Experiments in ensuring the kids new their language(s)

A prompt on the Momspresso blogging platform nudged me to write this post. It took me back to the days of mad hands-on hit-and-miss parenting experiments. Most of my posts are now more reflective or borderline morbid. Maybe it's a 'phase of life' thing. Well this one is from another phase:

We live in city where if you step out to any public space-an event, airport, or a bus you get to hear a cacophony of languages: Telugu, Kannada, Tamil, Hindi, Malayalam, Bengali to start with. In a situation where adopting any one Indian language over the other seems to tread on regional pride, most people have adopted English as the link language.

So much so that my children's generation now speaks and thinks in English as their first language and falter to even complete a sentence in other Indian languages. At one point, I thought it was ok, language is for communication. If the kids find English an easier medium to connect with people, and they anyway need it for school, let them use English exclusively.

But then a language is much more than a tool for communication. It connects you to an entire culture, your traditions and your heritage. Determined to preserve the connection to their roots for my not-so-interested children, I have tried multiple experiments over the years.

Assigning languages to people:
Using only Bengali while talking to grandparents. Speaking only in Hindi with parents.

Outcome: Slow, painful and yet at times hilarious conversations. (4-year-old telling Ramayana to her grandmother: taar pore ora Ram ke jungle-e bheje dilo. The literal translation: Then they fried-off Ram in the jungle). The convoluted conversations would end up with the grand-parents speaking in English. It was a bit confusing and even I would end up mixing the language and person.

Assigning days:

Saturdays were declared Hindi days; Sundays as Bengali days. These became the most peaceful days as the kids were still not fluent enough to fight without English. Given a choice between not squabbling or building up their vocabulary, they adapted soon and now we had cat-fights in three languages! I am not sure whether this was a good move or not.

Movies:
Yes. Bollywood was far more successful in teaching Hindi to my kids then any enforced language class. It still took some time to catch up though any there would be real confusion like the time my then 6-year-old watched Band-Baaja-Baraat to wonder in the end: But who was Baraat in the movie?

It was more difficult to coax them to watch Bengali movies, so I started with a fun-movie Bhooter Bhavishyat. They enjoyed it, so I pushed my luck with another comedy, but this with a bit of partition history, Goynar Baksho. That went well! Excited, I tried playing more contemporary movies but then my luck ran out- “Can we see only Bengali Ghost movies?” I guess the other facets of culture will have to wait.

Travel:

There are large parts of the country where English doesn’t work that way. And kids learnt it on their own. While in Delhi they picked up the Punjabized Hindi, in Bangalore they learnt to intersect it with 'aiyos'. In Rajasthan, they interacted comfortably with the neighborhood children in colorful Hindi and my elder daughter told me with pride how she bargained in Bengali, in Banaras!

School:
I think this was the most effective channel. My children went to boarding school and broadened their horizons beyond the confines of family and region. They had friends from all parts of the country, were exposed to songs and movies in multiple languages and they learnt to appreciate unique facets of different cultures. If there was a weekend movie in Marathi, they would make a Marathi speaking friend sit with them and translate all the words, beyond subtitles.

Now they insist that while Bahubali was dubbed very well; to enjoy the songs, I must listen to the Telugu version! That’s the circle of life, I guess.

Andaman Travel Notes

When you grow up on the fringes of a desert, water all around seems to be a fascinating phenomenon. Visiting Andamans was thus on the bucket list for a long time. Finally made it, but it was a very short trip to do justice to all the information I had gathered. Sharing the pointers so that they can be used again and again.

Since it is an archipelago of tiny, unique islands, you need to decide which islands you want to visit, then check out ferry timings and plan accordingly.

Package vs DIY Holiday-Book a package with local transport if you are travelling with babies or senior citizens. Autos are easy to find and quite reasonable in Port Blair (much easier than Delhi or Bangalore). Most hotels can be booked online and there are quite a lot of guest houses and homestays.

Data connectivity was almost non-existent and even hotel internet connectivity is mostly unreliable. Download all important information and do online bookings before you leave. You may end up paying cash at times because even card payments get stuck due to Internet. Fortunately, there are enough ATMs in Port Blair and Havelock.

Places

Port Blair-needs to covered because it is the entry point.

Must do: Visits to the Cellular Jail, once before 5 pm to see the structure and then after sunset for the Sound and Light show (tickets available online at https://www.andamantourism.gov.in/etourist/)

Note: The Hindi show is better than the English one.

Nice to do: Walk down the Marina Park, Watch the sunset from Marina Park or Chidiya Tapu

If you have more time:

Ross Island (Colonial era building and churches) and Jolly Bouy islands (Coral reefs seen through glass bottom boats. You need a permit for this island and hence advance planning will help); There are lots of local travel agents in the city who book ferry tickets and help with permits. Out hotel travel desk was dysfunctional, so we wasted a lot of time. Check if your hotel/guest house/travel agent before you start -it will save a lot of time and hassle while on your holiday.

Note: All museums, Marine Parks, Entry to Jolly Bouy etc are closed on Mondays

·      Havelock (It’s now Shaheed Island): Pristine beaches with silver sands and a gentle aquamarine sea. Options for diving, snorkeling, sea-walk among corals, long bike rides winding through lush forests, trekking through mangroves or just sitting in a quiet cove and watching the sun paint the sky and the sea with streaks of pink and gold.

Note: Stay at Barefoot @Radha Nagar beach if you want a serene, picturesque holiday; @Dive India or others near Govind Nagar if you want a more activity filled one. Radha Nagar beach is more scenic but also quiet and isolated.

These were the places we missed, but hopefully will cover another time:

Neil Island: Ideal for bike rides, trekking up the natural rock bridge, snorkeling and scuba diving. Connected by Ferry from Port Blair and Havelock.

Baratung: Limestone caves and a drive to the near-extinct volcano-can be covered from Port Blair.

Inter-Island Transport is the key factor you need to plan your holiday around

There are only a few ferries between the islands so it’s best to book these in advance and plan the rest of the activities around them. (Just don’t have a heavy meal just before boarding one.)

Government Ferry: It’s slow, but efficient and cost-effective; causes minimum sea-sickness and you meet more people. Flip-side: tickets need to be booked physically at the ‘STARS' counters located at Phoenix Bay Jetty, managed by the Directorate of Shipping Services, 3-4 days in advance and are often pre-booked in bulk by local travel agents.

Makruzz: A high speed catamaran ride. Pros: Fastest option, managed efficiently, comfortable, spacious seating in air-conditioned decks. Can be booked online (http://www.makruzz.com/site/) Cons: It can be a choppy ride, especially on a windy day. Saw too many people puking around us.

Green Ocean: I guess this is the in-between option. Fast yet comfortable, one of the boats has an option of letting you come on the deck for a breather and of course the experience. Online bookings are possible (http://greenoceanseaways.com/)

There were some more private ferries which our auto-wallah insisted were faster and cheaper but we weren’t adventures enough to explore them.

Clothing-It was hot in January, the sun-burn blisters kind of hot so arm yourself with long-sleeved clothes, hats and sunscreen for all day. And long-pants to wars off the mosquitos after sundown.

Language-A combination of English and Hindi is sufficient. If you know Bengali and Tamil you can converse with practically every islander. (The Jarawas and the Sentilese will probably not talk to you anyway).

Shopping-Didn’t find anything unique which I wouldn’t find on mainland so didn’t explore beyond a cursory look at a few souvenir shops.

Our Itinerary:

Day 1: Port Blair

 8.30 am flight from Bangalore. Reached Port Blair around 11.00 am. Checked in and had lunch. We stayed at Megapode Nest-has a great location and views, but that wasn’t of much use since we were out most of the time. Bad service, hence won’t recommend.

2.00-4.00 pm: Explored Port Blair in an auto-visited the Jetty’s, booked ferry tickets and walked though Aberdeen Bazaar

4.00-5.00 pm: Cellular Jail

5.00-7.00 pm: Watched the sunset from Marina Park, generally lounged around

7.00-8.00 pm: Sound and light show @Cellular Jail

Dinner @Ananda-supposed to be on of the better restaurants. Found it ok-ok; Back to hotel.

Day 2: Port Blair to Havelock

Left for Haddo Jetty to catch ferry after a lazy breakfast at the hotel. Our ferry was at 12.30 and they told us to report and hour earlier and we listened to them ☹. I guess reaching 20-30 min earlier would have been sufficient. Ferry was slightly delayed as they waited for other boats to clear the Jetty. Reached Havelock at 3.45 pm. Had lunch at the Barefoot shack right at the jetty and then took an auto to the hotel. Reached by 5.30 pm but missed the sunset @Radhanagar beach-it sets much earlier here. Hung around the beach still but retired to our room early as there isn’t much to do here after dark.

Day 3: Havelock Beach Hopping

We rented a scooty (two-wheeler rental shops are everywhere) and drove to the harbor. Took a boat to Elephant beach-not possible to drive to it because of mangroves. The other option to reach there is a guided trek but we didn’t have that much time. Elephant beach is tiny but buzzing with activity. Besides the usual water-scooters and banana boats it is snorkeling and sea-walk through corals are the main attractions.

Our boat had to return early because of bad weather-seems to be a usual occurrence.

We drove around Govind Nagar area-most of the hotels and resorts are in this area. Had a good lunch @The Full Moon Café. Saw Kala Pathar beach and came back to Radhanagar.

Day 4: Havelock to Bangalore

12 hours of travel using all means of transport:

Taxi to harbor->Ferry to Port Blair->Auto to Anthropological museum and Brewberry’s Café->Walk to the Airport->Flight to Bangalore-> Airport Bus to home

(Excuse the choppy writing-working on too many ERP implementation courses at the moment)

Suggestions:

Add one or two more days to Havelock and explore Neil Island.

Add one more day to Port Blair on the return journey-explore Baratung caves or just chill before you come back to the mainland.

I wanted to add pictures to the post but that may take some weeks, so posting it right away.

The Story I Never Wrote

For years it was in my plan.

I had a vague sort of plot,

and an idea of the ending,

But wasn’t sure how it began.

I knew what it would be about,

Once I sat down to write,

It’s just that I wrote more in my head,

Than on paper or computer.

So, the story which never got told;

blew around in bits and pieces.

Then came the storm and the rain;

the wind howling through cracks and crevices.

I saw how fragile is this life;

And how tough is this strife,

I felt more than ever before,

That I may not get the chance any more.

I need to write right now,

But the story which was waiting to be read,

Lies in tatters, bereft and shred;

and now it feels like even the words are dead.