SOME PUBLISHED ARTICLES

Descriptive Writing -

The moment I stepped off Manhattan’s canal street subway station, I could feel the zeal of Chinatown seep in. Not only were my eyes overwhelmed by the surging public, but so were my ears. The background noise was a constant clatter of people communicating in assorted languages. Shops lined either side of the streets. Shopkeepers stood outside their respective stores luring customers in by presenting their unique sales pitches.

“COME Madame……..COME Madame, I show you cheap bag……..NICE cheap bag.” The shopkeeper stood next to me, his tone resembling that of a stalker enticing a child with candy. When I didn’t respond he patted me on the shoulder, adamant that I enter his shop where he claimed to have placed his secret treasures – counterfeit brand name bags at bargain prices. He appeared to be in his mid-forties, Chinese in descent with a cleft on his chin. He had snippets of hair scantily arranged over his skull – almost like sun-burnt grass sprouting from set soil.Taken aback by his aggressiveness, I very firmly said: “No Thank You.”

Walking along the street I noticed the diversity of offerings on sale - perfumes, handbags, watches, chinese healing stones, sun glasses and many others. The healing stones were available in all sizes and colours. One shopkeeper claimed that the black amber stones could improve kidney function, eliminate white hair, sharpen memory and also rectify the disorder associated with ringing ears! Can you believe it?

On my left lay Mulberry Street – the hub of Chinatown’s seafood market. I had no intention of stopping there, but after seeing so many peculiar looking sea creatures – large ones, small ones, placid ones, feisty ones --I decided to take a peek. Some hung from steel poles while others lay resting on wooden tables, buried under layers of soft, smooth ice resembling perfectly spread icing on cake.

Large circular tubs placed underneath these tables contained the finer selections of fish. These were small (about 5 cms in length), silver and shiny. Very shiny. Some blinked momentarily, as though still partially conscious despite being away from their natural habitat. Older Chinese women gazed at them in delight as if they were some newly discovered diamonds – scrutinizing their ins and outs with their bare hands. Only after severe inspection and satisfaction (optimum satisfaction could be known by nodding of their heads) did they consider purchasing.

The overpowering fish stench was a cause of concern for some visitors – few had covered their nose with a hanky while others only had an expression of disgust on their faces yet did nothing to alleviate the odour from their surroundings. Rather, were so engrossed by the fascinating display of the waterworld that their visionary receptors at times overpowered their sense of smell. The ones who appeared least traumatized by it were the fish-sellers who had possibly become immune to it.

Shoes - The Essence Behind Manhood
Original version published in Gulf News, U.A.E

Shoes can complement an outfit, but they serve a greater purpose. They reflect our unique sense of style, taste and at times reflect our ancestral ties. Bata Shoe Museum is North America's most unique shoe gallery where every shoe holds a distinct historical and cultural appeal. The museum holds over 10, 000 pairs of shoes from across the world and through the ages.

Artifacts on display vary from Chinese, Egyptian, African and neo 19th century designs to modern works of art including footwear from the eminent Sex and the City, TV serial. Experience the glamour of showbiz. Get to see Britney Spear's shoe in her acclaimed 1998 single Baby One More Time, Pierce Brosnan's glitzy black pair in the 1999 movie The World is Not Enough, the “King of Rock and Roll” Elvis Presley's eminent pair and lots of other chic celeb designs.

Showcased separately is a dainty pink leather pair, bringing back memories of Diana Princess of Wales. The shoes belonged to her in 1986. Shoes on show also include those from renowned names in the industry such as Pietro (also called Pierre) Yantorny, Salvatore Ferragamo, Roger Vivier, Manolo Blahnik and Christian Louboutin.

For all those creative souls who believe that a shoe's true beauty is dependent on the degree to which it is decorated, The Beads, Buckles and Bows gallery is worth taking a look at. Elegantly put together and adorned, every shoe is embellished with lace, stones and studs. All products of hard work, creativity and commendable thought leaving a lasting impression.

Sonja Bata, founding Chairman of the Bata Shoe Museum, began collecting footwear in the 1940's. It was a hobby that she didn't expect would turn into a profession and give birth to a museum, attracting thousands from across the globe.
And as the years pass by, Bata's taste in footwear and her collections also seem to heighten. In an interview with Bata she said: “I have a better judgment now of what is rare and precious.” Bata believes that shoes are a great predictor of personality. “Look at the shoes people wear around you and you will find that you can tell a lot about their character. Shoes are very personal.”

Recently, Mrs. Bata's priceless 19th century slipper, once worn by the Nizam Sikandar Jah of Hyderabad made headlines. The gold, diamond-and-ruby coated pair was stolen on January 22, 2006 and was later recovered in a nearby church. According to Museum officials the pair is estimated to be worth CAD $160,000. “I could not believe that they really had been returned to us,” says Bata. “It happened because everybody cooperated: the press publishing the photos, the police with their investigation and three concerned citizens in a photo shop recognizing a picture of the stolen shoes.”

On May 6, 1995, the museum’s opened its gates for the public. The glamorous monument, resembling a large shoe box was constructed by architect Raymond Moriyama. It is conveniently located in downtown Toronto, minutes away from St George subway station.

There's no end to what flamboyant designs may make way in the years to come. As Salvatore Ferragamo, once said: “There is no limit to beauty, no saturation point in design, no end to the materials a shoemaker may use to decorate his creations so that every woman maybe shod like a princess and a princess may be shod like a fairy queen.”

The journey into this shoe planet is no doubt exciting and mentally engaging. Within a span of two hours of touring the museum not only had I gained a tremendous knowledge about shoes but oddly so, started noticing peoples’ shoes before their faces.

High Achievers Lag Behind, July 2008

The needs of some high-achieving students are not being catered to by the Canadian schooling system and that could put these children at a serious disadvantage, researchers say.

"In the Canadian system, we're not really used to supporting our smart students …the idea is if they're so smart they can take care of themselves," says Daria Danylchuk, founder of the Trans program for gifted children in a recent article in The Province newspaper in Vancouver.

Judith Robinson, an Ontario. high school teacher who has taught at numerous public and private schools since the 1980’s says that Ontario. school boards are also only concerned about those who are underperforming. “It’s a pretty sad state of affairs,” she says.

Jordan, a Grade 2 child in a Toronto school was labelled by his teacher as having a learning disorder because he was easily distracted in class, says Noreen Shanahan in a recent article in The Globe and Mail. However, Psychologist Michael Pyryt of the University of Calgary discovered that Jordan was amongst the top one per cent of the population in terms of intellect, writes Shanahan. According to Pyryt's findings, Jordan was so bored by the monotony of school life that he didn't bother concentrating in class.

Why was everyday school work not challenging enough for this extraordinary Grade 2 kid? What can parents and teachers do to identify kids like him and keep them mentally engaged?

Deborah Ruff, the author of Losing Our Minds: Gifted Children Left Behind, says the problem lies with grouping. She writes that today’s classrooms contain children with a mix of all abilities so in class full of six-year-olds some kids could be learning letters while others could already be thinking analytically.

“When teachers teach, they teach to the lower third of the graph. So everybody at the top third of the graph is doing a lot of waiting, getting more repetition.” This often leads to discrepancies, writes Ruff. And that ignites boredom amongst the high achievers.

For Michelle Kovesi, a 17-year-old student at Colonel By School in Ottawa the ordinary school curriculum failed to stimulate her mentally. “I needed challenge,” she says.

So she opted for an International Baccalaureate Diploma instead. This system is “an intellectually rigorous pre-university course of study for students in schools worldwide, offered to highly motivated students…” states the school’s website. “Our school is the only one in the city offering an I B Diploma,” she says.

Sana Diwan, a primary school teacher at Harold Napper School in Brossard, Quebec, says that even though there is no formal identification criterion for gifted children in schools, the brighter kids should not remain bored in class.

Diwan doesn’t think the problem lies in the Canadian schooling system. She blames the teachers. Diwan says it’s up to them to identify gifted children and act upon their needs. “The teacher needs to make an effort to differentiate instruction.”

Diwan’s six years of teaching has taught her that advanced learners yearn for challenge in all that they do. “Gifted students need to be assigned tasks of the same length but the complexity of the task needs be increased. Also using real world problems can help make learning meaningful,” she says.

But how do teachers identify gifted learners in the classroom?

Carol Fertig, who has an M.A. in Educational Psychology and Gifted Education has been a teacher and education writer for 35 years and has been working with gifted children for about 16 years says, “Some schools use a compilation of test scores [to identify gifted children], with most scores being above 95 per cent.”

She believes subjective indicators used by many experts are more accurate in differentiating gifted children from the bright ones.

A bright child most likely enjoys the company of peers, enjoys school, is alert, is pleased with his or her own learning and has good ideas, says Fertig. In contrast, a gifted child enjoys the company of adults, enjoys learning, is keenly observant, is highly self-critical and has wild and silly ideas.

Fertig says that parents can play an active role in engaging their gifted children so they remain stimulated and are not bored. “I encourage the support of any interest the child may have including books, internet, and people.”

Above all, she says communication with the child is a must. “I encourage parents to talk to their children, giving them opportunities to really think and make decisions.”

She says exposing children to different experiences and encouraging them to attend cultural events can keep them stimulated. “Encouraging critical thinking skills is also vital…” she adds.

At the end of the day, school boards need to understand that “all children do not operate at the same level.”

Today’s teachers need to be able to adapt their teaching style to suit the needs of every type of child, concludes Fertig.

Musical Instruments Can Be Brain Teasers

How music can act as a positive reinforce in the lives of many young children, especially for those in developing countries who do not have any exposure to any music.

Original version published in the Education section of Dawn - Pakistan's largest English language newspaper with a week-day circulation of 138,000. This article was also selected by the Sustainable Development and Policy Institute, a think tank based in South Asia.

I decided to write about the impact of music in the schooling curriculum because I was a musician and having music in my life felt very liberating as a teenager. This article is aimed for government bodies who do not consider music as an adequate subject in a country's schooling curriculum. In order to reinforce my ideas and opinions, I refer to the following writers: Michael Merzenich, a neuroanatomist at the University of California, Psychologist E. Glenn Schellenberg of the University of Toronto and Gordon Shaw at the University of California, Irvine. I imagine my ideal reader or audience for this article to be parents and policy makers of third world countries.

Although the three-Rs play a pivotal role in a child's development, recent studies reveal that musical instruments can also play a significant factor in childhood development. Piano lessons may well condition the brain, just as muscle-building conditions an athlete, claims Michael Merzenich, a neuroanatomist at the University of California.

Pakistan lags behind in this area. Shouldn’t parents have an option of choosing whether they would like their child to be involved in extra curricular activities such as music in the private schooling curriculum in Pakistan? I feel this is the right time to increase awareness of this crucial subject area which has been ignored for decades.

As a child I attended a Convent school. For me, music in the form of playing an instrument and singing eased the pressure of attending a strict schooling system. Most importantly, it served as a medium for expression and personal autonomy - traits children, especially teenagers are constantly striving for.
I can still remember the day I attended my first music class. I had the choice of learning to play the flute, piano or violin. I opted for the violin -- somehow its majestic nature fascinated me. Recalling back on my first violin class -- I was 13-years-old, attired in my blue and white school uniform, overflowing with excitement and a little nervousness yearning to get my hands on this prized possession which was purchased in a classy black case. Even walking with this gadget in hand brought an indescribable joy within me as a new teen.
Only days later reality struck. I soon realized music wasn't all fun. The majestic instrument was most definitely a challenging one to play. Just like school work it required lots of concentration and practice.

Mr. Ramsell, my violin instructor, would always tap my right arm with his bow, so that I would loosen up and allow the bow to delicately graze against the strings on the violin to create appealing hum, rather than a high-pitched thud. I kept practicing, determined to master the art behind perfect playing. With time I did loosen up and every day I sounded a little bit better.

Soon the time came when I was ready to perform in my first solo school concert. I was by then also ready to take my Grade One violin exam, conducted by the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music in England. I passed. And I was ecstatic. The feeling was as rewarding as receiving an A on a school exam. I was no longer scared of this seemingly majestic instrument. This experience was most definitely a life changing one as I gained more confidence, zeal, persistence - and a whole lot of flexibility!

In a 2005 article in Psychology Today, Thomas Sexton says that children with consistent music training have better verbal memories than those who do not play an instrument. The findings reveal that the positive repercussions of playing an instrument seem to remain, even after a child has abandoned his or her music lessons. The study was conducted by researchers from the Chinese University of Hong Kong who studied 90 boys between the ages of 6 to 15. Half of those surveyed had music training from individual lessons while the others had no musical teaching what so ever. When tested for verbal memory, the children who received musical coaching performed much better than the ones who did not.

Meanwhile, an article in Psychological Science suggests that music lessons give kids a small IQ edge. Psychologist E. Glenn Schellenberg of the University of Toronto revealed that six-year-olds who took weekly piano or singing lessons throughout the school year exhibited an average IQ increase of seven points. Schellenberg says that musical training requires “children to pay attention for extended periods of time, to read notation, to memorize passages and to master fine-motor skills.” All of these learned skills leave a positive effect on a child for life.

Music can also be an outlet for children who are academically less able. Just like sports, your child may have an aptitude for playing instruments - a hidden talent that is just waiting to be unleashed. Parents of these children can gain greater satisfaction by appreciating their child's individual creative talents. And kids who may not be looked upon highly in the classroom can have something to boast about to their peers and teachers.

The importance of music was rooted in my family. My siblings play instruments. My mother played the sitar. But had I not been exposed to music as a subject at school, I probably would not have pursued the violin. Sometimes we learn of our talents through an in-born passion, but at times awareness of those talents only occurs through discovery. And discovery transpires if there are opportunities for people to build on their areas of strength.

It is about time, the performing arts such as music and drama be given proportional space in our schooling curriculum. Policy makes should seriously consider its importance, especially since this discipline has a great bearing on how a child performs as a student and as a future citizen. On a global scale Pakistani children are proving themselves academically. So why not show the world that our children are just as savvy melodically?