This show on the effect of divorce on kids was a pretty powerful one, I think. The two guests really played off each others strengths.
Guests: Madan Ahluwalia, family lawyer, and Leena Khanzode, a child and adult psychiatrist trained at Stanford.
Please send feedback and ideas to radio@indiacc.org.
Show sponsored by the India Community Center.
[mp3player width=200 height=200 config=parent-talk.xml playlist=parent-talk-divorce.xml]
What do kids get out of yoga? Is there an appropriate age to begin yoga? And how can parents make sense of the various forms of yoga out there.
Guests: Lipika, kids’ yoga instructor at the India Community Center, and Atharva Purandare, one of her students.
[mp3player width=200 height=200 config=parent-talk.xml playlist=parent-talk-yoga.xml]
In this show we talked about how common cheating is in today’s schools and what might be the reason for the increase in cheating over the years. Are kids cheating because of the pressure? Is digital piracy lowering the standards for ethical behavior?
Guests: Sukanya Goswami, teacher at Newark Memorial High School, and Kevin Zhai, student at Mission San Jose High School in Fremont.
Please send questions and feedback to radio@indiacc.org.
Show sponsored by the India Community Center.
[mp3player width=200 height=200 config=parent-talk.xml playlist=parent-talk-cheating.xml]
Parent Talk is a radio show broadcast on Radio Zindagi 1550 AM in the SF Bay Area every Saturday at 10 a.m PST.The show is hosted by me and sponsored by the India Community Center.
On January 14, I discussed the importance of art education with the panel of experts.
Guests: Moitreyee Chowdhury, artist and art teacher, adn Ray Mitra, founder of Induz, a non-profit that brings art education to impoverished children in India.
[mp3player width=150 height=100 config=parent-talk.xml file=https://waternoice.com/wp-content/uploads/Parent-Talk-Episode-12-Art-Education.mp3]
Send thoughts and ideas to radio@indiacc.org. Also the best place to reach me if you would like to appear on the show.
Well, it’s that time of the year again as we scramble to find suitable and enriching camps for our kids. Here is a list of Summer Camps in the San Francisco Bay Area which give the kids a chance to connect with their Indian heritage.
(650) 493-1566
Santa Clara & Mountain View (Enroll for 1-6 weeks at each site)
June 13 – Aug 5
9:30am – 4pm
Ages 5 – 14 ( pre-care and post-care available)
Celebrate Indian culture, languages, arts, festivals, literature, cuisine, and leaders. Weekly themes are brought to life through related arts, dance, games, projects, stories and theatre in a very unique, exciting, creative, interactive, and structured style.
Sponsored by US Hindi Association (USHA), an educational 501c(3) non profit.
Madhu Bhasha Kendra: Madhu Bhasha Kendra’s supplementary education program is accredited by WASC
Summer 2011 – 7 Week Hindi Immersion Program for age 6-11 in Palo Alto
Summer 2011 – 7 Week Hindi for Credit Program for Middle & High School Students
– Cultural Immersion Camp: Full of dance, music, yoga, cricket and eco-friendly activities
– Folk Dances of India Camp: “Folk Dances of India” will take its campers on a tour of India’s Dance Map exposing them to folk dances from different states of India.
– Tales of India Camp: Tales of India Camp explores India’s History through its fables and mythology
– Bollywood Dance Camp: Dance to musical hits from popular Bollywood movies while learning new and original dance steps. Our amazing teachers and choreographers have created special dances just for this camp.
– Hindi Camp: sign your kids up for a hands on, activity based Hindi language camp. Kids will learn Hindi conversational Hindi, the alphabet and rudimentary writing as well. Language will be introduced via songs, stories, role play and various other child-friendly activities.
– Crafts of India Camp: India has a rich craft heritage and art and craft is a part of everyday life in India. Have your children learn about some amazing crafts like Warli Art, Block printing, Batik, Henna designs, Bandhej (tie-die), Rangoli (the art of painting with colored powder, lentils or flowers), vegetable dies, Kantha embroidery and many more.
– BollyHop Camp: This new energetic dance style combines dance moves from Bollywood with Hip Hop
– Gandhi Camp( Overnight Camp): Celebrating its 24rd year of service, the Gandhi Youth camp has given an opportunity to hundreds of our youth to learn Gandhian principles of truthfulness, tolerance and self-help. Daily Activities include: community service projects, Sports, Cultural activities, Discussions, and Friendship-building group games. This overnight camp emphasizes teamwork, leadership and unity.
– Vedic Camp: Imagine a math class of ancient times, where knowledge was passed on as an oral tradition, and the teacher quickly calls or drills out certain numbers to add, subtract, multiply or divide and the children instantly reply with the correct intuitive answers!
– Treasures of the Taj Camp
Information and registration can be found here.
Sanskrit Camps: Samskrita Bharati, San Jose is conducting several summer camps for children and families. The details are given below-
1. Kaveri.
An immersive 3-day residential spoken-Samskritam camp for children and families. NO prior knowledge of Samskritam or Devanagari is required. Learn Samskritam in a fun-filled and interactive way. To register, visit Samskritabharati.org. Early bird discounts available. Venue: Point Bonita, Sausalito, CA
Contact Samskrita Bharati/Vidhya Seshadri: 650-391-5553/Kaarthik Sivakumar: 408-515-6286 for details.
2. Prajna Summer camp for Kids [ Grade 3 to Grade 7].
For teenager 12-17. NO prior knowledge of Samskritam or Devanagari is required. Children will be engaged in various activities like learning yoga, Samskritam , craft , arts etc. Venue: Ortega Park, Sunnyvale, CA
Registration : www.samskritabharati.org. Early bird registrations available.
Chhandam Children’s Summer Camp
All levels from ages 5 to 12 (Open to New and Current students)
A phenomenal opportunity for children to be immersed in Kathak and the prestigious holistic teachings of Pandit Chitresh Das, founder of one of the world’s largest Indian classical dance institutions.
Curriculum includes:
* Kathak Dance Technique – movement, compositions & story-telling
* North Indian Classical Music – taal/rhythm, notation & songs
* Cultural Context – ettiquette, history, philosophy
* Arts & Crafts
On July 22nd, South Asian American teenagers from across the San Francisco Bay Area will convene for a life-changing experience. The youth will be attending the first ever Bay Area Solidarity Summer (BASS), a four-day leadership camp for youth of South Asian heritage seeking to learn about progressive issues, gain organizing skills, connect with other South Asian activists, and develop themselves into leaders. The all-inclusive camp will provide space for young people to learn skills on how to be a social activist, as well as learn about issues affecting the South Asian community both locally and globally.
BASS has been developed by a highly skilled volunteer collective of South Asian American organizers and activists looking to give back to the community by supporting the growth of young leaders. A quick look at BASS’ website at http://www.SolidaritySummer.org shows the breadth of experience of the organizing team, with doctors and lawyers joining political organizers and theatre producers. BASS is a project of the Alliance of South Asians Taking Action (ASATA), an all volunteer organization working to educate, organize, and empower Bay Area South Asians.
BASS is open to youth of South Asian heritage ranging in age from 14 to 19 years old. The camp costs only $50, which covers all housing and food expenses for four days and three nights. Held in the beautiful Center for Third World Organizing Training and Retreat Center (often described as the “CTWO Mansion”), the intense camp will cover a wide range of issues such as Creative Arts and Action, Racial Profiling, Hip Hop Revolutionaries, and Environmental Justice. An important component of the curriculum will be a look back at the 100 years of history of South Asian Bay Area student activism.
Are you interested in being a part of BASS, either as a participant or a volunteer? Contact them at bass@asata.org!
If I’ve missed any camps let me know via the feedback form and I will add them. You can also add them in the comments.
By Sonia Sweet Kumar
Incessant talk of birthdays and aging is standard in our household, where conversations are dominated by our three kids. My two older children love to discuss what they will do as they get even older (“Mama, when I’m nine …!”) and how they will mark their birthdays each year. Lately, six year old Rajkumar has been talking about melding his current dinosaur obsession into his seventh birthday celebration in September. And Simran, who is turning five this weekend, is excited about all things involved with her birthday – receiving the first slice of cake, a new outfit to wear that day, having a say in what to buy her two brothers as favors, and, of course, the gifts.
However, beginning with Rajkumar’s first birthday, I have almost always requested “no gifts” when I send out invitations. Our friends who attend our birthday parties do one of three things: 1) ignore our request and bring a gift, 2) bring something homemade, or 3) bring nothing.
Is my request noble? Am I trying to teach my children about selflessness and the value of giving rather than receiving? Does it stem from my Indian hospitality gene? Is it because I am incapable of being a gracious recipient?
None of the above. I attribute it entirely to my endless pursuit of eliminating clutter. There are three adults in our home – me, my husband, and my mother – and three kids. Our space can get crowded, primarily with kid stuff: impulse buys when I was a new parent, hand-me-downs that I am incapable of declining, and…gifts. It can be overwhelming.
The reasons behind my “no gifts” policy beg the questions, “Am I selfish? Shouldn’t I just allow my children to receive?”
At times, I think that my request for no gifts is selfish, trumping my kids’ desire to receive a large bounty. I like to think, though, that my intention is based in the overall interest of the household and the longer term well being of my kids. More toys around means more haphazard playing and more clean-up, which in turn, means a cranky Mama. Fewer toys means searching for more ways to play creatively, more outdoor play, and more interactive play with each other. It means more time spent reading, a more serene environment, and a tidier house.
Moreover, we are in the stage, along with most of our friends, where it is a chore to shop. I am typically bewildered about what to choose for a birthday party one of my kids is attending: How do I choose something unique that enhances creativity, boosts IQ, and makes parents happy? And as an anxiety-topper when shopping, two-year-old Avinash will remind me what he is capable of if I indicate that I am not willing to let him out of the cart to examine every toy in every aisle.
It is hard to keep expectations tempered. Children attend so many birthday parties and witness other children receiving gifts and naturally covet the same. As adults, we have the same inclination – we enjoy the anticipation involved with a beautifully wrapped gift and the attention that accompanies receiving it. So, while I write “no gifts” on our invitations, I still give gifts – although not many – to our birthday boy or girl when it is just family members around. Dozens of presents from classmates, neighbors, and our whole friend circle are unnecessary. The value of each present is diluted. Full disclosure – I do not highlight to my kids that I’ve requested no gifts. A casual mention, coupled with a reminder that we have more than what we need and each other is sufficient. Oh, the distress and visions of a completely gift-less birthday if I try to discuss it with either Rajkumar or Simran.
Miss Manners, Judith Martin, says that requesting no gifts deprives children of the chance to learn to give something that they may rather keep for themselves and teaching children to express their gratitude for something that they may not appreciate or like. However, after watching too many frenzied kids tearing through their presents and seeing the gift I gave as indistinguishable from all the others, I wonder what the point was anyways. My husband says – cake, a party, presents from parents and grandparents, the kids know they’re loved … what more do they need?
Picture by Shorts and Longs courtesy Creative Commons.
By Sonia Sweet Kumar
Sonia and daughter Simran
“Quiet, please, Mama,” my four year old daughter told me the other day, “I have to think.”
I smiled at my daughter’s moxie and at hearing a phrase I often use repeated back to me. She needed to cut out the noise and give something some serious thought. It was healthy … and cute, especially
when I realized that the matter at hand was deciding which color Power Ranger she would be to help her older brother as a super hero.
Although I am not at the same elementary stage as my daughter and two other children (ages six and two), multi-tasking is also not for me. I am unabashed about stating this. Thinking something through often requires my full attention – I will literally stop and think. If I am cooking and trying to talk on the phone at the same time, I inevitably end up putting salt in the pot twice. And I can expect my two older kids to spend twice as long on the math homework or Scholastic workbooks I give them, if I sit down to help them, but simultaneously try to work on my laptop.
Other parenting experiences have taught me that – within reason – concentrating on one activity at a time or moving through the day deliberately creates a calmer, more productive home. Doing something
with full awareness, intention, and consciousness is living deliberately, a constant work in process for me. It can be challenging to do one thing at a time. The lives of parents are hectic, for sure. It would be foolish for me to recommend that when you need to think, drop everything and go meditate. Or not to fold laundry while the kids are playing. No, I am recommending cutting out the clutter, slowing down, and breathing. Prioritize your activities, so when you are with your kids, you can give them the appropriate amount of attention – you can be a deliberate parent.
There was the time I was chatting on my phone with my cousin on the drive home from my kids’ pre-school. If you had asked me after our conversation ended what we had talked about, I would not have been able to tell you – it was mindless chit chat. Was that conversation worth shushing my kids when
they got in the car, excited to see me after a few hours away? Was it worth the distracted driving? When we reached home, I continued to talk as I walked in the house, thinking my children would follow me. I sat down at the kitchen table and finally reached some awareness beyond the conversation – it was too quiet in the house. I hung up, ran outside, and saw my kids running back home from a busier intersection that connects our street to the main road.
It may seem unreasonable to suggest minimizing your cell phone usage around your children. But I am a stay at home mom. My work is with me. Of course, I need to visit, talk on the phone, and take care of
chores. But did I have a good conversation with my cousin? It was unsatisfying. I was distracted by my kids when talking to her and distracted by the conversation when dealing with the kids. I am
learning to be respectful of the times throughout the day that the kids want and deserve my full attention. I really do not want my children to remember me as a mom who had her head buried in her phone, checking her Facebook account, and too “busy” to chase them around the park.
Another lesson I have learned is speaking slowly. Slower speech has a lot of ramifications – it slows everybody involved in the conversation down, it tones down the frenzy in the household, it gives the children an appropriate amount of time to absorb and react to what you have said, it helps to give more weight to your words, and it helps eliminate the clutter from conversations. One trick I use to slow
down is speaking to the kids in Hindi. English is my first language. It is more of an effort for me to speak in Hindi. Having to think more about what I’m saying helps.
There have been countless times when I’ve reacted quickly to the kids fighting. “Stop fighting! Once more and we’re not going to the birthday party!” Did I really mean to say that? No, of course, I
want them to go to the birthday party and, of course, I will take them. I just couldn’t think of any other way to get them to immediately stop needling each other. So, this is what transpired: I yelled, made an empty threat, and the kids don’t know any better for the next time. But then there are the times when I take a deep breath, walk over to them, put my hands on them, and say firmly, “Mama ke ache bache aise nahin behave karte hain.” (“Mama’s good kids don’t behave like this.”) The situation gets diffused and everybody is much happier.
Finally, try to deliberately give your children some space and room to grow – don’t micro-manage them. My two older children have reached the stage where they are not totally dependent on me to manage their time. They are not yet teenagers, but they do have their activities and projects that they like to do in the house, on their own or together. I often need to remind myself that I need to let them have
that time – constructive “down” time where they are on their own with me in the background to let their imaginations run, relax, and deal with each other. This time is a deliberate effort – it is tempting to
insert myself into the scenario and tell them exactly how or what they should play or remind them of an unfinished chore I asked them to do earlier. I try to hold myself back – let them be unencumbered.
Almost always, they end up playing far more creatively than I could have ever suggested and I can remind them of the chore afterward.
The terms deliberate parenting and karma yoga go hand in hand. Karma yoga advises us to carry on with our work and duties, meditatively. When I am doing things in a hurry or in a scatter-brained manner,
regrets are guaranteed. Either I become impatient with the kids or what I am trying to do is not accomplished well. On the flip side, when I lie down in bed at night and look over the day, it is extremely
fulfilling to be content with my interaction with the kids and know that I did a handful of tasks well. Our children are our work and worship – let’s worship them deliberately.
Sonia Sweet Kumar (soniasweetkumar@gmail.com) resides in Naperville, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, with her husband, Brendan Fitzpatrick, their three children, Rajkumar, Simran, and Avinash. Sonia holds a master’s degree in communication from DePaul University.
As the school year gets going, kids rarely have time to read for pleasure, so to bring out yet another magazine aimed at educating and entertaining kids seems like a fool’s errand. But literature is a passionate subject for bibliophiles, and that passion is very evident in Glo Adventurer, a magazine that, as the creators describe it, “helps children discover and connect with India in a fun and engaging way.”
Though the mission is somewhat schlocky, the magazine is anything but. I had the opportunity to look over the first two issues of the magazine, one on the Bengal tiger and the other on Indian railways, and the two issues were just wonderfully done. Filled with information and facts and games, the books are perfectly targeted to the young reader segment, perhaps children between 7 and 12. Each issue is like a highly entertaining encyclopedia entry, giving the interested child a depth of information on the topic without making it boring or complicated.
Glo Adventurer is the brainchild of Deepa Bala in Seattle and Swami Ganesan in Chennai, with a variety of contributors around the world, testifying to the new publishing world where physical proximity is no longer necessary. Like many other similar ventures ( MeeraMasi immediately comes to mind) this one too was born out of a mother’s need to communicate Indian culture and history to her children. When Deepa could not find anything existent that was suitable for a child used to high quality materials like Zoobooks and National Geographic for kids (which Glo Adventurer most resembles), she decided to create a magazine of her own.
Much thought has gone into Glo Adventurer, not just in terms of content but also long term focus, which is why 
the team has set up a Kids Advisory Board that provides ideas and feedback. Apart from the regular team, a review team looks over the magazine just before it goes into print to make sure everything is perfect. Such attention to detail is visible in the high production and editorial quality of the magazine and each issue feels like a keeper.
While the creators have got down the production part absolutely right, the marketing is quite another matter. Having seen many such endeavors bite the dust, I was more than a little curious about how the Glo Adventure team planned to tackle the sales. After all, our family is one of the very few I know who subscribe to more than one kid’s magazine.
Deepa acknowledges that this is a challenge. One interesting approach the team has taken is to treat Glo Adventurer not so much as a periodical but a series of published books, each of which can sell on its own merits. The issue on Bengal tigers, for example, is sure to be attractive to zoos and natural history museums across the world, while the one on Indian railways would be attractive to other kids of museums. Both are library quality so that would be another source of sales. Making sure the issue is not dated in any way ensures its longevity. Though the book has created an early buzz in India, the primary market is outside India, and the team is keen to be a part of the mainstream book distribution here in the U.S., not an easy task by any means.
Says Deepa, “The business model took us a while to figure out. Our confidence arises from the sense that we have found the right timing. There is so much buzz about Indian and so much interest in learning more about it. We think the economics will definitely work.” A free sample on the site encourages new readers to try out the book. Given the quality, the team is confident that trials will lead to subscriptions.
Adds Deepa, “I have a vested interest in this, since I feel I am leaving a legacy for my son. But this, hopefully, is a wonderful journey for other kids too.”
A one year subscription to the magazine (10 issues) costs $35.95 (shipping included). And of course, there is the free sample. If you have a kid in that age range, do check it out. It might be just the thing to entice your child away from the computer.
India Community Center’s Teens for Others (TFO) program gives high school students in the Bay Area the opportunity to come together and participate in different community service events. The program was founded by local high school students to engage their peers in being active contributors for their community. TFO will expose questions such as:
* What have we done?
* What do we want to do?
* And how do we do it?
Teens for Others is designed to accommodate the schedules of high school students by allowing participants to choose when to partake in various volunteer opportunities. Once a month, TFO members will convene for a meeting and decide which projects to work on. While creating a challenging program that requires time and effort, students will have the chance to meet new friends within the Bay Area community.
For more questions, email teens@indiacc.org
Upakar was founded in 1997 and was created to assist Indian Americans who require financial assistance to pursue an undergraduate degree at a U.S. based college or university. It is further dedicated to the promotion and recognition of excellence through the support of the Indian community. Upakar is proud to award 25 scholarships this year and hopes to grow that number with community support.
In the past, 75 scholarships have been awarded in 18 states for students to attend a variety of private and public colleges and universities. In past scholarship cycle, we received over 100 applications for 7 new scholarships. Applications are generally available in February; the application deadline is the end of April with the awards being announced by the end of July. To qualify for a scholarship, the applicant must be a U.S. citizen or U.S. permanent resident (Green card holder) and be the descendant of Indian immigrants. In 2005, the scholarships were increased to $3,000 per year, for each qualifying year spent on an undergraduate degree. Scholarship renewals are dependent on meeting the GPA requirements established by the board.
The 2010 Upakar Application Form is now available! The deadline is April 30th, so hurry.
More information can be found at www.upakar.org
Water, No Ice 