SOULspace

It's amazing how adults listen to a story...! The same wide eyed look, mouth slightly open, maybe a smile, and the expectation... What does a story do to us? Does it unconsciously take us back in time, to childhood memories? Of grandmother telling us a story as she fed us, or maybe grandfather? An uncle, or an aunt. Mothers and fathers would not have donned that role, too busy, or following the golden rule that one does not "spoil and indulge" one's own children (the same rule would not apply to them when they become grandparents!!) I had another chance to tell a story to a group of teachers. It is interesting that teachers can become students in a flash. Or put in another way, "once a teacher, always a student"!! A very simple story about a boy and his teacher (obviously). The fact that we need to look at the others point of view, and not assume, nor go into a situation with our minds already made up. As a teacher I have been guilty of this error many a ti...

This Saturday at Easy Library my story was Pied Piper of Hamelin based on Robert Browning's poem. If you have read the poem, you will amaze at the imagery of the poet. Such play with words. A true master. I love the part where he tells us that the rats poured out of the houses, he uses all theses rhyming words, rustling ,bustling , hustling...children enjoy such verbal play of words. Then he says the children came pattering, chattering, clapping... again the children had no difficult understanding that there were small children running onto the streets. I had a stripped scarf and hat for the piper, along with a flute, to complete the image of the Pied Piper. I had made a top hat for the Mayor. Origami 4 cups and painted whiskers and ears/ eyes to represent the rats. As the rats poured out onto the streets, I threw them on the children. Here I found I had made a mistake, they started playing with the paper 4 cups. Luckily not for long, cos one child gave me the idea that as the rats...

Today( 30th Sept.) marks the beginning of 10 days of celebrations for Hindus in India called Dussera. It overlaps with the Muslim festivities and austerities in the same holy month, called Ramzan. Every festival in India is associated with a story! That is the uniqueness of our collectivistic culture. Every festival is a reason for us to socialise, with neighbours with family and with friends. There is more, every region will have a different story to tell for the same festivities!! Some times the story remains the same but the embellishments will be unique to that area/region. So also Dussehra/ Dussera ( pronounced as duh-seh-ra), also known as Navarathri (meaning 9 nights) has two stories associated with it. In Northern India it is celebrated for the victory of the legendary king Rams' victory over the demon King of Lanka, Ravan (which is the story of Ramayan). In Southern India, the story associated is totally different. Here the 9 days marks the fight /battle between t...

Three pairs of eyes follow me as I walk down the road lined with trees, Three pairs of eyes, with innocence, follow me as I walk down the road lined with trees. Each a copy of the other, of varying heights though. The eldest pair of eyes walks with a smile on her face, The second with a grim one, The youngest has no walking to do as he is of the princely age of carriage! My eyes follow them too, As mother, daughters' and the little son in arms walk the road lined with trees. Where do they go every morning? I wonder. Such a picture they make. The eldest in front, mother and son behind, and the straggling second, Goaded by the elder to hurry up. Neatly kept, they are always well dressed, little son with socks and scarf, Daughters with skirt and top one day, a salwar on another, hair combed and braided. Where do they go every day? So tiny they are, like miniature soldiers, they follow in perfect discipline. Marching one behind the other, or the other behind one, down the road lined wi...

Another chance to tell a story and I grabbed it, of course this time I was thrust into it. The ladies club wanted a story. With humour, a little about the air force, and a farewell note as well, said the senior lady who approached me. Tall order. A challenge, as I have not told a story to an adult crowd before. The first point, of course, is: what story? So that saw me searching and searching and searching... No luck! Desperate now, I came up with my humour (corny) but then we can only laugh at ourselves. So I thought of conferring a degree and an award on the ladies! The degree of the triple "B", and the AVSM. Whats that? Triple B is awarded for having the Beauty, Brain and Brawn. Ladies in the air force are known for their beauty(ahem!!), and Brain, where else do we need to dish out 5 star fare at dabba rates (that's what I hear from my husband so often!). Didn't get that? That needs explanation: you see we ladies plan the ladies club parties, every second month a...

A little experiment and I am glad I did it. I was asked to show sign language at my daughter's school, which got extended to a small 40 minute programme on Disability and how children can help. I knew this was a group of 3rd, 4th and 5th std children and the best way would be ... through a story( I truly believe in the power of a story!!). I Googled and as expected, got a wonderful story. Just the brief outline. But that was enough for me. I added relevant details and drama, and there was a tale for me to tell about a disabled Giraffe who is ridiculed and made the odd one out as he could not dance with his knobbly legs. He is then helped by his tiny friend, the Cricket, to come out with his own unique way to do a new dance, by choosing another song, a slow one. So the Giraffe creates the Swaying Dance! The children really appreciated it, and what I could not have conveyed but just stating facts, I could convey through the story. It is about using the abilities we have, instead of ...

I started reading books very early, partially due to the fact that I had an elder sister who used to read a lot, and with a gap of only 1 year and 10 months, I was constantly trying to ape her, or do the exact opposite! My mother too used to read and I guess that could have contributed to this insatiable desire for reading. Of course I cannot deny the influence my school had on my reading habits. Starting with Kitty and Rover in LKG, Sishya school encouraged us (my sis and I), to read. I still remember our library teacher,very strict, who used to get very annoyed if she saw us folding the corner of our books to keep the page! She would keep a track of who was reading which book and encouraged to read beyond our age if she saw fit. And I was Fit!! No comics in our school library( at least I don't remember seeing them), only loads and loads of Enid Blyton, Roald Dahl, and I forget the author of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe! I even remember my library teacher's name,Mrs...