Hari om everyone,
Here's our class recap. Please take note of an important announcement at the bottom of this email.
We kicked things off with a peaceful meditation and some Geeta chanting, setting the tone for a calm and focused session. We have learnt Chapter 5 up to Verse 18.
Our Quirky Question (QQ) of the Day was: What is it that we can make a lot of, but yet, we cannot see?
Our sharp students nailed the answer right away: Noise!
And of course, we joked, "Yes! But we definitely cannot make any of it in our class! 🙊"
Next, we dove into the Mahabharata, breaking into four teams to discuss its many layers. We must say, they know a lot of the side stories that come in the intricately woven Mahabharata! And, they have a lot of questions about the whys, the whats, and the hows 😄
Today's discussion was filled with laughter as we explored Vidura's cryptic message about the tunnel to escape the wax palace. But the highlight of the day was our talk about Draupadi's Swayamvara.
The class was divided on Draupadi's rejection of Karna due to his low birth — they gave a big collective "boo" to her choice! We discussed how each character in the story is entitled to their own opinions. Moreover, we have to appreciate women's empowerment here! A woman had full liberty to choose who she wanted to marry!!
Then came the twist — Arjuna won Draupadi's hand, and the brothers returned to their humble home, where they were staying in disguise as Brahmins. When they presented the "phalam" (result), Mother Kunti, without looking, mistakenly assumed they were talking about a fruit (because 'phalam' in Sanskrit means both fruit and result), and said, "All the brothers share equally." The result? All five brothers ended up marrying Draupadi. Cue the laughter!
Our students were in stitches, questioning: "Just because she said so, why did they have to marry like that?"
And then, "If Kunti's words were so powerful, why didn't she just say, 'I made a mistake, you don't have to marry her'?"
To which we replied: Well, if someone constantly speaks one thing and then the opposite, would their words hold weight? Kunti's power came from never going back on her word. She had planted the seeds of thought in the brothers' minds when she first spoke, and that's why they had to follow her command.
"But that's so weird…" they said.
We explained, "Think of it this way: In a different era, many things we now find strange, like slavery, were once considered normal. Societal norms change over time. Just like in the future, your grandkids might find it funny that we carried our phones in our hands! Who knows? 😅"
Their response: More giggles 
We wrapped up the class with our ever-popular Unique Statement Review (USR), reflecting on the lessons of the day.
Important Announcement:
We'll be having a Parent-Teacher Meeting this Sunday, Nov 17th @ 10:30 AM. Parents, please join us in our classroom for a brief meeting (and we may have a surprise for you too! 😉).
Until next time, here's something to ponder:
Looking forward to seeing you all on Sunday!
Regards,
Rashmi.
Rashmi.
