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The Lion King

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I belong to the generation that was addicted to The Lion King video game. I loved jumping on the giraffes' heads, and loved to get the bonus points for a golden lion that did not look like a lion at all. I loved moving from level to level of jumping colour. However, I also belonged to the very small group of children who had not watched the movie. I remember a friend telling me that he had reached the Elephant Graveyard, and it was a very difficult level. "What elephant graveyard?" I asked. He looked at me wide-eyed. "The one with the hyenas!" I did not admit that I had neither watched the movie nor reached that level. I finally watched the movie yesterday and learned a lot of things. One, Pumbaa is not a wild boar as I was led to believe. He is a warthog. Two, the jumping on giraffe's heads is part of a song. Three, the golden lion that does not look like a lion has a meaning … [Read more...]

Teachers’ Day

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What a novel Teachers' Day experience! The children impersonated the teachers; that was a treat. How funny it is to see how students see me! I couldn't stop laughing. Another wonderful part of the day was a quiz about the 12th grade students, prepared by the students. And a treasure hunt in the block. I haven't run up and down like that for a long, long time! Perhaps the performance during the latter half of the day was not as much of a delight as it could have been, but the rest of the day more than made up for it. They also handed us certificates, certifying various qualities they believe we have and appreciate in us. The students asked us, at one point of time, what our resolutions for the year ahead were. Mine was simple - I want to learn to be more patient, both with myself and with those around me. Interestingly, though, this is the certificate that they had already prepared for … [Read more...]

Treason

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The year is 1539. King Henry VIII is King of England. All three of his wives, Katherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn and Jane Seymour are dead. He has three children: Mary, Elizabeth and the long-awaited heir to his throne, Edward. Henry has broken away from the Church of Rome because the Pope would not allow him to divorce his first wife. Anyone who refuses to accept that he is the Supreme Head of the Church of England is accused of an offence that is punishable by death. Treason. That's how the book begins. And it did not let me down. Treason, winner of the Carnegie Medal, took me a while to read. There were parts that made me think about why I was reading it. Yet, it was worth it. To create a protagonist who is weak and most certainly contemptible takes courage. How can anyone enjoy the story of a soppy page who considers it beneath his dignity to work alongside a boy to whom he … [Read more...]

How Green Was My Valley

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I read the book when I was eleven or so. It was among the very few books that made me feel I was too young to tackle that kind of emotion. I remember thinking that I would be able to feel everything better when I was older and did not need to look up words like 'colliery' which found their way into every chapter of the book. I never did read the book again, but I did watch the movie. I wept right through it. Family love is unique. Brother and brother, father and son, mother and son. How Green Was My Valley explored the family bond to the core of its being. Humour, emotion, religion, marriage, hardship . . . all these come together in the green valley in ways that are incredible. The simplicity of the young widow's statement, "I'm lonely." . . . How could I not cry? And dear Mrs. Morgan is delightful, truly beyond compare, there's an old beauty, you are! Ah. And there is a glorious … [Read more...]

The Emotions after . . .

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I've lost track of the number of Arangetrams I've watched from the wings. But the mood of one that is well done is always the same. When I can feel what the dancer feels, I think it's perhaps even more intense than a wedding day, except that I have no notion of how that feels. On the day of anyone's Arangetram, I feel humility. I feel, "Can I do that? Can I do that as well as she does it?" On the day of an Arangetram, I feel pride and joy. "This girl has actually taken that step. She has come far enough to take this step. She has actually achieved this." On the day of an Arangetram, I feel fear. "Will she live up to her own expectations? And that niggling voice - what does my teacher think of the way she's doing it?" On the day of an Arangtram, I feel awe. "This is a beginning. A grand and glorious beginning of a girl's new life." What a day it always is. Sometimes, I think watching … [Read more...]

Arangetram on Friday

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Tejashree Natu, disciple of Guru Smt Mythili Raghavan, will be performing her Arangetram on Friday, the 30th of August, at Tilak Smarak Mandir at 5:45 p.m.  Credits Nattuvangam: Guru Smt Mythili Raghavan Vocal: Sri Sivaprasad Mridangam: Sri Sankar Narayanan Violin: Sri Anantharaman Make-up: Sri Mohan and Smt Lakshmi Compères: Nisha and Varsha Programme Alarippu (Panchajati) Thodaya Mangalam (Raagamaalikai) Varnam (Thodi) Keerthanam (Poorva Kalyani) Shlokam - Kastwam Bala Abhang Thillana (Hindolam) … [Read more...]