Do not compromise on What You Need Most

 I was teaching in a government school. -curricular activity class student wanted me to discuss #perfect life. I asked the same questions to my students. They came up with several different answers.

I narrated one simple incident of my life to my students.

I met a distant relative, Geeta, at one of the family functions. She was a year or two younger than me. We were talking for a long time about the #dynamics of life. Geeta said, “Sister, your life is perfect. You earn. You have your in-laws to support you. You are older than me, and your daughter is five Years old. You established your #career before being a mother. My son is 10 years old, but my in-laws and husband are not in #favour - me going for a job.”

I told Geeta, “I have a job because I want to have one. If my in-laws weren't willing to take care of my daughter, then I would have #hired good help and would have tried my best that my family runs smoothly when I have responsibilities at work. If my in-laws or husband had asked me to stay back at home, I would have looked for an alternate solution like working from home, but I am not in favour of doing domestic work only. People may call me selfish.  I do not mind this comment”.

“Job or money may not be a #happiness for everyone, but for me, it is something that gives me #positivity in life. I am sure it's a happiness for you as well.” Geeta nodded a yes.

Finally, with great courage, I told the truth to dear Geeta, “ For me, there is nothing wrong if sometimes  I keep myself at a #priority”.  I said,” Geeta, I am selfish and happy. In my opinion, one does a lot of things for others (one's kids, in-laws, husband), but in that exercise, one may be unhappy. People in the family consider you(Geeta) a #homely girl, and you take that as a #compliment and feel a sense of pride. I don't like such compliments for me. I believe in making work life #balance.”

The secret of a perfect life is how one sets out the #priorities of one’s life.

I said, “Geeta, I wanted to have a career, and I have that today. This is something that I have dreamt of having from a very young age. I have built my career very carefully over the last many years.  This journey consists of hard work, appreciations, #smiles, learnings, insults, tears, and #warnings.”

We all dream of living a beautiful life but we can't have it all the time, as we have to choose. The question is, choose what?. The answer is to sometimes choose our happiness over others.

Moral of Story-No  one can lead a #perfect life. We have to compromise on something, somewhere. You just need to ensure that you don't #compromise on something that you #need the most.

Sukarma Thareja

https://sites.google.com/site/drsukarmaranithareja/home

For STEM poems and Life stories please do read

Science of Life and Nature: A Photo Poetry Collection: Sukarma Thareja: 9781521260067: Amazon.com: Books

Friendship Dynamics

 I was teaching science in a private school. In the #extracurricular class, students wanted to discuss on topic of FRIEND-FRIENDSHIP.

Before the discussion, I asked students some general questions about the topic

The same I am listing below.

1. What are the factors one could choose to make friends

 Some students described friends as #oxygen and life lifeline to each other.

 Students listed the following factors they will not look into while making friends:

 Gender, caste, creed, financial status and good looks, etc.

 Some students who love studying chemistry described friendship as the bonding of one’s heart with another. That bonding could be #electrovalent, covalent or coordinate in nature.

Other students who liked mathematics as a subject described friends as lifelines to each other. But these life lines are special in a way that they are parallel but not #perpendicular to each other. A student who loved studying physics described these life lines as light #intensity is very high, which illuminates friendship in life.

After the discussion with students, I summarized the same in the form of a poem entitled ”Friend-Friendship”. I pasted this poem on the notice board of my school for the benefit of young minds. I am listing the same poem for the benefit of my esteemed readers

Rapport-No Gender

Friends have no caste or creed

Friends have no gender,

 It is just the bonding of one’s heart with another,

 Without telling one, 

Another friend can see one’s heartache.

 Sometimes, in electrovalent, covalent or

 #coordinate form exist this bonding ,

This bonding is so strong, hence in any case,

Definitely, there can be no possible #blunder.

One has no time limit for going with another,

Where, when and why it has no relevant calendar,

Apparently, friends only see wonders,

 In friend ship wonderful bonding,

They never think of leaving each other,

In  circumstances any.

Friends are #oxygen of each other's lives,

 But this gas cylinder has no volume specific,

Friends are life lifeline of each other's lives.

Sometimes these life lines are #parallel in nature,

But they are never #perpendicular,

To each other, that is for sure, 

These life lines give light,

Of intensity #infinity to each other,

And illuminate rapport.

Friends-Friendship dynamics can be 

Of intensity #infinity to each other.

Friends-Friendship dynamics can be expressed,

 In the language of Physics, Chemistry, and  Mathematics. 

Sukarma Thareja

https://sites.google.com/site/drsukarmaranithareja/home

For STEM poems and Life stories please do read

Science of Life and Nature: A Photo Poetry Collection: Sukarma Thareja: 9781521260067: Amazon.com: Books

Does Reminiscences Help

  I was studying in school, it used to be a lot of fun. I believed in doing my homework very# neatly. I used to do other activities at home and would go out to play with my friends in the evening. In co-curricular #activities, I used to take help from my elder sister. Solving difficult #mathematics problems with my friends in free classes was my favourite pastime in school. We used to have #General knowledge quiz once a month. I used to note down important news from #newspaper in a diary to prepare for a general knowledge quiz.

On examination days, many of my friends will come half an hour early to school. That time we will use for #clearing our last-minute doubts about the subject.

As I grew old, I had many sweet and #unpleasant memories stored in my mind. Recollecting all thoughts, I wrote a poem #” positive catalyst”, the same I am listing below for my esteemed readers

Does Reminiscences Help

When I was young, pleasant and sad memories,

 Much of my life was stored in my mind,

But it seems with age my #changing mind,

Has only impressions of those memories,

My changing mind read fold it again.

Oh! what a letter of memories from my mind,

About my friend teachers, #scientist and officer,

I   rejoice in memories of their formal success in life,

Yes! these fond memories fold - #meld my life

My changing mind read fold it again.

During my regular session of #meditation,

I get letters of fond memories,

Of my mother/family preaching from my mind,

Always water plants with respect, please!

  Don’t open water tap full, please!

On the plate, don’t leave any food, please!

Sometimes I get a letter of #fond memories,

 Of my father/family preaching from my mind,

My changing mind read fold it again.

Please stick to merit  and #genuine need,

 Among candidates, who come for help,

Please beware of fake #recommendations,

Please see to it that people don’t take you for a ride,

These memories of   #changing mind, my life they read -fold,

My changing mind read fold it again.

With my child/adult hood memories, in #envelop of life,

Fond memories of my college life give me riddle,

Fond memories of the value education of my mother/father solve my #riddles,

I am confused! How should   I search for a good quality of life?

I am standing at cross roads,

With riddles in both my hands,

Memories of the accomplishment of many milestones in my life,

  Make me happy, but during meditation, my changing mind is changing,

 Has sweet memories of decision-making moments,

When I practiced my mother/father #preaching in life,

These memories act as a Positive #Catalyst to my changing mind,

From good to best, they bring #shift to the quality of my life.

My changing mind read fold it again

Moral of the story- child/adulthood memories, in the envelop of life, give valuable lessons to life. The same act is a positive catalyst in bringing change from good to best in the quality of life.

Sukarma Thareja 

https://sites.google.com/site/drsukarmaranithareja/home 

 Please do read my book listed below for STEM Poems and Life stories

Science of Life and Nature: A Photo Poetry Collection: Sukarma Thareja: 9781521260067: Amazon.com:

  Amazon US link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1521260060 

Amazon UK link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1521260060 https://droplink.co/9XRmTZ

 

Fullest Scientific Life

I  was a science teacher in a Government school. I observed that some of my students have a naturally happy nature. They were cheerful most of the time. Their pleasant personalities made it easier for them to be happy and enjoy life. I also noticed there were students in my class with a personality that's on the grumpy side. They would see faults in people like friends or teachers and situations instead of the good. Their mood is grumpy more often than it's cheerful. They had difficult emotions. As a teacher I always tried to carry out some activity in my classroom teaching to give my students (cheerful, grumpy) a happy learning experience. We know that our body and our emotions can work in tandem; therefore, while doing classroom teaching, I will always try to encourage my students to make a collage of all the diagrams that I taught in the last lecture. I named this activity making educational collages. 

Many students liked this activity and always used to bring those collages to school. As and when time permits, I will paste those collages outside my lab. This activity of making educational collage made my work a little simpler and easier to “hack” my students' mood, who were grumpy, to a joyful mood. I was so happy that all my students started feeling more joyful daily

https://www.milansagar.com/art/sukarma_thareja/sukarma_thareja.html

To make my lesson more effective, I often do science arts writing to train young minds. In my co-curricular activity time, the topic for debate was how to lead the best possible scientific life. Students wrote very interesting answers. Some students were confused if they could have better materialistic things available to them, they would have led a better full life. 

I tried my best to make my students understand that all #materialistic things which we possess cannot be equated to a good life. They are means to lead life. It all depends on whatever resources one is provided with, how one uses them in the best possible way to lead a full, happy, scientific life.

MORAL OF THE STORY- Happiest, fullest scientific life is the feeling of truly enjoying one's life while doing a science experiment, #interpreting results and reporting them in the best possible way.

To make my students understand what  full life is, and how to lead the fullest scientific life, I wrote a poem” Fullest Scientific Life” and pasted it on the notice board of the school. The same poem I am listing below same for my esteemed readers

Fullest Scientific  Life

Scientific Life is such a wide umbrella,

How to get my fullest scientific life,

 I ask this question many times,

To my beloved  soul. 

With a test tube in my hand,

I was in my lab chemistry,

 I realized, to lead the fullest scientific life,

I must concentrate on carrying out,

 My experiment systematically with aptitude scientific,

Not on an experimental quality apparatus,

As Lab ia not just a room ,

It is for mind scientific ,

 Why so asked my soul.

Carrying out a science experiment 

sincerely in a lab,

 Highly equipped lab is like a job, 

Money, position in life, but not life.

 They are means to lead a scientific life.

Most affluent, knowledgeable scientist are not people,

 Who have every experimental equipment in their lab?

Most affluent knowledgeable are scientists and researchers,

 Those who utilize their lab and country resources,

In the best possible way to carry out science,

 experiment in the lab, and remain happy.

This understanding #spontaneous,

 Made crystal clear all my doubts,

We lost all our false fears of scientific life, 

My soul stopped asking

And started doing work scientific 

And gained new directions on how to,

Lead my happiest fullest scientific life.

https://www.milansagar.com/art/sukarma_thareja/sukarma_thareja.html

Sukarma Thareja

 https://sites.google.com/site/drsukarmaranithareja/home 

 Please do read my book listed below for STEM Poems and Life stories

Science of Life and Nature: A Photo Poetry Collection: Sukarma Thareja: 9781521260067: Amazon.com:

  Amazon US link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1521260060 

Amazon UK link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1521260060 https://droplink.co/9XRmTZ

Positive effects of Smile

 I was teaching in school. My student Gunjan was preparing for the JEE-Professional course entrance examination. But due to financial constraints, she was hard-pressed. While many students from school were going by private vehicle to get consultation in subjects chemistry, physics and mathematics in the city. But Gunjan had to take public transport, which made her very tired by the time she got back home.

I noticed that Gunjan looked very tired. I called Gunjan to inquire about the situation. Gunjan said, "Madam, I am not able to do well in the weekly examination at my coaching center. I am worried, Madam. I am wondering if I am doing the right things or unnecessarily wasting my time, money and energy". I said, Dear Gunjan, please do not get disheartened, slowly things will improve. Initially, many times things take time to come at par with expectations of oneself."

After a month, I found that Gunjan looked much better than before. I called Gunjan, she said," Madam, I have  got some improvement in physics, chemistry scores, but in the subject mathematics, I still have to do much work in it."

I said, "I am happy, Gunjan, you are improving in your grades in physics, chemistry. Please keep working, my child. Soon you will get good results in all three subjects."

After one month, I noticed a little smile on Gunjan's face. I was so happy for her. She said, "Madam, I am happy, I am improving in my mathematics examination marks at my coaching center." I advised her to always keep a smile on her face. Gunjan promised me that she will act on my advice and always keep a smile on her face. Gunjan promised me that she will act on my advice.

I found Gunjan was improving in physics, chemistry and mathematics in school examinations also. The best part was that she had a very cute smile on her face. I was very happy with her improvement in her personality. I prayed for her every day.

I noticed Gunjan's smile was creating a chain reaction in class. Whenever she passes a smile to her friends in class, all the class students will pass a smile to each other. It seemed to me a chain reaction of smiles. This cordial atmosphere of class was full of positive energy. It was fun for me to teach chemistry to this motivated class. In my heart, I thanked dear Gunjan for following my request to smile."

The moral of the story is not always a reason to smile. But your(Gunjan) smile is a reason for others to smile too.

Sukarma Thareja

https://sites.google.com/site/drsukarmaranithareja/home

For STEM Poems and Life stories please read

Science of Life and Nature: A Phot o Poetry Collection: Sukarma Thareja: 9781521260067: Amazon.com: Books

Younghood

 My friend Gita was teaching in #private school. Gita got married and went to the US with her husband. In the US, Gita joined a Ph.D #program in #Biotechnology department of the university. Initially, she used to send regular #emails to me describing her university and the quality of #teaching. I was very happy for her. But after one year or so, I suppose she got so busy with her #research assignment that she will hardly get any time to answer my emails.

Suddenly, after a long gap of two #decades, one day I got an email from Gita. She informed me that she is #blessed with a son. I was very happy to hear the good news that she became a mother at the age of 45.

Gita came to India. My family and I were very happy to see Gita, her husband, and her son. Gita looked very graceful and “A Mature” mom.  We had great fun together, and we loved going #swimming. One day, as we were putting on our shoes at the #entrance to the family change room at our local pool, a curious boy of about 5 years asked Gita: “Are you his grandma?” “No,” she explained, “I’m his mom.” The little boy looked confused, and #continued staring. A few minutes later he couldn’t control himself. “Are you sure you are not his grandma?” the boy insisted. “Yes…I’m pretty sure! “said Gita.

 8 8-year-old boy’s face lit up. He thought this was #Hilarious!.  My self Gita, and I came back home. Gita’s son continued to call his mother #grandma for the rest of the day, laughing every time he said it.

I found Gita was very cool and a good mother to her kid. I was so happy to find out that Gita’s #husband also had a young spirit. He would play all sorts of games with his kid. Gita and her husband were #wonderful parents and took care of each and every need of their child. They were good at #micro management and were loved by their kid. Even my children were very friendly with Aunt Gita and her husband.

Moral of the Story-. Some young parents don’t make #great parents. Some #old parents make wonderful parents. So it is not age that matters, but the quality of #parenting that is very important 

Sukarma Thareja

https://sites.google.com/site/drsukarmaranithareja/home

Teaching vs Freelance

 Myself and my friend Radha were teaching in a private school.  School was paying us a good salary, but of course not at to level of Govt. school teacher's grade. Radha was very much upset with this issue. I used to tell “dear Radha, just forget it, dear. Time is not with us, so we should forget this issue for the time being”.

As luck would have it, pandemic 2020 started. School started online classes for students; consequently, school diminished teachers’ pay packets by a significant amount. And Radha, I missed out on teaching our dear student # face-to-face, talking to our other respected teachers in person. Our senior teachers were our # backbone. They gave us such good # advice, which I and dear Radha cherish till today. We were not happy. We were missing out on meeting students, their parents, making friends, and attending educational conferences.

We decided to put our hands on as # freelancers, and it was initially very difficult work for us. We had to   create our own opportunities to socialize, regardless of whether we work at a co-working place or talk to random strangers on the street (which is quite difficult in quite a few pockets of our town).

Some may say, since we were an #introvert & didn’t care about socializing, that’s why we found it difficult. But involving ourselves in freelancing, we realized we still need to interact with people to remain sane. We also understood that one big requirement of freelancing is that one absolutely must have a monetizable skill; unless one can solve someone else’s woes, nobody is going to pay one.

 We were offered multiple job opportunities, but we were hesitant to take them on as the pay packet offered did not make sense to us from a financial perspective.

We were in a fix. We decided to take up private school teaching, and at the same time, as and when we get time, we must learn tricks of #freelancing. With that determination, my dear Radha and I sought blessings of God for unique freelancing!!!

Now COVID is over. My dear Radha, we are down to the big question: should we freelance, or keep teaching in a private school and enjoy the same?

Moral of the Story-Well, even though our experience with freelancing was mostly positive, we would encourage everyone to weigh the pros & cons and test out the freelancing waters.

Sukarma Thareja

https://sites.google.com/site/drsukarmaranithareja/home

For STEM POEMS and Life stories please do read

Science of Life and Nature: A Photo Poetry Collection: Sukarma Thareja: 9781521260067: Amazon.com: Books

Amazon US link :

 https://www.amazon.com/dp/1521260060

https://droplink.co/yOkb

Amazon UK link:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1521260060

https://droplink.co/9XRmTZ