New Delhi, 30.01.2020: Being a mother of two children and
doing household chores as well as sticking to the professional commitments made
to the office at times I find it very hard to balance both of the self- chosen
tasks and roles for a dignity. However, that is the go of life whether it is
you, me and for that matter anybody else positive in the world.
It was the month of April in the year 2005, say around 15
years back, when I came in contact with British Lingua at Laxmi Nagar of Delhi
which turned out to be a congenial workplace for catering to those seeking to
improve their English communication skills under the slogan ‘English for all.
The motto is self-explanatory which appealed to me no end, egging me on to be
the part of the ‘English Movement’ of taking English to the common man of
India.
The dream came true when I was made a part of training those
who were the first points of contacts in the XIX Commonwealth Games that were
held in New Delhi where I worked a lead trainer under the banner of British
Lingua which had bagged the contract of imparting Spoken English and Behaviour
skills in the run-up to the much-acclaimed games in which India fared well,
drawing international praise.
I subscribe to the views of the international school of
thoughts- what makes you stronger is the responsibility that is taken and a
freehand given to accomplish a piece of work. I cannot help singing the praises
of the British Lingua Managing Director Dr Birbal Jha, who supported me in my
endeavour to grow into a full-fledged trainer, reposing faith in me by way of
assigning the responsibilities and helping me realise my inner potentialities,
teacher-ship and scholarship. Teaching is my first love and I wish to live up
to it. My gut- feeling is that skilling youth is skilling India for the prosperous
present time and a better tomorrow.
The English adage- teamwork makes the dream work. It goes
without saying. British Lingua is popularly known as the Lingua family for its
bonding, ethical practices and work culture which I have witnessed for last
many years and for this reason I feel growing respect for the management headed
by Dr Jha, who is an iron hand in a velvet glove. At times his aggression to
anyone is nothing but a sort of dedication to the accomplishments of the
professional work.
I often hear Dr Jha saying there is no demarcation of
learning and knowledge, the day is good when you learn something new else it is
a dull day. There is hardly any day when I skip learning something new at
British Lingua where Dr Jha creates such an ideal situation of sharing
knowledge, signifying the concept - a joy shared is a joy doubled. A Sorrow
shared is a sorrow halved. He adds to it, saying that knowledge shared is
knowledge doubled. The concept used as a peer learning approach to furthering
the wealth of knowledge and wisdom among the trainers and trainees at the
Lingua Family which transacts all communications in English that youth of the
day need to be acquainted with.
I knew English. I had taught English at a prestigious school
in east Delhi. But I did not have a fair degree of knowledge of andragogy- the
method and practice of teaching or training adult learners which I acknowledge
I learnt at British Lingua. A unique
methodology – ‘SIM’ which stands for ‘Structural-cum-Interactive Method’
devised by Dr Birbal Jha, who has gained international acclaim for his probity,
integrity, erudition and authorship.
The full-blown and effective SIM encapsulates all the
patterns of the English language and endless scope of interactions on varied
topics that interest trainees as well as trainers involved in carrying out the
task of national building which is central to ethos of the Lingua family of
which I am a proud member as one of the master trainers with a title of
Seasoned Trainer given by the entity.
I admire the policy of
this training institute for its practice of giving trainers a carte blanche to
carry out the mission it has taken, enabling the trainees to grow naturally.
You never realise how time flies when you enter the class as both trainers and
trainees get engrossed in the training sessions with classroom topics and a
melange of language activities and senses of humour which have all stakeholders
rolling in the aisles when the class is in progress. It makes the classroom
healthy, thus inculcating the desired knowledge in students incognito, without
a feeling of fatigue while working even for lengthy hours.
Monotony is a rare word here. Language activities of various
natures are so entertaining on the one hand and academic talks on the other
that interest everybody here. It has been very intriguing for me to witness the
fact that seminars, workshops, discourses, cultural activities all are used
here as tools of learning, not a mere formality. Such activities afford the
trainees as well as the trainers the opportunities to learn various things by
osmosis.
I have been happy as a lark while laying my hands on editing
literature produced by British Lingua Publication. I miss the Lingua Bulletin
which is on hold for now and where I contributed as one of the editors for a
decade. It was very enthralling and a great experience of learning in my
lifetime.
What could be the secret of the brilliant success of Dr Jha,
who takes pride in calling himself a village boy, born and bought up the
remotest village of Bihar which has been a seat of learning as Lord Buddha
attained his enlightenment there, Lord Mahavira existed there and the
first-ever concept of democracy came into being and practice with Licchavis
Ganrajya of Vajji Mahajanpada of ancient India?
A peep into Dr Jha’s
life reveals the fact that ‘genius is an infinite capacity for taking pains’
and at the same time ‘Genius is one per cent inspiration and ninety-nine per
cent perspiration’. He is often seen working fourteen hours a day religiously.
His linguistic abilities, writing knack, impeccable professional commitments to
taking the bounties of English Skills to the unprivileged section of society
have made him stand out from the crowd and a source of inspiration to others to
follow in his footsteps. In a word, he is a rare bird and full of
sagacity.
It would not be an exaggeration to call him a beacon of hope
for raising the overall status of the downtrodden people of Indian society and
the educational prospects in the country that needs to be a skilled one.
I’ve always had a fascination for the English Language that
has pulled me into this noble profession. Truly speaking, it is a never-ending
process of enhancing skills and knowledge. I feel we should have the spirit of
doing so and I find it here. The aura of the Lingua Family keeps me engaged and
jovial and motivates me to pen down my personal feelings about my linguistic
journey right from embarking on my career in language training to the sheer
bliss which I derive out of it.