Shaurya's Chronicles

Somehow, I had always underestimated the power of nursery rhymes and the part they played in a child’s creative development. I always believed that they were more like an instrument to keep a child busy by engaging him in a song and movement routine.

However, my perception has changed ever since Shaurya has started attending his play school. Of all things, it seems that he is most interested in his rhymes and songs that he learns in his school. Even though he is not able to understand all the words and then tends to mumble later, still he keeps singing them, day in and day out.

He sings these rhymes even while he’s busy bathing, playing, sitting in the car or even watching TV. The funniest part is that even when there is some song being played on the TV, Shaurya can be heard singing one of his rhymes at the top of his voice as if holding a competition with the TV. It does get annoying at times but recently my little superman has started associating words with moving visuals on the TV. He watches his cartoon shows and picks up a bird or the fish in a visual and sings a rhyme associated with a bird or fish.

Since my childhood remained confined to the spectrum of DD and National network and there were hardly any educational cartoon shows around, watching Shaurya use the streaming visuals and aligning them with the learning from his school is an experience of sorts for me.

At times I really wish that we had as many helping aids (Media, Internet and toys to learn) in our times too. But then I am sure the simplicity that we enjoyed in those times can never be restored now. Personally, I just hope that Shaurya picks up and inculcates some reading habits too as he grows up and does not confine himself to songs and music and the idiot box alone.