CHILDREN BUILD CONFIDENCE INDULGING IN CREATIVE PURSUITS

Creative pursuits like drama, piano, public speaking, Bhratanatyam, guitar etc, help children build confidence. They become more articulate. They are able to express themselves before an audience. 

There are no class barriers. All parents are keen on their children acquiring a range of skills from drama and public speaking to foreign languages and the arts. In international schools such programmes are integral to the culture.

In an intensely competitive world, many believe that excelling in academics alone might not be enough. The growing focus on all round development encourage parents to look beyond conventional academic pursuits.

The objective is to expose the children to myriad experiences until they turn twelve. It helps them  discover their interests and develop multiple skills. Many parents perceive, these pursuits will help their children stand out and strengthen their applications especially to the foreign universities.

Extracurricular activities help to build a holistic profile. It is verymuch useful for students applying to US Universities. These activities carry less weight than academic achievements in other popular destnations like UK and Australia.

It is the fact  that today's parents recognise the importance of a well rounded education. They take pride in supporting their children's creative pursuits and holistic development. They value exposure to performing arts alongside academics. Parents must expose children to different experiences. But they must give them permission to discover what they genuinely enjoy.

Enrolling children in several programmes solely because of peer pressure or FOMO (fear of missing out) can strain both family finances as well as children's well being. There is a difference between encouraging a child to explore something new and insisting that they pursue it simply because it looks good on an application or build a particular skill. Parents should prioritise activities based on the child's aptitude, interests and developmental needs rather than social expectations.

When children are very young, it is fine to enrol them in several activities. By the time they are 9 or 10, parents must have a sense of return on investment (ROI). They must guage the child's interest in an activity and assess if the child could excel in it.  Once it comes to light parents must narrow the focus to one or two pursuits instead of spending for multiple activities.

The pursuits can be costly. Spending more will not necessarily translate to better outcomes. Parents need to budget carefully, prioritise activities and decide how many programmes they can reasonable afford. They have to prioritise one or two  activities, esimate all associated costs and make monthly provisions.

They have to include such expenses in the monthly budget without compromising on essential savings, retirement planning or the child's higher education corpus. For instance, if the allocation is 10% of the household budget for education, please take care to putting aside an additional 5-10% for extracarricular activities.

A leaner, more focussed list of activities could work in a child's favour when applying to foreign universities than a lengthy list of activities. Selective US universities that employ holistic review read the whole application looking for sustained commitment with real achievement. One or two pursuits taken seriously are easier to explain and substantiate in an apllication than a long list.

Activities like drama, music and public speaking nurture confidence, creativity, communication skills and emotional resilence. They build healthy coping mechanisms. Although they may strenghten applications to the universities, their real value lies in preparing children for life. 

Preethi Kulkarni write in The Times of India of 12th November 2026

MARATHON AFTER SIXTY

 

Paul Padinjarekkara, during his school days at Neendapara, used to run 8 km to school and back. He did that because he was afraid of arriving late and being chided by his headmaster. He derived his endurance from that. It prepared him for his marathons later in life.

Neendapara is a quaint village tucked between Kothamangalam and Idukki and ringed by hills.

Running is a way of life for Paul or Paulettan who is 71 advancing to 72. He ran his full marathon, days after retirement in 2014 as a Superintendent Engineer at the Cochin Port Trust. He was 60. He ran from his house in Maradu, Kochi on his 62nd birthday to Neendapara, a distance of 62 miles. It brought back childhood memories. 

He has clocked over 44000 km in 12 years.

He eats 5 eggs every day. It is for his protein. Health, according to him, is the greatest wealth. He says, "Fancy designations and fat pay cheques count for nothing if your body is not in order. It is important to indulge in some physical activity."

He adds, "To prepare for full marathons, you need to clock at least 100 km in the week before the event."

He plans to run his 200th Marathon at Kollam on 13th November 2026 at the age of 71.

He had completed his 199th full marathon (42.2 km) in Alapuzha on 11th November 2026. He says, "Nobody in this state has completed 200 full marathons." He is scheduled to run his 500th half marathon on 30th December 2026, the day he turns 72.

His recent runs are a part of the state govt's "Operation Toofan," the state wide anti drug campaign. 

He signs off,"Drugs are a menace to the siciety. Through my runs, I want to spread this message among the youth."

Vishal Menon writes in The Times of India of 13 November 2026

TAKING A BREAK

In the good old days, jobs were hard to come by.  Once you somehow manage to get in somewhere you stayed put there. There were no options

Those days are now gone. People have no hesitation in throwing their jobs.  They qualify it, "Taking a break."

Then they find another placement.

The environment is similar everywhere. You will have comparable conditions wherever you are. The pressure will not fade. The major difference would be the scale. You may be posted lower or higher.

It would be evident when you come across the macro, hailing from the micro. But be confident, when you draw from your entire attributes, you are going to suceed at the highest level.

Your wide exposure is the greatest asset.. You would be backed by your skills with which you had performed well in the job you just had left behind.

The strengths you have acquired will help you go forth.without blemish.

Go ahead. Showcase your skills.

Achievements would cascade.

GAMESMANSHIP OF ANGELO DUNDEE, TRAINER OF CASIIUS CLAY

Cassius Clay had been exiled from boxing for four years.

His rebellion against the establishment, sparked when he opposed the Vietnam draft with the stinging barb, "I ain't got no quarrel with 'em Vietcong," had kindled it.

Prior to the rustication, he had two fights with Henry Cooper, the British Champion. The first was in 1963. Henry had been famous for his dreaded left hook (hammer). 

Cassius Clay was a braggard. He had backed his claims with heavy punches. And it had floored the opponents with blinding speed. 

Clay went to London to garner points to face the reigning champion, the scary Sonny Liston.

The fight is remembered for trainer Angelo Dundee's gamesmanship. It saved the day for Clay and kept him in business for future.

It would have been another story if the fight had turned out differently.

Clay had mocked Cooper like he did to all. He predicted to end it in five rounds.

But Henry's left hook had put Clay on the backside in the fourth round. He later revealed, "It made me feel as if I had gone back and visited all my ancestors in Africa."

It was akin to a knock out..

But a small split in the seam of one glove that  Angelo Dundee, his trainer,  had seen before the fight, but refrained presciently for an emergency, was then put to good use. 

As Clay "slumped on his stool like a sack of potatoes," Dundee stuck his finger in the split and made it bigger. He requested the referee for a change of gloves.

It earned Clay precious seconds to return to his senses.

He recovered to batter Cooper.

A year later, Clay shocked the world, defeating Liston twice.

He embraced Islam.

Muhammed Ali, formerly Cassius Clay, became the most famous man on earth

Subodh Ghildiyal writes in The Times of India 12thNovember2026

FARAKKA BARRAGE, KOLKATA, ABHIJIT BANERJEE

 

Kolkata was a river port. In the 18th and 19th century, it grew rich in agricultural exports - jute, cotton, indigo and opium. It was a thriving market for indentured labourers. 

Kolkata was, for long moment, the wealthiest city in Asia. It had been India's capital.

The Kolkata port went into a slow decline because,

1. The Trade in the commodities became a less important part of world trade.

2. The rise of industrial substitutes for jute, indigo etc.

3. India stopped selling opium

To make matters worse, there was the gradual silting of the Hooghly river. It was difficult for larger ships to go upriver.

Kolkata, with its jute and cotton industry, had become a transportation hub where railways brought commodities to be put on ships. As the port was not doing well, it declined. 

Investment had slowed down because globally there was less and less appetite for smoke-stack industries right inside people's living quarters. Industries and jobs started moving out. The quick influx of refugees after the partition of India had made the city less livable. 

Though there were discussions on the necessity for the revival of the city, the planners were looking for the revival of the port. But it could not take off due to pure geography - lower Bengal was as flat as flat can be. There was no force in the water to clear away the silt. 

The policy makers pinned their hopes on the Farakka barrage that would divert water from the Padma into the Hooghly to flush out the silt. The Faarakka barrage was universally celebrated. It came with a railway bridge. It brought the mountains and momos of Darjeeling close. But the barrage could not perform what was perceived. The debris of the failed venture remain. Bangladesh still resents the fact that we grabbed "their' water.  

Farakka was too far away. And nobody had accounted for the growth in the size of cargo ships.

The Port died.

Abhijit Banerjee, the Nobel laureate, writes in The Times of India of 6th November 2026.. 

FATHER WRITES TO SON

 

Dearest Son,

I am going to my suggestion that you ought to start writing on your travels and on the opening of 20 or more of your organisation's offices. 

It's just the beginning.

You can also reminisce on your entry into the organisation and the struggle to survive. 

Without passion or emotion.

Your extensive reading has already equipped you with style.

Why I suggest this is because end of the month you'll be completing three months'  honeymoon period of your total freedom from the organisation.

You have already done two things.

Taken up the responsibility of overseeing your son's studies.

Taken up looking after your health.

But if you don't go for creative work you'd become jaded, because the grey matter needs nurturing. And consistent refurbishment. 

The meaning is you have to challenge yourself to get the best out of you, and you have to keep on refining yourself and your capabilities.

You are brilliant. The brilliance should not be allowed to wither. You have to learn, unlearn and learn.

In the modern times if you have to stay relevant, you have to strive hard to reinvent yourself every moment of your life.

Please wake up and march ahead.

Love

Papa

THE 2016 TODDLER