Bhubaneswar: A lecturer and an IT professional in the UK have come together to offer online classes in Odia for free to Odias living outside the state and country.
Called the Odia Pathashala, the classes started from April 8, 2020 during the pandemic after lecturer Jayshree Nanda from Amersham and IT architect Subhendu Sethi of Reading, Berkshire County, decided to do something fruitful as they were confined to their homes. The classes offered every Sunday evening has students joining in from the UK, Ireland, Sweden, Dubai, US and Scotland.
The duo instead of following the traditional teaching techniques decided to make learning joyful by linking alphabets with words and things already known to children. “We ask the children to go around the house for 10 minutes, find out the Odia names of different items and associate them with the correct letters. Children learn faster because of the quiz,” said Subhendu. Children are encouraged to speak in Odia during the class.
Subhendu teaches the basics to the children after which Jayshree takes over for the advanced course. He teaches similar looking alphabets together instead of following the sequence. Once the children are comfortable with the letters, Jayshree teaches those again formally in the advanced classes. “The lessons begin with two-letter words, then come the three-letter words and so on. Then come the vowel signs (matras). The children are also given multiple-choice questions to answer at the end of a session,” said Jayshree.
Children are provided with soft copies of ‘Barnabadha’, ‘Mo Chaabi Bahi’ and other Odia books to strengthen their language skills, said Jayshree. Besides language, the children are also taught about Lord Jagannath, Rath Yatra, different types of games, vegetables, Odia culture and traditions, great personalities like Odia writers and freedom fighters, festivals and Odia food, in the storytelling format and by using photographs. “Besides learning, it breaks the monotony of studying,” said Jayshree.
They had initially started with 22 to 25 students but the number has touched 80 now in the beginner and advanced batches. The classes for beginners are conducted over six months for a batch, after which students join the advanced classes and continue as long as they want.
For parents who want their children to learn their mother tongue, the classes have come as a boon. Sanat Kumar Das (11) of Dublin, Ireland can now speak in Odia and even write the alphabets. “He is happiest when he can speak to our relatives in Odia. They also appreciate him for learning the language,” said Pallabika Das, Sanat’s mother. “My son can now read Odia books,” she said.
Similarly, IT professional Manoj Pattnaik enrolled his two sons, Kartikey (11) and Attharv (7), in the classes after coming to know about it from a Pravasi Odia group. His wife, who is from Hungary, has also learned Odia. “It is our language. The children should learn it. It will help them communicate in Odia when they go to Odisha. I encourage them to speak in Odia at home,” said Manoj.
Called the Odia Pathashala, the classes started from April 8, 2020 during the pandemic after lecturer Jayshree Nanda from Amersham and IT architect Subhendu Sethi of Reading, Berkshire County, decided to do something fruitful as they were confined to their homes. The classes offered every Sunday evening has students joining in from the UK, Ireland, Sweden, Dubai, US and Scotland.
The duo instead of following the traditional teaching techniques decided to make learning joyful by linking alphabets with words and things already known to children. “We ask the children to go around the house for 10 minutes, find out the Odia names of different items and associate them with the correct letters. Children learn faster because of the quiz,” said Subhendu. Children are encouraged to speak in Odia during the class.
Subhendu teaches the basics to the children after which Jayshree takes over for the advanced course. He teaches similar looking alphabets together instead of following the sequence. Once the children are comfortable with the letters, Jayshree teaches those again formally in the advanced classes. “The lessons begin with two-letter words, then come the three-letter words and so on. Then come the vowel signs (matras). The children are also given multiple-choice questions to answer at the end of a session,” said Jayshree.
Children are provided with soft copies of ‘Barnabadha’, ‘Mo Chaabi Bahi’ and other Odia books to strengthen their language skills, said Jayshree. Besides language, the children are also taught about Lord Jagannath, Rath Yatra, different types of games, vegetables, Odia culture and traditions, great personalities like Odia writers and freedom fighters, festivals and Odia food, in the storytelling format and by using photographs. “Besides learning, it breaks the monotony of studying,” said Jayshree.
They had initially started with 22 to 25 students but the number has touched 80 now in the beginner and advanced batches. The classes for beginners are conducted over six months for a batch, after which students join the advanced classes and continue as long as they want.
For parents who want their children to learn their mother tongue, the classes have come as a boon. Sanat Kumar Das (11) of Dublin, Ireland can now speak in Odia and even write the alphabets. “He is happiest when he can speak to our relatives in Odia. They also appreciate him for learning the language,” said Pallabika Das, Sanat’s mother. “My son can now read Odia books,” she said.
Similarly, IT professional Manoj Pattnaik enrolled his two sons, Kartikey (11) and Attharv (7), in the classes after coming to know about it from a Pravasi Odia group. His wife, who is from Hungary, has also learned Odia. “It is our language. The children should learn it. It will help them communicate in Odia when they go to Odisha. I encourage them to speak in Odia at home,” said Manoj.