Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Monsoon Magic
Monsoon Magic
Mihika was bored. It was only a month and half since school started and she already wanted a break! She was waiting to get out of the school-home-school routine and do something exciting. So when Aunty Anchal suggested a trip to Tamhini Ghat, located a little beyond Mulshi, near Pune, Mihika was delighted. Aunty Anchal was a lecturer and mom’s good friend. She was an avid trekker and never missed the opportunity to explore the countryside. Besides, she was good fun to be with.
As planned, Aunty and Mihika set off in a car on a Saturday morning. It was a clear day with a hint of impending rain. Once out of the city, the drive was beginning to get interesting! Mihika could not imagine that the rains had transformed the landscape to such an extant. Every leaf and pebble sparkled. She was totally entranced by the sheer beauty of the streams, waterfalls, fields, mountains and valleys which sped past her.
They finally stopped near a rivulet at Tamhini. Mihika rushed out of the car and stood motionless, sensing the freshness in the air, the vastness of the sky, and the brilliance of Mother Earth. She removed her shoes and felt the grass on her feet. Aunty was happy to see Mihika so excited. She suggested a short trek across the hill.
As they trekked along Mihika noticed that Aunty was inspecting the plants and streamlets very closely. Mihika wondered why! On asking, Aunty pointed out an insect in the stream.
“Its walking on water!”, Mihika said in amazement, looking at the spider like insect with long legs.
“That’s called a Water Skater” Aunty explained. She also pointed out to a water beetle, which looked like a chikoo seed floating on the water and a toad near the stream. She explained how toads have spots on their back and were different from frogs, which are generally smooth skinned.
Sensing Mihika’s interest, Aunty went on to show her bug hoppers and grass hoppers on bushes. Some grass hoppers, she said, look green during the rains and brown during the summer months. Mihika had studied about `camouflage’ wherein animals change their color so as to blend with the surrounding environment and cannot be noticed easily and thus protect themselves from any harm! Aunty also showed her different kinds of centipedes and millipedes. Although exaggerated, centipedes are supposed to have a hundred legs and millipedes, a million!
Aunty explained how trekking becomes even more exciting when one tries to see, hear, and appreciate life forms like, insects, reptiles, butterflies, birds and such within or on the trees, plants and water bodies. On the short trek that followed Mihika learnt how to recognise the loud call of the Malabar Giant Squirrel, to identify male and female minivets and the Malabar Whistling Thrush, birds so common around Pune.
Mihika was so happy to learn about these little creatures. Back at home she wrote a small essay on her trip; the memories of which she knew would remain with her forever.
Bina Thomas
Mihika was bored. It was only a month and half since school started and she already wanted a break! She was waiting to get out of the school-home-school routine and do something exciting. So when Aunty Anchal suggested a trip to Tamhini Ghat, located a little beyond Mulshi, near Pune, Mihika was delighted. Aunty Anchal was a lecturer and mom’s good friend. She was an avid trekker and never missed the opportunity to explore the countryside. Besides, she was good fun to be with.
As planned, Aunty and Mihika set off in a car on a Saturday morning. It was a clear day with a hint of impending rain. Once out of the city, the drive was beginning to get interesting! Mihika could not imagine that the rains had transformed the landscape to such an extant. Every leaf and pebble sparkled. She was totally entranced by the sheer beauty of the streams, waterfalls, fields, mountains and valleys which sped past her.
They finally stopped near a rivulet at Tamhini. Mihika rushed out of the car and stood motionless, sensing the freshness in the air, the vastness of the sky, and the brilliance of Mother Earth. She removed her shoes and felt the grass on her feet. Aunty was happy to see Mihika so excited. She suggested a short trek across the hill.
As they trekked along Mihika noticed that Aunty was inspecting the plants and streamlets very closely. Mihika wondered why! On asking, Aunty pointed out an insect in the stream.
“Its walking on water!”, Mihika said in amazement, looking at the spider like insect with long legs.
“That’s called a Water Skater” Aunty explained. She also pointed out to a water beetle, which looked like a chikoo seed floating on the water and a toad near the stream. She explained how toads have spots on their back and were different from frogs, which are generally smooth skinned.
Sensing Mihika’s interest, Aunty went on to show her bug hoppers and grass hoppers on bushes. Some grass hoppers, she said, look green during the rains and brown during the summer months. Mihika had studied about `camouflage’ wherein animals change their color so as to blend with the surrounding environment and cannot be noticed easily and thus protect themselves from any harm! Aunty also showed her different kinds of centipedes and millipedes. Although exaggerated, centipedes are supposed to have a hundred legs and millipedes, a million!
Aunty explained how trekking becomes even more exciting when one tries to see, hear, and appreciate life forms like, insects, reptiles, butterflies, birds and such within or on the trees, plants and water bodies. On the short trek that followed Mihika learnt how to recognise the loud call of the Malabar Giant Squirrel, to identify male and female minivets and the Malabar Whistling Thrush, birds so common around Pune.
Mihika was so happy to learn about these little creatures. Back at home she wrote a small essay on her trip; the memories of which she knew would remain with her forever.
Bina Thomas
Be the change!!
The words kept churning in his mind. “Be the change you want to see in the world”.
“He is right. It makes sense to work towards change, rather than sit and crib about every system in the country,” thought Siddharth. Although the old man, had not gone into great lengths to explain what he meant by those words, the more Siddhart thought about it, the more grown up and responsible he felt.
It all began one morning when Siddhart and his friends were waiting for their Junior college admission forms. The queue was so long that it seemed to snake through the entire college campus! Siddhart and his friends were still far away from the counter and the queue was moving at a snails pace!! By noon they were most certain that they would miss the afternoon show at the multiplex. That one thought got them agitated. Their cool attitude in the morning was replaced by anger. Their irritation showed and their frustration took a voice.
“The system is all in a mess. It’s so faulty and slow” complained Siddhart. “Why can’t they have a couple of more counters to process freshers’ application?”
“Such inefficiency,” growled Udhav, “its either tea break or lunch time. When will all this change?” Udhav sounded exasperated.
“Nothing will change,” concluded Anand.
“Why don’t you make an effort?” said a voice from behind them.
The startled boys turned around and saw an old man standing behind them in the same queue. The boys were so immersed in themselves that they hadn’t noticed the old man or anyone around them. Suddenly they became aware of the crowd, the noise, the heat, the restlessness written on everyone’s face.
“I have been listening to your endless complains,” said the old man, “why don’t you do something about your misery?”
“What can we do, if the staff and authorities are not doing anything about it,” Siddhart defended himself.
“Be the change you want to see in the world,” said the old man prophetically.
“I too had a lot of complaints at your age,” he continued, “of a different kind though. We were being treated as a second class citizen in our country. We were restricted entry into certain clubs and theaters. We wanted our situation to change. And, that’s when the words of the Mahatma “Be the change you want to see in the world” made an impression on me and my friends. If you are not happy with the way things are, go ahead and try to make it better,” the old man concluded.
“And then did you ring in the change,” Udhav was curious.
“Yes, we did,” he said with pride. “Today our country is our own. We are free from bondage. Initially, we disagreed with Gandhiji’s ideas of non-violence, non-cooperation, or Satyagraha. But slowly the meaning and value of his teachings dawned on us. We joined the youth movement of those times. Yes, it was a struggle. But when I see young people like you, free and happy, I know the effort was worth it,” he smiled.
The boys were very impressed. As they headed back home, each one was thinking aloud on how to go about requesting the authorities to allow for few more counters at the admission form collection centre.
“The old man has done his bit by shaking us up, and now, I just can’t seem to sleep thinking about how to proceed to bring about change,” Siddhart smiled to himself as he tossed and turned in bed.
Bina Thomas
The words kept churning in his mind. “Be the change you want to see in the world”.
“He is right. It makes sense to work towards change, rather than sit and crib about every system in the country,” thought Siddharth. Although the old man, had not gone into great lengths to explain what he meant by those words, the more Siddhart thought about it, the more grown up and responsible he felt.
It all began one morning when Siddhart and his friends were waiting for their Junior college admission forms. The queue was so long that it seemed to snake through the entire college campus! Siddhart and his friends were still far away from the counter and the queue was moving at a snails pace!! By noon they were most certain that they would miss the afternoon show at the multiplex. That one thought got them agitated. Their cool attitude in the morning was replaced by anger. Their irritation showed and their frustration took a voice.
“The system is all in a mess. It’s so faulty and slow” complained Siddhart. “Why can’t they have a couple of more counters to process freshers’ application?”
“Such inefficiency,” growled Udhav, “its either tea break or lunch time. When will all this change?” Udhav sounded exasperated.
“Nothing will change,” concluded Anand.
“Why don’t you make an effort?” said a voice from behind them.
The startled boys turned around and saw an old man standing behind them in the same queue. The boys were so immersed in themselves that they hadn’t noticed the old man or anyone around them. Suddenly they became aware of the crowd, the noise, the heat, the restlessness written on everyone’s face.
“I have been listening to your endless complains,” said the old man, “why don’t you do something about your misery?”
“What can we do, if the staff and authorities are not doing anything about it,” Siddhart defended himself.
“Be the change you want to see in the world,” said the old man prophetically.
“I too had a lot of complaints at your age,” he continued, “of a different kind though. We were being treated as a second class citizen in our country. We were restricted entry into certain clubs and theaters. We wanted our situation to change. And, that’s when the words of the Mahatma “Be the change you want to see in the world” made an impression on me and my friends. If you are not happy with the way things are, go ahead and try to make it better,” the old man concluded.
“And then did you ring in the change,” Udhav was curious.
“Yes, we did,” he said with pride. “Today our country is our own. We are free from bondage. Initially, we disagreed with Gandhiji’s ideas of non-violence, non-cooperation, or Satyagraha. But slowly the meaning and value of his teachings dawned on us. We joined the youth movement of those times. Yes, it was a struggle. But when I see young people like you, free and happy, I know the effort was worth it,” he smiled.
The boys were very impressed. As they headed back home, each one was thinking aloud on how to go about requesting the authorities to allow for few more counters at the admission form collection centre.
“The old man has done his bit by shaking us up, and now, I just can’t seem to sleep thinking about how to proceed to bring about change,” Siddhart smiled to himself as he tossed and turned in bed.
Bina Thomas
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