தாம்பரம் அகத்தி சார்ந்த இரண்டு குடும்பங்கள் கர்நாடக மாநிலம் பெல்காமில் நடந்த பள்ளி கல்வியில் இருந்து விடுவிக்கப்பட்ட குழந்தைகளின் இந்திய அளவிலான கூடுகைக்கு ( ஜனவரி 2023 ) சென்று வந்ததின் அனுபவ பதிவு.

Un-schoolers meet-

The un-schoolers meet was setup in a beautiful location with lots of spaces for the children to play. It is a groomed up space for events and marriage functions. Lined up teak trees, a big pond to go around, a swimming pool overlooking a mango orchard, big lawns sunlit during the morning and evening time. A big hall to have presentation. It is a well-planned space with a view from everywhere. It was a luxury by any standards for a children's event.

There were too many sessions at the same time. One has to be picky to attend a particular topics though others might also interest you. Most of the parent we met have started unschooling in the recent times particularly after corona lockdown. In fact the pandemic made the unschooling more appealing for even the middle class parents. So their questions were based out of fear or anxiety towards their children and themselves. Some of the parents have difficulty being not social themselves. so when you have a child whom you are not sending to school, it adds to the complexity of dealing with the immediate relatives and the society they live in. At the same time we saw also very cool parents who doesn't give a fig for anything and they have taken a firm decision for their children not to send to schools keeping in mind the bad experience they have gone through in schools as a child. In every session there were very few parents who came with insightful observations others were repeating what they had studied in books or heard about the unschooling. Personally what I found was that the parents who are living their life to their satisfaction are themselves role models to their children no matter what they pursue to do.

My take-away from the Un-schoolers meet are-

Self-awareness is the most important thing for an individual to pursue passion in his/her life. Trust and respect for the child is very important than anything else and all that matters at the end of it is how you are in harmony with your children, that's what as a parent one must focus on and nothing else including academics matters.

When a child pursues what interests them their performance is at a rocket speed. As a parent you do not have to anything to make them study. You don't have to keep looking for resource instead one has to become a resourceful person.

Some of the things we enjoyed -

Both adults and children dancing to a peppy music is the first thing to do in the morning Sitting under the warm morning sunlight in a beautiful open lawn

Swimming every day in the afternoon

Watching children play carefree

Children presenting their home-schooling journeys with all their vulnerabilities revealed Children's mela Children singing with karaoke in the evenings Uncompetitive games played both by adults and children

There is a lot of scope to improve. When all said and done the meet still remains an exclusive event. It can work towards making it inclusive and reach out to economically disadvantaged families who wants to try unschooling but not able to because of lack of guidance.

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A beautiful deer with 2 cubs inside its belly and a horn that is linked to the trees possibly in its home (forest) which keeps it alive (rather every one of us alive.) There are birds around it to keep company. This picture evokes many stories inside one's mind. The deer could be just grazing in the forest or it could be also in fear about its vanishing home as most of the forest surrounding belgaum are being brought down for mining and for timber. When meena is placed against this background she too becomes a part of the eco-system with all its characteristics.

Actually it's a beautiful painting drawn by a highly skilled artist with an intense sensitivity. When taken in a beautiful morning light the picture looks amazing. Question that comes to my mind is will it create this same wow feeling without the deer painting, the morning sunlight and meena?. Is it possible to draw something as beautiful without the deer, birds existing in real?. Shyamala had the instinct to go and see the painting though it was not clearly visible from where we were standing and felt it should be snapped. she took this photo in belgaum railway station when we got down in the morning. All this while I was busy calling a cab to reach the destiny where the un-schoolers meet is going to happen. when returning back too both meena and her mother have noticed the painting which I come to know only when they were talking about it at home. I was just wondering why when my mind is not busy calling a cab too failed to see this beautiful thing in front of me.

We adults are constantly in some distractions, it's a life disease without us being aware that it is. Wherever we go we take our baggage (vanity, fear and overconfidence) along with us. We are always striving towards reaching somewhere and achieving something and as a result keep perpetuating the fear of failure and anxiety to everyone surrounding us . We do not give any time simply to observe anything around us. We do not enjoy the moment. We are always filled up with questions and seek answers which never satisfies. - Com Balamurali