It was late evening on the 12th when I went into my doctor's clinic for a check up. She had just returned after visiting her mom who was ill and was shocked to see me because my baby was already 18 days overdue.
"I have spent a decade in UK and definitely do not want you to have your baby on 13th," she said with authority and made arrangements to do a Caesarean section before midnight. Later, when we went to the US for pursuing our studies, my perspective about date and time changed very significantly. Since we have only one time zone in India, living in USA with so many time zones was a totally different experience. Early hours of 13th for a New Yorker are still late night hours of 12th for a Californian. Since we are almost half a day ahead compared to some time zones in the US, unless you take the overlap of the times, it is a different ball game. While many hotels skip 13 while numbering their floors, American flag has 13 stripes to represent its first 13 colonies.
"This year's last two digits form 13, which is also known as a baker's dozen. May good things happen to you by the dozens. The idiom, by the dozens, is used to mean in large numbers." I greeted the students at the beginning of the LEAF (Learn English As Fun) class. The term 'baker's dozen' is supposed to have originated centuries ago when the price and the weight of a bread loaf were getting regulated and the penalties of cheating in weight were very high. So, bakers used to add an extra loaf for each dozen to be on the safer side of the law.
"I'm turning 13 this week and I'm so very happy because it's the beginning of my teenage. I have read that teenage is the time when we are at our best with energies and enthusiasm and we can do anything that we try to do as long as our efforts are sincere," Naveena was all enthusiasm when she said this.
"Thirteen is believed to be unlucky, especially Friday the thirteenth because Jesus Christ had his last supper with 12 apostles on Good Friday. Including him, there were 13 people at the table for last supper. My parents do not encourage me in believing any of this stuff. According to them, superstitions which weaken us should be discarded at once."
"It's all in one's thinking. My brother had a job interview on Friday the 13th and he was the 13th person to be interviewed and guess what? He was the one who got selected for the job with an annual salary of Rs 13 lakh. It was his dream job and he conventionally calls it his lucky 13."
While each one was sharing their thoughts about the stigma attached to the number 13, I had to intervene.
"Thirteen is a prime number, and so is 31, which we get by reversing its digits." Nitin is fond of anagrams and tries to read everything backwards to find some interesting stuff.
"My brother is 12 and my little sister is 5. Together, these three numbers form a Pythagorean triple. So, this year is special for us." Our 13 year old Naveena explained Pythagorean Theorem in an amazingly nice way.
"There are 13 different notes in an octave in music," our musical prodigy Pancham added.
"The moon moves about 13 degrees around the earth every day. It takes about 13 days to change from new moon to full moon and 13 days to change back. Adding new moon and full moon to this would equal 28 days of a lunar month. I love to watch the waxing and waning phases of the moon. I have made an album of the pictures I took of moon's phases for one whole month. Here it is." — Chandra's photo collection was appreciated by everyone in the class. He is a sky watcher and aspires to become an astrophysicist.
In many communities, a boy or a girl is considered mature at age 13 and some even have a sanskar or a celebration to mark this transition into teenage. Perhaps, it is because of all the hormonal changes that start to set in during that period with cognitive developments, both physically and psychologically.
As psychologists say, children are like sponges, absorbing whatever they are surrounded by. It felt so wonderful to see that they were not trapped in superstitions like my doctor. They proved to be proactive in collecting positive information and send a positive message. Thanks to these youngsters, it was, indeed, an enjoyable informative session about 13. Listening to these youngsters' multidimensional perspective made my day and I'm sure this New Year will bring more happiness, in dozens, to all.
"I have spent a decade in UK and definitely do not want you to have your baby on 13th," she said with authority and made arrangements to do a Caesarean section before midnight. Later, when we went to the US for pursuing our studies, my perspective about date and time changed very significantly. Since we have only one time zone in India, living in USA with so many time zones was a totally different experience. Early hours of 13th for a New Yorker are still late night hours of 12th for a Californian. Since we are almost half a day ahead compared to some time zones in the US, unless you take the overlap of the times, it is a different ball game. While many hotels skip 13 while numbering their floors, American flag has 13 stripes to represent its first 13 colonies.
"This year's last two digits form 13, which is also known as a baker's dozen. May good things happen to you by the dozens. The idiom, by the dozens, is used to mean in large numbers." I greeted the students at the beginning of the LEAF (Learn English As Fun) class. The term 'baker's dozen' is supposed to have originated centuries ago when the price and the weight of a bread loaf were getting regulated and the penalties of cheating in weight were very high. So, bakers used to add an extra loaf for each dozen to be on the safer side of the law.
"I'm turning 13 this week and I'm so very happy because it's the beginning of my teenage. I have read that teenage is the time when we are at our best with energies and enthusiasm and we can do anything that we try to do as long as our efforts are sincere," Naveena was all enthusiasm when she said this.
"Thirteen is believed to be unlucky, especially Friday the thirteenth because Jesus Christ had his last supper with 12 apostles on Good Friday. Including him, there were 13 people at the table for last supper. My parents do not encourage me in believing any of this stuff. According to them, superstitions which weaken us should be discarded at once."
"It's all in one's thinking. My brother had a job interview on Friday the 13th and he was the 13th person to be interviewed and guess what? He was the one who got selected for the job with an annual salary of Rs 13 lakh. It was his dream job and he conventionally calls it his lucky 13."
While each one was sharing their thoughts about the stigma attached to the number 13, I had to intervene.
"Thirteen is a prime number, and so is 31, which we get by reversing its digits." Nitin is fond of anagrams and tries to read everything backwards to find some interesting stuff.
"My brother is 12 and my little sister is 5. Together, these three numbers form a Pythagorean triple. So, this year is special for us." Our 13 year old Naveena explained Pythagorean Theorem in an amazingly nice way.
"There are 13 different notes in an octave in music," our musical prodigy Pancham added.
"The moon moves about 13 degrees around the earth every day. It takes about 13 days to change from new moon to full moon and 13 days to change back. Adding new moon and full moon to this would equal 28 days of a lunar month. I love to watch the waxing and waning phases of the moon. I have made an album of the pictures I took of moon's phases for one whole month. Here it is." — Chandra's photo collection was appreciated by everyone in the class. He is a sky watcher and aspires to become an astrophysicist.
In many communities, a boy or a girl is considered mature at age 13 and some even have a sanskar or a celebration to mark this transition into teenage. Perhaps, it is because of all the hormonal changes that start to set in during that period with cognitive developments, both physically and psychologically.
As psychologists say, children are like sponges, absorbing whatever they are surrounded by. It felt so wonderful to see that they were not trapped in superstitions like my doctor. They proved to be proactive in collecting positive information and send a positive message. Thanks to these youngsters, it was, indeed, an enjoyable informative session about 13. Listening to these youngsters' multidimensional perspective made my day and I'm sure this New Year will bring more happiness, in dozens, to all.