English
Mallu means Monkey
Dear Keralites,
People from outside our state often refer to us as “Mallus”. We also often refer to ourselves as “Mallus” thinking that it is a short form for ‘Malayalee’. BUT please note that the meaning of the Hindi word “Mallu” as given in the Oxford Hindi English Dictionary is “MONKEY”.
Teen Runaway Prevention
One of the challenges that parents face today in our community is how to approach a situation when our teen runs away. Not many of us know what to do until we are in the same situation.
According to statistics over 48,000 cases of runaways teens were reported to police in Canada. The good news is that over 90% of the runaways are successfully located. Even though, efforts such as “TALK before THEY RUN” are there way to tackle this issue in our community, we still find our troubled teens opting to run away. Parents have an important part to play in this crucial part of a child’s life. They need guidance on how to manage situation when they are in a bad situation or in a threat. They need someone to open their eyes to the dangers of street life.
Here is some guidance provided by Teen Runaway Prevention Program (http://www.ontario.childfind.ca/teenrunaway.html):
Basic Truths About Teenagers Who Run Away
- Teens who run away are not bad – They made the bad decision to run. We need to teach them ways of facing and solving problems, even when they believe we are their problem.
- Most teens know of a teen who has run away – This can lead to romantic ideas of life on the streets considering most teens glamourize the experience.
- Parents cannot lock teenagers in – Teens can choose to walk out the door against your wishes.
- Parents of teens who run away are not bad parents – Parents are also under a lot of pressure.
How to Try To Prevent Your Teenager From Running Away
- Regularly spend quality time with each of your teens. Listen to them attentively in a non-judgmental way. Praise appropriate behaviour.
- Take their concerns seriously. Do not dismiss their worries and fears.
- Pay attention when they ask you for help. Make your teen your priority.
- Confront trouble signs directly, firmly and calmly. Discuss your concerns and the consequences of continued unacceptable behaviour. Avoid lectures.
- Talk with others. Your teen’s friends, their parents or their teachers may have helpful suggestions.
- Speak with professional counsellors about your situation.
Signs Your Son or Daughter Is Thinking About Running Away From Home
- Changes in behaviour patterns
- Rebellious behaviour
- Disclosure of intention to run
- Accumulation of money and possessions
- Preoccupation
- Problems at home
- Transition
What to do if Your Teenager Runs Away From Home
There is no law requiring a waiting period before reporting a missing child to the police or before entering the data into the CPIC (Canadian Police Information Centre). The first 48 hours following the runaway episode are the most important in locating the teen. While many runaway teens return home within this period, it is critical to take every action available to help locate and safeguard your child. These steps should be taken immediately.
- Remain calm. Ask yourself why and where your child may have run. Check his/her room, desk and /or clothes for clues. Check local spots your child may frequent, as well as area hospitals and treatment centres if you suspect your child of drug use. Call your child’s employer or coworkers, if any.
- Contact your child’s friends and their parents, school, neighbours, relatives and others who may know where your child is. Ask them to call if they hear anything. If your child has a computer, check it for leads such as online contacts and details of a planned meeting.
- Call the police. Have an officer take the report at your home. Give him/her a recent photo of your child and a description of his/her clothes, including jacket, shoes and knapsack colours. Record the officer’s name, badge number, telephone, fax and report numbers. Ask who will follow up the initial investigation.
- Ensure police enter your child’s name and description at the Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC) and National Crime Information Centre (NCIC). This will not give your child a police record, but it may help find him/her.
- Report your missing child to Child Find Ontario (CFO) at 1-800-387-7962. Have the police report information (as mentioned above) handy.
- Child Find Ontario will help produce posters or fliers if it becomes necessary. Place them in store windows and hand them out at truck stops, youth-oriented businesses, hospitals, treatment centres and law enforcement agencies. Request permission first. Keep track of all posters and remove them once your child has returned.
- Keep a notebook by the phone. Record all information about the investigation, including all conversations and people you’ve spoken with.
Research also shows that very few leave their immediate community; they will usually stay with friends. Most runaways come home of their own accord.
What To Do When Your Teenager Returns Home
- Be happy. Many teens fear the initial meeting with their parents. Remain calm. Express relief and tell your child you love him/her and that together you will solve any problems.
- Make follow-up phone calls. Let all your contacts, including the police, know your child has returned home. Police may need to speak or meet with your child.
- Allow time to settle in. Your child may need a shower, a meal, clean clothes, or sleep.
- Get medical attention. Visit your family doctor to address any medical concerns.
- Talk with your teen. Discuss how you can work together to prevent him/her from leaving again. Acknowledge some problems take time and effort to solve. Be sure you resolve the problems safely and reasonably.
- Look for assistance. People and organizations in your community can help counsel your family. Child Find Ontario can refer you to an appropriate agency. Asking for help is a sign of strength and shows you are taking the issue seriously.
Improve communication and the quality of your relationship with your teen so that running away ceases to be an option.
For more information about Teen Runaway Prevention Program, or to invest in the safety of your children, call Child Find Ontario at 905-712-3463 or 1-866-KID-TIPS
Here are some articles for further reading:
How to Keep Your Teen From Becoming One of the Thousands That Run Away Each Year – by Carma Haley Shoemaker
Teen Run-Away(s): A prevention Strategy
Malayalam Programming on TV
Living in a place where you cannot put up a dish to southern skies? Wished you could watch Malayalam channels in a TV instead of the small screen of a computer? That’s where BoM TV comes to help you.
At the recent Vishu Sadhya hosted by Toronto Koottam, I was fortunate to get a glimpse of BoM TV demo. Due to my tight schedule on that day, I could afford to spend only an hour for the function. While having the Sadhya, I was surprised to see Asianet on the TVs of the venue. I thought the venue had dish programmed for Asianet. However, I was wrong. A Toronto Koottam member told me later that the Asianet TV was possible through BoM TV which is an IPTV from Best of Malayalam. It was a demo by Sasidharan Nair at the venue. Sasi chettan (as Sasidharan Nair is known among the community) connected the venue’s TV to a BoM TV receiver to have Asianet for us. The BoM TV receiver was connect to a Rogers High Speed Internet Stick which Sasi chettan brought to the venue for the demo.
I thought this is great; the clarity was so good that I could never figure out this was IPTV. I used to have an Asianet dish while I was in the US before moving to Canada. However, when we got a condo in Toronto and we could not use the same dish for Asianet again. I tried to watch Asianet and other Malayalam channels on my computer, but there is a limit to how much you can do that. I work in the IT industry for a living and after spending 8 hours daily in front of a computer, I really don’t want to spend more time on the computer to have some TV for relaxing.
I did some research on the internet to get more details. I hit http://bomtv.us to find Sasi chettan’s name as a reseller. I called him up for an appointment and he showed at my door at the exact time. I guess he follows EST instead of the infamous MST (Malayalee Standard Time). He had a white box with him which I figured was the receiver.
He first connected my TV to the BoM TV receiver. The yellow line for video and the white-red lines for audio connected between the receiver and my TV. The BoM TV receiver is then connected to my internet modem. The first screen that showed up when I switched on the TV was a welcome screen of BoM TV to call their 1-800 phone number. I called up the number to have a Sales Representative talking to me in Malayalam. I gave him my contact information and payment details (credit card). The Sales Rep told me that my account will be activated shortly. Within couple of minutes, the Sales Rep called me back to let me know my account activation. I switched my TV to see Asianet. What a great experience. Something I was missing for long time.
I picked up the premium package that includes all Asianet channels. I could switch between channels whenever I want using a remote control that comes with the receiver. The best part is I could watch programs that was recorded earlier. This is the DVR feature now available free in BoM TV. I could go to any recorded programs that got over within the last 48 hours. I could play the program that I want, fast forward it skipping the advertisement or even pause for a short break. The clarity is really great, far much better than the one we see on our computer. One would argue, wouldn’t it be the same if we were to connect the computer to the TV. The truth is, quality is far much better with the receiver – pretty much the same as any regular analogue TV, may be better. If your internet connection is really busy, sometimes you may see the TV is buffering; it’s very similar to a dish cable box suddenly waiting for signal.
If you are one of those folks who keeps on moving across the globe, I guess this could be a good solution for your TV needs. All you need is the BoM TV receiver, a TV and an internet connection – cable or wireless. That’s right, the receiver is a wireless receiver too, however the use of wireless may not provide the same quality as in a cable connection. You don’t need to have a dedicated computer to enable BoM TV in your home.
The cost for the receiver is a one-time fee of CAD 200. You will be charged to your credit card on a monthly basis with a fixed amount for the channel subscriptions. The subscription package starts with 14.99 USD as mentioned on BoM TV website. Just to make sure their technical support is really 24/7 working, I called them up couple of times with questions and the technical folks are really helpful and that too was in Malayalam. The receiver have utilities to test your internet connection strength.
This reviewer for Toronto Koottam would recommend BoM TV to the community as long as you have a minimum of 1.5Mbps internet bandwidth. It’s been a while we waited for Asian Television Network to bring us Malayalam TV to Canada on cable and I don’t think it’s going to happen in near future. Based on my research, I think this technology is going to stay as most of the mainstream TV carriers are also going this direction. TELUS is using similar technology to bring regular TV programming to our home in Canada, so why not BoM TV?
Sasidharan Nair can be reached at 416 839 3773.