Next day in school Kimi’s teacher said that a new student named Gagan was going to join them. The teacher looked for a seat in the boys row which could be assigned to Gagan. When Gagan entered the class everyone was surprised. She was a girl. The teacher welcomed Gagan and said we thought Gagan would be a boy. Gagan replied, “Ma’am I am from Punjab and it is very common for boys and girls to have similar names. Navjot can be a boy as well as a girl.’’ Kimi raised her hand to say something. The teacher said, “What happened Kimi?’’ Kimi said, “Ma’am it is a stereotype that Gagan is a name for boys.’’ The teacher appreciated Kimi and said, “Yes, that’s true. Let’s talk about stereotypes today. It is an interesting topic.” She explained to them the meaning of stereotype and asked for some examples of stereotypes. She also asked the students to point out how those stereotypes are not true. Here’s what some of the students shared about stereotypes.

Harry, “Cooking is a woman’s job. But we see that in wedding functions and restaurants most of the cooks are men.’’

Diki, “Stitching and embroidery are taught to young girls and women to become good home makers. But most of the tailors are men.’’

Gagan, “Girls like dolls and boys like cars. But I love to play with cars and trucks and my brother likes to play with kitchen set.’’

Ruhi, “Nurses are females. But my father is a nurse and he works at the district hospital.’’

Vivan, “South Indians have dark skin and are called Madrasis. But my father’s friend is fair and he is not a Madrasi. He is from Kerala.’’

John, “Women are not physically strong. But many women work at construction sites and lift heavy weights like bricks. Women also work as labourers on farms.’’

Dileep, “Boys have short hair. But the famous singer Kailash Kher has long hair and wears it in a bun.’’