New School....Young Adult.

We just moved to a new city - Torrance, CA sometime early September 2014. Torrance is an old city with an oil refinery in it and playing headquarters to Toyota and Honda. Highest Japanese population in US. Lots of beaches and close to LA. Bangalore weather.

Of all the things, Nandan's new school experience was always in the back of my mind. This is because he had a wonderful time in a Montessori school in Plano and coupled with the apartment park, he always had his school friends around 7 days a week. I knew that this can never be recreated anywhere. Hence, the apprehension.

So, found him a school after three weeks. Hickory Tree School. School timing was longer and school was the opposite of Montessori. All the reviews from friends were that it was a great school and kids learn a lot. Comparing to Plano, less space was visible. The classes were diverse though. And the teachers had good experience. Nandan's pre-k teacher is Ms. Marilyn. 44 years of teaching experience.

Three weeks of no friends made Nandan restless and he got all ready for the new school. He entered his class and immediately introduced himself to his teacher. He then went and joined his new class mates (who were sitting in a circle) and went about introducing himself with a "hello, hi...am Nandan". He did all this by himself. Laya went and sat next to him. Nandan introduced her as his sister and gave her a peck. Turned out Laya crying all the way back home saying she wanted to go to school.

I went back to pick him up in the evening. And there were two comments from Ms.Marilyn. He is very talkative. He is not like a kid but like a young adult. The first comment, I knew, was coming. Coming from a Montessori, he is used to doing activities in a group which meant talking a lot. The second comment, I paused and took it in. The teacher went on to say that he asks, explains, talks in a detailed way that kids his age do not do. Ms.Marilyn said that she had never seen a four and half year old kid this way and was adjusting to it.

In his old school, he would come home excited. It was missing here first day. My belief is that he will adapt. His first lessons in life have started not in what his school is teaching, Rather in how he is coping up to change. Every change will add a feather to him and one day he will fly. 

India

Three facts about India in the space of 8 months

1. In Oct 2013, when Cyclone Phailin struck the east coast, India successfully moved close to half a million people from the coastal regions. One of the world's largest disaster evacuation feat, there were 44 people killed in this cyclone. Remarkable considering just 14 years back, 10,000 people were killed in 1999 in the same region because of a cyclone.

2. In Nov 2013, India sent out Mangalyaan, a Mars Orbiter which is half way now across to Mars. It was achieved at a cost of $ 76 million, which was roughly 1/10th of the cost of the latest US Mars mission sent a few days later. Primarily India's mission is to demonstrate that it can successfully do interplanetary travel (4th nation).

3. Starting April 2014 till this second week in May 2014, India conducted the largest democratic elections in the world. 64% of 900 million eligible voters have exercised their democratic right.

I always see two yardsticks for developing countries. First is what is lacking? Second is how much more to catch up with?

India has a lot to catch up with, 66 years after attaining Independence. But it is a good India capable in diverse fields. India has demonstrated, time and again, that a set of good people with focused objectives can achieve bigger and greater things at ease.