Speak Up!

Upon returning from Indonesia, I got busy with school. The results of my Grade 10 students were announced and I was extremely happy with the outcome. Four of my 12 students had secured a centum. Two of them missed centum by just one mark.  When they called or messaged to inform me of the result I was filled with extreme joy - a feeling of Mudita engulfed me. Though results and marks do not fully justify a student’s capabilities, it is a moment to celebrate all the hard work put in through the years. 

I celebrated my joy by offering macarons to those students whom I had the chance of meeting. While many may expect the children to distribute sweets, I think it is important for us to treat them for their efforts. They are not earning yet and the kind gesture of acknowledging their achievements will boost their confidence, specially while many parents have unrealistic expectations from them and are fixated on subjects where the child has missed a few marks. We live in a strange world today where anything below 95 (out of 100) is not considered good enough by many parents.

This high expectation from parents, over indulgence and interfering in the child’s studies, forcing children to take up streams that they are not interested in, pressure in schools to consistently score a certain mark, has led to serious mental dilemma among students. It is extremely disheartening to see some of my students speak about their stress with welled up eyes. I am glad that I can lend them a pair of listening ears so that they can express their anguish and talk things out. I have come to realise how important it is for people to speak up, have a conversation with someone they trust. It is equally important to have friends and perhaps mentors too. It is important to disconnect from the virtual world and interact with people and share thoughts, like we used to do, in the olden days. 

One such initiative I have begun is the book reading sessions with my friend Gowri. It was mainly her idea to meet once in a while and read a book together. There are many such book reading groups in the city. But to do it with a like-minded friend is always better. I signed up for this idea with no expectation and now, I can tell with certainty that it is therapeutic. We have begun with the short story collection called "Heart Lamp", written by Banu Mustaq. This English translation of her stories written in kannada has won the Booker prize this year. Reading books with a group allows you to pause and discuss the content, the cetral themes and sometimes quote personal experiences relating to the subject. These conversations that surround the central theme of the story allows one to not just analyse the text better but also engage in a meaningly conversation with friends. The older I grow, the more I realise the importance of art - all forms of art. 

My friend Manohar and I watched an 8 hour long play based on S L Bhyrappa’s novel Parva. It is one of my favourite novels which is an interesting take on Mahabharata. Bhyrappa raises some important questions in the book and tries to investigate them with a rational approach. The play, directed by Prakash Belavadi tries to capture the themes with honesty. It is also engaging. 10 hours (Including lunch and tea breaks) passed by without a moment of boredom. 

I visited the National Gallery of Modern Art Museum (NGMA) which was displaying a master piece by Caravaggio. Magdalene in ecstasy - this Baroque painting was absolutely a treat to the eyes. I could sit hours watching the expressions, the bright colours, the claire-obscure technique that is representative of the Baroque movement and noting the minor details that perhaps hides deeper meaning. Art therefore calms the mind and allows you to view the world differently.

 

In the same exhibition, I also came across this interesting piece of work by Salvador Dalí. He was commisioned to create an ashtray for the first class customers of Air India flights. This work, based on his famous "Double image" style represents a swan and an elephant. As a fee, he wanted a baby elephant from India. Therefore, a baby elephant named Surus was sent to Spain. Intially he had planned to go on a tour in the Alps with it but that it remained in his orchard. It was later shifted to the Barcelona zoo. 

Just like Art, cooking too is a therapeutic experience. Upon return from Indonesia, I had to try making Nasi Pecel, a dish I was addicted to there. Pecel is an absolutely delicious peanut based sauce. I replaced tempeh with shallow fried potatoes. 

 

I always try to bring back one interesting recipe from the country I visit. Traveling is therefore important. Like art, travel opens up your mind to various cultures and ways of living. Travel is lethal to personal ego because there is no one way of living or looking at things. 

 

During a visit to my sister’s house in Mysore, I drove to K Gudi. Though we did not find any wild animals during our safari, the stay itself in the forest was relaxing.

Next morning, we drove to BR hills and visited the temple before returning back to Mysore. 

I also visited Suratkal one weekend. I mostly stayed home and enjoyed some of the delicious dishes, prepared by my mother. I went to the beach for daily walks. It was a time to unwind and relax. As it was the mango season, I also ate enough of them. 

 

Some of my friends who own a farm or have some mango trees shared the yield with me. There was never a day in the last 2 months that my house did not have mangoes. Several varieties were tasted and I think I have had enough to wait for another year. 

Thus two months went by with lots and lots of activities and several learnings about life and the importance of talking. Bottled-up emotions can lead to an outburst and that too happened.  

Some of my friends and acquaintances called up suddenly and displayed an outburst of emotions that had been supressed for long. Speaking is the easiest and important means to let out the deep grown frustrations that the silent mind has created. That is why I always emphasise the importance of friendships in my classes.