When you have 2 minutes for relaxing ( and resources for a video play), do watch this one and pay full attention. I’m sure you’ll have a hearty laugh at the end of it :-).

Poor guy

Chutti TV has the TV show Dora the Explorer running in Tamil everyday. Having watched the effect of Dora on kids, I think it’s a healthy, wonderful show for children.

Each episode brings a new problem ( though similar most of the times ), that Dora and Bujji needs to resolve. The problem is typically finding way, tracking someone etc. What makes the show interesting is the interaction that it forces in children. For example, Dora would say “The little fox is going to steal. Tell the fox not to steal.” In tamil ( you need tamil unicode fonts ) , “குள்ள நரிகிட்ட திருட கூடாதுன்னு சொல்லுங்க” , and give it a pause, waiting for the kids watching the show to repeat after her. The good thing? kids register in mind “stealing is wrong”.

Few more things worth mentioning

• “Can you help to identify where fox is”(நீங்க நரிய பார்த்தால் சொல்றீங்களா?) -> helps to stimulate paying attention to detail
• “Lake, Bridge, Party house” (ஏரி, பாலம் , பார்ட்டி நடக்கும் வீடு ) -> repeating instructions and visual identification of objects make it easy for kids to follow, and make it easy to associate objects and their names in reality.

If you have kids ages < 6, you might want to consider letting them watch Dora on Chutti TV ( for Tamil version ), or buy the media ( I hope it should be available ). I often hum “டோரா டோரா டோராவோட பயணம் , புஜ்ஜியோட நீங்க கொஞ்சம் வரணும்” ( or something like that ).

Hats off to the designers of the show ( and to Chutti TV for an unobtrusive, helpful translated version).

In many countries police patrol cars have sirens and lights on the top of the car. When these are switched on, it typically means there is a chase or is an indication that the vehicle in front of the patrol car is signaled to halt.

Those following developments in CCTP here might remember the police were donated with 100 Hyundai Accent patrol cars. While these cars spend most of their lifetime parked at some shadow in road sides, they do engage the lights ( if not siren ). However, in that “chase” / emergency , they drive at a maximum speed of 20kmph.
I could never understand the theory behind it, and have been waiting for a chance to findout

Yesterday, I happened to meet a traffic police officer. Conversation below ( of course, translated to english )

Me: Sir, I need a clarification, would you mind if I ask?

Officer: Sure. go ahead.

Me: this is regarding the new patrol vehicles…

Officer: ( interrupting ): yeah.. the hyundai cars

Me: yes. in many countries abroad, they switch on the lights and siren in emergency. most people either leave way, or stop as required by law. However, I see that our officers have the lights on, and go at the slowest possible speed. once they did that behind my car, and I was thinking if I should stop. May I know what’s the logic behind these?

Officer: ?#!???#???. You see in this country, nobody respects rules.. blah blah blah….

Haiyo Haiyo

I recently came across an article in Wikipedia about Dappan Kuthu. It was so good, I couldn’t resist sharing it.

if you were wondering what the term Dappan Kuthu meant, don’t worry, the article will “educate” you ( For those without any patience it’s a form of dance practiced in Tamil Nadu, India )

Whatever mood you are in, I’m sure you would be having a hearty laugh at the end of reading the article.

Here it comes for your reading pleasure. Article on Dappan Kuthu from Wikipedia

Do read the last line