THE TRIP OF A LIFETIME- NASA

The much awaited NASA Trip was a gateway to space exploration. We walked the grounds and experienced the journey of the astronauts and their heroic endeavours.
Day 1
The Junior Space School Programme began on the 14th of June at Lyndon B Johnson Space Centre, Houston.The students were introduced to their Space school teachers- Mr Ruben and Mr Dave.They were divided into 4 teams- Red, Blue, White and Silver. Each team was allocated a budget to reinforce the fact that all that they would work on in NASA had to be within the budget. Team Project managers were elected. Then began the briefing on the Mars overview. The JPL [Jet Propulsion Laboratory] Mars landing video was shown. This was followed by a tour to the Mars Yard- an outdoor test facility that approximates Mars terrain. This was followed by a NASA Tour to the Rocket Park. The students then began to work on their Rover Construction Project.
Day 2
We were introduced to another Space School Scientist- Mr. Chris.
The Junior Space School was taken on a tour of the Neutral Buoyancy Lab- the Sonny Carter Training Facility. Here, the principle of neutral buoyancy is used to simulate the weightless environment of space. The Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory, or NBL, pool is 62 meters (202 feet) in length, 31 meters (102 feet) in width and 12 meters (40 feet) in depth -- 6 meters (20 feet) above ground level and an equal distance below ground.
The Astronauts spend seven hours training in the water for every hour they will spend spacewalking during a mission. The pool holds 22.7 million liters (6.2 million gallons) of water.
This tour was followed by Mars Rover Presentation by Silver Team and Mars Lander Presentation by Red Team.
Primary among NASA’s scientific goals is to search for and characterize a wide range of rocks and soils that hold clues to past water activity on Mars. Moving from place to place, the rovers perform on-site geological investigations. Each rover is sort of the mechanical equivalent of a geologist walking the surface of Mars. The mast-mounted cameras are mounted 1.5 meters(5 feet) high and provide 360-degree, stereoscopic, humanlike views of the terrain. The robotic arm is capable of movement in much the same way as a human arm with an elbow and wrist, and can place instruments directly up against rock and soil targets of interest. In the mechanical "fist" of the arm is a microscopic camera that serves the same purpose as a geologist's handheld magnifying lens.
The students had to build a robotic rover that would help to locate and retrieve the Martian rocks most valuable to NASA found on the Martian landscape they set up. This also included the use of a spectrometer as they had to indentify each and every rock they found and make graphs of their spectroscopy.
But undoubtedly the major event of the day was the engineering presentation by NASA Engineer Satish Reddy on Space Shuttles and their launching.
Day 2 ended with designing and creating a Lander which would safely protect the rover, but in this case an egg from the impact of landing on the Martian surface. The students had to make sure that the egg didn’t break during its 3-storey high fall; and also that it landed on the set target.
Day 3 saw the students engaged in purchasing rocket parts and rocket designing. There were 2 presentations on Model Rocket and Communication by White and Blue Team respectively. The students were also taken on a Shuttle Tour inside the visitors’ centre.
Day 4 was packed with rocket competition and Orbital Lofting Presentation.

Day 5 began with the amazing Starship Gallery Tour. into NASA history which houses artifacts, real spacecrafts that have flown in space, and mock-ups that take you on a journey through the history of manned space flight. In the Starship Gallery a number of artefacts can be seen- Mock-up of Goddard Liquid-fuelled rocket Mock-up of Explorer 1, Mercury Faith 7 Capsule, Gemini V Capsule, Apollo 17 “America” Capsule Skylab trainer, Apollo-Soyuz model Space Shuttle model. There are also displays of Lunar Soil collected during the Lunar Missions.
In addition to all these activities we also watched NASA Films- Northrop Grumman’s ‘Inside the International Space Station’; ‘To Be An Astronaut’. The 5 day Programme at Lyndon B Johnson Space Centre ended with a graduation dinner and awards ceremony.
On 19th of June early in the morning at 5 a.m we left Houston for Orlando.The main attractions for our stay in Orlando was Kennedy Space Centre, Disney Land and Universal Studios.At Kennedy Space Station we went through Shuttle Launch Experience, we visited Saturn V centre- the largest rocket ever made. We took a tour of the historic Cape Canaveral. We saw the International Space Station Modules being prepared for launch in September, 2010.We were thrilled to encounter Astronaut Jon McBride and heard firsthand about space travel. At Disney Land we explored Epcot and magic of land of Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Pluto , Donald and Goofy. At the Universal Studios we went through 4D adventures with Spiderman and Harry Potter, the Fury of Poseidon in the Lost Continent, the thrilling water rides of Jurassic Park and of course the world’s greatest rollercoaster ride with the Incredible Hulk.
In addition to all these are of course were bonuses-the shopping sprees and mouth-watering American delicacies.
Our mission ended on the 24th of June when we boarded the Shuttle left the Lunar Orbit entered into the Earth’s Atmosphere. We took our flight back to India.
The NASA Trip was a huge learning experience of how a stubborn species that strived for greatness left its footprints forever on “Tranquillity Base”.

The verdict of the common man

I read an interesting quote by Humphrey Bogart today- "the only thing that you owe the public is a good performance." Keeps one thinking...

What do 2009 Election Results in India reveal? The smart public opinion is in for a new revival and renaissance of Indian politics. The results also mark the triumph of the age old Indian spirit of secularism.Communalism is no more considered and should be considered as a potent force in politics.Democracy and secularism are solutions to violence. Violence breeds in more violence- the Mahatma's weapon of Satyagraha and Ahimsa is a weapon of the weak.

The responsibility of the winners of 2009 Election is a task a million times more difficult than those of the losers.The Congress Party and its allies will have to live up to the expectations of the people. The common man today is no longer interested in flowery elocution ,he wants to see the fulfilment of Rousseau's famous Social Contract- that between the government and the people.

If the Congress has shown promises of rejuvenating Indian politics than they better give it a concrete shape. For the common man today has become more demanding than ever before and dynastic politics is no longer the order of the day.

It also time for old to pass on the batton of leadership and yield place to the young.But this process of transformation will bear fruits only if it involves a knowledge transfer as well.

International Mindedness

International mindedness stems from the understanding of the humanity as a single race .When we recognize this cardinal principal we automatically forget differentiation on the basis of race and religion. History has evidence that internationalism had to and even is still undergoing a struggle against anarchist forces.But more than ever before international mindedness is today one of the vital forces than can tackle global problems.

Sri Aurobindo says:

"There are many tendencies in human life at present which are favourable to the progress of the internationalist idea.The strongest of these favourable forces is.......science".

Scientific thinking promotes the rationalist spirit of man, science draws the human community closer.Therefore an internationally minded individual has essentially developed a scientific temperament.The fact that today religion acts as one of the divisive forces it is imperative for us to realize it is we who have made it so . Historical speaking all religions in History emerged as an attempt to free mankind from tyranny, from dominance or pettiness.

Why is it so important for us as leaders in the field of education to promote international mindedness?

H.G Wells once wrote that human History becomes more and more a race between education and catastrophe.

The two ulcers that are slowly killing this beautiful world are violence and environmental problems.We will be able to solve these problems only when we foster internationalism. We must realise that the world is a global community, the problems are universal and so are its solution.We must realise that today's issues are no longer theirs only,' us and them' has to give way to only 'US'.Scientifically speaking the world is one planet- its problems are universal . Philosophically speaking God created the world , man created nations.

While it is undeniable that nationalism is a positive and strong sentiment, internationalism is the need of the hour. Let us move out of our national identities and let us consider ourselves as global citizens.

Thoughts on leadership

On the eve of elections let us define what true leadership is.Once while browsing through the net and reading blogs I came across this piece of writing…
“Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning in Africa, a lion wakes up. It knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will be starved to death. It doesn't matter whether you are a lion or a gazelle. When the sun comes up, you better start running.”

We live in a world where leadership, flexibility and creativity are keys to excellent performance and –at times– survival.
What is leadership? According Sherman “… contemporary leadership seems to a matter of aligning people toward common goals and empowering them to take the actions needed to reach them.”
Value based leadership is increasingly becoming a popular concept and the current events that have rocked the IT World makes it is unavoidable and even imperative.
Leaders must know what they value. They must also recognize the importance of ethical behavior. Leadership ethics and values should be visible and leaders must live by them. “To lead others one must lead oneself first” said General Arjun Ray.
If leaders do not live by their values distrust among the led is inevitable. People would not know what to expect from their leaders, they would not have a vision to follow , a mission to achieve. Think of our leaders- Gandhiji, Netaji, Swami Vivekananda. These great men defined leadership with their lives.
When a leader chooses the values and ethics that he shall stand for , when he lives by them, he automatically connects with humanity. Leadership then becomes trustworthy. He then articulates a vision that is understandable to the common man. The leader exhibits a strong conviction and commitment in achieving that vision. Ethics and moral principles keep us aligned to our true self. A leader is a harbinger of change. A true leader rises above petty considerations of caste, creed and race. A true leader recognizes only one identity- that of ‘man’
Abraham Lincoln once said,
“Is leadership telling people what they want to hear or taking people where they need to be.”

Welcome Me, Adulthood

Welcome Me, Adulthood

Welcome me, Adulthood, I have venturedthrough childhood with all the wonders and dangers in it.
I have placed my childhood fantasies aside,and picked up hopes of becoming who I want to be.
Embrace me knowledge, I am ready to know more and add to what I know already.I have conquered my fear of the night,now I only fear of becoming nothing.I have stopped pretending to be what I thought I was going to be,and realized that I am only what I make of myself.
I have come down from the land of make-believe,and I have found the strength to believe in me.So when I come upon you, open your arms,and welcome me, Adulthood,for I am headed your way.

by Christina Cooper

The city of Joy

I was in school when I read Dominique Lapierre's The City of Joy.Life not having unravelled its many experiences as a girl in her teens I did not fully understand why Dominique Lapierre referred to Kolkata-a dirty, sweaty , ocean of humanity as a city of 'joy'? I had spent some childhood years in Pondicherry and was least fascinated by Kolkata.

As I grew up and entered into the threshold of Presidency College I got the first taste of freedom. My parental control was slightly relaxed. I loved my college days in Presidency. I began to discover a new love for Kolkata- College Street was filled with excitement- the smell of old books, the addas at Coffeee House and the best of places was ofcourse our own Presidency College Canteen.College Street happened to be the 'raison d'être' for the city of joy. Those who existed beyond the peripheries of Presidency and College Street were hardly considered to be a part of the city of joy.
In the transition from College to University half the charm of the city of Joy was lost - we moved to the Ballygunge Campus of Calcutta University.The Best of my friends had left for other universities or for Civil Service. Without Presidency and without my best friend life was not the same.
Soon I fell in love- real love not infatuation. I again discovered the city of joy- this time it was Gariahat ( our meeting points), Esplanade, Park Street. I rediscovered the city of joy.The city of joy gave us space, shielded us from prying eyes and weaved our dreams. I was happy , I was a new 'me'?
In two years I completed my post graduation, got married and entered into a life which for a time was confusing, less amusing and seemed to be so very suffocatingly serious. I learnt to accept reality, I learnt the values of compassion, humility, acceptability and the realization that I am the builder of my life- I have the choice to be either happy and adjusting or miserable. I was growing up in the true sense of the word. But what happened to the city of joy- it had become a city of day to struggle, apprehensions with very few surprises.
Then on the 11th of May, 2001 came my little bundle of joy- my son Aurodeep. The City of Joy had given an everlasting , eternal source of Joy. I rediscovered all the happiness of life when my baby smiled at me.
When my baby was about a year old I decided it was time to put into use all my education, it was time to go out and do what I always dreamt of since a child- I wanted to be a teacher. I again began a life of struggle - the crucial balancing of career and home . I had all the support of a wonderful family . But the city of joy was kind of disappearing. I heard stories from friends and relatives of the how happy life was if one went out of the city.How I wished we could move to another city for a change.
That is how we came to Hyderabad. I was excited about starting a new chapter in life. We were happy with new jobs and a new life.
But even in times happiness I was trying to understand what was missing. Every joy was incomplete, for days I would wander why was there this sense of loss even amidst so much happiness and comfort. I began to look for this in Tagore's songs- it was like magic, I was back to the city of joy. When out in the streets my ears would strain to catch a few words in Bengali while my eyes would try catching a glimpse of arms wearing the red and white bangles. Kolkata , Kolkata why do you pull me back? Why do you entice me with your magical charm? Realisation- what was it about? The City of Joy had always existed- the rush, the dirt , the traffic, the 'miccheels' , the acceptability, the tolerance made up the city. The joy is not without but within.Kolkata embraces and shelters all.Now when I attend workshops and training programmes I always come across a homesick Calcuttan whose ultimate wish is to go back . Every moment of one's existence outside the city brings a longing for its missing warmth, its cultural richness, its intellect and enlightenment.
My love for the city has matured with age, its a different level of longing. I too am a Calcuttan waiting to go back to my city of dreams, to my city of love.

CHILDREN OF GOD

On the 8Th of February we left for Pondicherry- 22 children and three teachers.This trip was part of a programme called 'Domains of Development' .

We had all types of kids with us- the studious types, the inquirers , thinkers and kinaesthically energetic ones and not to forget the Samurais from Korea.They were kids whose ages ranged from 11 to 13 years. I had strange feelings- anxiety and anticipation.

We boarded the Hyderabad- Chennai train in the evening.And the journey began. Little did I know that I was about to enter into a new chapter of my life as a teacher.

The journey was a hilarious one with kids crying one moment and smiling when the train sped leaving their anxious parents far behind.The girls excitedly hurdled together in a couple of berths.The boys quickly stuffing themselves with deliciously unhealthy food like chips and coke. The Korean Samurai exclaiming that they were hungry and demanded dinner right away(it was around 5 p.m).

I remember Min hopping from one berth to the other with aged co-passengers keeping their fingers crossed.Oh! not to forget the anxious Indian mother who actually feared that her two little kids might be killed by the Korean children- failing to understand that these giant like children are actually babies and innocent like one-year old.The funniest of all incidents was Yahiya turning in school uniform, asking every second where we were and then hopping on to the upper berth and constantly making his presence felt by dropping a variety of things from eatables to shoes. Joon , another Korean glopping his entire Korean food before Min could lay hands on it.

This is how we began our journey- heart filled with joy and anticipation.It was indeed one of the most beautiful trips I ever went on. Packed with rich educational experiences the children became aware of sustainable living, environmental concerns and responsibilities of global citizenship.I too learnt that education was a life long unending process.

But what did the trip do to improve me at a personal front? My children taught me that each of them were tiny diamonds waiting to be polished.I understood the meaning of love, empathy. Their laughter lightened my spirits. Yahiya taught me patience and tolerance and always doing things with a smile. I still remeber that little conversation I had with him - on our way back Yahiya came and sat next to me and asked if I could guess how much pocket money he had spent on the trip. I replied, 'some 3000' maybe. "No", he said," I had only 500 with me and spent 200 . Mom had advised me not to waste money so that she could give it to me for a second trip." I was speechless this child has the vision of a great man.
During our trip to the ravines we had to cross deep gorges in the canyon. I am terribly scared of depth or height.There my dear little Samurai warriors came to my rescue, they helped me cross and waited patiently for me till they were absolutely convinced I was safe. There was a time when I could not go to a certain point at all , Hoon and Seyeong actually brought back a piece of a 100 year old fossil for me saying "It is for you teachaar." Once while we were all rushing down to the dinning area for activities in the guest house, Jin Sil actually waited for me till I locked the door, it was dark and the floor was deserted. Look at the love filled heart that she has.All the other girls- Archana, Suchita, Ifra, Jyotsna were wonderful and filled the 7 odd days with fun and laughter. Charitha was perhaps the funniest of all , she would keep dropping things from her hand , but she always had that beautiful smile that she would helpless give whenever disaster struck- my heart would melt. Priyanka taught me how even silence speaks.Swetha was another happy soul. She had barely joined school a couple of day's back and it was as if I had known her for ages.The boys were fun too- Rohan and Anish the eternal inquirers, the mister 'whys'.Rahul our official photographer moving with camera. Ravikaanth with is ultra round eyes adding humour and Shim busy eating every type of food with his special Korean sauce.
I'll treasure these memories for the rest of my life.