Dear JOBA experts
I am here try to put in record along with my insights of our wonderful Zoom meet held on 5th Sunday Feb 2023. It went on to our great joy over two and half hours and the articulations all through were very interesting and amazing.
I think this zoom meet of experts was the fourth one, first three were physical meet, first one at Marutham farm, Kanoor, Thiruvarur, the second one was in Kalanjiyam training centre, Madurai and the third one was in Kalpathru School, Thanjavur.
My appreciation rests with all those participated in the meet. While we are so happy about the participation of Alex Parimalam, a new expert of JOBA, we feel one with Ms. Soumya Muthulingam and Mr. Sandeep of Sri lanka, although they were so much interested with all motivation to participate couldn't do so due to power cut in their place to their disappointment.
What a lovely meet recollecting and reviewing JOBA journey in the last year's starting with one Malaysian Tamil School ahead in 2021 anchored by Mano Iyya conceptualised by collective creative imagination of few in the initial years deeply exploring into the unique meaning and purpose of such initiative for which Kumaravelu Iyya of Malaysia for his trigger as per our understanding from Prof.John Britto, Founder of JOBA.
Warm welcome Kumaravelu Iyya, JOBA is so much enriched.
It was an amazing feeling for all of us to have realised and articulated that so much have been done in the last one year particularly from the time we had our first meet exactly a year ago in Marutham farm in Feb 2022.
JOBA collaboration has grown length and breadth over the year.
Malaysia Collaboration:
Started with one Tamil School on உணவு, உழவு, உணர்வு, a series of online classes to the children, now the collaboration has grown to 7 Tamil Schools for an International Certificate Course on Sejahtera (wellbeing) with 5 modules over a period of one year for over 250 children studying in primary and middle schools. Interestingly JOBA Malaysia Country Leader, Mano Iyya tells 3 modules were over till now by online classes by JOBA experts, 2 more yet to be done.
It was so inspiring to hear him sharing his wonderful idea and plan of getting the Course approved by the Malaysian Government Education Department and his passion for finding financial resources that could be extended to deserving students as scholarship to undergo this well designed international Course for the children.
The children undergoing this Course are formed as திணை மன்றம் functioning in all the 7 Schools facilitated by a volunteer teacher திணை தளபதி. The practicals done by the children as part of each module have been uploaded in the JOBA website (www.johnbrittoacademy.com), space created exclusively for each school.
Mano Iyya recently had interaction with the Volunteer teachers and headmistresses of the participating Schools. It has been a joyful inspiring experience of JOBA experts, of their online classes shared by Dr.Magi as the children of திணை மன்றம் how each child imbibes Nature Centric Philosophy of JOBA through a process of பழக்கம், வழக்கம், ஒழுக்கம், பண்பாடு, மரபு being institutionalised in their family and school environment as envisaged by Mano iyya.
Alagu Annavi iyya, his passion for reaching out to children with his extraordinary knowledge resource on Tamil literature specially on திணையியல் கோட்பாடு, the sharing of him both in the meet and with the Tamil school children of Malaysia is something one would be amazed hearing him.
Sri Lanka Collaboration:
JOBA is so happy admiring Pamayan’s recent visit to Sri Lanka on an invitation for a week or so for a series of training on இயற்கை வேளாண்மை to the people in few places (Nuveralia, Anuradhapuram, Mattakalappu, Yalpanam and so on) over there having very small land holding.
While the interest of the people is so inspiring as it concerns their life and livelihood amidst their historical challenges known to the entire world, he was been so touched and moved to their suffering still due to their ethnic socio cultural complexity wondering whether at all the situation of the people would improve. Kumaravelu iyya tells with hope and determination மக்கள் மீண்டு வருவார்கள். That's our hope too and JOBA is looking forward concrete expressions of its collaborations as there are its well motivated experienced experts like Yogeswari and Soumya Muthulingam.
India Collaboration:
NMCT, Coimbatore has been one of JOBA’s focus of close collaboration on the invitation of Dr. Shankarnarayan, its Founder Director who is also a close friend of Prof.John Britto for many years. JOBA besides had given a leadership and communication training to all NMCT staff team of over 35 key staff members, it has extended its service in bringing out NMCT annual report with professional touch tracking back its 34 years of experiences working with the people in three Western districts of Tamil Nadu in particular although NMCT has its wings of some special skill training program for women and girls all over the districts of TN.
Its long years of its engagement in service to the HIV-AIDS positive people is well recognised and appreciated by all its stakeholders and partners besides that of its active service during COVID19 pandemic that has led them to work in many schools and health centres. As part of its commitment to share the knowledge resource to the wider professional experts and partners, JOBA has undertaken on request a 15 minutes video documentation for which Dr.Magi and Velmurugan is working on it that will find its show on a National Conference on Knowledge sharing and dissemination which will hopefully be held at the end of March 2023.
Alex Parimalam coordinates this engagement of JOBA working out its conceptual and logistics requirements. Together with the above Dr. Shankarnarayan welcomes the suggestion of JOBA for writing a book, taking NMCT’s long years of experiences as a case study as a reference book with learning potential for all those committed for the cause of the vulnerable people and communities in epidemic and pandemic situation which is increasingly becoming a new normal these days and in immediate future. JOBA book writing team with the lead of Dr. Mahalakshmi has been given the responsibility.
Kalpatharu International School, Thanjavur.
A two day program was taken up for training the school teachers as the school correspondent and Principal Ms.Nithya, also an expert team member of JOBA showing an extraordinary inspiring commitment and passion taking forward the philosophy of JOBA இயற்கை வாழ்வியல் அறம் to her school children.
It was an interesting program fully sponsored by Ms.Nithya, thanks to her for her kind gesture, all her teachers very interestingly participated and in fact the modules for the School children on Sejahtera were developed with active participation of her school teachers, kudos to each one of them.
The experience with all of them still has a hangover, also to that of the exposure to the rich cultural city of Thanjavur well organised ever fresh in all our mind, and as a follow-up an effort to have a organic garden to be established in the school for the best formation of children in Nature centric lifestyle and culture is in plan and hope to be realised in due course.
Bosconet is a South Asia forum of over 350 civil society service organisations engaged in skill training and formation of young people of hard working families and children at risk. One day session for all the top level leaders of Bosconet, which has its coordination office in New Delhi on Leadership and Good Governance was conducted by Mr. S. Santiago and Prof. John Britto. The contact is still alive and in due course it's worth to meet its needs for training and capacity building program if requested.
JOBA experts visibility:
Although the website has brief information about each JOBA experts it was suggested in the meet, 2-3 minutes video could be done by each JOBA expert specially on each one's relevant knowledge resource that may attract the individuals and institutions for JOBA collaboration.
JOBA strongly believes in its philosophy as it is going to be the future of this one Planet Earth, Life and Livelihood of the Entire Human Species and Peace and Harmony with the Nature, Ecology and Environment. A good beginning though in a small way gives us meaning and worth it over history of humankind and planet earth.
Thank you JOBA and its valuable expert team.
S.Santiago.