Ought I to be nervous? Concerned? Stressed?My students are writing their board exams. I wished them luck, gave them a pep talk and some last minute 'tips'.One student asked me for a vocabulary list he can use. I wanted to tell him 'a', 'an', 'the'. Instead, I told him not to use 'hi-fi' language. They laughed because I once ranted about how inappropriate the term 'hi-fi' is.Another student wanted to write the words 'discursive' and 'argumentative' on a piece of paper and take it into the exam hall. Another student succinctly said, "Arre! That will be on your question paper only! What you're writing?" Essentially, his point, as I understood it was that if he wanted to cheat, he should do something useful. The point was taken and understood.A student wrote an essay for me yesterday and left it on my desk with a note. The essay was Tron Legacy rewritten.Students don't seem to … [Read more...]
Miss Julie
Outstanding.To create passion like this and alternate between expressed passion and subdued passion is incredible.Miss Julie - headstrong and confused - wavering between strength and weakness - is a work of art. You hate her and admire her. Above all, you pity her. Or maybe not above all. There's no 'above all'. It's impossible to have a single emotion after a play as powerful as this one. A range of emotions rises and falls, leaving you almost breathless.Then, there's Jean - another work of art. Power-hungry, ambitious, practical. When I think about it, a character like that ought to be unbelievable. Yet, he's not. He's wholly believable, wholly despicable - and wholly worthy of hateful admiration.Christine - I wish I knew her. I wish she could just look at me with her grey eyes and hold my hand. Because then, the world could, perhaps, be good. … [Read more...]
Trams in Kolkata
The first time I went to Kolkata, I also went to Darjeeling. I was much younger then, and I was really just visiting my father's city, the place he grew up. We went in a tram, of course, and in Darjeeling, we took a ride in a toy train. Everyone talks about how picturesque that is, something tourists must do in Darjeeling. Returning to Kolkata, I confessed that the tram ride was much more thrilling than the toy train. My father joyfully took us on another tram ride.And so, when friends visited me in Kolkata, I insisted that they take a tram. Not to reach a destination (a certain detachment from the world is essential if you are taking a tram to get somewhere), but for the experience of it.A very dear friend of mine was, as always, the most expressive about the experience. "It's not possible," she said. "What?" "How can a tram go in one direction and all the traffic in the … [Read more...]
Vegetarian and Unadventurous
I've always tried to be adventurous with food, but to be honest, I am completely unadventurous. I try, I swallow, I sometimes even appreciate. But I also suffer from an overactive imagination.I remember the time a teacher of my sister's took us for a French meal. She took us to a beautiful, typical, arty place - with strict instructions not to look at the prices while ordering. That was difficult. But anyway, I cheerfully chose what I wanted - the one vegetarian dish that was typical of the region. I was happy; everyone was happy.And then, I was told, quite firmly, that a tarte tatin à la tomate was too small to be sufficient. Yes, it would be ordered, but I must have something else. Finally, I chose a souris d'agneau. My reasoning was this: it's lamb cooked slowly over the course of six or seven hours; surely it would be less meat-textured and my imagination less active. I … [Read more...]
Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard
Why does 'easy to read' somehow strike me as a slightly negative comment in the context of this book?Yet, I would not say I disliked the book. The gentle humour made me chuckle time and time again. The paradox of unbelievable believable characters was wonderful. Each character was more than just a character. The characters came alive despite being so exaggerated and unreal. Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard did not end one page too early or one page too late.I think what made the book seem deserving of moderate praise rather than great praise was simply the fact that I find it forgettable. The fact that even though I just finished the book, I choose to write 'Each character was more than just a character' not 'Each character is more than just a character'. It's not one of those haunting stories that stays with you and makes you feel as if the character is a dear friend you want to … [Read more...]
Sylvie and the Songman
What a crazy book.And that's a compliment.There were parts of the book that I read only because I wanted to finish the book. I pushed myself to read, page after page, completing each chapter before putting the book down. So I simply can't give it those overused compliments - 'page-turner' and 'unputdownable'.When imagination is truly beautiful, there's such a strong semblance to life that there's no need to understand each detail. The world is like that. There are so many questions that we ignore. We don't feel the need to answer or even understand the questions. Why do fiction writers so often feel the need to explain everything?Sylvie and the Songman made me think. I did not need to understand everything. I needed to accept and marvel. The ideas were magnificent. The concept of music was thrilling, frightening, enlivening.And like all good books, it made me ask why we create. … [Read more...]
My Camera Journey
Somehow, digital cameras have turned me away from photography. It is, somehow, I don't know... Too technical? Too easy to get a good shot? Or perhaps a part of me loved the exclusivity of photography that no longer exists.I remember the first camera my father gave me when I was ten years old. A Hot Shot camera that had a cartridge, not a regular reel of film. How gloriously exciting it was! I photographed my family and my teddy-bears. One particularly interesting photo on the balcony shows how hasty ten-year-old Varsha was too excited about photography to notice a highly unpicturesque pair of bathroom slippers in the same frame as her dolls.Around that time, my grandfather also gave me a camera - one that I could not use because film was no longer available for that one. You sling the camera around the neck and look down into it to see what's ahead. Truly fascinating - particularly … [Read more...]
A Note of Music
Everything is made out of notes, vibrations. Many people think the universe started with a great big bang. What's that if it isn't a note, albeit a rather loud one? Somewhere there's probably a note that brings the whole universe together... Goodness knows what will happen if anyone finds it... We'll probably be blown up; either that or we'd find ourselves in another universe. - from Sylvie and the Songman by Tim Binding That, succinctly put, is the power of music. … [Read more...]
Opening my Eyes
At our refectory, things are beautifully, thoughtfully organised. Little children eat in one hall; older children in another. There's no discrimination involved. The wash-basins attached to the hall for the little ones are lower, the trays are designed for children and everything is child-height.One day, a tiny girl was rummaging amongst the spoons of the 'big' zone."What happened?" I asked. "What are you looking for?"There was no response. The little girl continued her search."Can I help?" I asked. The little girl was standing on tiptoe, hunting.She looked up at me. "I want a spoon with a design."I couldn't help smiling. I found two for her and held them out. She chose the design she liked more. "Thank you."I took the other. It had such a pretty design.Now, I don't choose my spoon (I don't want to deprive anyone of a pretty spoon), but I do notice. … [Read more...]
Exam Gems III
Asked to 'write a commentary' on a poem, students write:'...one thing where I felt that it is wrong is that he did not divide the last line properly, the last line's word is going in the next paragraph.' 'The name given to the poem is very good' 'The poem does not start with a boy sleeping but we can imagine this because the situation will be like that only.' 'I don't understand why does he just start to talk about his own self instead of ending it in a good way. I just did not like the ending because it was confusing but the rest of the poem from the starting was wrote in a decent manner... it was rhyming also when it was needed except the last part' 'The short sentences create a great mood of reading the extract, as their is less to read and more to understand.' 'The tone of the narrator is in a very appreciable fashion.' '[The poet] has a great critical thinking power.'We asked for … [Read more...]