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.