In Search of a Better Life: December 2018

Life with a Smart-Phone

I have been in India now for three and a half months. I have a bank account and a debit card, and am in the process of linking this to an electronic wallet in my phone, which is the way most people settle bills - anything from a restaurant take-away delivery to paying a utility bill.

Pay with your phone and it debits your "Electronic Wallet"

In a shop, you just point your phone at the QR code by the check-out.

I am used to getting an OTP (one-time password) on my phone as a security check for almost anything.
If I phone someone and get no answer, I have caught the Indian habit of giving a "dropped call" rather than bothering to leaving a message. You just hang-up and know the other person will see the missed call and ring back. It is all part of learning the universal language of technology

Taking Things More Easily

The last few weeks have been a time of upheaval and hiatus, with the Chief Executive struck down with illness and needing several sessions of deep massage to relieve pains in his arms and shoulders. There was no clear diagnosis of the cause, but there were strong suspicions that it was a result of living a very stressed life with not enough relaxation, combined with poor posture at both the keyboard and the steering wheel.

Both he and I suffer from difficulties in stopping work and taking time off, which is an inevitable consequence of not having any kind of structured timetable. I am finally starting to create some sort of routine, and find that the simple process of setting tasks and completing them helps me relax at other times, without an overwhelming sense of guilt at my perceived laziness.

A Broader Curriculum

Both James and I are passionate to find ways to deliver a wider general education than the state demands. This is a bold decision in the face of the South Asian obsession with tests, exams, grades and certificates. Such is the dominant culture in India, where a first (Bachelor's) degree is the essential initial step in almost any career, even at the most menial level.

Of course, parents in Britain see the same trend as General Knowledge, Music, Art and Craft skills are sidelined out of the curriculum to ensure that teenagers know the essential key facts about a subject and can incorporate half a dozen core statements into their examination answers. Exams become a test of whether students know how to answer an examination question, rather than a test of their knowledge and intelligence.

The Spread of A.I.

When it comes to Intelligence, education everywhere seems to underestimate the reality of Artificial Intelligence, which is rapidly replacing much of the work of Accountants, Solicitors and many general administrative functions in offices.

Sales staff are eliminated as shoppers check out their own purchases.

As for retail distribution, the personal element of the human interface has been virtually eliminated, as people shop on-line or else check out their purchases at automated tills.
The photo is a TESCO's branch in the UK, but retail automation is a global phenomenon.
Here is a link to an article about India's first fully automated supermarket.

What should we be teaching?

My Job Specification (- and I had the luxury of writing it myself - ) is to plan the way forward for our operation. At the heart of our Vision is the provision of education to children who live in the most deprived situations in urban society in Bangalore. What James and I both believe is that we should not be focused simply on the 3Rs (Reading wRiting and aRithmetic,) but - in the face of the advances in Artificial Intelligence - we should look at ways to stimulate creativity, both in the way children approach tasks and challenges, as well as in their approach to the written, visual and audible Arts.
Which leads me on to a project I am currently working on, - getting the children in our After-School Clubs to talk about "Virtues" starting with a dozen weekly sessions
Under the heading of Let's Talk About . . . I have put together topics like The Gift of Helpfulness, The Power of Enthusiasm, Being Truthful, Gentleness and Showing Leadership,and I am excited to see what a group of 9 - 12 year-olds come up with.

The beauty of a project like this is that is blue-sky thinking with no Rights or Wrongs. What I want to achieve is help these amazing kids to learn HOW to think and not simply WHAT to think.

So that's my first big project for 2019 - all the while seeking sources for the funds we need for the ever-increasing numbers of kids who deserve a financial investment in their education, from corporations and benefactors in India or from around the world.

Which reminds me . . .

Could you spare a few pounds this Christmas?

Just click HERE and put it on your plastic.

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The 10th of November 2018 was a very special day for all our children. Building Blocks India had a celebration for Children’s Day with all the children from the 7 centres. This event was made extra special as it marked the 14th anniversary of Building Blocks India.

Children's Day Celebrations

The program started off with a traditional dance by our talented teacher Diana from Gardenia centre, followed by the lighting of the lamp by our dear children representing each of our 7 centres with Andrew Ambat. The children wore beautiful, contemporary and ethnic costumes and treating us to some amazing dance performances to songs of the different languages in our country. Thanks to our teaching staff who did an amazing job with the choreography. The joy, fun and enthusiasm altogether was quite the spectacle!

Over the years since 2004, approximately 1700 children from underprivileged background have been able to receive free education through Building Blocks India. This includes two free nutritional meals per day, free medical care, excursions and special events. In addition, Building Blocks was able to raise sponsorship for our graduates, thereby enabling them to join regular schools and continue their education from 1st to 10th grade. These past years have been a remarkable journey of fulfilment, in seeing the lives of so many children change for the better.

Visitors And Sponsors

The children's day program was attended by many visitors and sponsors from different parts of the world. We had a team of 10 members from Japan headed by Megumi Shimonaka. They are sponsoring 72 of our graduate students under Project+10. Mr. Bob Harvey, has been fundraising and creating awareness through his charity "Escape from Poverty" in the UK for sponsorship of the Project+10 scholars. Ms.Sharon Le Ruez came specially all the way from Dubai to attend this program. Each of our sponsors received a memento in appreciation for their years of support towards the children's education. They were very impressed with the children's ease at meeting people and talking with them. Seeing the children perform, meeting them and spending time with them, gave the visitors and sponsors the assurance that their sponsorship and support for these children is well worth it. Thanks to Team Marriot who sponsored a delicious meal. Thanks to Resurrection church for hosting the program for the second consecutive year. A very special thanks to Bhakti and Rajiv Talreja of Dream Craft Events and Entertainment Pvt Ltd for managing this event and providing the stage , sound, lights, photography, the backdrop and thus transforming the venue into a magical paradise for the children. They have repeatedly done this for the last 4 years, making it a grand success each time.

A heartfelt thanks to you for making all this possible by supporting our endeavours. You have made a lasting impact on each of these children’s lives and we couldn’t be more grateful for your help and support.