As a child, I was taught that there are four seasons - spring, summer, autumn and winter.
Summer and winter were easy enough to understand, and I even accepted that winter "snow" and "snowmen" were actually possible. "Spring" I took to be the season just after the monsoon -- the monsoon bringing rain and renewal. Growing up in the city of Mumbai, I was always confounded by "autumn"; each time I saw a brown leaf (yes you do see a few leaves even in Mumbai), I would be convinced the season had arrived.
Which brings me to my point. Why was I, and why are Indian children, taught that there are four seasons? We have three seasons -- two standard ones (summer and winter) and then one that others don't have -- monsoons! The monsoon -- life-giving, glorious at times and fearsome at others, is also closely linked to the economy and quality of life in the country.
When will we learn to accept and value what is ours, instead of blindly following others?
Funny you brought this up,.... My son had to learn about India for one term while studying at UK.... whose legacy we are following in our education system. There, he was taught that in India... we have summer, winter and Monsoon.... with a lot of emphasis on monsoon.
ReplyDeleteBTW have you noticed our schools' craze in having blazers as part of uniform.... kids have to wear this"torture" in peak of summer.