Recently, in a meeting in my son’s school there was an appeal from the Social Science teacher requesting parents not to sideline the subject. She went on to add that the languages and Social Science do make a difference to the aggregate.  I wondered the need for such an appeal. I feel that Social Science is a very important subject but whenever I voice my opinion among parents, it meets with much scepticism. Maybe, now I can appreciate why our theatres are left in such a mess after every movie. No one feels the urge to do the civic thing by picking up the popcorn packet or the drink cup and putting them in the place where they belong! After all, they don’t feel the need to study Social Science or instill in their children the need for the same.

Social Science is considered by a vast number of children and parents alike as a pill that has to be endured till the 10th. Unfortunately, the same subject if properly pursued will help us deal with the following problems that our city/ country faces:

Keeping our city clean. Not many of us feel the need to keep our surroundings clean. We might be clinically neat within our four walls but the minute we step out onto the roads it becomes a big, vast dustbin. The civic sense is not instilled in us right from a young age.

Fundamental rights and fundamental duties go hand in hand. We are very vociferous in our appeal when it comes to our rights, yet we are most times woefully unaware of our duties. We need to take a careful look at our traffic particularly where there is a level crossing. Vehicles are lined up the entire stretch leaving little place for the traffic from the other end resulting in total chaos once the gate is opened. The same with the signals and the stretch of narrow roads.

We have scant respect for our historical sights. When I visited Australia, I was surprised at the marketing done to their museums and other scenic sights. Melbourne has maintained its old world charm along with modernisation. The national heritage council has taken the town under its wings. We have much more architectural wonders but our poor maintenance, poor knowledge and poor infrastructure make us woefully backward in marketing the same.

We need to take pride in our nation. We need to take care of our national heritage without despoiling them. In recent times the government of India is trying to market ‘Incredible India’ to the world. We need to educate our youth on the same right from the beginning.

We do not take pride in the kaleidoscopic culture of our vast country.  We are not aware of our own country’s varied states and culture. There are still many North Indians who feel that anyone South of the Deccan is a Madrasi and the South is not aware of the varied customs and traditions of the North leave alone the number of States we have.

We learn the big “T” from the study of Social Studies. Tolerance is the key word when we learn to work together as a team without thought of various regional and religious differences.

Knowledge of various natural resources and their judicious utilisation also comes with the knowledge of Social Sciences. There are a number of modern buildings, which use electricity for lighting even during daytime, as the builders have not made provision for skylights in their construction. All these and more can be taught only through the medium of this wonderful subject.

Leaning of History helps us in not repeating the mistakes of the past. Unfortunately,  rote learning with no heart in it leads us to commit the same mistakes again and again. The divide and rule policy of our erstwhile rulers is still followed by our politicians and we are mute spectators to the game.

I remember my Social Science teacher making this subject more interesting and interactive. She encouraged us to read the news of the week in the class and correlated it to the lessons from our text. Not only did we develop the habit of reading the newspaper, we also had the opportunity to play the very exciting role of newsreaders. I also remember that we put on our best BBC accents to do the same! May her tribe increase!

I truly wish our students and adults take this subject positively and make an effort to make our country a better place for future generations to come.