Dr Kiran Bedi and CBSE Director Dr Biswajit Saha release book on ‘Mindful Parenting’ by Author Ajayya Kumar 

New Delhi: Dr Kiran Bedi and Dr Biswajit Saha released the book of eminent author Ajayya Kumar on ‘Mindful Parenting’. The Iconic Police Officer, FMR Puducherry Lieutenant Governor and CBSE Director today made a strong pitch for adopting a new educational approach with a thrust on responsible parenting to minimise crime and help children evolve into conscientious citizens to ensure the prosperity of the nation.

They were addressing a function as part of the ‘Parenting Dialogues’, an initiative by Lifology, a Guinness World Record winning guidance ecosystem, and Ajayya Bharathy Foundation, marking the commencement of a nationwide campaign to create awareness about good parenting that would make teenagers future-ready.

Mr Ajayya Kumar, author of the book and management thinker, said he was prompted to write the book to change people’s wrongly perceived notion that parenting was a problem and make them realise that it was a selfless and committed act that lasted lifelong. Co-author Praveen Parameswar said parents can and should play a meaningful role like that of a coach for the benefit of all.

Dr Kiran Bedi highlighted aspects of the book that inspired her and quoted Ajayya Kumar for the benefit of all parents – “Parenting does not happen in a day, it takes years and years and forever. Remember, once a parent always a parent; You just ought to try to do your best and be the one they run back to always.”

The book ‘Mindful Parenting’, co-authored by Ajayya Kumar and Praveen Parameswar was introduced in-depth to parents and students in the function held at Birla Vidya Niketan. She pointed out that the present practice of free food, books and uniform to students of government schools was neither preventing drop-outs nor helpful in imparting quality education.

On the other hand, the high rate of dropouts was the reason for several heinous crimes like rape and vandalization of property during agitations such as the recent one against the Agniveer scheme introduced by the Central Government offering youth limited period training and employment in the Defence forces, she noted.

During visits to various government schools in Puducherry, Dr Bedi said she found that students were coming to their institutions only to avail of the freebies, not to get education, while their parents mostly being illiterate daily wage workers were not in a position to guide their wards. To make matters worse, 75 per cent of the fathers were found to be addicted to liquor, she said.

Educational authorities should be entrusted with the task of weaning the parents off addiction by linking the freebies to their changed behaviour, she suggested and expressed the hope that the new President Droupadi Murmu, formerly a school teacher, would bring about a positive change in the way education is being imparted.

Dr Saha, CBSE Director, who was the guest of honour at the function, said the new education policy was focused on quality education at the primary and secondary levels as this was the age when students could be moulded to excel in education, besides becoming responsible citizens. He appealed to educational researchers in the country to conduct their own studies, instead of depending on suggestions from the West.

CBSE would support its 27,000 schools, where about 10 per cent of the country’s students were studying, without affecting their autonomy, he added.

Birla Vidya Niketan Principal Minakshi Kushwaha exhorted with the parents to be role models for their children, instead of giving only advices which they themselves were not practising. Rahul J Nair, Chief Lifologist and Dr Meghana Nathani Kabra, Sr Consultant, Batra Hospital & Medical Research Centre, also spoke.