Power does not give you the right to vent your frustration on someone else. Shefaly has a lot to say on this.

This morning, I heard how an 11 year old child, who has just gone to live in India for a short while, was slapped by his teacher. The child comes from a very different culture. To him, this idea of disciplining is alien. When I heard I felt instantly livid and embarrassed. It seemed the barbarism is alive and kicking, and now we are passing it on to our children. So much for India Shining!

The 16 year old girl selling me my Airtel recharge coupon told me that she would happily make a rain water harvesting project for my children. The price? Five hundred rupees, including all materials. (She’d do the balance of their holiday homework for another 500 rupees). Apparently most ninth standard students in Delhi are assigned a rainwater harvesting project at some point during the year, and this girl knew an opportunity when she saw one; business was good, she said.

Hari writes about some of the things that are wrong with our schools and why environmentalists should care.

Hat Tip Gautam