Fountain pens

My collection of fountain pens or ink pens,
 (The yellow band on the green pen was for identification purpose, in case of thefts  )

It has been a long time since man developed his early writing instruments, and how they were modified and changed with time.

My first writing instrument was probably a crayon or a pencil, for I don’t remember which exactly. That art of holding a pencil was taught by my father and later my kindergarten teacher. I should probably owe her so much respect since she was my first teacher who taught me the alphabet, my first steps in learning how to read and write.

My 'Hero' pens 

Pencil was my writing tool till my 4^th grade, and I can still remember my excitement in getting my first fountain pen with my promotion to the 5^th grade. I got my first fountain pen as a complementary from my school; a rather small, green pen fit for beginners, and it drew rather thick strokes. My little green pen meant the world to me; I even carried it everywhere in my skirt pocket, until one day the ink stained my skirt and forced me to leave it in my pencil box. It was the PT period and I always longed for one to come as a kid. Unmindful of what was going to happen, I was lost in my play session. And it did not take me long to discover that my precious green fountain pen was missing! Being a kid, I always dreamt of being a detective and I suspected a theft there..! I had always suspected one of my classmates for my random disappearances of pencils and erasers, but this was a major theft. Finally I confronted the girl and politely asked her to return my pen to which she denied having it with her. I threatened to report it to our class teacher if she didn't return it. And after much of coaxing I got a pen, but a new one, and I never got to see my first fountain pen after that! For all that care I took, by delicately washing it, and polishing it I hoped it would be in good hands! :D

But that fountain pen craze did last for long though, and I have made a good collection till date. Modified, good ones called ‘hero’ pens were too much in demand and the one who owned it as a kid was all on cloud nine and I was aiming for those ‘heroes’. I wanted to own those in all colors and all types. I made a deal with my mother to buy me a pen of that each year so that I would have all the colors and the types by then. And it so went like that deal and that craze slowly died down. Still I am the proud owner of 6 such fountain pens which continue to give me excellent service till today.

It is today that I realize that authentic value of those fountain pens, my handwriting became lucid and neat. It was those fountain pens that made me frame my cursive writings, and develop a good handwriting. I have noticed that the same handwriting is hard to obtain in a ball point pen or a gel pen. That fountain pen stands its way. The father of all modern pens! My love for fountain pens is also because of those beautiful cursive handwriting that the people of olden times had, which inspired me not to lose my touch with them! That joy is never the same…

Withered, still green

The Tippu express chugged its way past the plains which were once filled with luscious green crops, but now lay parched. There was utter chaos inside the train compartment; kids weeping, the chatter of people and to add the coffee/tea and maddur vade sellers asking for business in an advertising voice. I had my earphones on, so I was not bothered by these chaos, and outside awaited a bigger scene to worry about. The outside view signified drought. It was clearly visible, which the misery was upon. The once so healthy, standing tall sugarcane crops lay bent out of thirst. Most of the crops were poorly developed, which any person could find out by looking at it.

The train sped away, with the wind hitting my face. For a moment I was lost, thinking about the consequences and the outcome. I saw some cattle there, searching for fresh grass, which was also deprived now. Some coconut trees also stood there diseased and withered. The sight was a clear sign, representing the coming hurdles for man, for meddling with Mother Nature. It was a gruesome realization; a major problem was being shunned. Failed monsoons, imbalance in the weather and seasons spelt of the lurking danger.

But someone in the fields stood there undeterred, a Farmer. Still tilling his fields adhered to make it verdant once again. A heartfelt feeling aroused, seeing his plight and efforts. The sight was not abstruse. It was not only a farmer’s problem, but one day the whole world might have to suffer. The sight of the fields spoke a veracious fact; that the future may have to face some severe outcomes from the present. This problem may be momentary, but it signifies eventual destruction. The solution was rather simple, all it needed was to realize and act to it.

Vagaries may take place, far we cannot say how or when. Yes, nature was showing its vengeance, or rather teaching us, humans a lesson for our wicked deeds committed for our selfish reasons.

The music in my earphones ended, and so did the sight of the fields. I had reached the outskirts of Bangalore by then and a . This view outside the window was contradictory to the view I had enjoyed before. There was complete urbanization, lots and lots of buildings, huge dumps of garbage was haphazardly strewn. The train halted there for a while and the view was unbearable, while I could sense the pollution in the air.

Zillions of thoughts had whizzed past my mind in that three hour journey.Yes, they were concerning. This was probably the first time that I had not got bored and fallen asleep in a journey. Thus I reached the apotheosis of my thinking that something needs to be done. Water is very scarce and it needs to be saved for the betterment of the future. Everyone should contribute in saving the world, for a better future ahead. The message needs to be spread and people need to be enlightened about the crisis.

I was rather reluctant and resentful upon taking this trip, but I don’t regret it now because it sure taught me lessons..it was a happy journey indeed. :)

The Songs of my Heart: Birds

Everybody has a passion; it’s just that one needs an outlook to realize it. As a kid I loved writing essays, drawing pictures, collecting stamps and coins and I had a vivid imagination. As I grew up my hobbies too grew up with me. Some of the hobbies slowly turned into passion.

I was a young birdwatcher, back then I had a small binoculars (my dad’s old one) and excitedly used to sit at the windows and look through it to find some birds! It was a mere pass-time back then, but at present I felt the love for the winged creatures that lies in my heart. I first heard the word Ornithology from one of my good friend, Lakshmi Bharadwaj. I was also glad to find out that we sailed in the same boat.

My love for birds is probably because of my dad, who himself is a bird enthusiast. Adding to the lovely garden we have in our house, attracted more of those pretty winged creatures. Our garden can be called a bird’s paradise (despite being in the main road adding to the noise) a perfect bird bath, to cool off during hot noons, trees to rest on and the soothing greenery around!

                                     My sketch of Dr.Salim Ali,

Dr.Salim Ali (1896-1987), the greatest Indian ornithologist who introduced the ethereal spirits of the air to the earth. With his hard work and efforts, today we know what kinds of birds exist in our country. Hats off to this great personality! His achievements are indeed praiseworthy. What helped me to develop my interest and build my knowledge was alone this great man’s book ‘The book of Indian birds’. This book was a gift for my father from a friend, which today tops my list of favorites. All that I know today, all the birds that I can identify today is only because of the book. My veneration for ornithology will always be high.  If I had another life I would definitely choose to be a bird, flying devotedly!

Whenever I see a bird gleefully chirping, flying, or even playing in the birdbath, my heart takes a merry-go-round. I can feel a sense of joy, a close touch of nature’s creation. My love for Mother Nature knows no bounds. The captivating song of a bird has the power to make me get over my laziness. It is a delight to watch them timidly stepping into the bird bath and splash water to beat the heat. What more can I expect!

Ornithology is a song for me, a song that my heart sings for me to pursue, the only song that I cared to stop and hear it. A passion which will die with me, an ardor that can only exist in my heart and not my mind! And so my heart sings…

With love,

Dearest Lakshmi,

"Friend - a person known well to another and regarded with liking, affection and loyalty." So it is defined in a dictionary. And I see it abides by what it defines.

‘Every person is a new door to a different world’. True to it, you are one such person whose impact mesmerized me to a new world, the world of blogging. Four years back, I started with my first blog; my very first inspiration was ‘An Amateur’s Attempts’. I began my blogging journey at a young age. I never received any feedback, on account of which I was prejudiced. But it was your encouragement that kept my confidence alive and I continued my journey. I say this from the heart; I love Brad Pitt, Rafael Nadal and many each for their accomplishments, but I definitely am your biggest starry-eyed fan and you top my celebrity favorites list. It’s because you’re the best celebrity I’ve managed to meet so far!

Your blogs, poems and everything you write are out of this world, perfect, flawless and inspiring. All your writings have a stupendous life in it. And of course you’re an amazing photographer, artist, and an ‘author’. I wonder how gifted your parents feel to have a doting daughter like you!

Everything you do is an inspiration to me. Reading all that you write awakens the writer in me. It’s your words that motivated me to pursue my blogging expedition which was hindered in the meanwhile. Ever since a kid I’ve always been fascinated by those Enid Blyton’s, Agatha Christie’s and Nancy Drew’s books and novels. But since time flew, books were promoted to blogs, and I’m into blogging, I’ve learnt tons of things not only from your writings, from you as well. You’re my role model to this day!

We make great amigos too. Maybe that’s because both of us love Tinkle, Harry Potter, painting, birds, nature and oh! So many more!

Today is a big special day, for you. So step out, bask your face in the feeble morning sunlight, let that cool breeze sweep through your face. Perceive that extravagant feeling of randomness, charm. You will feel beautiful, from within the inner. Finally, you will hear my voice whispering from nowhere “HAPPY BIRTHDAY Lakshmi”! You turn 21 today, so I wish that all the happiness will be yours. With a lot of hope that I’ve made your day, I wish you once again “Happy 21”!

With love,

Disha

The Anna Hazare Movement

A bright Wednesday morning, my routine began on itself as usual. I headed for college with no mood to listen to the boring lectures. Wednesdays always bugged me for the fact that I had only theory classes, boring too. While going towards college I noticed some students coming in the opposite direction, without caring I went to park the vehicle. “It’s a holiday today I guess” said the watchman. Without wasting a thought I sped straight home. “Oh! Anna Hazare is in Jail! It’s the Anna Hazare Movement!Its the fight against corruption!” I exclaimed

Back home, my friends gave me a call “It’s a holiday so can we drop in?” “Oh sure” I said.

It was the Anna movement at bay. The classes in colleges had been boycotted by other ‘patriotic’ students on this account. Gandhi Square, Mysore became a centre for this movement. It was filled with protestors, students, elders and others who supported Anna. “We want Jan Lokpal bill”, “We support Anna”, Anna ki jai” were the slogans raised. The atmosphere was indeed like Quit India movement relapsed, with the youth and the younger generation taking much zeal in it. The whole nation extended its support to Anna to carry out his fast. Candle-light marches, Bike rallies were organized on this behalf, and it showed a good response.

“This movement is just an excuse and the students are missing their classes unnecessarily” commented some people of forward mind. It was good to see the unity, the patriotic feeling that had now awoken.

But on the contrary, instead of supporting Anna, for the purpose which the holiday was declared, I accompanied my pals to plan an outing to make a good use of the holiday for recreation, which we lack these days. An hour later, I found myself at a café relishing a cold coffee on the sunny day. We did celebrate the Anna Hazare movement, but in a contrasting manner!

What I was, what I will be.

School to college is a drastic change. Such drastic changes alter the daily life steps. One will need time to cope up with the changes.

I stepped to college with such zeal and enthusiasm, of making new friends, a new environment … blah blah.Little did I know of what was going to happen? Never had I known that the zeal and enthusiasm was soon going to bite the dust.

I did make fine new good buddies, but my mind never tried to adjust to the atmosphere. “School is miserable” was what I thought back then at school. A few words altered the same sentence now-“College is much more miserable”.Miserable stayed where it was .My mind became sort of “college phobic”. But the “Friends-o-holic” thing did overcome it. Soon I got used to it.

Getting over to the new thing-“College does not really matter, tuition actually matters”. But all that mattered was my interest nothing else, although it was the thing I had lost for a time. I had no interest in studies or anything else. Just listen to what the lecturers blabber and open the books day before a test and waste the rest of the time became my new concept of life due to lack of interest. I did give up blogging, and most of my hobbies as well.

I finally did manage to wriggle out through a tough barrier and I’m half way through it already. Since I already know how the half of the path was, I can easily interpret the other half of it.

But for now I just wish that time will get a pair of wings or a pair of legs so that it would just fly or even run!

Farewell

!0^th grade at Marimallappa’s high school and the students are busy studying for examinations. It was March when the 3^rd preparatory examinations were about to commence in a day or two. We never expected a farewell party from our school staff. So we just concentrated on studies.

It was a Tuesday when I was busy memorizing the math formulae that when I heard one of my friend talking about the send-off party.

I definitely knew it would not be of fun kind, because my school is not used to such kinds of parties. It was also the first time that a farewell party was being organized in our school, as we had never seen our seniors celebrating so.

It was Wednesday, and when we were writing our science exams, a memo came. It was a long awaited memo, and yes, it informed that there was a send-off party as well as the releasing ceremony of our school magazine.

We were instructed to wear color dresses of our choice.

It was actually on the day of our social science exam! No one was ready to study for it, we went on discussing how it will be though we all knew that they would screw us with their speech at the function. The whole evening was spent on discussing about it, and we weren’t prepared for the examination. Social science has always been a friend of mine and I was confident enough to get a 90 without touching books.

Finally the day arrived and we all were eager to finish the exams as fast our hands could write. I was the second one to come out of the class, though I didn’t even care about what I had written or how much marks I would get.

I had taken the camera to snap the fun moments and so had some of my friends.

The exam was over and some uninterested folks did not mind missing the farewell fun and left as soon as possible.

There was nothing at the farewell party but just hectic photo sessions.

Everyone was taking photos of their friends and themselves and of course our school.

We began rampaging the school grounds and tried not to attend the function only to be shooed by our teachers. Next we found ourselves sitting at pin drop silence in the functionL. Anyway we even took photos there too adding to the fun.

Whew! And finally an exhausted us relished the samosa- chutney-ice cream-banana snack.

Wonders never cease! The teachers, whom we used to hate, suddenly became the centre of attention. They had become celebrities! We took photos of them too and it was really the time to bid “farewell”. Perhaps it was the last day I attended school. Though there was no fun atmosphere, we created it! It was and will remain a cherished memory!

Refreshed!

Picture if the moon taken from the 14-inch telescope

Social science contest on a bright Saturday, a prepared me wrote the exam with full tension. A dejected I returned home with sheer disappointment.

I wondered” who cares”, and began my normal routine.

It was a bright full moon evening, and I stood out dazing at the glamorous golden bright moon at its fullest! It was such a pleasure and I forgot all my vows.

I ran and called my mom and dad to also enjoy the sight of the moon.

My dad being my dad, could not just see it, but he took pictures of the moon from every angle he could, he went to the road, he went up the terrace, fixed the camera to the tripod too, but it was not a satisfactory photo shoot of the moon for him. It was also the time when mars were very close to the moon and the earth.

It was almost 8:15 in the evening, when he came up with the idea to go to Ramakrishna Ashram for star gazing. So loading his vehicle with me and my sister, we were off. We met Mr.Ramaswamy, a well experienced teacher, and an old man, teaching in that ashram for a very long time.

We requested him to guide us about the telescope and astronomy.

The kind man adjusted his 10-inch telescope to the moon, and explained us about the craters and the hills on the moon. The bright light dazzling from the moon made our vision go away for a minute! In the same way we got to see a magnified image of the brightest star of the night sky, the Sirius, and the Canopus, mars and the Orion nebula. It was a treat to the eyes to view the magnified moon. Then all the students of the ashram started to come and soon it got crowded.

We even got to see the moon from a 14-inch computerized telescope at the observatory. Now the moon was much brighter and everything went black after seeing it, due to glare ness. It was like we were on an abode to heaven!

It certainly was such pleasure that it was almost like we had landed on the moon itself. It was so much fun learning things which we were unaware.

It was then that I came to know why the moon is used for a simile.

The moon really intensified my astronomy interests!

"The devilish angel"

One afternoon, during the PT period, the students of grade9 B were busy playing badminton and volleyball. Some were seriously studying, and some wandering around.

I joined my friends playing badminton. There were five of us and we had only two racquets. We, however played, adopting the ‘out system’ (if the cock was missed). The game went cool until my turn came. I played very well but unfortunately, I was out. I had to wait until my next turn came, and waiting was tiring than playing! I just wandered out of the playground and stood near the grass looking here and there. I saw a shoe near the gutter and started to stare at it. One of my friends joined me, and later on the others as well. This went on, and majority of my classmates left the game to see what was happening. As I did not tell my friend what I was actually staring at, she mistook it for a ‘snake’, and in the meantime, it spread like wildfire. Finally, all of the girls stopped playing the games and gathered around the gutter. Those studying seriously anxiously watched the commotion. Somebody made courage and went to see if there was ‘actually a snake’ in the gutter. Then they found out that it was not a snake, but a dirty old shoe, they buzzed about and went back to play. Nevertheless, as luck would have it, the bell rang just in time. I could not help my laughter! I related to my friend what had actually happened. We both burst out laughing. Our laughter did not end even though the bell rang and it was time to go home. We started towards the cycle stand giggling, and making fun of the others. Nobody actually knew it was actually a plot! The devil lied within the angel! Heh heh! >:-)

It was one of my funniest incidents in my high schooling.

The Tribal Goddess of Nature

An important message

Once, I found my family, and me climbing a hill full of greenery.

We climbed and climbed until we reached its topmost peak. We looked around hoping to find someone to help with our luggage and lodging, and fortunately, we saw a room, which was actually a hut. There was a man there waiting to welcome and help whit our luggage. My mum and my sister suddenly had disappeared! My dad and I proceeded without taking any notice. Though we had already reached the top, we still kept climbing. Finally, we came along a number of people carrying out some kind of sacrifice by cutting a tree at a time. We stopped by for refreshment and found out that it was a tribal village. Suddenly people started panicking and running around. We stood at a distant pavement watching the cause of their panic. Though we could not see anything, it seemed that the people could see it. The ‘man’ who guided us advised us to stop in that village for a night. We took his advice and went to a hut for the night stay. The night sky grew darker and darker, and the bright light of the full moon mixed with the orange flames of the campfire. It was a sleepless night for me. Therefore, I roamed around the thick forest in the middle of the night, only to hear a chime of a bell and a soft scream. I grew suspicious and I followed the sound, only to find a little boy sitting on a stone bench. He was as stiff as a stick and suddenly yelled at the top of his voice. I was scared out of my wits and I thought he was ‘haunted’. Therefore, he was! A colorful smoke or something that looked like it emerged from him and sang:

“Precious is each tree

One two and three

It’s either you or me”

In addition, the little kid fainted. Whether it was a ghost, I had no time to waste on thinking. I ran back and woke my dad who woke the others. Armed with sticks and weapons, the tribal villagers followed me to the place of the horrifying event. I left the villagers who were searching for the ‘ghost’ and proceeded. A few steps ahead I found a wooden idol of a tribal goddess. The instant I picked it up, it starts singing the same song:

“Precious is each tree

One two and three

It’s either you or me”

I ran to the villagers and a colorful, mostly green ‘smoke’ (or whatever it was) emerged and started to whirl. Then, suddenly stopped whirling and its perfect figure formed and it stood on a tree. When I showed the figure to the villagers, a wise old man stepped and bowed to the “Tribal Goddess of nature” which he believed it to be. Then he explained to the people the history of the goddess. He also said that the goddess herself came to their village to stop the tree rituals and sacrifices, and she was an ancient goddess believed to protect the trees. If they stopped these sacrifices, their village they would receive blessings from the goddess with more greenery. All of them bowed before the goddess sitting on the tree, and I placed the wooden figure in front of it. The goddess, now delighted went back to the wooden figure. Since that very moment, the villagers, who were sacrificing the precious trees, started to worship it and the wooden figure of the “Tribal Goddess of nature”.

I was rubbing my eyes vigorously and once I opened them, all I found was a mosquito net and a ceiling fan rotating slowly. Oh! It was all just a dream. I found myself in bed. The dream was quite adventurous. Some scenes in the dream make no sense at all. Still sometime, there will be a connection with the dream and the things running in our mind, most of the times we dream about our deeply desired thing. Though it was just a dream, I took it seriously enough to blog it.

Something fishy!

This took place in my 6^th grade. It was my general knowledge class, and my teacher Susan miss was teaching about fishes, the smallest was the “Gobi”. She asked the students if they had fishes as pets.

Many raised their hands and I was one among them. She asked us to name the fishes one by one.

It was my turn and as I had many Guppies in my pond I told her that I had “Guppies”.

As she was teaching about “Gobi es”, the smallest fish in the world, she mistook it as “Gobi”.

Later on, she asked the one who said “Gobi” to stand up. I kept quiet as I had not said.

But she remembered that I was the one and asked me to stand up and tell her its length. I kept quiet for a while and she showed me her finger and asked me if it was the length. I just said “yes” and took my seat!

I can never forget this funny experience even if I want to. There was no embarrassment here as I was the only one who knew what I had said!

The Get together

One recent Saturday morning (Feb.7) turned out to be a memorable day for some of my old classmates including me. The “Open Day” was held at Ideal Jawa Rotary School where some of my present school mates from MMHS planned to go. As luck would have it, our school bell rang an hour early and we had an extra free hour! We had even arranged a get together there that morning.

“Open day” actually means fun fair. It is held for every 2 years. It was held last when we were in the 6^th grade. A particular topic was chosen for every class of the middle school for which models and charts based on the topic were to be prepared by us. Artworks and craft works by us were also displayed. Food stalls, to munch on mouth watering food; many fun games and best of them all was the fruit salad stall. But this was 3 years back. This time it was rather boring without any stalls or any games. An ice cream stall, a chat corner and a milkshake stall were there. But we never expected that our excitement would reach the topmost. We met the teachers who were happy to see us all grown up. Then we waited for our other friends to come. We had never seen each other for a year and all were surprised and shocked to see the changed faces. Hungry, we headed for the chat stall and shared Pani Puris. It was rather hot and there was scarcity of water; so we relished the cool ice cream. No wonder my throat was already sore and my nose started watering! It was worth it! We chatted for 3 long hours but it just seemed like a minute. We did nothing but recalled what all we used to do and how we were before, the various games we used to play, how the teachers used to behave – sometimes funny etc, and about our present situations. We could not possibly stop chatting! We exchanged our phone numbers and E-mail id’s. It was time to bid farewell. We just could not bid goodbye. We never felt like leaving that place. After another 10 minutes saying “bye” we left. Accompanied by my friend Sheetal, I headed home.

In those previous years, we only enjoyed the games and tasted the yummy food. But this time it was all different, the stalls and games made no difference. Only with an aim to meet old pals, we went there. This will remain evergreen in my memory and the great time I spent with my old buddies after a gap of almost two years.

Partying spirits

Ideal Jawa Rotary School

My schooling was in Ideal Jawa Rotary School kindergarten to 7th. I am proud to say that I remained a good student in my tenure there. My best part of life there was spent with all my fun-loving friends. All the students in the class were best buddies, we never fought and fussed.

Our class stood first in unity! We enjoyed every part of schooling, but we never knew it. When picnics were arranged, preparations and discussions were done before a week. The days would be like hell until the day finally arrived. Some teachers fussed on our home works but some were a jolly lot. During the lunch hour we would gobble the food as quick as possible and run to play “kalla police” (thief-police) or “Chain cut” to mention a few of my favorite games. All the boys would be the thieves and the girls would be the police. We grew up like this. Time flew. One fine day, came when all these things ended.

Yes. It was the last day at school in 7^th grade. That was a prosperous year for everybody with a few exceptions. The last day was the most memorable one in school. We never had any idea how it was going to be. We arranged a send-off party and we were permitted to do! What a grand party it was!

The eve of the party was Christmas celebrations at school, in the middle of the celebrations; we met the head mistress to ask permission for the party. Permission was granted and decoration of the class room began in full swing. Some of the students including me were chosen for decoration. After a few hours the decoration was finished with a big welcome sign on the door. The day finally arrived in our exited moods. A big pineapple cake, lots of cool drinks, a heap of chips, chocolates and other mouth watering goodies were arranged for 56 students who would soon scatter to other schools in the coming year. The benches were arranged in a circular shape in the middle of the class room. The teacher came unto the door without knowing that a surprise party was arranged. Though we were permitted to party, shouting was prohibited and the discipline was hard to maintain for that occasion.

After the cake cutting ceremony by our class teacher we all munched on the yummy goodies. Some boys started shouting and got a sound trashing from the teacher. Though she was a strict one, she enjoyed a lot with us. We played music and sang and danced too, but in a low volume! Finally the party was over so was our excitement. It was time to clean up! It was really tiring. We rearranged the benches in the same order and cleaned up the mess. Some students ran away in order to avoid cleaning.

It was a very happy ending for us. Such memories are not common in middle school but I think our school ‘was’ the best.

Leisure was always granted, and no holiday home work .The children were allowed to bring toys and games after the examination at the end of the academic year. The teachers knew very well what the children needed – more play time! My schooldays there will be cherished forever, for all the good things it has taught me.

High School entry - some memories

When I was promoted to 8th std I never knew it would be different from that of middle school.
I joined Marimallappa's high school a year ago. It was the first day of school and I did not know anybody in that school except for my old classmate Sheetal. I did not even know where my class is and where is the assembly hall. Fortunately I saw many of my old classmates in school I ran to them but unfortunately they were of the other class.
After the assembly I later joined my new classmates in search of my class. It was hard to find but we managed to find it. Later on my class teacher came in. As he took the attendance there was a lot of noise around and I could not hear anything till he came up to my name. He shouted my name but i could not hear him and my friend alerted me. I had taken Sanskrit as first language and the teacher came in. She said that she would not start the lessons on the first day. Then she asked us to introduce ourselves and tell why we had chose Sanskrit as first language. After that she asked us to write a paragraph on the above topic. But the bell rang and we were asked to do it in our homes.

I made new friends. It was time for the lunch break and we did not know where to sit for lunch. Finally we went down to the playground and had our lunch. I was afraid that the maths teacher who taught maths would be like the same one like in my old school [Whatever she taught she only knew that !!] So luckily he was not the same. As it was first day he just cracked jokes but the next day he revised the portions of 7th std. Later it was time to go home and I called my sister to come and pick me up. Unfortunately she did not bring any vehicle but she had came by walk with her friend!! With a heavy bag on my shoulders and a lunch bag in hand I went home groaning. Then I came home and told my parents about the school and the teachers,friends.
Everyone will have a memorable experience and especially in school days.. like which i have shared.

Trip to North East India

On November 1^st, on my birthday, I and my family left for an 8 day trip to Darjeeling.

We needed to first go to Bangalore by train and then catch our flight to Kolkata at Bangalore. We reached Bangalore by noon and the flight was at 7:30 PM.

We lunched at a hotel near the railway station and then left for the Bangalore International Airport. It was about evening when we reached there. As there was a lot of time for the departure of our flight, we roamed around the airport and then made way for the security checking. A heave of sigh after the checking, we waited for the flight to arrive. In a few minutes the flight arrived and we boarded our flight.

I was wondering that this birthday wasn’t exiting, but it was an unforgettable Birthday experience I’ve ever had! We dined the wonderful cuisine that were served in the flight

And thus I celebrated my Birthday in the flight! It was almost 11:00 PM when we all reached Subash Chandra Bose airport in Kolkata.

I found that there was a change in the atmospheric air at Kolkata when compared to Mysore. It was because of the amount of greenhouse gases released in Kolkata was more.

I never imagined that Kolkata would be the filthiest place I had ever seen till now.

Though the streets were deserted at night there was a terrible stench around.

Finally we reached Hotel Ashoka, one of the cleaner hotels in Kolkata.

Well maybe it was. We were given an underground room, without any ventilation.

Inside the room there was a stench of cigarettes and smoke. We just managed a sleepless night whit the fan and the light on. Then it was time to rise and shine. The guide took us to Kali Temple. The floor was covered with sticky water and wilted hibiscus flowers, and a big mob of people covered in front of the door of the deity. The mob were pushing and falling on each other to get a ‘darshan’ of the goddess. Some men at the temple pulled some people and told them that they would give a chance for the ‘darshan’ of the goddess. They would then give them the ‘prasadam’ and ask for the fare.
We had our breakfast of idlies at a South Indian hotel and made way for the hotel.

We left for the airport. We finished all the security checking and then boarded the flight which for ready for departure for Bagdogra airport. We lunched in the plane among the clouds and finally reached our destination in 40 minutes.

We boarded the tata sumo that were arranged and started for Gangtok. The road was terribly bumpy with a lot of potholes! Then we reached the foot of the hills and the only way to reach Gangtok. There were a lot of curves and hairpin bends. A tough time among the huge hills and it almost took 5 hours to reach Gangtok. The road was terrible and in spite of nausea I and my family stopped the driver. The driver showed us the sweetest water. We were all thirsty and we all just quenched our thirsts with the killing sweet water!! It was absolutely pure and sweet water I had ever tasted in my life. The source was not known to us but it was flowing among the trees and bushes atop the hills.

We were also accompanied by a couple who were our family friends. We came across the river Tista. On of the longest river, and we were accompanied by the river through out our journey to Gangtok. The sight of the river fascinated us and we managed to find a way to get down to it. My father found a small path and he was followed by me and my sister and my mother. I and my father got down first to take snaps. My sister and my mother watched me get down and could not resist the opportunity and then followed me.

The sand was fully white and the water was all blue, with green trees around, it was a breath-taking sight! The water was cool and refreshing and was absolutely free from pollution. We took pictures and then headed back for the car. We traveled for almost 4 hours and we reached Gangtok in the night at about 8:15. The sun sets at about 5:30 and 8:15 seemed to like midnight! We stayed at hotel Golmaheem .The rooms were awesome and so were the facilities. We watched television for a while and as were very tired we had dinner in the dining room. The night was very chilly and we went to sleep.

Elephant lake

The sun had rose at 5:30 and we too got up to get ready for sight seeing. We had our breakfast and left at 8:15 AM. Children were going to school in the chilly morning. A taxi was arranged and we traveled to Baba Mandir. Baba Mandir is a memorial of a soldier, Harbahjan Singh, who died in a mishap and is believed that he comes in the dreams of some soldiers and is said to have experienced miracles. Soldiers at the borders is said to have confessed in a meeting that an unknown man usually at midnight walks near the border. The Indian soldiers believed it to be Harbhajan Baba. Many miracles like these are attributed to him. We then planned to visit Thukla, a place near to Baba mandir,

This was 12 km far. There was the old Baba mandir. We were 20,000 feet high above the sea level, and breathing became a bit hard. Travelers were provided with a cup of hot tea free of cost. The best tea I had ever tasted! After visiting the old Baba mandir we made way to play in the snow which was available on the way. First experience in the snow and it was terribly cold! We enjoyed for some time digging the ice and snow. We even took pictures and then left for Gangtok. On the way we stopped at Tshongu Lake or the Changu lake. There were yak rides too. Till now Tshongu lake was the coldest place ever experienced. I rode the yak and took snaps and then left for the hotel. It got dark very soon and there were no such street light facilities.

We reached Gangtok at about 7:15 PM. We rested for a while and went to have dinner.

Tea gardens, Darjeeling

Mt.Kanchenjunga

We had leave for Darjeeling the next morning. We got up early and got ready to leave. After breakfast we left for Darjeeling and it were raining slightly. We neared Darjeeling; we stopped at a tea stall for some fresh and hot tea from the yak’s milk. After the refreshment we left for Darjeeling. We had almost reached there but we were caught in a traffic jam. It took nearly 15 minutes to get away from it and we were at hotel Meghma.

We reached there at about noon; we had lunch and then rested for a while. Then we were taken for sight seeing to Gangamaya Park and Rock garden. There were lots of colorful flowers in the park Even the rock garden had many of the beautiful flowers. In the evening we went for shopping. The day was over and we went to sleep. The next day was scheduled for 5:00 AM in the morning to leave for tiger hills for sunrise. We waited in a hall at tiger hills to view the magnificent sunrise. About 15 minutes and we had almost lost hope for the clouds. But after the 15^th minute the bright, orange sun rose slowly and the spectators were also busy clicking snaps of it. We came back quite happy. Had our breakfast, took a bath in the biting cold and then left for the Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Garden and Mountaineering Institute. There were some rare specimens like the Red panda and the snow leopard. We looked around the zoo led by our guide Laxman and headed for the mountaineering section. There was a museum of the articles used by the famous mountaineers who had conquered the Mt.Everest.

Sunrise, Tiger hill

Next we came across the tea gardens. We had a ‘few’ cups of tea for free and the made way for Tenzing rock. This is a big rock used for basic mountaineering training.

Even I conquered it! An adventurous effort! We came back to the hotel for lunch and rested. Then we went for Mirik and stayed at a hotel there. We went for sight seeing to the Mirik Lake. The day was over there and we came back to the hotel. The next day we made way for Bagdogra airport to catch a flight back to Kolkata. We reached Kolkata in the evening and we were back to the same hotel. We rested in the room we had dinner and went to sleep. Next day we went for Belur mutt, the place of resurrection of Swami Vivekananda, Ramkrishna Paramahamsa, and other saints. After that we went for Victoria Memorial. In the evening we went for the Science City. There were lots to learn with fun things and 2 hours were not at all sufficient. We came back to the hotel and rested as we had to return home the next day.

I woke up early in the morning to find out that I had fever, because of the sudden weather change, from biting cold to killing heat. With a lot of difficulty I made it to the flight and I suffered all along the way to Bangalore. In the flight I was given fresh fruits for breakfast a cookie and a cup of hot black coffee. From Bangalore we boarded a bus for Mysore and perhaps I was the happiest when we all reached Mysore!

Whenever I recall this all I want is Mysore to be like Darjeeling and Gangtok.

It is an awesome place to ‘visit’. A man has to visit such a place in lifetime. The people there were kind, friendly, helpful, obedient.Do visit the wonderful place.