Teachers making kids play ‘tipi, tipi, top’ in Sanskrit

Lucknow: This childhood game everyone has played, in which players chant ‘tipi, tipi, top...what colour do you want' and then dart around mad, jostling to touch any object or spot bearing the colour as soon as it is named, because those who fail, get eliminated. But students of a govt school in UP's Gautam Budh Nagar are an exception in that they play it in Sanskrit.So instead of saying ‘what colour...', they call out, ‘Bhavaan kim varnam ichchhati?'. If blue is the colour of that moment in the game, it will be called out as ‘neelvarnam', or ‘haritvarnam', ‘shvetvarnam', ‘peetvarnam' for green or white or yellow and so on.Similarly, kids in this school play Tambola with a twist. Instead of numbers, they use action words like ‘hasati' (laughing), ‘roditi' (crying), and names of vegetables and fruits in Sanskrit. They are even made to play Antyakshari of names of body parts in Sanskrit language.This unusual feat is the result of tireless efforts of the school's assistant teacher, Rusi Gupta (43), to promote the Sanskrit language. "We teach Sanskrit class 3 onwards and children find it difficult to remember names of colours, fruits, vegetables, body parts, etc, as they don't take the subject seriously. But after I introduced these interesting ways, kids eagerly wait for the Sanskrit period," says Gupta, an assistant teacher in Primary School Chaura in Saadatpur block in Gautam Buddh Nagar. A native of Badaun district, Gupta, believes Sanskrit, "the soul of Indian education system", is losing its value among younger generations. "My idea was to begin in a way that was simpler, yet joyful, and where children develop a strong foundation in Sanskrit as a language," says Gupta, adding that enthusiasm among children is palpable as they sing along and play these games twice a week. Gupta will be felicitated by UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath for her exemplary contribution on Thursday (Teacher's Day). She has also engaged children in Vedic mathematics where they solve a 16-digit sum in barely five seconds.In another govt school in Lakhimpur Kheri, Sangam Verma (43), assistant teacher in Upper Primary School Jagsad block, has taken up a unique step to bring girls back to school. She has set up a pad bank and a self-defence box to ensure girls do not skip school during periods. "Girls in school do not remain absent even when they are undergoing their menstrual cycle. The self-defence box has undergarments as many girls who come from extremely impoverished families need to be provided with that too," says Verma, who will be felicitated by the CM. Verma has also demonstrated excellence in helping children develop exceptional working science models like an eco-friendly AC house and acid rainwater making.Besides, two secondary teachers – Bhupendra Kumar Singh, principal of Suraj Prasad Daga Saraswati Vidya Mandir Inter College, Kasganj, and Anil Kumar Mishra, principal of Saraswati Vidya Mandir Inter College, Kannauj, are top awardees who will be honoured with the CM Teacher Award. Both have shown exceptional performance in improving the UP board results and reaching out to children living in slums.
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