It seems like the desi population in Silicon Valley has reached some sort of critical mass, if one can go by the explosion in Hindi classes in the area. Once the domain of religious groups, who combined language lessons with cultural and spiritual offerings, teaching Hindi has become the basis for at least two professional organizations that I know of in the area.

Then there are those who just want to disseminate the language for the love of it. The daycare provider at my daughter’s public school offers free classes to any child who is interested, and she has quickly built up a sizable student body (Free + Hindi? What’s not to like!).

Another such altruist is Aarti Chandnani, who is the founder of Hindi Gym, a website providing largely free resources for Hindi teachers.

“I began with wanting to teach my own kids Hindi,” say Aarti, who is a computer engineer by profession. “I began scouting for language materials in India, but found that they were quite outdated and my kids could not relate to it.” The India Community Center found out about her interest in the language and asked her to start classes in San Francisco, another reason for her to look for appropriate teaching materials.

So Aarti began designing Hindi worksheets on her own. “I tried to make them appealing to kids growing up here.” She created a monkey character called Lala who anchors the material.

The response to the worksheets was outstanding and Aarti was inspired to come up with an entire workbook. She contacted publishers in India but found there was little interest in publishing exclusively for the U.S. market. She found an illustrator in Chennai and a printer in Hong Kong and ended up self-publishing the books.

Amazingly, Aarti has managed to price her workbooks extremely reasonably, at 7.99 for an 80 page illustrated soft cover. “My idea was that parents shouldn’t have to think twice before picking up the book.” The workbooks have been picked up both by organizations and home teachers.

However, the worksheets are still free and there are plenty of them on the website for teachers and parents who just want a resource for their lessons. There are also wall posters and board games that can be printed out. Aarti constantly updates the material and adds new worksheets. A new addition is the free e-books that parents can download for use at home.

“The idea is not to make a ton of money,” insists Aarti. “It is about spreading the language. Mandarin and Spanish have become so mainstream, why not Hindi?” She adds, “I want Hindi Gym to be the one-stop shop for people wanting Hindi language resources. Parents wanting to teach their kids Hindi can just pick up stuff for free.”

Aarti also collaborates with ispeakhindi, a website which offers podcasts for conversational Hindi lessons. The podcasts reference Aarti’s worksheets and vice versa. In the works are also plans for new products like a Hindi mobile app and added sections on Hindi grammar and reading comprehension.

“I am not an educator,” says Aarti. “I was just inspired by my kids to start this. Now I find that it is something I am passionate about.” She invites members of the community to contribute their own ideas for teaching Hindi here.

Check out Hindi Gym. As a parent of child learning Hindi, I found the worksheets charming and accessible. The quality is as good, if not better, than some of the similar English language workbooks in the market, and Lala is just irresistible.

Now that President Obama has declared swine flu a national emergency, I thought it made sense to put up these simple tips to help protect you. These are courtesy a chain mail from a friend via India, not the best of sources, I know, but the advice seems to make a lot of common sense, so here goes –

In a global epidemic of this nature, it’s almost impossible to avoid coming into contact with H1N1 in spite of all precautions.

While you are still healthy and not showing any symptoms of H1N1 infection, in order to prevent proliferation, aggravation of symptoms and development of secondary infections, some very simple steps, not fully highlighted in most official communications, can be practiced (instead of focusing on how to stock N95 or Tamiflu):

1. Frequent hand-washing .

2. “Hands-off-the-face” approach. Resist all temptations to touch any part of face (unless you want to eat, bathe or slap).

3. Gargle twice a day with warm salt water (use Listerine if you don’t trust salt). H1N1 takes 2-3 days after initial infection in the throat/nasal cavity to proliferate and show characteristic symptoms. Simple gargling prevents proliferation. In a way, gargling with salt water has the same effect on a healthy individual that Tamiflu has on an infected one. Don’t underestimate this simple, inexpensive and powerful preventative method.

4. Similar to 3 above, clean your nostrils at least once every day with warm salt water. Not everybody may be good at Jala Neti or Sutra Neti (very good Yoga asanas to clean nasal cavities), but blowing the nose hard once a day and swabbing both nostrils with cotton buds dipped in warm salt water is very effective in bringing down viral population.

5. Boost your natural immunity with foods that are rich in Vitamin C (citrus fruits). If you have to supplement with Vitamin C tablets, make sure that it also has Zinc to boost absorption.

6. Drink as much of warm liquids (tea, coffee, etc) as you can. Drinking warm liquids has the same effect as gargling, but in the reverse direction. They wash off proliferating viruses from the throat into the stomach where they cannot survive, proliferate or do any harm.

And here’s the CDC page for more information: http://www.cdc.gov/H1N1FLU/

Picture courtesy Artifex via Creative Commons attribution license.

Like many others, Preeti Arora, a resident of Cordova, TN, is a mother of two and a fan of Amar Chitra Kathas (ACKs). Preeti says “The challenge for me as a mom is to constantly add new titles to my Amar Chitra Katha collection for my kids. Because of my busy schedule, I want these comics to be easily accessible and from a reliable source in the US itself.”

Most of us replenish our stock of ACKs on periodic visits to India, but it is one more thing on an already long list of to-dos to be crammed into short visits that include obligatory family outings and celebratory clothes shopping. Now local distributor Desi Knowledge partners with the ACK organization to distribute the beloved comics locally in the US and hyper-locally for those of us in the Bay Area.

Desi Knowledge now stocks all Amar Chitra Katha comics, as well as other ACK-Media titles such as Tinkle comics and Karadi Tales in their California warehouse. All these offerings can now be ordered directly from their website at www.DesiKnowledge.org for fast delivery to anywhere in North America.

The comics are priced at $2.25 each.

For me as a parent, the big advantage is not having to hunt for some of the more esoteric titles I remember from my childhood, like Indra and Shachi and Narada. Beware: if your memory is a bit hazy, you might have to try a few iterations of the spelling to find the title.

About ACK-Media
ACK Media is India’s leading entertainment and education company for young audiences. Some of India’s most-loved brands including Amar Chitra Katha, Tinkle, Karadi Tales and well-known proprietary characters like Suppandi are part of ACK Media. We develop products for multiple platforms including print, home video, broadcast television, films, mobile and online services. ACK Media is headquartered in Mumbai, has a design studio in Bengaluru and a subsidiary in Chennai.

About Desi Knowledge
Desi Knowledge is a nonprofit organization based in California.  Their mission is to connect children from around the world to India and its culture. Desi Knowledge has a webstore at http://www.DesiKnowledge.org where parents can get the latest children’s books and media from top publishers in India and abroad. Today, Desi Knowledge also partners with other organizations with similar vision to create and sponsor children’s programs that help further its mission of connecting kids to India.

By Piya Mitra

Mother’s Day is around the corner and I for one am certainly looking forward to celebrating it. I look forward to my two little girls giving me hugs and kisses throughout the day, telling me how much they love me. I am also looking forward to the little toy wrapped in paper from the printer with a flower stuck to it or the rocks wrapped in newspaper and my all time –  favorite ants from the garden offered as pets!!

Yes I do love those gifts because it’s the thought and effort put in by my five year old that matters. I would rather get a rock as a present than something picked out from the mall. I hope this recession teaches us that gifts don’t make us happy, it’s the person giving the gift and the thought behind it that we ultimately care  about.

Having said that I will add that all moms need to be pampered. Most of the days it’s the moms doing all the pampering and one day of R&R is certainly well deserved . A Spa Day is certainly a good gift for any mom but can be quite expensive and in these tough economic times may be hard to afford. So how about a Home Spa?

It can be easier on the pocket and if you make it a family affair it can be a fun way to spend quality time together. By using all natural ingredients you can keep it Earth friendly, so you end up pampering your mom and doing good for Mother Earth too!

The Home Spa

This will require some planning. You need to decide what services your spa offers Mom. Lets say a Manicure, Pedicure and a facial. You will need specific items for each treatment so make sure you have all of them.

The next step is to set up the spa area and give it a spa ambience and calming atmosphere.

Setting the Spa atmosphere

Begin with cleaning up the area, dim the lights and set up scented candles, fresh flowers, calming music. You can also offer mom some cucumber water and chocolate dipped strawberries to snack on while she’s being pampered.

Pedicure/Manicure

For a simple home manicure you need

• Warm water
• Hand soap
• Hydrogen peroxide
• Hand cream
• Hand towels
• Nail polish remover
• Nail polish

Remove any old nail polish .Soak hand in warm water with few drops of hydrogen peroxide & soap. Soak each hand for few minutes. Dry hands with towel. Massage
each hand for five minutes. Dry hands with towel and apply fresh nail polish.

Some  tips for natural face masks and scrubs

Banana-Avacado Mask

Ingredients

• 1/2 over-ripe banana
• 1/2 over-ripe avacado
• 2 Tbsp unflavored full-fat yogurt
• 1 tsp olive oil

Instructions

Mash banana and avocado, combine with other ingredients, and mix well. Apply liberally to face and neck. Leave on for 20 to 30 minutes, then rinse with warm water.

Besan & Yogurt Mask

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp besan (gram flour)
• 1 tbsp plain yogurt
• 1tsp honey
• 1tsp rose water

Intstructions

Apply the batter to the face. With the tips of your fingers work the batter around and apply evenly to face. Leave on for 20 to 30 minutes, then rinse with warm water.

Oatmeal Exfoliating Scrub

Ingredients

• 2 heaped tsp fine oatmeal
• 1 tsp baking soda

Instructions

Mix oatmeal and baking soda, add enough water to make a thick paste. Rub over face, rinse, pat dry.

If you are a Mom this is certainly a fun activity to do with your kid. Dads this will be a very nice way for your family to show your appreciation for mom

To all my fellow hard-working mothers out there – Happy Mothers Day!

Piya Mitra is a Bay Area event organizer. She can be reached at emailpiya@gmail.com or through her website Elegant Eventz . She also blogs her favorite recipes and party ideas at http://celebratingeveryday.blogspot.com/ Check out her blog for more massage tips.

By Rennu Dhillon

Self-confidence, self-esteem and self-worth are probably one of the hardest things to teach children, but the most important life skill.

The reason why it is so hard to teach self confidence to young children is because as they are growing up epically between the ages of 18 months to age 5, children get scolded or corrected for a zillion things. We tend to spend most of the early learning years using the word “No, don’t do that” all the time when in actual fact, we should extend the statement to telling them why they should not do it and try and spend time using and enforcing positive statements.

Not correcting a child  at all  and the mode of free will can result in a spoilt child that will not listen and they become increasingly more difficult to discipline when they get older. Too much restriction and scolding can result in over kill and affecting the self –confidence. So what does one do? It is important to create a balance between the two areas.

Here are some important guidelines and steps to help build self-confidence in your child.

1.    Teach kids to think for themselves – children need to learn to develop their own critical thinking skills so encourage your child to figure out answers. If the child is taking longer than you expect them to answer a question, it is okay. As parents we get frustrated and give the answer to them. This does not help. Encourage them to think and come up with an answer of their own. If the answer is correct or even partially correct, applaud and praise them, If the answer is incorrect, explain to them why it is incorrect and praise them for trying to participate. Children learn by the action of doing.
2.    Teach kids the importance of practical knowledge – being street smart is as important as being book smart. If children learn how to do things by themselves with actual practical experience, they will become more confident in their abilities. Example:  Coloring – many kids like to scribble on their homework and it is easier for the parent to finish off the coloring page and move on to something else. Have your child take pride in their work and praise them when they complete the task properly.
3.    Share as many stories as possible – children love to hear stories and sharing your experiences with them, will help them relate better to you. Effective open communication is the key to a healthy relationship between parents and children.  Children feel more comfortable when they can believe that their parents have had similar experiences to themselves epically in challenging situations such as being bullied at school.
4.    If you first don’t succeed, try again – an important belief to instill in every child. Everyone faces failure at some time or another in their life and some things take longer to grasp than others. Teach your child to accept their failures as an experience and a reason to try again and become better. In school competitions and events, teach the spirit of participation rather than winning. Children should be taught that not everyone can win or come first but everyone can participate and try to win.
5.    Develop the strengths – when growing up children are under immense pressure of excelling in all subjects at school. It is important to teach kids to do their best in all the subjects but to maximize themselves in the areas they excel in. In this way children will develop confidence-becoming experts in certain areas instilling confidence in their abilities.
6.    Etiquette and Manners – instilling etiquette and manners from a young age and teaching children how to behave in a social gathering interacting with other people is very important. Ensure that your child plays with different groups of children and help them learn to make friends by encouraging play dates at your home.

Instilling self-confidence in a child will impact their entire life. People who are self-confident will have better relationships with family, friends and work associates. They are able to set attainable goals and make better decisions in their personal and professional life.

Rennu Dhillon is the founder of Genius Kids and Toto Station.

By Piya Mitra

I don’t need to tell you that there is a recession underway. Headlines scream “The worst recession since the great depression”. These are uncertain times and everyone is tightening their belts. While cutting down expenses is the need of the hour some things can not be cut out completely, like the occasional get-togethers and parties, specially birthday parties for children.

So if you are on a budget and still want to throw a fun party the thing to remember is that more money spent doesn’t necessarily equal more fun.

Here are some fun and budget-friendly ideas:

A Hiking Party

This one can be tons of fun for older kids 9 yrs and over.

Venue: Park with Trails. Choose a short hiking trail and let the group enjoy a picnic at the end.

Food: Bring simple picnic foods. Hot Dogs/sandwiches, salads, corn on the cob, Gatorade, fruits etc. Here’s a link for picnic food ideas.

Activity: Choose a short hike so all kids can keep up.

Favors: You can give each child a drawstring backpack with a water bottle, Trail mix or Granola Bars and visors to protect from the sun. Oriental Trading has some good deals on these items.

A Cooking Party

This one is for older kids too, over 6 yrs.

Venue: Home-Kitchen

Food:Pizza: Buy some Pizza dough from the grocery store and a bunch of toppings. Pizza topping ideas: Spaghetti sauce, mozzarella cheese, shredded pepperoni slices, ham slices or Canadian bacon, pineapple chunks, pepper slices, sliced mushrooms, sliced olives etc.you will need 8” Disposable aluminum foil pie tins (Mark each child’s name on it with a sharpie), a few rolling pins. Roll out the pizza dough into small rounds and put it in the pie tins and let the kids put toppings on them.

Cupcakes: Bake cupcakes and let the kids put icing on them and decorate them with the toppings of their choice.

Ice cream sandwiches: Make Ice cream sandwiches using two chocolate chip cookies and ice-cream let the children choose the flavor of ice-cream they want from two or three different flavors or they could add all the flavors you provide. See how proud they feel eating the meal they prepared!

Party favors: As for party favors aprons and chefs hats, check your local craft store or good old Oriental trading has them by the dozen.

Another alternative “Cookie Mix In A Jar” with the recipe attached to it.

Nestle has recipes on their site.

Art Craft Party

Venue: Home-Garage

Choose some art projects for kids to do .Two or three different projects so they don’t loose interest in one. Crafts must be age appropriate for the kids to enjoy. Here are some craft ideas for preschoolers.

Or how about one big masterpiece?  Get a roll of art paper available online or in educational supply stores, lots of crayons/water color. Spread out a drop cloth in the garage, lay out the paper roll on top, give the kids some idea as to what you want them to paint say animals in a zoo or “under the sea” (you might even want to make an out line. Let each child sign an autograph on one corner and this could be a keepsake for the birthday child. Be sure to ask parents to send their kids in washable clothes in case of any color spilling onto clothes.

Talent Night./American Idol/Indian Idol

Venue: Home (economical) or Restaurant

Invite: Send out invites asking parents to help prepare a 2 min special act for each child to perform. Song, dance, comedy routine anything they  want to do. Here is a free printable invite.

Invite all the parents to join you 1/12 hrs after they drop off the children. Let them do a dress rehearsal for the show. Choose a MC(You’ll always have  a few kids too shy to perform). Once the parents come in let the show begin.

Favors: Give each child a small trophy after the show. You will find  many American Idol themed party favors at Party stores.

All these ideas can be budget friendly as long as you make a budget and stick to it. It is very easy to go overboard when planning a party. Just remember all kids need to have fun is the company of some good friends.

Piya Mitra or is an event planner whose company Elegant Eventz organizes events throughout the Bay Area. Her blog can be found here.