ideas that matter

Some are hardy, some non hardy, Some are perennials, some short lived. Some fruit bearing sweet and sour, Some with foliage of colours light and dark. Some are in excess, some priceless, But You, O Merciful!  take care with Grace, Treating all alike in miscellaneous race. You, O Merciful!are so very kind, Mistakes we make but you don't mind. Plantation and transplantation done most properly, In the pots of free will to spread across. Yet preening and pruning and saving from frost. Throughout the seasons, protecting with mulch,weeding with patience and care utmost. O Dear Majesty! Will we ever grow up to deserve Your Love! Never separated from You, Our Holy Gardener, Beloved Tender, Every breath in your name. The seed that was sown may bring to the Garden ,beautiful flowers to Your Delight. Sweet shade be blessed upon one and all , e ntwined with the sunshine of Your Might!

Just came across this book called  'Calculus Made Easy' by Silvanus P Thompson. Wonderful initiative by the author to bring maths to language and vice versa. I sincerely feel that the teachers need a connection with the students at the language front. We must put some meaningful words into their mouths to help them understand and feel what they're learning. For this we the teachers must for some time or at the onset leave the puritan approach and let our hair loose on the subject. The dogma can be easily replaced be pragma.  Language should be more connecting,  contemporary and comprehensive. For example, for a Hindi medium student entering the college , the word 'arbitrary' which is so frequently used in maths doesn't  have any meaning. He has not used it before and what he used in Hindi also did not come from the language he spoke. The Hindi word for Arbitrary is Abheesht. No better than Arbitrary for the poor soul!  Where is the understanding? So in a way...