Juggling thoughts

Today, let's talk about golden retriever parenting. Stop praising your children for extremely small tasks.  Over the years in my teaching career, I've met dozens of modern-day parents who lean toward mollycoddling, constantly patting their children for the smallest things. I've even seen parents gift a fancy phone to a Grade 10 student just for passing a selection exam and more. Praise is the highest aspiration for humankind. We crave it from the moment we begin to understand the world and from then on, we keep seeking it. It becomes validation. And when praise turns into a reward for everything, it's time to pause and reflect on where parenting is heading. Because the world is not going to praise or reward you just because you think you are entitled to it. You have to produce real value and meaningful impact to deserve either. In fact, this overpraising and reward-driven conditioning can be worse than junk food or screen addiction. It took me years to earn genuine prai...

Racism against North East Indians has become so routine it barely shocks anymore. Slurs are brushed off as “casual,” assaults spark brief outrage, then disappear. The real crisis is the normalisation. This is not just a failure of individual behaviour. It is structural. A nation that does not teach its children about all its people should not be surprised when prejudice feels ordinary. Students in the Seven Sisters grow up learning the history, culture, and leaders of the rest of India. Yet across much of the country, the North East is reduced to stereotypes, insurgency headlines, or tourism clichés. That imbalance is not accidental. It is institutional. When textbooks marginalise regions, ignorance becomes policy. And policy-level ignorance breeds social prejudice. The Ministry of Education must ensure meaningful inclusion of North East history, indigenous cultures, political contributions, linguistic diversity, and contemporary achievements across all school boards — not as a token c...