Vishwa Shaanti: विश्वशान्ति

The Zoo Trip!

ubhattacharya — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 00:16:36 +0000

So this is the last and final post…with pictures from our wonderful trip to the Delhi Zoo. It was just a magical day, with a light drizzle, a cool breeze, and a warm sun peeking through the clouds every now and then. It was the very best way to say goodbye…Thank you all for your love and support of our project. We are all very grateful. There are hundreds more pictures and videos, and if you are interested, please leave your details in a comment and I’ll get back to you. A very special thanks to my wonderful family at I House, Berkeley, for their encouragement, and the Davis Projects for Peace Foundation for the generous support that made this project possible. We could not have done it without you.

Doing the head count

In the bus!

Crowds line up @ the Delhi Zoo

The boys check out the (graphic) animals

Picnicking with the Purana Quilla as a backdrop

Group 1 gets ready!

Here's Group 2!

We're fascinated by the deer!

Ummm...maybe we're too close!

The sign's talkin' 'bout ME!

Look, elephants!

The boys try and catch a glimpse of a panther.

The bears' lair!

The bears up close and personal...

OH MY GOD.

Awwwwww

A heartfelt salute!

Phew, what a day!

6th Grade in India and in the US

ubhattacharya — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 18:10:18 +0000

My 10-year-old niece, Isha, who attends 6th grade in New Jersey, visited the orphanage with me recently. Since there were a lot of 6th graders there, we got together as a group and the kids shared their experiences learning languages in the different settings. They talked about books they read, what kinds of tests they had, and topics they liked to write about. The discussions occurred in Hindi, Bengali, and English.

Getting together!

We're the same age!!!!

One student discusses language pedagogy in his Indian classroom

Sharing language learning experience across contexts

Sharing the 6th grade experience in New Jersey

We’re Multi-Lingual!

ubhattacharya — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 20:08:37 +0000

This is one of our coolest videos! The youngest kids get together and talk about their mother tongues, and other languages that are closest to them. The best fun ensues! One child says his favorite language is Hindi because he’s Hindu; one gives us a taste of Bihari, another of Nepalese, and yet another of Bengali. Check it out below!

Farm Animals!

ubhattacharya — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 18:45:04 +0000

After I read them a book on farm animals, we made this video of the kids talking about their favorite farm animals! Check it out below, and watch out for the twist at the end!

A Visit to the Village School!

ubhattacharya — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 18:35:36 +0000

In order to sustain the computer instruction beyond my stay here, we’ve started collaborating with the principal of the village school the kids attend. Check out the pictures of our visit to the school. And my kids would like to know if you can spot them among the students!!!!!

A Tiny Visitor from New York!

ubhattacharya — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 17:35:08 +0000

My tiny 5-year-old niece, Ms. Bela Battu, visiting from New York, came with me to the orphanage yesterday. She and the kids conversed a little. The kids at the orphanage were stunned that she could speak Hindi, Bengali, and English with them, given that she’s “from America.” We worked on farm animals from a FUN book, and the new (related) blog posts are up here: http://vishwashaanti2009.wordpress.com/

Ms. Bela Battu (in pink) visits

New posts!

ubhattacharya — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 14:05:45 +0000

The kids did some more micro-blogging today! Check us out here:

http://vishwashaanti2009.wordpress.com/

I want to be…

ubhattacharya — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 11:35:57 +0000

The kids helped prepare a video-blog about what they want to be when they grow up! We’ve got some Hindi micro-blogs ready to go, but we’re facing technical difficulties, and soon as theyre resolved, we’ll have some Hindi posts up!

The Blogging Begins!

ubhattacharya — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 18:47:00 +0000

After a frustratingly long wait, we were finally able to begin micro-blogging (it’s currently a cut and paste job, but we’ll do live blogging soon!). Though we’ve had tons of fun doing videos (a brand new one coming SOON, with the kids helping to make a stellar “vlog” entry), but now we’ve finally got our micro-blogging site up and running!

Here’s our site, visit us!

http://vishwashaanti2009.wordpress.com/

A New Visitor from New York!

ubhattacharya — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 09:42:01 +0000

We had a new visitor from New York today: my sister, Urmi. She came and spent some time teaching the kids English and giving them some practice in conversational English. We selected a short clip from the visit: