especially if you are a kid and most definitely want to see the pigeon walk away disgustedly because you have added underwear to the hot dog...



Play naked mole rat dress up game - now that is a mystery game! I don't remember it, and this slow connection is refusing to open it for me, so try it out on your own and let me know!

Here is the url - http://www.pigeonpresents.com/fun.aspx

P.S. I solemnly promise to post the last incomplete post when I return home - and to list my awardess for the award!

P.P.S. - Now this is the real post script, added on 8th Jan 2009. Have added the images, and also need to add the following facts as well -

1. The naked mole rat game is new, to go with the latest book, and its tour. I just don't remember which game, if any, it has replaced. Standard dressing game, but would be much more interesting in conjunction with the book.

2. Hidden in the pals section are little fun facts about the characters in these books - and some downloadables like colouring pages or maze games.

3. Watch the author in the 'grown ups' section videos.

4. And, about the author himself! If you are an aspiring author for children's books, here is a bit of very useful information and advice from Mo Willems himself, and here is his website - http://www.mowillems.com/ Take a look for more information :)

A little apologia

If anyone is following this, and has received report of a recent post - I apologize. It was as yet a draft, not completed, and accidentally published. The revised one follows. Soon. :)

Just books

If I sit still, I can hear the leaves shivering gently in chill puffs of wind.

If I sit still, I can see the moth flutter faintly in the darkness.

If I sit still, I can feel the moon beams leave dewdrops on my skin.

If I sit still, I can remember. Remember nights from my life, sharp as starpoints, soft as moon haloes, nights of beauty and joy and contentment. And so I try to return to the time before I learned to read, to the time when bedtime meant snuggling up to mother for stories and security and comfort. Ah those days! A blink of the eye and night returns, warmer from those heavy quilts , those stories told softly, that cozy embrace...

Isn't it strange then that I should have no recollection of those stories? I know that I heard countless stories - but I don't remember! It is a loss I feel all the more now that it is my turn to tell the stories. In a strange way, it is my love of books that has perhaps led to this state of affairs: because I read my books so many times, I lost the ones I had only heard but not revisited later. It is a loss I deeply regret.

Neverthless, books are an abiding love that I can not give up on. And today's post is - as an exception - going to be solely about books. A bit of a hotch potch too, let me warn you, because at this time of the night I can't really think straight, certainly not enough to unravel the subconscious threads that may join one memory with another. Or to formulate meaningful links between two topics. Take it as a basket of old books at a garage sale, if you will. Rummage and you will find a treasure or two - but only if you love books enough to go through them in the first place!

'Vintage books my kid loves' is a blog I have but recently discovered, and much though I envy all these book blogs which talk of books I don't have, I still have to read them! And share! I am not particularly partial to vintage books, but that is because I am partial to books of any vintage, any form. As long as there is printed paper, I am hungry for it. The only two things which keep me from buying all the books in the world are price, and space. (Pity that both are so severly limited...) But old books have a charm all their own. I like to have books with history, to hold in my hand something printed in the last century and feel awed at the number of people who might have read and enjoyed that book. Perhaps it also gives me a feeling of being connected to all those bibliophiles before me who so lovingly preserved that book. So I especially enjoyed reading about the old kid books on this blog and looking at the photos posted.

Similar little squeals of joy emanated when I discovered 'Golden gems' - the blog which has high quality scans of these 'little golden books' and other illustrations. What a beauty! It is so much fun to look at these paintings/drawings - and sometimes you can almost read the whole book! The only drawback, of course, is that clicking each photo is a rather slow process...

Eklayva is a NGO, based in Bhopal, 'that develops and field tests innovative educational programmes and trains resource people to implement these programmes. It functions through a network of education resource centres located in Madhya Pradesh.' I could summarize more - but as I said, the labour laws of my brain require it to be shut down now, so you'd have to go to their site to check out more. But I have been meaning to write about Eklavya for a long time now because of the children's books they publish. We met them in a book fair, and liked the four little books we got for about Rs. 15 each I think. Unfortunately, although they do have an online order form, and a list of publications, I haven't bought any more because I like to actually look at a book before I buy, and they don't have any outlet outside of Madhya Pradesh... Today I find that they have a hindi flip book online - great! Hope there are more to follow. Even detailed descriptions and a one page sample from each book would suffice to encourage more buyers online though.

There are more where this lot came from - but nope, my mind has totally packed up, and as I have to be up in another three hours, it is time to call it a day! To make up for my ramblings, here is something you might enjoy -

A TRAGIC STORY
William Makepeace Thackeray

There lived a sage in days of yore,
   And she a handsome pigtail wore;
But wondered much, and sorrowed more
   Because it hung behind her.

Se mused upon this serious case,
   And swore she'd change the pigtail's place
And have it hanging at her face,
   Not dangling there behind her. 

At length "Eureka!" was the sound,
   Said she, "The mystery I've found --
I'll turn me round!"  She turned her round;
   But still it hung behind her.

Then round and round, and out and in,
   All day the puzzled sage did spin;
In vain -- it mattered not a pin --
   The pigtail hung behind her.

And though her efforts never slack,
   And though she twist, and twirl, and tack,
Alas! still faithful to her back,
   The pigtail hangs behind her.

Smile, and keep reading - books!