Leslie's Laughs

 Published in My Kolkata https://www.telegraphindia.com/my-kolkata/lifestyle/the-evolution-of-mens-hairstyles-from-jimi-hendrix-afro-to-modern-man-buns-and-barber-trends/cid/2056976 The writer turned a bushy grey a long time ago and has seen several different hairstyles in his life and times.  He lists some of the excitement that goes with the humble haircut, short back and sides included.  It’s those 4 or 5 days a month, but for men.  A growing sensation that your locks have grown too long.  It’s tickling your ear tops, it’s brushing your collar and unintentional kiss curls are popping up all over. You need a haircut.  Of course, there will be people who opine that you look “quite cute” with the sprouting foliage and others who bemoan the fact that they haven’t enough hair to interest a barber. Eventually after much procrastination you enter the salon for a much needed trim. Pretentious though it may sound, “Hairport Saloon” is quite the name for my guy ar...

 Published in My Kolkata https://www.telegraphindia.com/my-kolkata/lifestyle/sports-music-and-the-challenges-of-holistic-learning-in-the-attention-economy-in-kolkata-schools/cid/2048569 [After the successes at the Paris Olympics and the Paralympics where the Indian flag has been hoisted quite frequently, the author - a teacher and casual musician - takes a serious look at how we strive to be holistic in our schools.] We’ve been unfurling the flag quite a bit in the last couple of months. Six medals in the Summer Olympics, then Independence Day and last week, 29 medals in the Paralympics. While we all rejoice in these small successes, there will be a bunch of naysayers who will keep creating and sending memes on WhatsApp.  One such meme rues the dearth of medals with the caption, “How can we aspire to medals in the Olympics with one period of forty minutes a week devoted to physical education in our schools?” Others are quick to add that we have just one “singing class” and pos...

 Published in My Kolkata https://www.telegraphindia.com/my-kolkata/events/on-world-first-aid-day-a-scoutmasters-guide-to-surviving-bumps-and-bruises-with-a-smile/cid/2047999 [The second Saturday in September is World First Aid Day and this year the theme is First Aid in Sports and Games. The author, a one time Scoutmaster and teacher, gives us a heads up on basic First Aid for all - with a bit of laughter, the best medicine!] Everyone remembers Kiss Plaster, right?  You fell in the playground when you were little and ran to mommy for her instant kiss-and-fix.  More than the bruise, the bruised ego was repaired and you headed back for your game with enthusiasm. Mum’s the word in more ways than one.  At home, every little graze, cut, bruise, sprain or scald is first attended to by mom. Doctors are only required if things go bad.  In fact, there was a little bottle of homoeopathic pills which were trotted out to be placed under the tongue every time a kid got a bum...

 Published in My Kolkata   https://www.telegraphindia.com/my-kolkata/lifestyle/the-changing-face-of-teachers-day-celebrations-and-an-educators-journey-through-time/cid/2045308 [With Teachers’ Day around the corner, an experienced educator - formerly known as Teacher - gives us his view of the day and all it signifies or hoped to, now and in the past. Any resemblance to  teachers you might know is purely coincidental and predictable.] Picture this: You pack up your books for the day, strip yourself of the necktie, slip into a loud shirt and head down to the local pub to play the guitar onstage when some older kids walk up and say, “Hi Sir!” with a knowing wink.  There are few professions which are “always on” like good WiFi - one of them is the Doctor and the other the Teacher. It’s a profession you can’t escape but we have designated just one day in a year to celebrate it - the birthday of Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, philosopher, scholar, politician, President of In...

 Published in MyKolkata   https://www.telegraphindia.com/my-kolkata/lifestyle/opinions-and-talking-points-of-2024-paris-olympic-games/cid/2042058 [An armchair sportsperson airs his views on what people talked about during the Olympics, paving the way to a new sport - Opinions!] The Olympics are unfair.  In addition to all the sports at which we do not excel, they could have introduced an ancient event - Olympic Opinions.  We might have won Gold if not Silver, Bronze and Fourth Place too. We could have been Lord of the Rings, all five of them. The Greeks shared their opinions at the Parthenon, which is back as a background on Olympic medals after a brief spot featuring the Roman Colloseum.  But, alas, we are confined to sharing our views in Olypub - name changed from the original Olympia which has nothing to do with the Olympics either. In the past, the views would be bolstered by “evidence” such as “they said” and “I overheard”.  But today we get far more d...

 Published in MyKolkata https://www.telegraphindia.com/my-kolkata/lifestyle/how-ai-and-chatgpt-are-affecting-teachers-and-students-in-kolkata-schools-and-around-the-world/cid/2034104 Intelligence - Natural and Artificial The author, an educator for four decades plus, takes a look at how teachers, especially Language teachers, may be viewing Artificial Intelligence and their own futures. “Well, we got no choice / All the girls and boys / Making all that noise / 'Cause they found new toys /. . . / School's out for summer / School's out forever / School’s been blown to pieces” - Alice Cooper’s School’s Out, was released in 1972 and so was I, from school.  The ISC done, most of us were rocking to the song, and the words and we thought we’d never come back like the song says.  But I did.   A few years later, I was back in school as a Teacher. And I rued the day I sang, “No more pencils, no more books / No more teacher’s  dirty looks / Out for summer, out 'til Fa...

 Here's the link to the published piece in My Kolkata : https://www.telegraphindia.com/my-kolkata/lifestyle/beyond-the-screen-my-five-year-experience-without-tv-in-the-age-of-smartphones-and-streaming/cid/2032629 [No noise, no outage, no calls to cable operators and plenty of Kindle - that’s how I would describe the last 5 years of my life without TV. No, I do not live under a rock, but I choose what I watch!] My son is an expert.  We suddenly decided to watch the T20 World cup finals last week - well, apparently it’s the done thing, even if you don’t watch cricket, to watch your country do stuff on TV. But we had no cable, no dish and no account. He managed to get a live telecast on his mobile phone and then he ‘screencast’ it to the TV set. Every alternate moment the picture refreshed itself, so you actually saw Chaplin type movements jerking across the screen. Not cricket!  After a bit more fiddling, he got a Tab to work and we watched the match in all its 11-inch glor...