Dove - Evolution Commercial (higher quality)

Reload!!!

Due to some glitch on Blogger Site, some of my uploaded photos are not showing up. I’m uploading a few of them again in addition to few new snaps. Comments are welcome.

Cutie Pie:

Flowers in the window:

 

Random Collection:

 

Photographed by Aravind Prakash, Bangalore.

SUTRADHAR - Resource centre

Location:    

“SUTRADHAR”

59/1, 3^rd Cross, 10^th A main,

Indira Nagar 2^nd Stage,

Bangalore-560038

On the 6^th of July 2010, we visited SUTRADHAR  as a part of  subject study on methods and materials for working with children. The main objective of this visit was to understand the various toys in the market designed to aid the developmental appropriateness of the child, the materials, methods used in making them, the values promoted by the toys and most importantly the need for toys as a medium of nourishing the learning process in a joyous way.

Puppets

ABOUT SUTRADHAR:

SUTRADHAR is a registered charitable trust which deals with sourcing various learning materials and developmental aids, science kits, books and toys from 150 groups across the country and reaches out to various organizations, learning centers and institutions. It believes in promoting education through toys, games, teaching aids and other medium to stimulate a natural urge for learning and holistic development in a child. It was opened on children’s day in the year 1955 by Mandira Kumar, who held a degree in educational media from Harvard and worked as a coordinator for CRY. SUTRADHAR is primarily funded by Dorabji Tata Trust and supported by various other organizations like PLAN India, Sir Ratan Tata Trust, Ashoka Innovators for the Public, CRY-Child Relief and You, Amar Foundation, ICICI CONCERN India Foundation, ASHA and many others who contribute to their work.

            SUTRADHAR grew from an urgent need to respond to the scarcity of new, innovative ways and materials to be used as educational aids for children. The main focus is on the first 8 years of a child’s life as that is the most crucial stage in development. They achieve their goal by reaching out to educators, caregivers, and parents through their educational games, toys, workshops, story telling sessions, and other vibrant resources as they believe a motivated teacher or a caregiver has a potential influence on children.

OBJECTIVES:

1)      To promote good quality, diverse educational media, particularly with creative materials relevant to the Indian culture and context.

2)      To disseminate materials produced by educational non-profit groups.

3)      To design curriculum and materials sensitive to the needs of the marginalized children.

4)      To allow for the continuing growth of educators by providing opportunities for interactions, reflection and debate.

5)      To invite greater public participation and to bring together the various community resources in meeting children’s educational needs.

            At their store the aids were arranged as per the age group or usage of the aid. The different category in which they were segregated are as follows:

BIRTH – 2 YEARS: Mobiles, balls, music, cloth toys, rattles, activity quilts, stacking, nesting, manipulative, push and pull toys.

2YEARS – 4YEARS:  Bead threading, blocks, puzzles, manipulative, construction blocks, jenga, stamps, stencils matching and pairing toys.

4YEARS – 6YEARS: Alphabets, word concepts, concentration cards, numbers and operation.

6 YEARS – 10 YEARS: Science, math resources, tool language cards, games, puzzles, do- it- yourself toys.

Teacher’s kit: It consists of a range of materials and aids for children to foster learning Math’s, language, crèche, Montessori early learning, special needs, value education, gender and sexuality, science and environment.

The other teaching materials displayed on the shelves of sutradhar were:

Construction kits – these promotes eye hand co ordination, arrangement, balance techniques.

Cloth toys like mobiles, puppets, quilts, books, etc

Kitchen sets and other sets that promote dramatized play.

Conversational flash cards which are used for language and cognitive skills.

Puzzles, matching box, teachers and parent’s manual, etc,

A plenty of colorful educative calendars made of cloth teaching about time, weather, alphabets, numbers etc.

Traditional toys like wooden toys, dolls, play sets which are mainly made of natural materials which give a child an insight into traditional clothes, occupations, etc.

           

            This visit introduced me into working with the available materials in different ways which could help manipulate an object in different ways and use it for teaching through play without having to invest a lot of money in the making of these aids. Also while designing a toy an important aspect is on making the toy acceptable for the child to willfully include in his play and the child will use it in ways beyond it was meant to be used. Another important aspect of designing a toy is to keep it open ended as it allows the child to explore on his own which indirectly fosters creativity and learning.

DASTKAR - Nature bazaar - Bangalore

Hi friends, its been a very hectic three months on the personal front. Also a lot has happened over these three months. Over the three months I've about 8 posts in my drafts which are awaiting to be completed and find a place for itself in the web world. I start with my visit to Dastakar which happened last month.

 Dastkar is a registered non-profit Organization that is dedicated to enhancing the economic and social well being of India's craftspeople, helping to preserve the rich craft heritage of our country. Working all over India, Dastkar's primary objective is to empower the artisans to use their inherent skills as a means of employment, income generation and economic self- sufficiency alongside preserving our traditional and cultural heritage, which is now taking a toll with extensive urbanization.


            This year the Dastkar – nature bazaar was held at Palace ground Gayatri Vihar entrance, starting from 6^th of august to 15^th august.

            The entrance ticket was prized at Rs 20/-. The nature bazaar truly bedazzled people with its old world charm of a mela, which came alive in the warm and fresh colors of nature. The hues of yellow, orange, green covered up the prominent areas of the grounds. The stalls added their vivid colors to the mood of celebration bringing to life the hidden arts, crafts textiles and the people behind it all.

            As a part of a study in Indian Textile and Costumes we had to visit this crafts fair to see the textiles and the various embellishing techniques from all over the country. The attraction in the fair this year was the active participation by a near 120 groups of NGO’s, artisans, independent designers working with traditional art, selling terracotta, wood works, antique jewellery, metal work, textiles, puppets, traditional toys, natural soaps oils and lotions, beadwork, bamboo work and a lot more which took everyone by awe. The attempt to include workshops was a wonderful initiative by Dastkar as it gave the visitors hands on experience to attempt in creating art works which included bead work, clay modeling, tile making, kite making, puppets with paper Mache, Madhubani greetings, etc. I personally tried my hands on making puppets and a bead work butterfly. It also gave me an opportunity to interact with the artisans who so passionately love what they are doing and are satisfied with it. Added to that, I met a few equally passionate art enthusiasts who have been returning to the fair just to be a part of the various workshops and other cultural events. The cultural dance, songs and puppet shows were also a few added attractions.

                                                                                                

STALLS AT DASTKAR:


The numerous stalls at Dastkar were all very colorful and informative. My two visits to Dastkar fell short to visit all the stalls. Here’s a little gist of the nature bazaar, which was like a breath of fresh air. Focusing on the textiles at Dastkar there were government aided organization, non governmental organizations, self help group, independent artisans community and designers who had put up various stalls selling saris, bedspreads, dress materials, table covers, furnishings and a lot more.
            The Tussars of Bagalpur and Bihar, the embroidery of Kutch and Kathiawar, Kora silk with brocade work, zari work  from Uttar Pradesh, Lambani embroidery and jewels from Sandur, Chanderi, Maheshwari from Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu cotton saris, Pochampalli, the block printed embroidered and woven textiles of Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat filled up the space with an array of colors, textures and designs.

The stalls at the food court brought with them the delicacies from different parts of the country. There were cuisines from Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Hyderabad, Delhi, and many others.

VARIOUS STALLS:

·         Dastkar Ranathambore Rajasthan

·         Saathi Chattisgarh

·         Nierja Cotton and village industry Bangladesh

·         Kayan Joshi Rajasthan

·         MI Karigar MP

·         Swadeshi Joy from Goa

·         Devaji Vilji Siju Canker Gujrat

·         Mohammad Ali Mohammed Khatri Gujarat

·         Kutch Mahila Vikas Sangathan Kutch

·         Asif Milan UP

·         Suresh handprint Rajasthan

·         Jai Chamula/ Ahir Lakni Dana Bain Gujarat

·         Sri Govind Arts from Rajasthan

·         Karam Marg (Jugaad) Delhi

·         Parampara Janaseva Sangha Karnataka

·         Himjoli Delhi

·         Jenab Kazi Ishaaq Mohammud Rajasthan

·         Chaubandi Rajasthan

·         Dastakar Andhra AP

·         Sandur Kushala Kala Kendra

·         Berozgaar Mahila Kalyan Sanstha

·         Vankar Kantilal Samat Gujarat

·         Ramananda Basak WB

·         Vasundhara Gramottan Samiti Rajasthan

·         G.V. Sarees Tamil Nadu

·         Anirudh Devangan Chattisgarh

·         Aagora Dagra Afad Assam

·         Sadhana Seva Mandhir Rajasthan

·         Bapali Kosta Weaver’s Cooperative Society Ltd. WB

·         Kiran Kashmir

·         Gopal ganj Silk Utpadak Prathmik Bunakatr

·         Hastakala alankaran Shilp WB

·         SURE Rajasthan

·         Nasir Ahmed UP

·         Kadam WB

·         Desert Craft Rajasthan

·         Haji Anisurrelium from UP

·         Kullu Karishma HP

·         Sailesh Harizan Hastshilp Bihar

·         Decentralized Cotton Yarn trust AP

Under its colorful umbrella and the open air set up it brought with it the rich handicrafts of our country right into the heart of the city, giving us an experience of the different states and villages which is the true soul and the wealth of our nation. Walking out of a fair like this has always left me with a proud patriotic feeling of love for my country and more so, on my last visit to Dastakar as it was also the 63^rd Independence Day of our country.

P.S: If you didn't make it this time, fret not, DASTKAR comes to town every year. Make sure YOU DON'T miss it the next time its here.

The first 7-12 months

I was going through a few sites on child development to understand the characteristics of children aged between 7-12 months. I came upon this article, which instantly reminded me of avni- my friend's daughter. I m sharing this one, specially for you arch and avni :) enjoy reading it... love!

How I Grow

• I may walk, but I still prefer to crawl. It’s faster!

• I may also try to do other things while I’m walking, such as wave to you or pick up my favorite blanket.

• I stand by pushing up from a squatting position.

• I climb up and down stairs, if I have a chance.

• I may even be able to climb out of a playpen or crib.

• I hold things with one hand while I’m doing something else with the other hand.

• I insist on feeding myself.

• I use my hands to remove lids from jars.

• I use my index finger to point to things.

How I Understand

• I remember more because my memory is getting sharper.

• I hunt for a toy and, even if I don’t find it right away, I can remember where I saw it last.

• I keep trying to do something and may even solve the problem through trial and error.

• I follow simple directions and understand most things you say to me.

• I have favorites among people and toys.

How I Feel

• I feel great that I have a personality all my own.

• I’m developing a sense of humor and think a lot of things are funny.

• I still don’t like being separated from you and am relieved when you return.

• I feel secure and happy eating meals with my family.

• I feel and show love and affection to my favorite people and things.

How I Respond

• I trust people I know well.

• I imitate people, even if they are not around.

• I’m still afraid of strangers and unfamiliar places.

• I am very definite about my likes and dislikes.

How I Talk

• I repeat words I know. It’s good practice.

• I babble away in phrases that sound like sentences.

• I make up my own words to describe objects or people.

• I may not talk as much once I walk well.

• I use one word to express a whole thought.

www.extension.org