How do you hold on to love?
That ephemeral thing.
Pour it, in every pore?
As ether, inhale it?
Spread it –
Into every cell there be.
How do you hold on?
When mooring ropes
Of bonds you held close
Are slipped off those
Piers of emotion-
The pier dissolves, into
A salty pool.
And you hold on-
To your own heart.
Adrift.
Alone.
How do you stay you?
Who are you?
You ask you.
You find no answer.
You have been consumed
By that ether.
You’re adrift
Your heart – all alone.
But.
Your mooring rope-
Let loose into the
Salty sea…
That churning stormy sea…
You gather that close
As you bob, uncertainly.
You shall come
To
New and stronger harbours
You tell yourself.
Secretly wishing All the while
That pier, which dissolved
Had been stronger.
31 July, 2016
Online. One of those Had-To-Write-Writes 😀
Picture courtesy Google Images – belongs to the artist who sketched it.
… or how we got our Nine days of Fame, thanks to Deccan Chronicle 😀
I know. Sigh. Trust me to get all cheesy, even about something as wonderful as getting appreciation, state-wide, well actually Nationally and Internationally when you think of the number of readers we reached out to, via shares on Facebook. That’s why I laud the social networking sites, while I still fight the engaging way they never let you go.
Cris, the awesome writer of this article, made such succinct beautiful sense of a rather long and garbled out-of-focus rambling, in answer to some wonderful questions she asked, during our ‘interview’. I must thank her for her patience and for her ability to sift through all of the rambling and come up with the required 250 words. And what do I say of Harish R Varma, the instigator of the interview, and therefore the write? Certainly creating and taking forward the creating of Happy Days for as many people as he could 🙂
(Click on pictures to enlarge and see in full resolution – as full as can be 🙂 )
(The above was written in here, on 11 July, just before the World Cup came to its fantastic close 🙂 – and here I am, on 19 July, catching up with the many things that have happened since )
The Article, published in The Deccan Chronicle, on 3 July, 2014, in their Classroom Page, which is a space for news on/of/ from campuses across the nation featured my class and me! All thanks to Cris and Harish 🙂 A shoutout to both of you wonderful people. You have brought joy and sense of achievement not only to the famous 47+1 but also to their families and the school! God Bless y’all 🙂
You’ll find that the content is self explanatory. And for those who do wonder at my having played the WC anthem of 2010, I have shared a picture, a screenshot, I think, taken by one of those kids who did remember, Vaisakh, where he has highlighted the relevant part 😀 I cannot tell you what joy that brought! The comments that followed are soul food. Thank you to each of you. (Click on the picture to enlarge, and read)
The Article – highlighting done by Vaisakh
The poster competition, referred to, in the article also brought good news for the class. We received the First Prize, a shield, which proudly adorns our wall 🙂
The First Prize for the Poster Competition, on FIFA World Cup 2014, rests proudly in our Class!
So, what brought us this fame? It was these expressions of creativity, mainly, that I had shared, along with my crazy football updates, most regularly on Facebook! When I asked my class, and the other classes I go, if we could update our Black board, or any other space in class with information and pictures, the immediate response was a resounding yes, from X’D’ – MY class. However, the next Monday, when I saw the uninspired writing of JUST the highlights, my face fell, and I certainly did mope 😀 I did sound disappointed too, and told them that it was OK, and we’d stick to whatever they could 😀 By the afternoon, when I was invited back to the class, there was a sea change, a transformation of the wallscape, where collage was taking shape, and the greenboard assumed festive colours. We were in Samba Land 😛 There was no turning back! And since the publication of that charming write up by Cris, the rest as they say, is History 😀
We did Rock the Samba, all the way down in our Class!
The Collage slowing taking shape
Completed! The Collage!
The 48! The Poster Posers! The Creativity! And the Joy! Oh! The Joy!
But, it does not stop there. No Sireeee! X ‘D’ does not believe in doing things by half-measures, and they certainly measured up in performances in the Cultural Fest which just concluded, but most especially, they are Masters of the Cliffhanger 😀 How? Ah! Therein lies the tale!
Gurupoornima was observed in school, on 11 July, 2014 – to mark the day for oblation to our own Guru; both, teachers and students, paid their respects in whichever way they could to their own Gurus. That day, more than Teachers’ Day was a revelation! We had ‘paada puja’, led by our own Principal, Dr. Manoranjini, who honoured her Guru, the Chief Guest for the occasion, in the morning session, followed by students’ performances of both dance and music, tastefully done. It must be mentioned here, that this session where the paada puja, the washing of the Guru’s feet, and then paying obeisance with a ‘namaskaram’ at the feet, does not come easy to anyone, these days. Especially in public! So, it was truly inspiring to have the School Principal lead the way for all of us, teachers, and students to do the same, only if one wished to. This was done in full view of the entire gathering in the Auditorium, so that it transferred the sense of humility one felt in the presence of something far greater than ourselves. Respect. No compulsion there – but we did, to those whom we considered as our Guru! It was a liberating experience too, to have been able to set aside one’s ego, and prostrate at the feet of those we did consider as our Guru.
So, what does this have to do with my class? Ah! The absolutely creative and mischievous lot they are, they did not wish me AT ALL, but looked suitably dumb in the first period when children from other classes came in, wished me, and even shared cards and sweets 😀 ! My class? Not a quiver of emotion. Deadpan. Puzzled I was, but did not say a WORD. Except at the end of the first period when I told them accusingly, that they did not even WISH me 😀 They smiled. Serenely 🙂 🙂 That was clue enough. The cliffhanger. I was there, but did not have time to wonder what exactly they were upto, for much work awaited, in planning duties for the upcoming Cultural Fest, due to start immediately after the weekend 😀
Last period. Lots of work. And two of my students come, terrified expressions, to tell me another girl in class has injured her leg when the desk fell on her leg – possibly a fracture! I dropped whatever I was doing, and rushed, heart in my mouth, directing one of the two to rush and get the PT Teacher. I reached the Class door, which was shut!
The penny dropped. I stopped. Looked at this other girl with me, who, incidentally, was trying hard to maintain the terrified expression. The smile, the mischief had started leaking through the frown 😛
Gingerly, I pushed open the door, and what do I see, hear, but an electric guitar strumming (our own George Mathew, ace guitarist at it 😀 ), along with Vivek on the Triple Drums, belting out, with the class, WE WILL WE WILL ROCK YOU! Oooooh! Ooooh! I did a Susmita Sen expression, (when she received her Miss Universe Title) – the jaw dropped, round eyed, happy, overwhelmed expression! And my heart started beating at normal pace once again 😛 Well as normal as can be, when you’re overjoyed! And then it raced again, my heart 😀 I was sure that the class and its Class Teacher were going to be hauled up for the racket emanating from the class! Shushing them down (duh! What a task! ) I went on to thank them – but no, it was not done yet – the Smart Class was switched on with a lovely message 🙂 Cards awaited 🙂 Shared below 🙂 And a lovely gift too! Sheepishly they said they wanted to surprise me, that is why they stayed mum all day 🙂 And boy oh BOY! did they ever!!!
I promised them a blog, to attempt to capture the sense of gratitude I have for them, for their affection, the sense of conspiracy I feel most times, with them, in all our endeavours 🙂 X “D”, you are the rock, not me 🙂 So, as the cliche goes, Rock ON! 😀
Shared here is their creativity, and that of the students of other classes, particularly Class 8’B’, 7″D” and 6″B”, along with cards from a certain lovely young lady in Class 12, and others from classes I do not go to, this year 🙂 All, all of them very very precious souls 🙂 Thank you, each and everyone of you. Stay Blessed!
The Cover
Awesomeness from X D
Collections of pure blessings from the kids!
Meanwhile, The Chronicles with this class will most certainly continue, you can bet on that!
Earlier, they have featured here, 🙂
And yet another awesome X D made a farewell memorable, here
Last years’ X D, when they were in Class 8, featured here 😀 (I bet you people did not even know, right? )
Comments are welcome, dear kids 🙂 If you cannot see the comment space below, click on the title of this write up, and it will follow. All you need to sign in with are your name, email id 🙂 The email will NOT be shared.
20 July, 2014
*Phew* Under 1600 words. Just. 😀
Lol! I just learned something. When you write X and D, without a space you get this XD ! Oh my!
… is the only way to go, this day. Merely resting on the laurels of our recent and distant glorious past, and some of the questionable and deeply debated parts of our history too, cannot take us forward. It’s the norm. Cliche though it be, the answer is what the future represents, and what we have with us, to take this country forward. The youth, the children, but of course. They are the greatest strength we have, and yet the weakest link, if not groomed, honed, and melded, and forged with the steel of resolve, to do the right thing, to not be swayed by the innumerable wayside lures and shortcuts to life. Is that going to happen?
Any school would be that melting pot where it can at least take frail wings, and if nurtured and followed up, a certainty of the success will follow. And while we seem to focus only on three or four days in a year to do that… THAT… to surround them with the colour, noise, and festivity, so that they remember something, anything, I still believe there is a chance that some hearts will be forged with that resolve of steely determination.
Today in school, we had the Independence Day celebration, as usual. I went with a heavy heart, and the weather seemed to echo the pall of gloom in my heart, which was filled thoughts of the families of the crew of the INS Sindhurakshak. How does one celebrate when the Navy and the families of the crew who are missing are mourning? But, as someone put it succinctly, life goes on. And we move on, from grief to hope.
At school, the atmosphere of festivity was infectious, and through the light shower that continued during the flag hoisting, the children stood steadfast, without a murmur.
The activity for each child that day was to make their own tiny tri-colour to don, on their uniform. I was lucky and got three 🙂
The tricolour display I carried around 😀
The top, a printout of the sort we wanted to make for our class, finger painting; the second and third given by my students – in fact the third one is finger painting. The venue for the rest of the programme was the major auditorium where a patriotic song competition, a dance and a skit were to be performed, apart from the usual speeches that children give.
It was then that the tiny spark of hope, for me, flickered into a flame. One I hope will be fanned into a steady fire of love and deep sense of duty towards our country. I do have the faith. I hope they find it too. As the next hour unfolded, I was able to take a few pictures and videos of the performances. A couple of them are shared here.
The youngest group, with their song impressed me, for the lyrics, which bespoke of the hope I nurture, that the youth, these very children hold India in their heart and their hands. May they find the strength to nurture too.
****
I’ve only got a part of their song, the lyrics that I created in the google transliteration page 🙂
देखो करम तुम्हारी
हर्गिज़ न डगमगाए
रस्ते बड़े कठिन है
चलना संभल संभल के
इंसाफ की डगर पे
बच्चों दिखाओ चलके
यह देश है तुम्हारा
नेता तुम ही हो कल के
तन मन की भेंट देकर
भारत की लाज रखना
इंसाफ की डगर पे
बच्चों दिखाओ चल
Translated to mean:
Make sure you never waver While doing your duty
The path ahead is difficult Tread that path with care
O children show how you can walk the path of Justice
For yours is the Nation, and you are the leaders of tomorrow
Keep up the honour of Bharat With the gift of your body and mind (By giving your body and mind)
O children show how you can walk the path of Justice
For yours is the Nation, and you are the leaders of tomorrow
Do excuse the translation which is at best a weak reflection on the powerful words of this song!
*****
The dance performance is by slightly older students, innovatively choreographing and enthralling the audience. With just a few days of preparation; the support of the PE teacher; ideas galore; creativity unlimited; favourite songs thrown in for good measure; there is hope for us, that the spirit is young, it is energetic, enthusiastic, and hopefully these colours will imprint in their hearts, for their country!I thought I had taken the video, as they performed for the audience, only to find that I got carried away by the performance and forgot to start the recording. Grrrrr… I am SO mad at myself. The good thing was that there was still hope 🙂 (that word again!) and I got them quickly to do it again, immediately before they had to leave. So while it might seem a bit down,it really was an awesome performance!
And then, the fervour of ‘Go Back Simon’, with the youth of a long time ago, agitating against the Simon Commission. Even though there was a bit of fumbling, the less than 10 minute skit sketched the entire period effectively.
In the final count, yes, I do believe we have a future, and it is bright. However, till then, we have to deal with what we have, the best we can.
Jai Hind.
15 August 2013
It’s now a happy day. For some very special reasons too 🙂
And, yes, i love to limerick || Have tried to master the trick || Of the a a b b a rhyme || 'Tis a joy truly sublime || When a verse comes out slick and quick!
A Quest on Overdrive ... :) 