Wayanad - A Dreamy Paradise

Wayanad needs no fancy introduction. It is one of the popular holiday destinations of South India. A paradise of lush green tea plantations, old-styled cottages, winding roads, smiling locals, and a Malabar cuisine that shouldn't be missed. Also it makes for a great place to vacation around Bangalore for young parents with infants or toddlers in tow.

Travelling with children, especially toddlers, is a little tedious and needs some planning. However, a little research will throw open a lot of ideas and options. While we wanted something exotic (read rustic living) for our older son to experience, we didn't want to compromise on simple comforts for the sake of our younger one. After a little search we settled for the tree house model at Coffee County Resorts, Wayanad and we returned quite glad with the choice made.

Route we took from Bangalore -

Bangalore > Mysore > Nanjangud > Gundulupet > Sulthan Bathery > Kalpetta > Meppadi

It took us close to 7-8 hours including a few stops we made for the 310 kms. Roads are good and very scenic.

Attractions

The main attraction for our kid was the tree house itself. While it is not an actual tree house, the resort cottages are situated pretty much high above a mountain amidst a grove of trees below. Thus giving it a very real feel of being in a tree house. Small consolation that we managed to keep up our word with a very-hard-to-convince 5 year old!

Secondly there is a very inviting plunge pool, just outside the cottage. The kids and hubby went straight and plonked themselves in the pool and hours later had to be dragged out of it. The pool is a great idea but is also a major distraction for stubborn toddlers who can't be left unattended. Moreover the water is at times icy cold with no provision of hot water. However, fun it is. :)

If the kids are slightly older or if you are upto it, you can take walks around the tea plantations, or go for the wild safari (7-9:00 a.m. or the 3-4:00 p.m.), visit the Edakkal caves, local temples etc.

Do We Have Gender Diversity Among Teachers in Schools?

I had been to a science fair recently at my son's preschool. Yes, they have science fairs for 4-5 year old's these days with exhibits/charts and the tots also explain concepts like rain-water harvesting or the water movement in plants with elan.

A group of parents got around discussing the dedication of teachers that was apparent and their commitment in educating our little ones. And we observed how there were no male teachers except for the Physical Fitness Trainer. A small impromptu questioning also made us realize that this was true to smaller niche playschools and day care centers. Am not sure if this stands true in a wider cross-section of the Indian society but I am also unable to recollect seeing any male teacher in any of the preschool chains I visited.

Interestingly there were a set of parents who expressed that it would not be possible for men to display this level of patience in managing preschoolers, while yet some parents outright said they would not be comfortable with a male teacher for their toddlers. Few also opined on how a male teacher in a preschool will be a risk or a big liability to the management.

Has the present climate of harassment's, sexual incidents, and rape cases created more distrust among the two genders and creating a wider gulf? Why are there so few men who come out to teach pre-schoolers, while there are many math & science teachers and lecturers for higher classes? 

Has it been accepted as a fact that teaching young ones has to be the prerogative of a woman alone? Or could it simply be a case of such professional roles not being lucrative enough monetarily for a primary (needless to add male) wage earner?