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Elementary students at Tetuan Central Elementary School in Zamboanga City, in the conflict-affected Mindanao region of the Philippines, work intently on a math project, guided by a textbook from USAID/Philippines' EQuALLS2 Project. The book, one of more than a million donated by the partnership to Mindanao public elementary schools, is designed to make math fun and easy to learn.
Photo Credit: Rojessa Tiamson-Saceda (EQuALLS2 Project)
Perhaps Knowledge Adventure's most beloved brand, Math Blaster products have been used in www.mathblaster.com
classrooms and homes worldwide for over 15 years. Check for the website here
Who's good at math? My midterm is tomorrow and I don't know a blessed thing. I have no idea how I got a 91 in geometry on my report card. I'm assuming good luck. Anywho, can anyone explain when to use the slope formula? Or point-slope? Or slope-intercept? Or is it point-intercept? I don't even know what they're called :( Oh and how do you copy an angle, bisect an angle, or bisect a segment? I guess I knew what I was doing in September.... but September was last year.
You can probably tell that I get easily distracted when I ~study....
I went to bed at 4 in the morning and woke up around noon. I pulled an all-nighter with Shannon. IT RULED. My midterm is from 12:00 to 1:45, meaning I can sleep in! I'll probably meet up with Tracey at McDonalds before the exam to eat......and "test each other". I still don't know if I can go to the Valencia show tomorrow night D: I really want to hear "We All Need A Reason To Believe" live.
Check them out if you don't know them already! www.myspace.com/valencia
While I'm on that topic, also check out my dad's band, Off City Limits!
(My biological dad really isn't in the band... but my best friend's boyfriend is, and I just like to refer to him as my dad)
It's my ex-best friend's 16th birthday today.
-hurls corn-
Currently Spinning: "Don't Wait" - Hit The Lights
One of the biggest problems in math that students encounter is solving word problems. Word Problems occur in every topic and every grade - be it fractions, algebra, geometry or calculus, there are always word problems. Get math solver online now. Try our free math problems online help demo and interact with our expert math tutor.Students can check out the algebra word problems page.
Translation Math In general language translation means to translate the code or language in other language for better communication. Translation is mainly used to convert an object from a form to another form. We can see this term Translation in various fields as in physics, chemistry and in maths.
BELUR MATH
Beluṛ Maṭh (Bengali: বেলুড় মঠ) is the headquarters of the Ramakrishna Math and Mission, founded by Swami Vivekananda, a chief disciple of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. It is located on the west bank of Hooghly River, Belur, West Bengal, India and is one of the significant institutions in Calcutta.[2] This temple is the heart of the Ramakrishna Movement. The temple is notable for its architecture that fuses Hindu, Christian and Islamic motifs as a symbol of unity of all religions. In 2007 Belurmath railway station was also inaugurated which is dedicated to Belurmath temple
In January 1897, Swami Vivekananda arrived in Colombo with his small group of Western disciples. Two monasteries were founded by him, one at Belur, which became the headquarters of Ramakrishna Mission and the other at Mayavati on the Himalayas, in Champawat Dist. Uttrakhand called the Advaita Ashrama.[4][5]These monasteries were meant to receive and train young men who would eventually become sannyasis of the Ramakrishna Mission, and to give them a training for their work. The same year the philanthropic activity was started and relief of the famine was carried out.[5]
Swami Vivekananda's days as a parivrajaka (wandering monk) before his visit to Parliament of Religions, took him through many parts of India and he visited several architectural monuments like the Taj Mahal, Fatehpur Sikri palaces, Diwan–I–Khas, palaces of Rajasthan, ancient temples of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and other places. During his tour in America and Europe, he came across buildings of architectural importance of Modern, Medieval, Gothic and Renaissance styles. It is reported that Vivekananda incorporated these ideas in the design of the Belur Math temple.[6]
Swami Vijnanananda, a brother-monk of Swami Vivekananda and one of the monastic disciples of Ramakrishna, who was, in his pre-monastic life, a civil engineer, designed the temple according to the ideas of Vivekananda and Swami Shivananda, the then President of Belur Math laid the foundation stone on 16 May 1935. The massive construction was handled by Martin Burn & Co.. The mission proclaims the Belur Math as, "A Symphony in Architecture"
The 40-acre (160,000 m2) campus of the Belur Math on the banks of the Ganges includes temples dedicated to Ramakrishna, Sarada Devi and Swami Vivekananda, in which their relics are enshrined, and the main monastery of the Ramakrishna Order. The campus also houses a Museum containing articles connected with the history of Ramakrishna Math and Mission. Several educational institutions affiliated with the Ramakrishna Mission are situated in the vast campus adjacent to Belur Math.[8] The Belur Math is considered as one of the prime tourist spots near Kolkata[9] and place of pilgrimage by devotees.[10][11] The ex-president APJ Abdul Kalam regarded Belur Math as a "place of heritage and national importance.
The design of the temple was envisioned by Swami Vivekananda and the architect was Swami Vijnanananda, a direct monastic disciple of Ramakrishna. Sri Ramakrishna Temple was consecrated on 14 January, the Makar Sankranti Day in 1938.
The Ramakrishna temple at the Belur Math is designed to "celebrate the diversity of Indian Religions"[2] and resembles a temple, a mosque, a church if seen from different positions.[13][14][15] The architectural style and symbolism from a number of religions have been incorporated into the design of the temple at Belur Math, to convey the "universal faith" in which the movement believes.[16][17] The temple is considered as a prime example of the importance of "material dimension" of religion.[16]
The main entrance of the temple, has a facade influenced by Buddhist styles in the Buddhist stupa at Sanchi & the main entrance of the Ajanta Caves.The structure which rises over the entrance is modelled on the Hindu temples of South India with their lofty towers. The windows and balconies inside the temple draw upon the Rajput(Hindu) and Mughal (Islamic) style of north India. The central dome is derived from European architecture of St. Maria-Del-Florence in Italy built during the Renaissanceperiod. The ground plan is in the shape of Christian cross.[2][16]
The height of the temple is 112.5 feet (34.3 m) and covers a total area of 32,900 sq ft (3,060 m2). The temple mainly is built of chunar stone and some portion in the front is of cement. The high entrance of the temple is like a South Indian Gopuram and the pillars on both sides represent Buddhistic architectural style. The three umbrella-like domes on the top built in Rajput-Moghul styles give an idea of thatched roofs of the village Kamarpukur.
The circular portion of the entrance is an intermingling of Ajanta style with Hindu architecture and within it, placing the emblem of the Order is representation of beauty and solemnity. Just above seen is a replica of a Shiva lingam. The natmandira, the spacious congregational hall attached to the sanctum, resembles a church, especially of St Peter's Church in Rome.The pillars in a line on its both sides are according to Doric or Greek style. The beam above is held by decorative brackets similar to the Meenakshi Temple at Madurai in Tamil Nadu.The elaborate designs on the pillars resemble the Orissa style.
The hanging balconies above the natmandir and the windows show the effect of Moghul architecture used in the Fatehpur Sikri.The broad parikrama path for doing circumambulatory rounds on all sides of the garbhamandira (sanctum sanctorum) are built like Buddhist chaityas and Christian Churches. The lattice work statues of Navagraha figures are etched on semi-circular top of outside the temple. The golden kalasha is placed on the top of the temple and has a full-bloomed lotusbelow. The architecture of the big dome and of the other domes show a shade of Islamic, Rajput, Bengali terracotta and Lingaraj Temple styles. The entrance doors on both east and west of the temple having pillars on both sides are like the elegant gateways of the Manmandir in Gwalior Fort. Ganesha and Hanuman images, representing success and power are carved above them.
By Kailash Mansarovar Foundation Swami Bikash Giri www.sumeruparvat.com , www.naturalitem.com
BELUR MATH
Beluṛ Maṭh (Bengali: বেলুড় মঠ) is the headquarters of the Ramakrishna Math and Mission, founded by Swami Vivekananda, a chief disciple of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. It is located on the west bank of Hooghly River, Belur, West Bengal, India and is one of the significant institutions in Calcutta.[2] This temple is the heart of the Ramakrishna Movement. The temple is notable for its architecture that fuses Hindu, Christian and Islamic motifs as a symbol of unity of all religions. In 2007 Belurmath railway station was also inaugurated which is dedicated to Belurmath temple
In January 1897, Swami Vivekananda arrived in Colombo with his small group of Western disciples. Two monasteries were founded by him, one at Belur, which became the headquarters of Ramakrishna Mission and the other at Mayavati on the Himalayas, in Champawat Dist. Uttrakhand called the Advaita Ashrama.[4][5]These monasteries were meant to receive and train young men who would eventually become sannyasis of the Ramakrishna Mission, and to give them a training for their work. The same year the philanthropic activity was started and relief of the famine was carried out.[5]
Swami Vivekananda's days as a parivrajaka (wandering monk) before his visit to Parliament of Religions, took him through many parts of India and he visited several architectural monuments like the Taj Mahal, Fatehpur Sikri palaces, Diwan–I–Khas, palaces of Rajasthan, ancient temples of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and other places. During his tour in America and Europe, he came across buildings of architectural importance of Modern, Medieval, Gothic and Renaissance styles. It is reported that Vivekananda incorporated these ideas in the design of the Belur Math temple.[6]
Swami Vijnanananda, a brother-monk of Swami Vivekananda and one of the monastic disciples of Ramakrishna, who was, in his pre-monastic life, a civil engineer, designed the temple according to the ideas of Vivekananda and Swami Shivananda, the then President of Belur Math laid the foundation stone on 16 May 1935. The massive construction was handled by Martin Burn & Co.. The mission proclaims the Belur Math as, "A Symphony in Architecture"
The 40-acre (160,000 m2) campus of the Belur Math on the banks of the Ganges includes temples dedicated to Ramakrishna, Sarada Devi and Swami Vivekananda, in which their relics are enshrined, and the main monastery of the Ramakrishna Order. The campus also houses a Museum containing articles connected with the history of Ramakrishna Math and Mission. Several educational institutions affiliated with the Ramakrishna Mission are situated in the vast campus adjacent to Belur Math.[8] The Belur Math is considered as one of the prime tourist spots near Kolkata[9] and place of pilgrimage by devotees.[10][11] The ex-president APJ Abdul Kalam regarded Belur Math as a "place of heritage and national importance.
The design of the temple was envisioned by Swami Vivekananda and the architect was Swami Vijnanananda, a direct monastic disciple of Ramakrishna. Sri Ramakrishna Temple was consecrated on 14 January, the Makar Sankranti Day in 1938.
The Ramakrishna temple at the Belur Math is designed to "celebrate the diversity of Indian Religions"[2] and resembles a temple, a mosque, a church if seen from different positions.[13][14][15] The architectural style and symbolism from a number of religions have been incorporated into the design of the temple at Belur Math, to convey the "universal faith" in which the movement believes.[16][17] The temple is considered as a prime example of the importance of "material dimension" of religion.[16]
The main entrance of the temple, has a facade influenced by Buddhist styles in the Buddhist stupa at Sanchi & the main entrance of the Ajanta Caves.The structure which rises over the entrance is modelled on the Hindu temples of South India with their lofty towers. The windows and balconies inside the temple draw upon the Rajput(Hindu) and Mughal (Islamic) style of north India. The central dome is derived from European architecture of St. Maria-Del-Florence in Italy built during the Renaissanceperiod. The ground plan is in the shape of Christian cross.[2][16]
The height of the temple is 112.5 feet (34.3 m) and covers a total area of 32,900 sq ft (3,060 m2). The temple mainly is built of chunar stone and some portion in the front is of cement. The high entrance of the temple is like a South Indian Gopuram and the pillars on both sides represent Buddhistic architectural style. The three umbrella-like domes on the top built in Rajput-Moghul styles give an idea of thatched roofs of the village Kamarpukur.
The circular portion of the entrance is an intermingling of Ajanta style with Hindu architecture and within it, placing the emblem of the Order is representation of beauty and solemnity. Just above seen is a replica of a Shiva lingam. The natmandira, the spacious congregational hall attached to the sanctum, resembles a church, especially of St Peter's Church in Rome.The pillars in a line on its both sides are according to Doric or Greek style. The beam above is held by decorative brackets similar to the Meenakshi Temple at Madurai in Tamil Nadu.The elaborate designs on the pillars resemble the Orissa style.
The hanging balconies above the natmandir and the windows show the effect of Moghul architecture used in the Fatehpur Sikri.The broad parikrama path for doing circumambulatory rounds on all sides of the garbhamandira (sanctum sanctorum) are built like Buddhist chaityas and Christian Churches. The lattice work statues of Navagraha figures are etched on semi-circular top of outside the temple. The golden kalasha is placed on the top of the temple and has a full-bloomed lotusbelow. The architecture of the big dome and of the other domes show a shade of Islamic, Rajput, Bengali terracotta and Lingaraj Temple styles. The entrance doors on both east and west of the temple having pillars on both sides are like the elegant gateways of the Manmandir in Gwalior Fort. Ganesha and Hanuman images, representing success and power are carved above them.
By Kailash Mansarovar Foundation Swami Bikash Giri www.sumeruparvat.com , www.naturalitem.com
I bought this from shapeways (the alumide material). It's a 3d projection of the 4 dimensional analog of a dodecahedron. It has 120 dodecahedrons in it, every vertex having 4 of them intersecting.
BELUR MATH
Beluṛ Maṭh (Bengali: বেলুড় মঠ) is the headquarters of the Ramakrishna Math and Mission, founded by Swami Vivekananda, a chief disciple of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. It is located on the west bank of Hooghly River, Belur, West Bengal, India and is one of the significant institutions in Calcutta.[2] This temple is the heart of the Ramakrishna Movement. The temple is notable for its architecture that fuses Hindu, Christian and Islamic motifs as a symbol of unity of all religions. In 2007 Belurmath railway station was also inaugurated which is dedicated to Belurmath temple
In January 1897, Swami Vivekananda arrived in Colombo with his small group of Western disciples. Two monasteries were founded by him, one at Belur, which became the headquarters of Ramakrishna Mission and the other at Mayavati on the Himalayas, in Champawat Dist. Uttrakhand called the Advaita Ashrama.[4][5]These monasteries were meant to receive and train young men who would eventually become sannyasis of the Ramakrishna Mission, and to give them a training for their work. The same year the philanthropic activity was started and relief of the famine was carried out.[5]
Swami Vivekananda's days as a parivrajaka (wandering monk) before his visit to Parliament of Religions, took him through many parts of India and he visited several architectural monuments like the Taj Mahal, Fatehpur Sikri palaces, Diwan–I–Khas, palaces of Rajasthan, ancient temples of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and other places. During his tour in America and Europe, he came across buildings of architectural importance of Modern, Medieval, Gothic and Renaissance styles. It is reported that Vivekananda incorporated these ideas in the design of the Belur Math temple.[6]
Swami Vijnanananda, a brother-monk of Swami Vivekananda and one of the monastic disciples of Ramakrishna, who was, in his pre-monastic life, a civil engineer, designed the temple according to the ideas of Vivekananda and Swami Shivananda, the then President of Belur Math laid the foundation stone on 16 May 1935. The massive construction was handled by Martin Burn & Co.. The mission proclaims the Belur Math as, "A Symphony in Architecture"
The 40-acre (160,000 m2) campus of the Belur Math on the banks of the Ganges includes temples dedicated to Ramakrishna, Sarada Devi and Swami Vivekananda, in which their relics are enshrined, and the main monastery of the Ramakrishna Order. The campus also houses a Museum containing articles connected with the history of Ramakrishna Math and Mission. Several educational institutions affiliated with the Ramakrishna Mission are situated in the vast campus adjacent to Belur Math.[8] The Belur Math is considered as one of the prime tourist spots near Kolkata[9] and place of pilgrimage by devotees.[10][11] The ex-president APJ Abdul Kalam regarded Belur Math as a "place of heritage and national importance.
The design of the temple was envisioned by Swami Vivekananda and the architect was Swami Vijnanananda, a direct monastic disciple of Ramakrishna. Sri Ramakrishna Temple was consecrated on 14 January, the Makar Sankranti Day in 1938.
The Ramakrishna temple at the Belur Math is designed to "celebrate the diversity of Indian Religions"[2] and resembles a temple, a mosque, a church if seen from different positions.[13][14][15] The architectural style and symbolism from a number of religions have been incorporated into the design of the temple at Belur Math, to convey the "universal faith" in which the movement believes.[16][17] The temple is considered as a prime example of the importance of "material dimension" of religion.[16]
The main entrance of the temple, has a facade influenced by Buddhist styles in the Buddhist stupa at Sanchi & the main entrance of the Ajanta Caves.The structure which rises over the entrance is modelled on the Hindu temples of South India with their lofty towers. The windows and balconies inside the temple draw upon the Rajput(Hindu) and Mughal (Islamic) style of north India. The central dome is derived from European architecture of St. Maria-Del-Florence in Italy built during the Renaissanceperiod. The ground plan is in the shape of Christian cross.[2][16]
The height of the temple is 112.5 feet (34.3 m) and covers a total area of 32,900 sq ft (3,060 m2). The temple mainly is built of chunar stone and some portion in the front is of cement. The high entrance of the temple is like a South Indian Gopuram and the pillars on both sides represent Buddhistic architectural style. The three umbrella-like domes on the top built in Rajput-Moghul styles give an idea of thatched roofs of the village Kamarpukur.
The circular portion of the entrance is an intermingling of Ajanta style with Hindu architecture and within it, placing the emblem of the Order is representation of beauty and solemnity. Just above seen is a replica of a Shiva lingam. The natmandira, the spacious congregational hall attached to the sanctum, resembles a church, especially of St Peter's Church in Rome.The pillars in a line on its both sides are according to Doric or Greek style. The beam above is held by decorative brackets similar to the Meenakshi Temple at Madurai in Tamil Nadu.The elaborate designs on the pillars resemble the Orissa style.
The hanging balconies above the natmandir and the windows show the effect of Moghul architecture used in the Fatehpur Sikri.The broad parikrama path for doing circumambulatory rounds on all sides of the garbhamandira (sanctum sanctorum) are built like Buddhist chaityas and Christian Churches. The lattice work statues of Navagraha figures are etched on semi-circular top of outside the temple. The golden kalasha is placed on the top of the temple and has a full-bloomed lotusbelow. The architecture of the big dome and of the other domes show a shade of Islamic, Rajput, Bengali terracotta and Lingaraj Temple styles. The entrance doors on both east and west of the temple having pillars on both sides are like the elegant gateways of the Manmandir in Gwalior Fort. Ganesha and Hanuman images, representing success and power are carved above them.
By Kailash Mansarovar Foundation Swami Bikash Giri www.sumeruparvat.com , www.naturalitem.com
Studying for my complex analysis qualifying exam. This is part of a proof for the existence of antiderivatives of holomorphic functions on simply connected domains.
Kathryn Bradley, Keith Bray, Lucy Wilkinson and Aidan Joyce finish fourth out of 24 schools in the Junior Team Maths Challenge 2014.
Junior-Team-Maths-Challenge-Y8-2014-(1920px).jpg
PHOTO: OUR PROMISING TEAM OF YEAR 8 MATHEMATICIANS: KATHRYN BRADLEY, AIDAN JOYCE, KEITH BRAY AND LUCY WILKINSON JOIN MR TWITCHELL FOR A COMMEMORATIVE PHOTOGRAPH, 6 MARCH 2014
On Wednesday 5 March, Lawnswood School played host to the annual Junior Team Maths Challenge which accommodates many of Yorkshire’s finest mathematicians. The St. Mary’s team, made up of Kathryn Bradley (8W), Aidan Joyce (8F), Keith Bray (8C) and Lucy Wilkinson (8M), who were making their debut performance, came a remarkable fourth out of 24 schools. The Team Maths Challenge encourages mathematical reasoning, precision of thought and fluency in using basic mathematical techniques to solve interesting problems. Team work and communication skills also play a vital role with schools needing to adopt their own strategy to succeed.
Against tough opposition from some of the top independent, grammar and state schools from across the county, St. Mary’s more than held their own. The four students have been training for the event in after school sessions held over the past couple of months.
“I could not be more proud of what these four students have achieved. They are some of the most talented and hardworking students I have had the pleasure to teach. I predict big things in the future for them.”
Mr Twitchell, Maths teacher
www.stmarysmenston.org/News/Pages/Year-8-Mathematicians-I...
Our students are asked to cover their textbooks for the school year to keep them from damage. The school provides heavy white paper covers, but some of our more creative students prefer to make their own covers, like student Nic W. This is one of our favourites!
“Arvind anna! Arvind anna!”
On a January morning in the outskirts of Bangalore, I saw a bunch of 12th standard students run out of their classroom and towards my friend. We were at a school for underprivileged children where Arvind had been a Maths teacher. He had left the school almost two years earlier, but from the cheerful shouts of his students, it was clear that they hadn’t forgotten him.
---
Arvind and I first met as freshmen at the University of Texas at Austin in 2006. It was immediately evident that he was seriously smart. One would say annoyingly smart too if only he wasn’t so generous in sharing his intelligence and time.
When I flunked my first Physics exam in college, I reached out to him, shocked and confused. Just months earlier I had scored well in the same subject in the Tamil Nadu State Board exams. Arvind ignored my grumbling and taught me, through examples, the underlying concepts of the theories and formulae I had memorised. He would help several fellow students this way.
What is the point of your bookish knowledge, he would ask, if you don’t know when and how to apply it?
---
“Hi anna, how are you?” asked Arvind’s former students as they surrounded him on the school playground. “How long are you here for?”
“Just for a day. I wanted to see you all,” Arvind replied with a hint of a smile.
A few minutes earlier, we had been joking around but now that he was in front of his students he had his strict teacher-face on. The kids wanted to give him a big hug, but he went around formally shaking each one’s hand and commenting on how much they had, or hadn’t, grown. The students were so giddy with excitement that he had to threaten to leave campus for them to go back to their classroom.
“They’re so happy to see you man,” I told him.
“Nah, they just want to skip school,” he replied.
---
Our time in Austin was a time of idealism. Music by AR Rahman would play in the background as Arvind and I sat with open textbooks on our laps discussing the world’s problems and how we would one day make a difference. In the protective bubble of college, anything seemed possible. While every good movie I saw changed my views on what I wanted to do, Arvind was unusually clear about his calling.
When we graduated from college, many of us who studied Engineering or Computer Science went straight into corporate jobs. Arvind, who graduated with a perfect 4.0 GPA in Electrical Engineering and Economics, took a job as a teacher in Houston. It was a choice that felt strange to many around him. But how can you expect to change a system if you don’t fully understand it?
---
“A great person once said that preparation in the last minute leads to the best results,” said a student standing in front of us, hands in pockets. His measured and confident manner suggested a promising future in theater. Or politics. He was the leader of a group that refused to leave Arvind’s side despite his pleas that they go study for their upcoming exams.
“Who said that?” Arvind challenged the rebel.
“We only remember the quotes,” he replied coolly. “Not the people who said them.” Sensing Arvind’s mounting frustration, he added, “How can we study now? If you’re at home and your favourite TV show is on, will you be able to study? You are like our favourite TV show.”
I changed the topic. “What do you want to do after you finish school?”
“I want to do business,” he said. He didn’t elaborate on what kind of business – in my experience, very few people did. It was a way of telling us that he wanted to be his own boss. It was also a way of telling Arvind that he didn’t want to go to college.
“What do you hope for kids like him?” I asked Arvind later.
“I want them to do what they love,” he said. But he was worried that the education they received hadn’t adequately prepared them for that. “There’s very little focus on practical skills in mainstream education. If he wants a micro-loan to start a business, he doesn’t know the first thing about it. He’s learnt all these obscure concepts in Maths, but doesn’t know anything about bookkeeping.”
In Arvind’ time at the school, he had seen the benefits of teaching students practical skills.
“There was this one boy in my class who would only whisper. He didn’t have the confidence to talk,” Arvind said. “He was a special-needs child, and his parents would keep comparing him to his younger brother and shun him. He had no friends either. One day, I found out that he loved gardening and that he helped his grandfather out with it.”
When Arvind introduced an after-school extra-curricular program, he made sure that there was a gardening club.
“I put him in charge of it. He knew much more about gardening than anyone else and he became an authority figure. Soon, it improved his confidence. He started participating in class. I began to hear his voice.”
---
In Houston, Arvind was a first-time teacher in a school system he had not studied in – he did his schooling in Chennai and Singapore – and he was shocked by many students’ lack of respect for him. Some walked out of his class, others openly cussed at him. He didn’t know how to get them to care about fractions or algebra when they were distracted, even overwhelmed by issues at home. The pointless meetings he had to attend with supervisors also frustrated him, and he struggled to escape the inner politicking. All he wanted to do was teach, not spend more than half his time on paperwork and handling his superiors.
The experience threatened to break him. He needed a change of scene. So, he quit his job in Houston and moved to a school in Bangalore to teach Maths. By the end of his first year there, he had risen to Academic Administrator, second in rank only to the Principal. He wasn’t sure if his success had something to do with being part of a school culture he knew well, but his students were finally receptive to him. The best way to get them to care, he figured, was to convince them that he genuinely cared.
Two years in, he had to make an important decision: continue to teach, or take up an offer of admission from the Harvard Business School that he had already deferred once. He didn’t know if Harvard would better equip him to achieve his goals in education. On the other hand, his relative low teacher’s salary weighed on him. In the end, he decided that before he could commit fully to chasing his dream, he needed to secure his finances. A Harvard MBA would help with that.
“There are teachers who are earning Rs. 6000 per month (~$100). Who will come to teach? This has to change. There needs to be a lot more respect for the role a teacher plays,” Arvind told me. “There also needs to be a shift in what the curriculum focuses on. There needs to be more focus on character skills and entrepreneurial skills. The education system prepares students for nothing.”
“Do you think you can bring about these changes?”
“With anything in education, change is very, very, very long-term. My goal is not to bring about that change. It won’t be possible in my lifetime, but I hope to sow the seeds for change to happen.”
---
Months after our trip to Bangalore I asked Arvind, who was back in Boston finishing up grad school and working on an education start-up, what his teaching experience had meant to him.
“Working as a teacher really changed my perspective,” he said. “I earned a lot in terms of personal growth, and I started to feel comfortable in my own skin. We sometimes measure a job by the money we make. You can’t measure this by money. I can’t put a financial value on how good I felt with the impact I was able to make.”
That day in Bangalore, Arvind didn’t leave the campus till his former students did. Even if he wanted to, they wouldn’t have let him. Right after the final bell rang, they invited him to their classroom where they threw him a surprise party. He had been straight faced all day but even he had to admit that the experience made him emotional.
“I wish I could continue to guide these kids until they are more settled in life,” he said. “I still feel like they are my kids. I do wish I could continue, but that’s life. For now, I hope that I did enough in those two years to help them make the right choices.”
---
People in Karnataka (Part 1 of 16)
MAA Found Math: The April issue of Math Horizons features a collage of some of the most popular MAA Found Math entries.
Local teenage math prodigy shot for an assignment.
Lit with flash through umbrella from cam right gelled with 1/4CTO.
BELUR MATH
Beluṛ Maṭh (Bengali: বেলুড় মঠ) is the headquarters of the Ramakrishna Math and Mission, founded by Swami Vivekananda, a chief disciple of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. It is located on the west bank of Hooghly River, Belur, West Bengal, India and is one of the significant institutions in Calcutta.[2] This temple is the heart of the Ramakrishna Movement. The temple is notable for its architecture that fuses Hindu, Christian and Islamic motifs as a symbol of unity of all religions. In 2007 Belurmath railway station was also inaugurated which is dedicated to Belurmath temple
In January 1897, Swami Vivekananda arrived in Colombo with his small group of Western disciples. Two monasteries were founded by him, one at Belur, which became the headquarters of Ramakrishna Mission and the other at Mayavati on the Himalayas, in Champawat Dist. Uttrakhand called the Advaita Ashrama.[4][5]These monasteries were meant to receive and train young men who would eventually become sannyasis of the Ramakrishna Mission, and to give them a training for their work. The same year the philanthropic activity was started and relief of the famine was carried out.[5]
Swami Vivekananda's days as a parivrajaka (wandering monk) before his visit to Parliament of Religions, took him through many parts of India and he visited several architectural monuments like the Taj Mahal, Fatehpur Sikri palaces, Diwan–I–Khas, palaces of Rajasthan, ancient temples of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and other places. During his tour in America and Europe, he came across buildings of architectural importance of Modern, Medieval, Gothic and Renaissance styles. It is reported that Vivekananda incorporated these ideas in the design of the Belur Math temple.[6]
Swami Vijnanananda, a brother-monk of Swami Vivekananda and one of the monastic disciples of Ramakrishna, who was, in his pre-monastic life, a civil engineer, designed the temple according to the ideas of Vivekananda and Swami Shivananda, the then President of Belur Math laid the foundation stone on 16 May 1935. The massive construction was handled by Martin Burn & Co.. The mission proclaims the Belur Math as, "A Symphony in Architecture"
The 40-acre (160,000 m2) campus of the Belur Math on the banks of the Ganges includes temples dedicated to Ramakrishna, Sarada Devi and Swami Vivekananda, in which their relics are enshrined, and the main monastery of the Ramakrishna Order. The campus also houses a Museum containing articles connected with the history of Ramakrishna Math and Mission. Several educational institutions affiliated with the Ramakrishna Mission are situated in the vast campus adjacent to Belur Math.[8] The Belur Math is considered as one of the prime tourist spots near Kolkata[9] and place of pilgrimage by devotees.[10][11] The ex-president APJ Abdul Kalam regarded Belur Math as a "place of heritage and national importance.
The design of the temple was envisioned by Swami Vivekananda and the architect was Swami Vijnanananda, a direct monastic disciple of Ramakrishna. Sri Ramakrishna Temple was consecrated on 14 January, the Makar Sankranti Day in 1938.
The Ramakrishna temple at the Belur Math is designed to "celebrate the diversity of Indian Religions"[2] and resembles a temple, a mosque, a church if seen from different positions.[13][14][15] The architectural style and symbolism from a number of religions have been incorporated into the design of the temple at Belur Math, to convey the "universal faith" in which the movement believes.[16][17] The temple is considered as a prime example of the importance of "material dimension" of religion.[16]
The main entrance of the temple, has a facade influenced by Buddhist styles in the Buddhist stupa at Sanchi & the main entrance of the Ajanta Caves.The structure which rises over the entrance is modelled on the Hindu temples of South India with their lofty towers. The windows and balconies inside the temple draw upon the Rajput(Hindu) and Mughal (Islamic) style of north India. The central dome is derived from European architecture of St. Maria-Del-Florence in Italy built during the Renaissanceperiod. The ground plan is in the shape of Christian cross.[2][16]
The height of the temple is 112.5 feet (34.3 m) and covers a total area of 32,900 sq ft (3,060 m2). The temple mainly is built of chunar stone and some portion in the front is of cement. The high entrance of the temple is like a South Indian Gopuram and the pillars on both sides represent Buddhistic architectural style. The three umbrella-like domes on the top built in Rajput-Moghul styles give an idea of thatched roofs of the village Kamarpukur.
The circular portion of the entrance is an intermingling of Ajanta style with Hindu architecture and within it, placing the emblem of the Order is representation of beauty and solemnity. Just above seen is a replica of a Shiva lingam. The natmandira, the spacious congregational hall attached to the sanctum, resembles a church, especially of St Peter's Church in Rome.The pillars in a line on its both sides are according to Doric or Greek style. The beam above is held by decorative brackets similar to the Meenakshi Temple at Madurai in Tamil Nadu.The elaborate designs on the pillars resemble the Orissa style.
The hanging balconies above the natmandir and the windows show the effect of Moghul architecture used in the Fatehpur Sikri.The broad parikrama path for doing circumambulatory rounds on all sides of the garbhamandira (sanctum sanctorum) are built like Buddhist chaityas and Christian Churches. The lattice work statues of Navagraha figures are etched on semi-circular top of outside the temple. The golden kalasha is placed on the top of the temple and has a full-bloomed lotusbelow. The architecture of the big dome and of the other domes show a shade of Islamic, Rajput, Bengali terracotta and Lingaraj Temple styles. The entrance doors on both east and west of the temple having pillars on both sides are like the elegant gateways of the Manmandir in Gwalior Fort. Ganesha and Hanuman images, representing success and power are carved above them.
By Kailash Mansarovar Foundation Swami Bikash Giri www.sumeruparvat.com , www.naturalitem.com