***In Search of Children

One of my favourite poems. Usha ma'am has captured the life of today's children in her work. Its splendid n at the end of each stanza it reminds ( and in a way warns ) whoever concerned that it is young n fragile children they r dealing with n not robots or supercomputers.....

_________***__________
***In Search of Children

Jam them, cram them-
Fill them, completely, to the brim
But, dear parent, make sure
You don't mark them
Not, at least, where it shows.

Coax them, threaten them-
Butter them, blackmail them
The carrot, let it dangle
But, make sure, the stick
Dear teacher, they don't notice.

Dazzle them, entice them-
Show them numbers, then reserve them
For the undeserving, never mind who they are
And while you ensure competition reigns,
O Government Gods, ensure you compartmentalize them.

Bloomin' buds, drool prospectors-
Drinking eyefuls, on the campus
Fresh meat, made to order
Satiate the system, with them-
Electrify brains, tempted to lucre
A rosy picture, the flat, the car-
And of course, the luscious bodies
Soulless, waiting to be devoured.

Come Children's Day, each passing year
I wonder, more sadly, more yearningly
The Children

Where have the Children gone?


26 May,2008
Usha Pisharody

Let's play!!!

Now lets talk about the various games v used to play in our childhood........ be it the weekends or an unexpected holiday or even the summer vacation...we always had a basketful of games to choose from...n boredom was only a heard of thing those days...well thats exactly my inspiration to write this... now i'm all free n waiting for my admissions n i'm bored with nothing to do...so there's gotta be some way out of this... so i was thinking about my childhood days when all the children in the neighbourhood would gather together to run around n play to their heart's content...those were the good old days as some of u call it...

There was a lot of games we used to play...some even popped from our imagination... be it rain or shine we were never bored... from hide-n-seek to snakes n ladders to book cricket to actual cricket - we never ran out of choices. now its bayblades n playstations that hav become the children's playmates..........

when i was really young i used to watch my sister n my neighbours play book cricket... but i wasn't allowed to play 'coz i dint even knew how to count then!!! They used to select the mightiest of the books for the game... n when i grew a little older they were all busy with their college. so i missed the book cricket. And then in school i saw my frnds playing hand cricket... wow!!! u gotta see how they calculate the scores...it was amasing... really fast that u cant even keep track of it...but those guys were so amasing n smart they just continued...this still continues to be the one of the top games of todays children... they play it during recess, when they r in their school bus, during the free period n whenevr they feel like it!!! Even games like hide-n-seek, catch-me-if-u-can, Name-place-animal-thing etc. were popular...we even used to fight for space to play...A line drawn in the mud marked our territory n if any other member from the rival group dared to enter it, it would lead to a gruesome fight with words!!! Some of the highly imaginative even discovered or made up their own games n stood to become the leader of the game 'coz it was their "game"!!!

oh! those were the days of running around in the sun n time to stop playing meant our mothers' at the door with sticks in their hands!!! those good old days.... will they ever come back???

Baby tries a lemon......

hey.u'll love this clip.... just note the baby's expressions.......its so cute!!!

So far so good.....

I still remember my first day at school. I was in the middle of an ocean of kids of my age( or so I thot) who were crying just like me. My mother n sister were with me trying to console me n assure me that everything will be allright. Then when it was time for them to leave a very dignified woman lifted me up in her arms n placed me on my seat. That was my first experience with the noblest people in the world – teachers. From then on every moment with my teachers hav only fortified the respect n admiration I hav for them. Many very glorious moments n many new lessons n infinite memories – that’s the summary of my relationship with my teachers. Many of them, in fact all of them, hav made a mark in my heart that I only njoy recollecting. Each teacher was unique….n times spent with them meant many different edifying thoughts. Days, months n years passed after that first day……now I hav passed out of school…n looking back I hav only happy n affectionate memories of my teachers. I owe all what I am today to them. I know not how far I’ve been able to live up to the faith they had in me. But I know very well that I hav a lot more to do. A really wise man once said, “Teaching is the noblest profession”. Well I say it is the noblest n the divine profession. They hav transformed us from a child, who didn’t even know the basics of life, to an adult who is equipped with all the knowledge n lessons in life he needs to clear any obstacles he face in his life’s path. Its almost alchemy.

I just hav one sentence to all those of u who r still in school. Enjoy the time u spend with ur teachers n value their every word ‘coz those r life’s lessons that u can never look up in any book…….

Its time to repay...

Well……we r all now passed out of school n many of u passed out of college too and in a respectable position with a white collar job n what not…all luxury n accessories at our hand’s reach…and now its time to repay all those people who helped us reach where v r now…who helped us conquer that mighty peak none has ever scaled…n reach that respectable position v r in today. But how? u may ask. Well all the money in this world will be too little for it. All the wealth, all the luxury n all the priceless things – all too little for this simple task. They r all material things. They don’t hav any worth in the actual world.

And the first in this list is our teachers. Teachers??? Why??? Some of u may ask. “They hav just done their duty” some of u may say. Yeah… just their duty. But their duty was to mould us into unique n responsible individuals n help us stride the tough paths in our lives easily n effortlessly. You may hav got ur MS or even earned a PhD… but all that was possible due to the strong foundation built in u by ur teachers. They hav dug deep into our minds n built a foundation with affection n care that none can disintegrate….. It’s the bond of love…. All our successes r built on this fountation. So I guess our teachers come first in the list of the great people in our lives. And repaying them is a tough job…. The only way to repay them is – we should pass all the tests in life with flying colours n thus make them happy. “Well, I’ve done all that n I’m in a highly paid job now. So they must be really happy”, some of u might feel. Well for me, I could only do that to a small extend. So there’s a lot to do for me. And not just that, occasionally pay them a visit or atleast call them up n ask them how they r doing n then u can actully hear the smile on their faces over the phone. Its not magic but simple reality. ‘Coz for them it doesn’t matter who v r now or how much we earn each month… For them all that matters is whether v r happy n doing well as a good individual. Well for me they rn’t teachers but treasures… treasure that u can find nowhere else…not even on the island of Count Monte Cristo.

And next on the list is our parents n siblings without whose support n guidance we wudn’t be where v r now. Just think of it…from the time v were a little baby, when we didn’t even know the basic things in life n v just squeeled our way to glory at midnight when our parents wud be just resting after the day’s ordeals. Then a toddler who wud run around the house n hav “fun” by throwing whatever he can hold onto the floor n then jump up with joy when he sees the things go crashing on the floor. Then the naughty little kindergarten child who wud not be satisfied with a look-alike model of his favourite branded toy ( that he cannot even pronounce properly!!!) n wud throw tantrums till he got it in his hands. Then the young child who want all the playstations n game cds n all the advanced play gadgets n wudn’t even hesitate to hold a hungerstrike till he gets it. Next the teenager who feels that the world revolves around him n that his parents hav “old-fashioned” ideas n that his friends r infallible!!! n that money grows on trees!!! By the time the teenager realises that his parents were right all the time, its too late to do anything… So atleast now just make their day better for them. Be with them. Just enquire about their well-being n help them around n take with u – ur heart full of their smiling n happy faces. And our siblings…who could hav given us a better training on the new ways of life v r about to come to terms other than our siblings??? Well I’m sure all of u wud hav had fights with ur siblings for the silliest reasons…or even just for the fun. They inspired us when v were kids n v wished to be like them when v wud be their age n helped us do our assignments a little better (even though its after long persuasion n kajoling).Well they sure r our guides n our moral support…

And then comes frnds, our conscience keepers, our constant companions… there r many roles for them. They’ve been with u in ur ups n downs n even helped u out of their way. As a wise man said “frnds n books shud be few but good”. U can say anything to a good frnd…anything…’coz that’s what a frnd is for. But he/she must be a good frnd otherwise the next morning u’ll wake up to find that u r the talk of the town!!!

Well… teachers, parents, siblings n frnds…hav I missed anyone??? Well it depends from person to person who the great people in their life r…The most important thing is their smiling faces. The smile on their faces is the greatest gift u can ever get….

Well………….hope it isn’t too long!!! ;)