R2I - No FRO/FRRO registration maybe required for kids under 16 yrs of age

Posted on August 25th, 2008 by Chitra

Since writing the first post of our FRO/FRRO experiences, I haven’t written anything at all on the topic and neither have I answered any of the queries in the comments. The reason is that I hadn’t done anything at all about the whole FRO/FRRO business since that day in Jun of ‘07 when I had gone to the FRO’s office in Bangalore. The FRO’s office had clearly said how we needed to get our kids registered. And the registration process was requiring all of us to go to the FRO’s office on a working day. It just wasn’t likely to happen. So, I left it at that.

But, it so happened that when my husband was returning to India a couple of weeks ago, he noticed what the immigration form that was given in flight had to say. Apparently it says ‘No FRO/FRRO registration required for kids under 16 years of age’! I wish I had an image of the form so that I could have uploaded it here. Unfortunately I do not. If you are reading this, and have seen something to that effect on the immigration form, please do share it in the comments. Will be of use to a lot of people. What bothers me is that if the immigration form clearly states that, why was I asked to get our kids registered at the FRO’s office?

All your comments/inputs are very welcome, as always.

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Filed under: Registration, Foreigner, FRRO, FRO, R2I, Uncategorized

Bomb blasts in Bangalore

Posted on July 25th, 2008 by Chitra

As I type the title, all I can remember is the beautiful place that Bangalore was when I was growing up - quaint, relaxed, and easy. Well, it was none of that this afternoon. I heard about the blasts from my husband who was on the road then. He called and told me about a series of bomb blasts in the city. He also told me that he was coming home. It was about 2.10 pm and I was trying to get my children to nap a little. It was cloudy with mild drizzles, a perfect afternoon to chill out and take it easy was what I had thought. I quickly switched on the new channels on TV and soon saw all the images that the different channels were carrying. The first thing that occurred to me was that the images didn’t seem too grave. It didn’t seem like we had lost too many lives. On listening further, I learnt that one woman was killed and 20 people were injured. What I was trying to gather was the number of blasts. And each channel carried different numbers. DD News said 8 blasts, Times said 4, and Headlines Today said 2! It was too varied. Another channel even said 6. I sent out a bunch of SMSes alerting people of the turn of events and later learnt that some of them heard it first through the SMS. I quickly called whomever I could, just to check how they were doing. I was constantly worried about my husband being on the road. And to reach people on their cells was very difficult. The network was very busy. Luckily, when I was able to reach my husband I heard that the route he was on seemed safe and that there wasn’t a traffic jam of any sort. He was going to be home soon. And that was very relieving.

Over the next hour or so, the news about the blasts seemed slightly more clearer.  There were 7 blasts for sure and in this sequence:

1st blast - 1:20 - Madiwala Bus stop

2nd blast - 1:25 - Mysore Road

3rd blast - 1:40 - Adugudi

4th blast - 2:10 - Koramangla

5th blast - 2:25 - Vittal Mallya Road

6th blast - 2:35 - Langford Town

7th blast - 2.35 pm - Richmond Circle

Bomb blasts in Bangalore

Image Source

Something like this was to have been expected, given the present day scenario. I mean, already so many Indian cities have been targeted and  Bangalore seemed like an obvious target. It is troubling to think of our children and the world today. We have no clue what is on anybody’s mind. We don’t seem to be able to figure out the different intentions and the thoughts behind those intentions. That said, I must admit to constantly being reminded of the goodness in humanity. However hard it may seem to be true, there is immense goodness! And somewhere or the other, things tend to balance themselves out.This is life as we know it now, and it is up to us to make the best of it, and definitely so for our children.

Let’s keep the dead and the injured in our thoughts and prayers.

Lets strive to lead conscientious lives and raise our children to be conscientious.

Love to all!

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Filed under: langford town, vittal mallya road, richmond circle, koramangala, adugodi, mysore road, madiwala, bomb, bomb blasts, Friday July 25 2008, July 25, Bangalore

Real life stories #2 - A Chinese-American touring Bangalore

Posted on June 17th, 2008 by Chitra

Our protagonist is a Chinese-American who is visiting Bangalore on work. Now, he has never been to India before, so he is very excited and wants to visit the various tourist spots in and around Bangalore during weekends and whenever he finds the time. The first weekend, he goes off to the Bannerghatta national park, mainly to see the elephants. And what happens there is something that happens to a lot of foreigners visiting India. While they are interested in the sights, they in turn become the sights themselves! The general jantha gets excited/curious about them and wants to either talk to them or take pics with them!! Initially, he was a little amused, but after a couple of hours of this, it started getting to him. It would have gotten to me, if I were stared at in a foreign land. Anyway, he goes through this for that day and is back at his hotel, where he replays the different conversations he has had with the locals. And realizes that most of them wanted to know if he was from the US of A or not. And more often than not, they were mostly excited to talk to him when he said he was an American! So, he comes up with a plan for his next outing.

On Saturday morning, he is off to Mysore. And when he gets off at the palace, he again starts getting some glances and some of them want to chat him up. But this time around, when they ask him, “So, where are you from?” He says, “China” and smiles. And people are not as interested in him as they were when he said ‘the USA’. So, he gets to go about sight-seeing much more easily. I just don’t know why it occurred to him that all the extra attention was because he was an American. And now, he is getting to tour more peacefully. :) Well, whatever works!

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Filed under: Real life stories, USA, Mysore, Chinese-American, Bangalore

Dr. Arvind Shenoi, our pediatrician

Posted on April 24th, 2008 by Chitra

A few months ago, I had written a post asking readers to refer good pediatricians practicing in Bangalore. And there were many responses, thanks to all you folks who referred the peds you liked. Since then, I have had many questions from other readers about whom I had chosen and what my experiences were. For different reasons, we continued to go to our local ped. But last week, I called Dr. Arvind Shenoi’s office and got an appointment at their Vyalikaval office. My son completed 3 years, a month ago and my daughter will soon be 5. So, a perfect time I thought.

Here are my reasons to choose him:

  1. He was one of the few who practiced closer to where we live. He practices in Domlur (the earlier Indiranagar office has been moved to Domlur) and Vyalikaval. The Vyalikaval location is not too bad, distance wise, for us. (Most of the recommended docs practice in South Bangalore.)
  2. He was recommended more than once. Also, there was one comment about Dr. Shenoi that was very detailed and informative. Please read through the comments.

I called the Domlur office and they gave me the Vyalikaval office numbers. He visits the Vyalikaval office on 3 evenings - Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. And it was extremely easy to get an appointment. Now, this is not true for his Domlur office. There, they are packed quite a bit. We were to be seen at 8.00. And since everywhere in Bangalore, irrespective of when you are given an appointment, you still have to get into a queue in the receptionist’s log book, we went early. We were there before 7.30 pm and that was a good thing. Since, it was out first visit, the first thing the office did was to get the details of the kids into their computer. Yay!! Now, this is a big thing for me. :) I like the office to maintain basic records so that we have a history with them. They checked the children’s height and weight and entered that too. Yippeee!! If you are wondering why I am so happy at something so trivial, well it is not a common practice here In Bangalore. So, I was just thrilled that somebody cared to see where my kids were with their growth and to keep track of it by putting it with the other details on the comp! :)

We walked into the doc’s room at around 8.10 pm where we were first seen by Dr. Syed Maseehuddeen. He went through the vaccination records with us and copied it into a new folder that had vaccination details. Hetold us the ones that our kids were due for. He went through each of their histories with us and wrote it all up. Apparently, all that will go into their comp too. Later, Dr. Arvind Shenoi joined us. And the minute he saw Dr. Kaye’s name on the children’s vaccination records (from Camino Medical Group in Sunnyvale), he recognized the name, because of other bay area returnees. :) Apparently, a lot of people who went to Dr. Kaye go to Dr. Shenoi. Just goes to show how small the world actually is!

Overall, it was good. He seemed nice and warm. Not very forthcoming. But, if asked for info, he was very willing to go over things with us. He too went over the kids’ medical histories with us. They even had growth percentiles. :) And at the end of the visit, they had a hard copy folder for us to take home with us. It has the vaccination record, the office contact info, Dr. Shenoi’s mobile number for emergencies, and all paper work filed! Very cool. And that is what I liked the most too - the feeling that my kids matter to the doc’s office. So, my vote goes to him! LOL

I must mention that we have only gone there for regular physicals and not for any sicknesses. But, I have been told that he is very good at diagnosis and about prescribing non-anti-biotic meds. If you have your own experiences to add or ask questions, please do so in the comments.

Contact Details:

#272, 2nd stage, 2nd phase, 3rd cross, Domlur
Phone: 2535 3461, 6570 5892

#30 , 3rd Main, 14th cross, Vyalikaval
Phone: 2334 0806, 2334 1419

Email: perinatal@bigfoot.com

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Filed under: Kaye, Arvind Shenoy, Arvind Shenoi, El Camino medical group, Vyalikaval, clinic, Perinatal, Domlur, parents, Bangalore living, Life, Children, R2I, Docs, Family, Pediatrician, medical care, Bangalore

CBSE or ICSE - What to choose?

Posted on April 9th, 2008 by Chitra

If you are seeking admissions for your child in Indian schools, you are likely to ponder over the syllabuses to choose from. The present system of education in India offers students various options for their Class X examination. There are state, national and international boards like the Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC), Indian Certificate for Secondary Education (ICSE), Central Board for Secondary Education (CBSE), National Open School (NOS), International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) and International Baccalaureate (IB). In this post, I will list what people have to say about the CBSE and the ICSE syllabuses. Since the time Sivabalan, an r2blore reader, listed a few points about the CBSE and ICSE syllabuses, I was on the look out for different views on the subject on the internet and from people who knew enough to compare. (There will be a separate post about ICGSE later.)
Here are some of the points that I have collected. I am including Sivabalan’s initial list here too.

Please do list out your thoughts on the subject too in the comments.

CBSE

  1. CBSE syllabus stresses less on academic/theoretical stuff and more on Math and Science. And everybody seems to mostly concur with this point.
  2. The CBSE system of teaching hones the children towards thinking/problem solving methodology.
  3. Most of the Indian competitive exams are based on the CBSE syllabus.
  4. Typically, parents in transferable jobs prefer CBSE because of its national curriculum. And you have many Kendriya Vidyalayas and other private CBSE schools all over India.

One of my friends who chose CBSE for her daughter has this to say, “I went to a CBSE board school, and so I knew it was a nice syllabus. Also, our neighbor’s daughters were doing ICSE and were always studying cos of the heavy syllabus; very detailed and loads to learn.”

ICSE

  1. The syllabus is compatible amongst the common wealth countries. So with the ICSE, it is easier to relocate to some of the other countries in the middle of a school year.
  2. People also seem to recommend ICSE syllabus if the child may go abroad for under-grad education.
  3. The ICSE syllabus is heavier on languages and apparently not as much on Math and Science.
  4. Syllabus may not be the best background for the Indian competitive/entrance exams.
  5. ICSE offers more atypical courses like home science, agriculture, fashion design, cookery etc. The exposure to atypical courses may help a child see beyond the obvious career choices.

One of my neighbors who consciously chose the ICSE syllabus for her 2 daughters says, “We chose ICSE because of its tougher standards. And if and when the girls move to CBSE or state syllabus in the 9th/10th, they will find those easy then!“

Comparisons between ICSE and CBSE

  1. ICSE provides a good overall development; the focus on literature is good. The CBSE concentrates more on Math and Science, which gives that slight edge for the engineering competitive exams.

    2. “In ICSE projects on various subjects are an integral part. Also, there’s a clear emphasis on English literature whereas in CBSE, English is functional, communication-based “ says the Principal, Sri Kumaran’s Children’s Home. Kumaran’s offers ICSE and CBSE syllabuses to its students.

  2. It is said that the ICSE syllabus is more extensive, and that the CBSE is more intensive. To elaborate, in the CBSE system of teaching, there are more objective kind of questions, which prepares students for national level competitive exams. ICSE is more liberal and gives a good choice of subjects. One can opt out of math and science in ICSE, not so in CBSE. The ICSE course develops thinking and analytical skills in a student because it is extensive.
  3. The CBSE folks may find it tough to switch to ICSE at higher levels, but apparently ICSE guys can easily switch to CBSE.

_______________________________
CBSE: The Central Board of Secondary Education is an eminent board of school education in India.The CBSE prepares the syllabus for students from Lower Kindergarten (L.K.G) to Class 12, for schools affiliated with it. It conducts India’s 2 wide board examinations: the All India Secondary School Examination for Class 10 and the All India Senior School Certificate Examination for Class 12, which is a school-leaving examination. It also prescribes the syllabuses for these examinations, whose scores are necessary to gain admission in higher study institutes. Many private schools through the country affiliate themselves with the CBSE. The medium for education prescribed by CBSE is either English or Hindi. There are many Indian school in different countries that are also affiliated to CBSE.

CBSE All India Senior School Certificate Examination for Class 12 is widely recognized internationally for direct admission to university undergraduate courses.

CBSE also conducts the All India Engineering Entrance Examination (AIEEE) which is a common entrance examination on all-India basis for admission to engineering and architecture/planning programs in the country. Similarly Pre-medical and Pre-dental Tests AIPMT (PMT/PDT) are conducted for medical and dental colleges after the 10+2 exams.

CBSE is considered as a premier board in India as it incorporates modern learning techniques in its syllabi besides close to 5119 schools are affiliated to the board which are located all over India and abroad.

Official CBSE website

ICSE: The Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) examination is an examination conducted by the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations for class 10, i.e., grade 10. It has been designed to provide an examination in a course of general education, in accordance with the recommendations of the New Education Policy 1986 (India), through the medium of English. The examination allows secure suitable representation of Governments responsible for schools (which are affiliated to it) in their States/Territories. Private candidates are not permitted to appear for this examination.

In all subjects other than Science and Computers, students must submit compulsory coursework assignments. In groups I and II they count for 20% of the student’s performance in the subject; in group III the assignments count for 50%. In Science and Computers, students are tested on their lab work.

In subjects where there is more than one paper, the mark in the subject is calculated by taking the average of all papers in the subject.

Official ICSE website

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Filed under: Indian schools, India, Math, Science, Central Board of Secondary Education, Indian Certificate of Secondary Education, CBSE, ICSE, school, Children, bangalore schools, parents, syllabus, students, Bangalore

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