One important message from each chapter / adhyay of Bhagwat Gita
Sunday, 28 August 2016
Monday, 22 August 2016
Wazir: Pawn's Story of Pawn's Revenge over the King
Wazir: The Hindi Film
The journey of pawn from powerless insignificant identity to powerful Wazir - an equivalent to Queen in modern game of Chess is not an impossible one. If it goes on moving ahead with persistence, perseverance, determination and diligence, it can metamorphose itself into powerful identity. But as it is not possible in each and every game of chess to see that pawn reaches to final home-square to gain the power of Wazir, similarly, in real life too, it is only in the rarest of the rare stories that it happens. There are examples like Dhirubhai Ambani, J K Rowling, Oprah Winfrey . . . the list may include many more who's who.
The story of such pawns turning into wazirs, or the story of rags to riches is a very famous and popular literary archetype (ref: Northrop Frye's The Archetypal Criticism). In popular culture, popular films and literature also, this trope is quite in vogue.
But this concept is not much loved by social reformers and revolutionaries. They are bitter critics of this fairy-tale-sort-of-story. They prefer to narrate things more realistically. They argue that only a handful of exceptionally capable and/or mainly lucky persons are actually able to travel the "rags to riches" road, being the great publicity given to such cases a natural Survivorship bias illusion, which help keep the masses of the working class and the working poor in line, preventing them from agitating for an overall collective change in the direction of social equality (Wikipedia). Some of the interesting books with the similar theme are:
- Peña, Manuel. "American Mythologies" Ashgate Publishing Limited, 2012. ISBN 9781409442745
- Weiss, Richard. "The American Myth of Success: From Horatio Alger to Norman Vincent Peale" Basic Books, 1969. ISBN 0252060431
At the same time, this film also raised important question against the idea of 'talent' and 'merit'. If one extraordinarily talented or meritorious persona (Wazir / Queen) over shadows innumerable 'mediocre' or average individuals (pawns), how far is it fair enough to sing the songs of talent / merit? The popular culture and society loves to sing such songs. May be because it gives them an illusory dream that some day they also will be meritorious and their talent will also be respected, and if it is not, the fault lies with them - they are not meritorious, they are not talented! They will not have enough confidence to tell their stories with confidence. Bejoy Nambiar (Director), Abhijat Joshi and Vidhu Vinod Chopra (Writers) gave voice to the struggle of a pawn named Pandit Omkar Nath Dhar (Amitabh Bachchan) against the talented politician who can blind people's eyes to become very popular with his language of peace and love, who in reality has strong connections with terrorist groups. Had it been not popular Hindi cinema, and has it been some realistic film, Pandit Omkar, like real Kashmiri Pandits pushed out of their homes to dwell in refugee camps, would have died an unknown death. But as it is a piece of feel-good cinema, he gets an elephant (Rook) to take his revenge. We see, in real world of human existence, millions of pawns meeting dead ends and lost in the oblivion from public memory as their stories rarely find an appropriate bard.
This film narrates the revenge story of one such pawn who reaches the final square to become Wazir. But that was not enough, he has sacrifice itself and make a way open for the Elephant (Rook) to rush in where even eagle dare to and end the game with checkmate. Kudos to Bejoy Nambiar (Director), Abhijat Joshi and Vidhu Vinod Chopra (Writers). The film is worth watching. Such thrillers are not watched without the presence of mind. It is normally advised not to carry the mind to the cinema-theatre to enjoy the films. But the watchers of this genre know it very well that they have to keep their minds on the toes. And as we watch with awakened mind, we start sensing at some point in the film - the secret which the film makers wants to keep. So, it is not a surprise when it is revealed. Yes, Sujoy Ghosh's Kahaani (2012) had that secret, very well kept till end and did not allow the viewers to doubt it. Wazir is, surely not, Kahaani. But Wazir has master performances by Amitabh Bachchan and Farhan Akhtar. It has some very well written dialogues. Its ups is not only script, which has some loops, but it is performance and dialogues.The movies is worth watching.
It is well said:
BE NOT ashamed, my brothers, to stand before the proud and the powerful with your white robe of simpleness.Let your crown be of humility, your freedom the freedom of the soul.Build God's throne daily upon the ample bareness of your poverty, and know that what is huge is not great and pride is not everlasting. ~ Rabindranath Tagore
Monday, 15 August 2016
Sardar - The Iron Man of India
Ketan Mehta's Sardar - The Iron Man of India
Ketan Mehta's #Sardar is not only bio-pic but a well researched docu-drama. It precisely records the in-house meetings and brainstorming discussions between leaders on how and in which form India can become #independent country. Ultimately, as no midway was sought and #Gandhi's idea of giving reigns of Indian union to Mohmad Ali Jinnah - Muslim League was not acceptable to other Congress leaders. The script is well researched and supported by evidences of real video footage and news paper headlines. The research n script by #VijayTendulkar makes this movie worth watching, again and again. The magical touch of his script and Ketan Mehta's direction has saved this film from being dull documentary. It has some memorable dramatic sequences which keeps interested in the film alive till end and even though very talkative, the film gives wonderful cinematic experience.
Best of all sequences: All the meetings on division of resources (money, army, air force, secret agency etc) between India and Pakistan - is beautifully portrayed; inclusion of Kashmir, Hyderabad and Junagadh is captured very well; the central struggle between Sardar and Jinnah gives best cinematic moments.
The communal riots and massacre in the backdrop gives elegiac colour tone to the texture of this film, which is brightened with fresh cinematography and shooting at real life locations like Shimla, Junagadh, Delhi.
Yes. The film presented Sardar Patel larger than life. Ketan Mehta directed most of the freedom fighters as "types" - representing a particular "image" for which they are popularly known rather than humans with strength n weaknesses. Jinnah, Nehru, Maulana, Abdul gafar khan, mountbaton, gandhi - all are portrayed with similar touch. And as this was Sardar's film, he is a bit exaggerated.
Rather than the characters, the historical background is presented very well.
The film can be viewed on YouTube:
Wednesday, 10 August 2016
Online Test: Renaissance Literature
Online Open Internet / Open Book Test on the Age of Renaissance & Points to Ponder
Read study material on this page to appear in this online test:
- online test click here to go directly to the online Test page.
Points to Ponder
1. Rewriting the Last Monologue of Doctor Faustus with Insights from Bhagat Singh’s Arguments
Reflect on the concluding monologue of Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus incorporating insights from Bhagat Singh’s essay "Why I am an Atheist". Consider how Singh’s perspectives on freedom, oppression, and revolutionary thought can offer new dimensions to Faustus’s final lament.
2. Comparative Analysis of Chaucer, Spenser, and Shakespeare as Poets
Conduct a comparative analysis of Geoffrey Chaucer, Edmund Spenser, and William Shakespeare. Focus on their poetic styles, themes, contributions to English literature, and their influences on subsequent literary traditions.
3. Review of a Film on the Elizabethan/Shakespearean Era
Write a blog post reviewing a film set in the Elizabethan or Shakespearean era. Use the following lists to guide your selection:
- Six Best Films
- Five Best Films
- Elizabethan Era in Films
- Twenty Best Shakespearean Adaptations [Which is the best film adaptation? Are Hindi adaptations included in this list?]
In your review, consider:
- Which film adaptation is the best?
- Are any Hindi adaptations included in these lists?
- The accuracy of the historical and cultural portrayal.
4. Best Bollywood Adaptations of Shakespeare
Explore the best Bollywood adaptations of Shakespeare’s works. Discuss how these adaptations interpret and transform the original plays for an Indian audience.
5. Differentiating Literary Periods
Differentiate the general characteristics of Renaissance literature from those of other literary periods such as the Reformation, Restoration, Neo-classical, Romantic, Victorian, and Modern literature. Highlight the unique features, themes, and stylistic elements of each period.
6. Review of a Hindi Film Adaptation of Shakespearean Plays or the Elizabethan Era
Write a blog post reviewing any Hindi film adaptation of Shakespearean plays or a film set in the Elizabethan era. Discuss how the adaptation retains the essence of the original play while infusing it with cultural and contextual elements relevant to Indian cinema.
Report on the Use of Technology
Report on the Integration of Technology
Dilip Barad
Published in:
JOURNAL OF TECHNOLOGY FOR ELT
A Quarterly Online Journal for Teachers of English
Volume VI Number 3
July - September 2016
ISSN (Onlime): 2231-4431
Impact Factor (2015): 4.310
Dilip
Barad
Prof.
and Head, Department of English
Maharaja
Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University, Bhavnagar (364001) , Gujarat, India.
Phone:
09898272313 / 9427733691
ELTAI
Membership No. 30009295; IATEFL Member ID:19674
Introduction
 |
| Figure 1: Use and Integration of Technology |
Objectives
- Higher
Goals of Education
- It’s
a university’s job to produce
citizens who learn to think for themselves, not just humans who can be programmed to follow
someone else’s code.
- Holly
Clark
- It is imperative that in 2015, students be able to curate, archive and expand on
the work they are producing in class.
- Today’s
education must help students authentically learn important
digital citizenship lessons.
- Education
must help students to internalize the core subject as well as vital digital literacy skills such as
creating their own digital web presence and learning to effectively and
purposefully share their learning with the world.
- Classify
and Reclassify Information
-
"The new education must teach the individual
how to classify and reclassify information,
how to evaluate its veracity, how to change categories when necessary,
how to move from the concrete to the abstract and back, how to look at problems from
a new direction — how to teach himself."
(Herbert Gerjuoy)
·
UNESCO:
 Figure 2: UNESCO - Stages of ICT Integration |
Institution
This
report is about the integration of technology at Post Graduate Department of
English, Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University, Bhavnagar, Gujarat.
This is State University established in 1969.
Class
The students of post graduate
programme of English literature are involved in this project.
Purpose of Using Technology
·
To
fulfill the objectives mentioned in ‘Objectives’.
·
Using
technology like blog, Google group, slideshare.net, Google sites, digital
portfolio, flipped learning is part and parcel of learning
at Dept. of English, M K Bhavnagar University
·
All students have to publish their
assignments on blog and presentations on slideshare.net Why? So that peer
learning happens on its own. Slow learners learn from assignments and
presentations of fast learners.
·
Students prepare Digital Portfolio: Why?
The Students are strongly encouraged to build digital portfolio to document the
four habits of mind:
·
1. Integrative thinking: The ability and habit to recognize relationships
among ideas and experiences that are not routinely thought of as related.
·
2. Reflective thinking: The ability and habit of looking back at previous
learning and setting those experiences in a new context created by subsequent
learning.
·
3. Thinking in Community: The ability and habit of seeking connections
between your learning and the learning of others in the class / community.
· 4.
Thinking in context: The ability and habit of seeking connections
between what you learned in college and relating those connections to subjects,
debate and discussion in the wider world. (Lorenzo and Ittelson)
Evidence of the use of Technology
Digital Portfolio
·
Google
site is used as web platform for Digital Portfolio. Click on this link to visit
Digital Portfolios of the students of various batches. We are working on this
since 2010. Or
click here: http://dilipbarad.blogspot.in/2012/04/project-blended-learning-2012.html
·
Also
visit this post for online evaluation rubric of Digital Portfolio which is done
as self-evaluation, peer-evaluation and teacher evaluation. http://dilipbarad.blogspot.in/2016/02/digital-portfolio.html
Blogs for Teacher Worksheet on Film Screening
·
The
use of audio-visual materials in literature classroom is very helpful. An
appropriate use must be though-out, otherwise it would fail to fulfill desired
objectives. Pedagogically speaking, screening of the films should be followed
by student-activities on teacher-worksheet. We used blogs for this purpose.
Click here to view some of the teacher worksheet on film screening and read
students’ responses / engagement / reactions in the comment section below the
post:
Blog Worksheet for Teaching Literature and Critical Theories
·
To
engage learners with learning, the teacher used blog worksheet to teach
literary texts and critical theories. The students were asked to respond on the
blog rather than in pen-paper mode. This helps in building an environment of trust
among all learners. This also helps in peer learning as works produced by
classmates is visible to all. It also leads to conceptual clarity of literary
theories:
Blogs for Assignments and Critical Thinking
·
Here
are some of the sample blogs of students reflection on their learning
·
Here
are some of the sample blogs on students assignments on their learning
Teacher’s Content Sharing Website
·
We have used Google Site to share additional
resources, question banks, core content with students
·
Please have a look at the website: http://dilipbarad.blogspot.in/2013/01/ma-english-study-material-reading.html
Hotpotatoes for Interactive Quiz / Test
·
Quite often Hotpotatoes suit is used to develop
interactive quiz.
Audacity: Sound Editing Software for Listening and Speaking
·
We experimented with this software and used it
effectively for Listening and Speaking skills.
·
Here is a presentation on it: http://dilipbarad.blogspot.in/2009/01/audacity-and-elt-enhancing-listening-n.html
·
Here is article on it: http://eltweekly.com/2009/07/eltweekly-issue27-research-paper-pedagogical-issues-related-to-speaking-and-listening-skills-sound-editing-software-audacity/
Wikieducator as collaborative and content sharing platform
·
We used to use wikieducator for collaboration
and content sharing
Flubaroo: Auto Grading Script plus Google Form
·
For unit end online quiz, we use Google Form. To
auto-generate result, we run Flubaroo script. It also helps in sending emails
to students with their grades and correct/incorrect itemized analyses.
Presentations by Students (Students’ involvement)
·
Here
are some of the sample presentations by students:
Flipped Learning
·
We
have successfully experimented with Flipped Learning also. Check this link: https://sites.google.com/site/flippedlearninggtu/think
Ted-Ed Lessons
·
We
have also started using http://ed.ted.com/ platform for online learning.
Have a look at one of the lessons uploaded by us: http://ed.ted.com/on/HILJky5n
·
More
lessons are in pipe line. We have prepared
several such small learning videos. Have a look at playlist on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5C6B835309FB9771
·
All
these short videos are going to be on ed.ted.com
Unit End Online Tests
·
It
is usual practice that teaching is followed by Online Tests to check the
progress of the learners.
·
Google
Form, Hotpotatoes and Flubaroo script are used for the test and autograding.
·
Here
are some of the links of such online tests:
Online Rubrics for Self and Peer-Evaluation
·
Online
Rubric for the evaluation of Oral Presentaiton:
·
Online
Rubric for the evaluation of Written Assignments:
·
Online
Rubric for the Review of Language Lab software (Language Lab is one module in
the course of ELT and Technology)
·
Online
Rubric for the evaluation of Digital Portfolio
Students’ Reaction and Involvement
·
The
real mark of integration of technology in education system is not measured on
the grounds of what and how of technology used by ‘teacher’. Rather, it is ‘what students do with technology’ that
matters more. The involvement of students in the use of technology in their
learning process is very vital. Here, we can see what and how students of last
five batches (from 2010 to 2016) have used technology: http://dilipbarad.blogspot.in/2012/04/project-blended-learning-2012.html
·
Many
of the above given links also stand in support of involvement of student in the
integration of technology. As it is well said that – Until and unless, students do not respond through technology, it is not
integration of technology in learning process. It may be ‘use’ of technology by
teacher, but cannot be considered as ‘integration’ of technology.’ All the
above given links stand in support of how technology is integral part of
learning process at Department of English, M.K. Bhavnagar University.
One of the best way
to evaluate reaction of students is to compare their performance in ‘real-life’
examinations conducted by University. I mean, rather than going for traditional
‘pre-test, post-test’ analyses of target groups, if we compare their performance
in real examinations conducted by University as independent body, we can get
real picture of students performance. Well, the students never or rarely used
technology at Under Graduate (B.A.) level. They extensively integrated
technology at Post Graduate (M.A.) level. These charts displays that almost all
students improved their performance in terms of percentage in University exam.
 
·
Click here to see more such charts of other
batches: http://dilipbarad.blogspot.in/2012/04/project-blended-learning-2012.html
·
By
and large, students have responded positively.
o
Students’
response to Blended Learning: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/11EwOQUpgvm5Ca-R8efz97HGeeXgudaMIgZTVteOC3QA/viewanalytics
o
Students’
response to use of Audio-Visual materials with traditional teaching: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1Kq3Sz7C99Y2LjwAg5i7n-IlwWtC68sdHYqlBcaeyaWw/viewanalytics
References
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