A different perspective

Youth

The rolling trophy, the title, the baton called 'Youth'

It's possession dependent

not on when the hair greys or the youthful glow fades

but on when the recesses of the mind no longer inhabit ideas

and the heart no longer inhabits passion.

Its our perspective that is broad enough to erase the mistakes of the past and start anew

We are the slayers of conventional beliefs

who build upon the sweat and toil of our predecessors.

Grateful we are for their sacrifices are the framework of our doings

Brimming with energy, excited by the possibilities of tomorrow

inspired by all those who seized opportunities, fueled by a zest for life,

that's how we live.

We hold no prophecy

But with certainty the day for our successors shall arrive

At its arrival some of our names and faces shall reside in the pages of history

some shall be washed away by the sands of time.

But our work shall be immortal,

and will be the foundation stones of that of our successors

In this relay race defined as the productive segment of life - 'Youth',

we can only hope to do our best

before we pass the baton.

By Aishwarya Nair

A take on life

Seasons of Life

My journey began just as any ordinary being

But the course it took was very different.

I toured through spring, summer, autumn and finally winter

And experienced all that life had to offer me.

It all began when I entered the door to childhood

Into the world of bliss and delight where I bloomed like the cherry blossoms of spring

Spring bloomed and I bloomed with it.

I had to leave this temporary world,

This world of cherries and contentment,

And enter the arena of rebellious heat.

My entry to teenage hood gave me unbound freedom with the closest of friends

But it was like the hottest summer ever endured

With pressure as hot as the heat of the sun penetrating me.

This realm did not last for long

But I was happy as I drew closer to entering my perfectly planned life, adulthood.

Adulthood was not as simple as it seemed

People were different, and not everyone looked out for you.

My  high expectations of a better, different world broke,

Just like crisp autumn leaves that fall and snap under the heel of our feet

This wasn’t all that was in store for me

I worked hard and it paid off with all the love and friends I had.

My journey was drawing to an end

And as I drifted into the quietness and peacefulness of senility and, of winter

Winter’s arms wrapped me and gently stole me away.

My works or my life will not be remembered

 But I will be remembered through these words that I have written

By Christine David

[Congrats on winning the 2nd position in the Senior category at the IDEA competition in Abu Dhabi with this piece!]

From a teacher's perspective

Let them Rest in peace or Wish them “Rest In Peace”

Is she an Infant or an Adult?

For some it might be just another suicide case, which they often read about in the newspapers, for some it sends shivers down their spine as they become reminiscent of their own daughters who met the same destiny and some become apprehensive of their daughters who are grappling with the same situation; but this happens everywhere in one form or the other. The news of the death of Akansha Malhotra perturbed me beyond consolation for a while. Akansha Malhotra, a computer science teacher working at Apeejay School, Jalandhar, Punjab committed suicide by jumping into the Upper Bari Doab Canal near Pathankot on 17th August 2012 after leaving a suicide note saying she was being harassed by her in-laws for dowry.  Her husband Pujan Malhotra, a lawyer, has been arrested. However the three accused - father in-law, Sudhir Malhotra, mother in-law, Renu Malhotra and sister in-law, Kanika Malhotra, although taken to custody were freed by the cops and have absconded. Although I was not related to her in any way, there is one bond that unites us all being women. I was left pensive after reading about it.

Let me share with you all the kind of thoughts a newly–married girl has to endure during the first phase of her marriage. She is in a strange state of mind as she herself fails to fathom if she’s an infant or a grown-up married lady. Based on Plato’s philosophy and belief in pre-existence, Wordsworth has put in his ode ‘Intimations of Immortality’,

“Heaven lies about us in our infancy”

I have always found a similarity with a girl’s plight.  I wish to liken a newly-wed girl to an infant, her stay at her parental home as her pre-existence and her parents being God.  Whenever a newly born baby cries, elderly people often say that the baby is missing God. It is widely believed that every new born baby cries at the moment of birth because he/she intuitively is aware that he/she has got separated from the father, Almighty God. Similarly, every bride weeps on the day of her marriage because she is going away from her godlike parents, thinking that those heavenly and blissful times are over.

Secondly, everybody knows that marriage is often termed as a new-birth for a girl. Now since it is a new-birth, she is in an infantile state; new people, new surroundings and different values to cope with. So, as per the rule she should get new parents too, but in cases like that of Akansha, this does not happen. Herein lies the root of all evil. In such cases, for such people, daughters-in-law exist only to be abused, cursed, suppressed and blamed.  Once the daughter-in-law is there in their house, they think they have become infallible. Everything that goes wrong in the house is palmed off to the daughter-in-law because SHE has to adjust in their family (in which nothing and nobody, yes i mean nobody, not even her husband belongs to her. He too joins them in pointing fingers at her, silencing and suppressing her). All forget that it’s not the daughter-in-law only who has to adjust but these so-called Mr./Mrs. Right also need to consider her a human being, as a part of their family.

Just as an infant needs somebody to guide him or her in the ways of the world, the new bride too is a new entrant in a different household. So it is the duty of the members of her new family to help her adjust in their home by telling her their way of doing things and not yelling at her for not doing things in their way. Just imagine the plight of a girl for a second, she has nobody in the house with whom she can discuss what is happening to her as she is trying to comprehend and adjust to many new relations and things. A lot of responsibility lies on the shoulder of a husband too. He is the one who can bring about a good understanding among the members of the family because he knows his wife more than the others. I truly feel that ‘Akanshas’ die only in those families where soul mates/husbands fail to do their share. Do not forget that a daughter-in-law yearns for nothing but love, consideration and appreciation, if none of this, at least some respect and regard as a human being. But some people are so shallow and narrow-minded in this world that they unable to accept their daughters–in-law in the right spirit and it’s a shame that people these days love their pets more than their daughters-in-law.

Ms. Jagmeet Kaur

And then there were two: Inheritance

Inheritance is the fourth and the concluding book in the book series written by Christopher Paolini which was released worldwide on November 8^th 2011.

The protagonists of the series, Eragon and his dragon Saphira, had set out on a mission to stop the prime antagonist, evil king and dragon rider Galbatorix from carrying out his master plan to rule the world. With help from the elves, dwarves and dragon rider Oromis and his dragon Glaedr, Eragon started a magical journey to slay Galbatorix. This magnificent and action packed journey continues in the fourth book with a bunch of other creatures joining the Varden like werecats, Urgals and some warriors from Carvahall, Eragon’s village, including his cousin Roran.

The book is a real cliff-hanger with every chapter revealing a new plot. The chapters move in point of view between Eragon, Roran and occasionally Nasuada, the leader of the Varden. They eventually take us to the major conflict between good and evil as the Varden struggle to fight Galbatorix. All the characters in the book (including Galbatorix) are extremely charming and Alagaësia has been portrayed very beautifully. Eragon has grown substantially throughout the series and his development is not just confined to his increasing skill in swordsmanship but also extends to self-awareness and magic. New monsters are introduced in this book such as Galbatorix’s Rasputin fighter Barst, the Snalgli, the self-mutilating monks, the priests of Helgrind and the horrible burrow grubs who make the book more horrifying and in some ways gruesomely funny. The usage of the ancient language, Urgal language and dwarf language makes reading tedious as one has to frequently flip pages to look up their translations. The inclusion of the synopsis of the previous books helps us connect to this book. The ending of the book is good but the book is extremely long and gets a little boring in some parts where extra attention is given to Eragon’s development, making you want to skip to more action packed scenes.

To say more might give too much away. So, I conclude saying that overall this is a tremendous and engaging finish to an extraordinary series. While reading this book you might have to put other things behind since it is not a book you can start and then stop lightly. Despite the few flaws mentioned above, I would recommend this book to all my friends.

By Sanjana Krishnasarma [XI - D]