Activities which may facilitate making Shravan Kumars

Following are some of the activities and ideas which I can think of and also I have been implementing in course of my

interaction with students during Human Values course at IIIT Hyderabad.

I am categorizing these activities in following sections.

1. Discussions on several topics

2. Reading/Writing activities

3. Movie Watching and then Writing Reflections and Doing Discussions

4. Some games and other activities I do

5. Apart from above the activities I can think of

Discussions

We do discussions on several topics. The purpose of doing these discussions is to understand various things starting from the

Self, Family, Society, Various Social Systems .. to the entire existence. We do discussions on several topics like:

How a larger system works?

Balance in Nature and our role into it.

Food Production System

How corporations work?

Power of Decentralized and Local Systems

Conditioning

Relationships

Conflicts

Peer Pressure

Infatuation

Sex

Respect

Time Management

Love or Attachment?

Sensitivity

Competition and Excellence

Confidence

Why do we think we think

Unconditional Acceptance

Trust

Empathy

How do we do self verification?

What is the purpose of commitment in a relationship?

Superiority and inferiority

Relative and Absolute Self Confidence

And many more.

Reading/Writing Activities

In these activities, I ask students to write down reflections on articles I provide them. We also do discussions on the reflections.

Following are some examples.

1. Read following articles (these articles are written by Pawan Gupta Jee. I use them as my reading assignments as well)

and write your reflections over them.

+ Paryatan

+ samvedanheenata

+ Shabd se Arth ki aur

+ Badlaav Apna ya paraya

+ Article on Mahatma Gandhi

+ Samrathh Gandhi

2. Read following articles and write your reflections over them.

http://devanshmittal.wordpress.com/2008/07/24/relationships/

http://devanshmittal.wordpress.com/2008/07/24/trust/

http://devanshmittal.wordpress.com/2008/07/24/respect-%e2%80%a6/

http://devanshmittal.wordpress.com/2009/02/28/auction-of-people/

http://devanshmittal.wordpress.com/2009/01/15/beauty-and-the-beast/

http://devanshmittal.wordpress.com/2009/04/10/forgiveness/

3. Read the chapter on "Harmony in Family/Relationships" in "Human Values" book which was given to you in JV Shivir

and write a summary of your understanding on it.

4. Book reading assignments and then asking students to write reflections over them. Some sample books are:

+ Gandhi Jee’s Autobiography.

+ Vinoba Bhave’s Autobiography.

+ Agni Ki Udaan.

+ On Education by J Krishnamurthy.

+ The Argumentative Indian.

+ A long walk to freedom.

+ And many more. We have a big list of books.

Movie Watching and then Writing Reflections and Doing Discussions

In these activities I ask students to watch a movie and then write reflections and then we do group discussions as well. With

the help of these movies, I try to draw their attention towards themselves, Relationships, Social Systems, Society, and Nature

related problems and then we discuss probable solutions as well.

+ Watch movie ""HOME"", read the article

http://devanshmittal.wordpress.com/2009/03/13/notions-of-development-in-corporate/

and write your reflection onto them.

+ Watch videos "Pawan Gupta n Shiksha" and write your reflection on them.

+ Watch movie ""Forrest Gump"", relate it with the concepts discussed

in question 2 and 3 and write your reflection onto it.

+ Watch movie "Boy in striped pyjamas" and write your reflection onto it.

+ Watch movie "2 Aankhein 12 Haath" and write your reflection onto it.

+ Watch movie "Dharm" and write your reflection onto it.

+ Watch movie ""Gandhi"", also read attached article on Gandhiji by Pawan Gupta Jee and

write your reflection onto them.

+ Watch movie "The Corporation" and write your reflection onto it.

+ Watch the experiences of Pawan Gupta Jee on “Society, Education and Development” on following link and then write your

reflections onto it. Also, relate what you watched in the video with what we have discussed in classes till now.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=YFAUKspep6M

Pawan Gupta (Dharampal ji Student) Speech In Patanjali Yogpeeth {Must Watch Video}.mp4

And many more movies we watch in the class and otherwise and discuss various issues. Some of the other movies we watch

and discuss are following.

+ Food Inc.

+ Food Matters.

+ Fast Food Nation.

+ Economics of Happiness.

+ Story of Stuff.

+ Right Here Right Now.

+ Hewre Bazar.

+ An Inconvenient Truth.

+ The World’s Fastest Indian.

+ Wake Up Sid.

+ Gandhi My Father.

+ Taare Zameen Par

+ Fearless

+ Money as Debt

+ Dharm

+ My Sister’s Keeper

+

… And many more.

Some games and other activities I do

In this category, I have prepared a few games and activities which we play, enjoy and learn.

These activities have long descriptions so, I am pasting them in sub lables.

Activity One:

""Keep observing your thoughts in your daily life and identify

1. How many of those thoughts are coming in you with your approval.

2. How many of those thoughts are are those which you like and you want to think on them.

3. How many of those thoughts are those which are coming in you but you do not want to think on those things.

4. When those thoughts come in you which you do not want then how do you feel? and how difficult is for you to get rid of those thoughts?

5. How much time are you aware of your thoughts in your daily life?

6. Write down answers of all the these questions and mail them to all of us or submit it written.""

Activity Two:

""1. You have to play role of a housekeeping member (who generally help you in cleaning your room) for cleaning one of your friend's room.

2. Request your friend that you want to clean his/her room.

3. In the supervision of one housekeeping member and your friend whose room you are going to clean, clean his room in the same style housekeeping member does it.

4. Ask your friend to behave the same he behaves with housekeeping member.

5. While cleaning the room try to learn from house keeping member, what all things he remembers or takes care of. Do a good job in cleaning.

6. Try to empathize with that house keeping member while cleaning your friend's room.

7. Write down what all you learned in cleaning the room and feeling you had while cleaning the room.

8. What all you noticed in yourself while cleaning the room?""

If you want to add anything to these questions which you feel can add to your learning then you are free to do so. Write your experiences, what all you did, what all you felt, what all you learned .."

Activity Three:

A) What do you understand by Unconditional Acceptance? Do you want it from others around you, specially from the people

with whom you feel related? Justify your answer with the help of at least 3 examples.

B) ""We want Unconditional Acceptance from others but we lack the capability to give it to others"". Do you find this

statement true for you? Justify your answer with at least 5 examples.

C) ""Feeling of Non-Acceptance for other Human Being is not Naturally Acceptable to a human being"". Do you find this

statement true for you? Justify this statement with the help of at least 5 examples.

D) ""Hate the Sin and Not the Sinner"". What do you understand by this statement? Do you find it true? If yes then why? If not

then why not? Justify your answer with the help of at least 3 examples.

E) Do you find parts A, B, C, D of this question, connected? Do you see some connection in all above parts? If yes then what is

that connection? If not then what difference you see in all above parts?

Activity Four:

What all things are required in parents to grow a ""good"" kid? (As per your definition of good)

What do you think your kids would expect from you in his/her upbringing?

How would you want your kids to be after your married life? Write down all the things you would expect in your kids.

How would you want your kids to see you?

Do you see your parents the same way currently, the way you would want your kids to see you?

What all complications do you see may arise between you and your kids in future and what are you going to do with them?

How do you understand parent-child relationship and how much of it you have been able to fulfill with your parents till now?

What happens when kids do not get all the care, affection and guidance which they want in their upbringing?"

Activity Five:

Following will be your Mid Semester One Assignment, Question One. I am mailing it to you so early because I am sure this

assignment is going to take some time for you to come up with a good response. Read it carefully, I am sure it is going to give

you good insights, which will help you personally and in your relationships.

Following in this document is an email I received from one of my juniors. He was/is into a great trouble. I am pasting his

email in this document, without mentioning his name. Following are the tasks I wish you to do as per your assignment:

1. Read the email very carefully. Try to empathize with the person.

2. Write a detailed note about your understanding of the person’s situation.

3. What according to you is the problem the person is going through?

4. In terms of efforts what would you “do” if your own friend/relative/sibling is going through a similar situation?

5. What all would you talk to this person if you are with him for a long time when he is going through all this, he

mentioned?

6. What solution would you propose to him?

Deadline of Submission: 5th February, 2012, by 8:00 PM.

Following is the email I received.

Hi Sir

I hope you are doing fine. I wrote this mail to seek advice from you regarding my personal problem.

I already discussed that I was in relationship earlier. We had complications in our relation because our values and thinking

never matched up, which always led to fights and arguments. I was always badly hurt by her acts. Though she didn't do it

intentionally but she never made it right. We had strong emotional dependence on each other. We were always there for each

other no matter our relation was only for 1year. Last two year we were not in official relationship but everything was like that

only.

Recently in September this year she went abroad for higher studies to Ireland and within two months she found some new guy

whom she likes. Though there relation didn't started. She mailed me regarding the matter because I told him to let me know if

such thing happens.

I was always afraid of her going with some other guy. Though from inside I had trust on her that she will never let someone

else in her life though we both are apart, because of our attachment towards each other. I felt terrible for quite some days

after listening to this news. I tried talking to her but she refused to talk and behaved very rudely. She said that she is moved on

in life and she wants me to move on. She asked me to break all the contacts with her. I know she never wants anything bad for

me...and from inside she still cares for me.

But I feel let down by her. I am unable to understand how can she start liking someone else just in 2-3months after being so

much attached to me. I can never let someone else let take her place, atleast not in the coming 1-2years.

I know this relation was never fruitful because it always pulled me down. But I am deeply hurted that it was so easy for her to

forget me and move on with someone else. She always said that no one will come in her life again..but in just 2-3months she

found someone else.

I know this happened for the gud because now I have no hopes of her coming back to me. But I always feel heavy from inside.

Half of the day I think about her. A kind of jealousy developed in my mind for her. I don't want her to stay happy.

I know I am wrong...I should not think like that for her...but I am unable to digest her new relation. I feel as if my trust is

broken.

I want to know, is human relations so weak that people forget each other so easily even after being so close? Trusting

someone or being emotional is crime in this society nowdays? Will she ever feel guilt for what she did...the way she hurted

me?

I accepted long back when she decided to go abroad for studies that this relation will come to an end. I let her go easily

without making things tough for her. But I always admitted to her that she will be the most special person in my life. When we

talked last time on phone just day before she was leaving, I repeated same things to her.

I am hurt because of her moving on so quickly. She left on 5 Sept, 2011 to Ireland. On my bday on 17th Sept she called me up

and talked to me. I kept phone down in 2mins. Then she expressed her annoyance of not talking properly. I didn't paid

attention. That night she messaged me at 12, just before my bday was about to over. This has been like ritual for her to wish

me the minute before my bday was about to over from past 3years. I didn't expect such things from her after leaving, though I

felt good inside.

But in just next 1month I got news from her that she is seeing someone else!! I was shocked and broken hearing this, though I

recovered soon from this shock. She always said in the past that no one else will come in her life now and will get married

now..no more relationships, she has grown up now. Though I didn't expect her to keep this things for quite a long, but is it so

easy for her to move away!!!

I was already sad because of her leaving the country. She went far away for next 2years. But I had solace somewhere that she

still loves me. I was recovering from that part and suddenly I got this news!! I never felt so broken down in my life..that day I

felt that I can trust no one in life now. Everybody is my enemy and trying to get their purpose fulfilled. Though I got normal in

next few days.

I know I can never stay happy with her throughout my life. My mind always says that this is the best thing happened to me that

she left me. I can go on fulfilling my dreams with no one to think about but sometimes I feel a void in my life which she used to

fulfill with all her talks. May be I am more dependent on her because I have no siblings. After leaving home she was the one

with whom I shared my next 4years of college.

I still feel it was the lack of one strong step from her to try to figure things out. She was stubborn on ending the relation

without giving a thought that we can work things out. We had enough affection between us to live together. I was always

ready to talk to her about things and issues, but she tried to avoid having any serious conversations. This thing also hurts me

sometime that because of lack of effort we are separated now.

Though saying all that, I would say she never wanted things bad for me, she still wishes me all the success in the life. But I don't

respect her family values, I have realized over these years that most of her friends and cousins are, what we call loose

character in a decent society, I should not use such terms for a female but I don't want to hide what I feel. I have warned her

that they are spoiling her..she is not that kind of person. But she was always influenced by them because of their 24x7

company.

In conclusion, I am hurt because I feel I lost a beautiful relation because of her lack of effort and other people's influence. And

now she has moved on so easily. Now I have developed a fear from her, that anything related to her will hurt me, so I have

blocked her and all her friends on fb. I wish I should not see her no time sooner because I think I have reached a limit where I

will be able to handle more pain given by her.

I have good job, nice friends but still I am not happy. I have goals in my life to fulfill but still I crave her presence in my life!!! I

feel so strange that despite knowing that she left my life for gud I want her.

I am seeking advice from you because I always find my discussion with you of great help. Also I have no siblings to share my

problem because I am single to parents and I am asking you this as my elder brother. I am unable to bear this baggage of

emotions.

With Regards,

ABC

Activity 6:

Write a letter to your parents, yes! a hand written letter :)

Write down all the experiences which you have had till now in college, right from the starting of your semester. It must at least

include following things.

+ What all you do in a day? Your daily schedule.

+ What changes have come in you since the time you joined college? Write all the changes with honesty. It will include positive

and negative both.

+ How many friends you have? Who all are they? Why they are your friends? What you appreciate in them?

+ What all good and bad habits you have?

+ What is your monthly expenditure? In what all things you spend? What all new things you bought?

+ How is your academic performance going? Are you able to manage in your academics? How comfortable are you with your

studies? If not then what are you planning to do about it? If yes then what are you planning to be consistent?

+ Whatever things you do (which you have listed above) with what feeling you do? How many of them you with comfort inside

and how many of them you do with some pressure? Pressure may be any kind of pressure i.e. academic pressure, peer

pressure etc.

+ What is the basis of your self confidence?

+ What do you think about your parents, about all the members who are there in your family, express it?

+ Any other thing you want to add.

Write it down well and very honestly. Put this letter inside an envelop, seal the envelop, write down your home address on

envelop and then give this envelop to me on 22nd October, I will put it in the letter box for you :)

You can be assured that I will not read your letters :)

Wait! assignment question 2 is not over yet. You will need to submit a small summary of your experiences while writing the

letter and also how you felt when your parents received your letters and how your parents felt. This summary will need to be

submitted after your parents receive your letters.

Purpose of doing/writing this assignment/letter:-

+ To draw our attention towards what all we are doing.

+ To learn something more about relationships.

+ To let our parents know what all we do, what all we feel about them. Yes, believe me these are the things which they expect us to tell them!

+ To let them know what you learning in college apart from your regular academics.

+ And there are many more.

While giving this assignment to you, I was thinking that I should also write a letter to my parents.

When I was in my B.Tech my mother use to request me a lot to write a letter to her but I did not write even a single one in my first 3 years! By the time I reached my 4th year I wrote one long long letter and it gave them so much satisfaction which I do not know if you can understand. Lets start this habit of writing "hand written letters" and increase the strength of our relationships and understanding.

Believe me it is not bodily strength which matters, it is not the strength which you boast in front of your friends which matters, it is the strength of relationships and understanding which matters in long run.

Activity 7:

Each one of you is supposed to talk to one House Keeping or Security Guard or Mess Worker or anybody else who is working in our service. Make him/her your friend. Talk to him/her on following issues.

+ Which place he belongs to.

+ How much he earns.

+ How many people he has in his family.

+ How he manages with the money he earns in his family and if this money is sufficient for him.

+ Why did he migrate to this place

+ How are his relationships with his family members.

+ What all problems he faces.

+ What he wants to become in his next birth or life.

+ What are his ambitions

+ What are the things he doesn't like.

+ Whether people in campus treat him with respect or not.

+ What view he shares about people in campus. Here he may share different views for different kind of people like students, staff, faculty and others, so ask him his views about all of them separately.

Write down answers of all these point on paper. You can add your personal views.

Activity 8:

List 5 people in this world whom you appreciate. List what things you appreciate in them? What feelings you have for them?

Express those feelings directly to them on their face (like "I really appreciate this and this in you, you are too good to be true")

and write down your experiences, what do they feel when you do this? how do you feel after doing this?

Please do it seriously without letting other person know that this is an assignment and without you yourself taking as an

assignment.

Activity 9:

Give an informal introduction of yourself:

What would you ask for if God himself is ready to give you anything?

What changes do you see in yourself when you came to IIIT and now?

What is your view of “Relationship”? What is Relationship according to you?

What Peer Pressures you feel? How do they affect your Relationships?

What is your plan of action in getting over them?

A talent show to entertain our audience

Activity 10:

The line game.

1. In this game students are divided into two groups.

2. Then a set of questions are asked to all the students and a question questions/explains the situation of a student then

he/she is supposed to come and stand on the line.

3. While doing this activity a student realizes that he/she is not different from others. He/she realizes that there are many

more like him/her around him/her.

4. The purpose of this game is to increase empathy in them for each other and to make them realize that they are similar in

most of the aspects.

Activity 11:

Visiting Golconda Fort and other historical places. These places when visited without a guide then one sees no beauty or only

sensory beauty if any in the place. When a guide is taken and when he explains the purpose and meanings of several small

things then the same structure, building starts looking much more beautiful. It transcends the beauty though senses.

The purpose of visiting any historical place is to understand how knowledge increases beauty of anything.

Activity12:

Auction of People.

Lets play a game. This game has two rounds.

Round1:-

Suppose all the people whom you know are being sold in an auction. They are being sold like commodities in a kirana

store. You have as many 100 Rs notes as the number of people being sold in auction. Minimum cost of each person is

100 Rs. There are many more people also to participate in auction. They also know all those who are being sold. If

you pay more than 100 Rs for a person you can not buy them all.

Now the auction starts. One by one each person is brought on the stage and all those who are participating in auction,

bid for that person. Now think on following questions:-

1. How much are you ready to pay for each person?

2. Who are all those whom you want to buy on any cost?

3. Suppose you are not able to buy a person whom you wanted to buy badly then how do you feel?

4. When you see that some other person participating in the auction is ready to pay more than you for a person whom

you want to buy then how do you feel?

5. What are the basis for you to pay more for a person than other?

Round2:-

Now reverse the situation.

All those who were participating in the auction are now being sold into it and all those who were being sold are now

participating into it. It means, now those whom you were buying in the beginning, now they will be buying you.

Auction starts. You are brought on the stage. All those whom you know are in front of you to buy you. They start

bidding on you. Now think on following questions:-

1. How do you feel when a person for whom you were ready to pay more doesn’t pay that much for you?

2. How do you feel when a person whom you wanted to buy at any cost is ready to pay more for some other person

than you?

3. How do you feel when you come to know that a person with whom you expected to be paid high, did not pay that

much for you?

4. What is your expectation from people who are participating in auction, when you are being sold?

Apart from above the activities I can think of

Activity 1:

1. Write your understanding of yourself.

2. Write others understanding of you, according to you.

3. Write what you would like others to think of you.

After writing above 3 things, try to see what conclusions you can draw and write down your reflections over them.

Activity 2:

Collect all the plastic bottles in IIIT-H scattered here and there on the ground and then we will display it in a place most visible

in IIIT-H. The purpose of doing this activity is to make people aware that how much plastic we are using and how we are

throwing it here and there.

As per this activity 350 plastic bottles were collected in 1 hour by 10 people. All these bottles were tied together and then

hanged together in front of New Boys Hostel and Old faculty quarters with some quotations, related to saving the nature and

environment.

Activity 3:

Tree plantation activity in IIIT-H.

Activity 4:

Taking students to Orphanage and then

1. Interacting with Orphanage owner about condition, support and finances.

2. Interacting with students to understand how they feel about everything around them and how they live.

3. What problems they face and empathizing with them.

4. Being friends with them.

Activity 5:

Taking students to slums and then:

1. Interacting with slum dwellers to understand how they live, how they feel, what they think about everything around.

2. What all problems they face and how they try to resolve them.

3. How much they earn?

4. To which place they have come from?

5. Why did they come from there?

6. What all facilities and resources they have in the native place?

7. If they are given an option to go back to their native place then would they like to go?

After asking slum dwellers these questions and many more, we write our reflections over them and discuss.

Activity 6:

When Anna Hazare sat on fast for the first time in favor of Jan Lok Pal Bill, we organized an activity in which IIIT-H students are

supposed to confess any kind of indulgence in corruption by them in past and what “prayashchit” they intend to do in order to

cover up their wrong-doings. This was a banner in which they were supposed to write and then it was sent to Anna team.

Activity 7:

Playing a game in which one recognizes his circle of concern and circle of influence. Circle of concern is definitely found larger

than circle of influence. Then the question which is asked is, what one is doing in the circle of influence in order to make a

better world.

Activity 8:

Pasting banners and posters in the campus about electricity conservation, to not to throw waste here and there and other

related issues. These posters and banners also provide several stats to draw viewers attention towards the issue. The purpose

is to increase social awareness.

Activity9:

How many things are there in your life, in which you have commitment? What are they? Write down all these things. When

the list is over then categorize all these things in following categories.

1. Things which will help you getting a good job.

2. Things which will help you getting good recognition in the society.

3. Things which will fetch you acceptance of people.

4. Things which will help me in improving myself.

5. Things which are related to my Relationships.

6. Things which are related to my Society/Nature.

7. Others.

And why do you have commitment in all these things? What are you going to get out of them?

Note: This activity can initiate a discussion about their commitments and why do they want to do something. It may also

trigger the discussion on the importance of commitment and importance of one or more things mentioned in above

categories.