What an idea, sirJi

I like the new Idea ad that shows teaching children located in far-flung areas through the mobile phones. But then I have always fallen for mushy ads that tug at one’s heartstrings. So I loved everything about the children – their repeating the teacher’s “Good Morning, Children” instead of saying “Good Morning, Teacher”, their marching to the PT teacher’s voice through the phone, their innocently declaring the need to go for a toilet break (to the teacher who is not in their vicinity) and above all their eager crowding around the cell phone to learn and educate themselves.

In true Hindi movie style, at the end of the ad, the best student award goes to the small girl child whose grandfather was shown earlier pleading with the headmaster to admit her in his school because there is none in his village. And the last scene is the perfect crowning glory – a lone child sitting in front of the cell phone when another one running past tells him that it’s a Sunday today!

But every time this ad ends and I am smiling away at this novel idea of taking education to the grassroots level, I can’t silence the little voice inside my head that asks two pertinent questions – one, who is going to foot the bill for all these calls and two, how can you teach subjects like math and science remotely when the children can’t see what’s written on the board. Afterall, we cannot promote learning by rote.

Oh please, but this is just an ad. And for this ad I will definitely say “What an idea, sirJi”