- Brian
Mendonça
I was invited to
judge the annual Inter-school elocution competition 2019-20 at Manovikas School, Margao. The experience left me humbled.
The children of
middle school (Classes 5th to 7th) spoke eloquently on
the three topics assigned. The first was
‘Getting Back to Nature: Go play outside instead of playing with video games.’
The second was ‘Education-- Changing society, one child at a time.’ Finally, the
last topic was ‘Is Making Money the Same as Being Successful?’
Particularly for
the last, I was very glad that most, if not all, students begged to differ. They
pointed out that happiness was a journey, not a destination. One of them quoted
A.P.J. Kalam saying, ‘Money can buy you a bed, but not sleep.’ Others decried
the fact that, in most cases, money is seen as the same as being successful. ‘Follow your passion, not your pay-check,’
counselled a student.
Many students
had put in a lot of research in preparing their speeches. The duration was
three minutes. A warning bell would be
rung at two and a half minutes. Students were instructed not to come in their
school uniform. Each contestant wore a number which was scored by the judges on
criteria like speech development, delivery, content, language and voice. There
were 30 contestants. Each school could send two contestants. They would compete
individually as well as for the school trophy. The trophy would be given to the
school whose contestants emerged with the highest combined score.
‘Getting Back to
Nature,’ was also a favourite. One student was dressed in play clothes and
invited the audience to go outside and play. The tepid response gave her
the cue to marshal her argument. ‘We have traded our green time for screen
time,’ thundered another. The young speakers spoke confidently about the
radiation hazard caused by smart phones and the appalling effect of games like
PUBG.
We were reminded
of the term Nature-Deficit Disorder coined by Richard Louv from the persuasive novel Last Child in the Woods. ‘We
are raising a generation of children under protective house arrest,’ bewailed
another. Einstein was quoted as saying, ‘Play is the highest form of research.’
Another student reminded us that if Newton had not gone into the garden, he
would not have discovered the theory of gravity.
The words of
Malala Yousafzai were enlisted to prove that education makes a difference, ‘One
child, one book, one teacher, one pen, can change the world.’
It was ennobling
to be in the presence of such bright minds, the future of our country. They
were not cynical like many adults, and believed in themselves as agents of
positive change. With much cheering from a select audience they proceeded to
present their vision of a better tomorrow. They had the courage of their
convictions.
I came away with
Megan Tyler’s words, quoted by a contestant, ringing in my mind, ‘If you are
doing life with a light and free heart, you are doing right.
-----------------------------------------------------
Photo of the Principal, Manovikas Secondary School, Ms. Srabonee Thakar, PTA, staff, judges and contestants at the Manovikas School auditorium on 27 June 2019. Courtesy Manovikas School. Published in Gomantak Times Weekender, Panjim, Goa on Sunday, 7 July 2019.
Comments