Koi Khwab

Koi Khwab khwab hi rakhna
Koi safar koi nazm adhoora rakhna
Koi shaks wafa door rakhna
Koi kadam dheere rakhna
Koi dard-e-anjam raaz rakhna
Koi aashiq naam chhupa rakhna
Koi ek haath badha rakhna
Koi khayal mera zaroor kabhi to rakhna

-by Santhosh Kumar Kana

THE POET AND THE SAINT

The diversity of imperfection is the poet

The monotony of sameness is the saint

Poet, the flickering flame of hope

Saint, the tedium of contentment

Poet is human, he is movement

Saint is static

Poet the surging waves

Saint the calmness of the mid sea

The gush of curiosity is the poet

The lethargy of the known is the saint

Poet is the melody of discordance

Saint is the boredom of accord

The seasonal fluctuations is the poet

The termite stricken uniformity is the saint

The human scent of perspiration is the poet

Saint is the suffocation of the incense

Poet is growth and evolution

Saint is dry philosophy

Poet is a gamut of formulas gone wrong

The dreariness of single formula is the saint

Poet reaps the grains of questions

Saint crushes them in apathetic meditation

The poet need not be saint

The saint shouldn’t lose his poetry .   

                                            

                                                                                      –by Santhosh Kumar Kana

LONELINESS

Don’t you feel useless at times?

That you are hollow words

The lessons of loneliness are deep like its pains

Don’t you feel like a frog croaking from a corner in monsoon?

Don’t you feel like the ancestral clock, just to look at and sigh

Don’t you feel like the ancestral home, swept, mopped and locked

Haven’t you felt the pangs of loneliness?

Isn’t it like conversing with darkness?

It’s like you see the moonlight stretched itself as on a mat on the floor

It’s like a vacant look in the eyes of a just awake

I owe my sanity to many lonely moments

-by Santhosh Kumar Kana

THE BAGMATI MOMENT

They looked into each other’s eyes and saw eternity, bliss and peace that the soul feels even after it is out of the body. A kind of spiritual orgasm. On these steps of Bagmati, mortals arrive to appease the departed and the river has been a witness to the rites, the old woman lighting the lamp and praying in the twilight, the chant of those mantras to pacify the troubled souls. Life is a river and on its banks of time, people meet.

They too had met for no other reason. A meeting of souls is a culmination of many tiny longings. She was in her fifties and he in his thirties and nowhere else could numbers be so deceptive!! She was so tender with love and charming in her dense curls. There was something about her that was soul like, untouched by the stains of the mundane, a freshness that remained in its purest sanctity. He was grace embodied and they stood on the steps of the river holding hands wondering in immense joy at the bliss of coincidence. They were beyond the body like their ancestors whose fond memories seeped through their hair and they all were present on the banks sharing the delightful mystery of life and death. Life is no less a mystery than death. There was nothing ritualistic but more "spi"ritualistic!!The dead ones could feel their moment on the bank as intensely as both of them in their bodies!! Meeting is as mysterious as parting. We meet once in the infinite expanse of time and what brings two together in time is as inexplicable as what happens to those who depart!! 

All through the chants and the tolls of the huge bells at the temple, the sound of the river continued like eternity. Moments of life are like those tolls and the eternal music of life goes on like the river. She had the sensitivity beyond the physical and morning in her balcony was the bedlam of crows and sparrows that she fed. They knew her language and she knew their mute messages. The dogs in the lane would throb with ecstasy at the sight of her. They felt thankful to her for looking into their eyes and sharing the primitive bond forgotten by many in their discriminative knowledge. The departed, the bodily present and the mute fellow souls, all came together. This is the bliss of a moment. This is the soul nourishing moment of a current of life that flows for no other reason.

SCHOOL IS A SMALL WORLD, WORLD IS A BIG SCHOOL

-the unforgettable experience of making a short film

“Text is not what is printed but what is read”, said Santhosh Kumar Kana sir, our English teacher on an evening after the school hours that was to bring the most memorable day in our school life. 

The lessons/stories in our supplementary reader text book of English are allotted by Sir to groups of students for presenting seminar on them. Sir believes that students should be given opportunity to show their talents and ideas by taking up a lesson for the whole class and that teaching is not one man show. I like this so much about Sir's teaching methodology.It was our group’s turn to present a seminar on the thrilling plans of escape of a prisoner called Evans in the story ‘Evans tries an O-level’ by Collin Dexter. We went to sir for guidance. We had decided to enact it in the class. Sir, who is liked for his histrionic skills too, at once said, “In that case, let us make a short film on the story”. Though we liked the idea so much, we looked at one another in the unlikeliness of implementing it for want of technical knowhow. Sensing it, sir assured us of directing the film and motivated us to prepare the script (scene wise). Ignited by the zeal of attempting something new, we went back to prepare the script. My friend, Asim took the lead and prepared the script within an hour. When we took it to sir, he was overjoyed at our creative output. For a moment, we felt we were no less than Coen Brothers!! And I think that was the lighting of the Olympic torch. What followed for two days were the best moments of our school life. The next day we were ready with the cast, the locations and props. Sir along with Asim surveyed all the shooting spots and planned meticulously. Though it was a Saturday (7^th July, 2012), the school was alive with our crew getting ready for the shoot at around 9.30 am. Sir reached sporting the Director’s Hat which triggered our enthusiasm sky-high. 

He asked Asim to prepare Shooting Script and taught us what it was. Our crew consisted of a dozen or more than that viz., Asim krishna prasad, Md. Amaan, Shaishav Agrawal, June Singh, Ojas Tulsyan, Sonali Agrawal, Sefali Agrawal, Harvinder Yadav, Utsav Maskey, Himanshu Pathak, Gaurav Bajaj, Abhishek Arya, Kritesh Bhatta, Rishav Kashyap and myself(Abhishek Jha) and of course our sir.

We watched in awe when sir explained the scenes and the frames. He would enact the scene and guide the actors. We finished shooting in two days (7^th and 8^th of July) and the post production work of editing was done very efficiently by Asim. The camera we used was given by our respected Principal Madam, Dr. Cicy Roy Mathew.  One of the funniest moments of creativity was to show a classroom as a prison cell. The two days left behind many a light moment also to cherish. Sir shot every scene from different angles after rehearsal. Yes, we were giving a new language to the story, a visual language. In Santhosh sir’s words, “our film is an interpretation, a reading”. 

We went deep into every aspect of the story and connected it to our surroundings and daily life, which is one of the main objectives of National Curriculum Framework (NCF) 2005. We learnt how to separate the relevant from the irrelevant. I can say it strengthened the reader in us. It was a memorable off-classroom lesson. We learnt teamwork, crisis management and also location cheating i.e. to shoot in different locations but portray them as one. We learnt different ways or techniques of handling the text for eg. a ten second shot can describe a page in the text. We understood the meaning of joyful and meaningful learning. We could strengthen the teacher- student and also student-student relationship. 

The experience was really enriching as we got the opportunity to show our talent in the field of arts. It really made our vision quite different towards movies and arts and also towards the particular story. It was a real taste of intelligence and hard work which I consider as the greatest achievement of my student life. We were so happy and proud on the day of the premiere of the movie on the big screen at our Resource room in the school attended by teachers, students and Principal Madam. 

They had been waiting eagerly for it as the trailer of the movie was already becoming a sensation on “youtube”. I would always remember what Santhosh Sir says, “School is a small world, world is a big school”.

(You can watch the movie on www.youtube.com by typing “Evans tries an o-level”.)

-Abhishek Jha, Class XII , KV, KATHMANDU

Here are the comments from the crew and the audience.

I have heard it many a times that school life and each of its moment are to be preserved dearly because they never do come back, well this was one those special moments and for me this one certainly tops that list. The crew gathered on the 7^th of July 2012 and started the shooting at about 8.30am, we finished the whole movie by 8^th of July 2012. The crew had fun at every point of the shoot, making it a fun filled experience for all. It showed us all the meaning of going outside the box to not just learn the chapter but actually be a part of it. I am sure I speak for all when I say that EVANS TRIES AN O-LEVEL is now not only just a story from our English textbook but a part of our lives, where it has given so much to all of us and hope we did justice to the suspense thriller by Collin Dexter. Thanks to all the crew members, the viewers and most importantly Santosh sir for having the patience with me my dialogues. It was an experience of a life time not to be forgotten.

Md. Amaan

Class 12 (science)

Dear Sir,

 I watched your movie "EVANS TRIES AN O-LEVEL" and I have been very keen to tell you that it was a brilliant piece of work. With such little resources and such little time you have come out with a fantastic movie. It is a great turn in a student's life to be witnessing this and a very great way of teaching students and making them practically understand a chapter!.......Hope you will come up with more of these kinds of spices in studying.

Avantika Jhunjhunwala..Class IX

Evans Tries an O-Level took me to a Different level of understanding

Evans eventually surprised me to the extent I would have never thought of. A lesson which thrilled me so much, was even the more thrilling when I saw it visually. It is said that Initiative is a trait of an Intelligent person, this trait flows in the blood of our English teacher, Mr. Santhosh Kumar Kana, and all the students who had been a part of this movie. If I were to be a critic,this movie is a 5 star for me. A must watch.

Hardik Bothra

Class XII commerce

School Captain(Boy)

A very nice film made out of a very nice story regarding a criminal Evans and his ability to outsmart people.What I liked regarding the film is that a person who has not read the story can also understand the base of the story and can link to it. 

The acting of Evans(Asim), Jail governor(Amaan),and the fake examiner (Shaishav) was quiet impressive.Others did a nice job .It was quiet nice to see the enthusiasm  in their acting.It is a nice way of learning the chapter as the can link their questions to the story and can link them.The pick of the part in the film was the acting of Amaan while he was tensed regarding Evans escaping the jail for the fourth time; and the short session of talk held between Evans and the Governor where Evans describes his entire plan and how he managed to escape from the jail.

Overall it was a nice film.I might have not read the story still i can link with it. The credits needs to be given to the director and the editor who managed to make the film look nice,and the cast who acted beautifully.

Sriman Sawarthia  Class XI-Commerce

I had a fun time with my friends and Santhosh sir during the shoot of "evans tries an o level". It was great to see my friends act like an experienced ones. We together had funny moments during the shoot - teasing friends, taking their awkward pics. Moreover, I came to know about Santhosh sir's talent in the field of movie making. In total i had a great experience.

Himanshu Pathak, XII-Science

When I got to know that students of class XIIth , including my brother ,  were making a movie under the leadership of Santhosh sir, I desperately wanted to be a part of it and fortunately I got a chance as my brother took up the responsibility to edit the movie and asked for my help.I helped him in editing the scenes, adding credits and music and learnt a lot in the process.                                                

Ankesh Krishna Prasad, Class IX

It makes me feel proud to say that working with the crew members on the movie "Evans Tries An O-Level" by Colin Dexter was a great opportunity for me. The cooperation that we had in our team was marvellous in its own way. The movie based on this chapter will always remain as the footprints on the sand of time since it's the first movie made in the entire world in CBSE English by the students and directed by our PGT English sir. I would like to appreciate the enthusiasm of all the members of our team and especially of the script writer and the editor Master. Asim Krishna Prasad for his dedication and wonderful task.

In this scenario, I would like to suggest all the students that let us come up with new and innovative methodologies of learning new things which can help our future generations be proud and let us carve our name in the golden pages of history by doing such things which will remain for ever and ever. Well, this movie made by the students of KV,Kathmandu truly is the example of one of them.

Similarly, my heartfelt thanks to Mr. Santhosh Kumar Kana, PGT English, KV,Kathmandu; director of the movie for being so cooperative, helpful and enthusiastic without whom the movie was like a wet clay which then got a chance to be shaped into its perfect form. Bringing up new methods and incentives in the process of learning should be always taken into action by a teacher which Mr. Kana has proved it in a magnificient way. He is an inspiration to students and teachers. Thank you sir! 

Finally, again I would like to thank all the team members for such a wonderful task...

Thank you very much !!!

KRITESH BHATTA

XII-Commerce

The movie EVANS TRIES AN O LEVEL has been successfully completed with all the efforts of the whole team under the leadership of Santhosh sir. The making of the movie will always be in our memories as we had great time acting in front of the camera and even behind the scenes. From now I respect all the crew members and all the actors involved in movie making as there is a lot of hard work each member has to do to even shoot a small scene. It is a lifelong experience and will always be fresh in our memories as today. Thanks to Santhosh sir for his inspiration and guidance.

Harvinder Yadav

XII-SCIENCE

Minutes to Fame

Who would have ever guessed that learning a chapter from your course book could be such an amazing experience! 

“What’s so special in a chapter?” you ask. Ask anyone who was part of Evans tries an O-Level and the answer will blow you away.Being a part of the movie, Evans tries an O-Level, was an amazing and unforgettable experience for all. It was the first time that we had gone so far in learning a lesson, but with this we redefined whatever meaning of education we had prefixed in our minds. We not only learnt the chapter but went a step further and became a part of it. This lesson has been a pleasant surprise from the beginning. In the beginning none of us had chosen to present this lesson for the seminar, but thankfully we took the advice of our beloved teacher Mr. Santhosh Kumar Kana and got ready for the challenge. Sir’s idea of making the story into a movie gave us sudden confidence that this will be the best seminar ever. We all assembled on the next Saturday full of ourselves, waiting to be a part of history, and so it began. The day began with hustle from all around, with the few of us preparing for our first scene. Throughout the day many scenes were shot but even time failed to release us from the grip of excitement which had caught us.  Different scenes were shot in different locations throughout the day, and we all seemed to be taken aback by how well they were coming out. During lunch we all stayed back and explored those parts of the school campus which is not possible on regular days.  After the shoot at a restaurant in Lazimpat, it was pack up time for some of us, but the others it went on till late that night. Hats off to Santhosh Sir’s energy level, dedication and patience. He can breathe life into any kind of lesson. The next day was the second and the final day of the shooting. We reached the destination at 3 and the shooting got over by 6. The day’s shooting was mostly carried out on locations other than the school compound. Overall this was an amazing experience, and I would like to thank all those involved in this for making it such a wonderful experience for me. I would also like to thank Santhosh sir and Principal Madam for giving us such an opportunity.                                   

 JUNE SINGH, XII-SCIENCE

This was the first and the most memorable movie in my life… I was very privileged by the hospitable environment, my English teacher Mr. SANTHOSH KUMAR KANA sir provided us, the crew members…

My experience was extremely wonderful and unforgettable. I enjoyed the fullest beyond the four corners of the class. Though I haven’t done any acting before,,, fun with friends and Santhosh sir’s positive presence and guidance  really made my acting easy.I hope to get these type of opportunities further in which I would gladly and actively take part…

Thanks to my dedicated teacher, Santhosh Kumar Kana sir and friends…

UTSAV MASKEY

XII SCIENCE

THE QUESTION AND THE QUEST

In the late 1870s a teacher named Mr. Hastie at Scottish Church College, Kolkata found it difficult to explain the meaning of the word “trance” in the poem ‘The Excursion’ by Wordsworth. An honest teacher he was, he knew that the word has to be felt and experienced. A poor teacher merely translates the word by an explanation. Mr. Hastie revealed to his students that the priest at the Dakshineswar temple, Sri Ramakrishna is a great soul who has experienced “trance” like state and those interested can meet him. You know, very few discussions and thoughts persist even after the teacher leaves the class. Most of them go out of priority for most of the students as soon as the teacher steps out. But there would be one or two who would follow the lecture even after the bell and make a difference. There was a boy in Mr. Hastie’s class who caught the word “trance” and went in search of its meaning and experience to Sri Ramakrishna. He carried a question with him “Have you seen God” which had been put to many by him and never received a satisfactory answer. A question transforms your life when it becomes a quest. Three questions that became an intense quest transformed Siddhartha into Buddha. A foreigner who visited Ramana Maharshi at Thiruvannamalai in Tamilnadu found his life taking a U-turn for one question from the Maharshi which he was unable to answer, “Who are you?” Every answer he gave was a list of social identities like name, profession, nationality etc. These three words transformed him and he made them his quest for the rest of his life. Isaac Newton came out with the theory of Gravitation with one question that emerged in him when the apple fell and the same is with Einstein or other scientists. The boy from Hastie’s class entered Sri Ramakrishna’s living room “through the western door with his western doubts” (as Sri Ramakrishna would describe the maiden visit later) and was surprised to hear from him that “yes, I have seen God just like I see you”. 

                                                     Dakshineswar Temple

                                                Sri Ramakrishna's LIVING(!!!) room

The boy could find no word to counter him but tried to test the sincerity in his words and went into a trance like experience by the mere touch of Sri Ramakrishna. Though he didn’t want to come to him who appeared to be enigmatic, destiny had it otherwise for him. The boy named Narendranath couldn’t resist visiting Sri Ramakrishna and he found his guru and a great spiritual master in him. 

The boy, no doubt, grew up to be Swami Vivekananda, the clean shaved monk who voiced the spirit of India and the holy legacy of the east at Chicago’s Parliament of Religions on Sept, 9^th, 1893. 

Dear students, discover your question and make it your quest. To quote Swami Vivekananda from one of his finest writings on education titled EDUCATION, a small but path breaking insight into what is education, “The biggest library in the world is the human mind”. We often use only the tip of the iceberg called the human mind but the one who delves deep into the profound, submerged potentials of it would find many questions (?) transforming themselves into exclamations!! The halo that we find around the Buddha or other great souls is a graphic representation of the infinite potential of the submerged mind awakened. After all an exclamation mark is the straightened form of a question mark??!!!

 (A century is past after the historical address by Swami Vivekananda at the Parliament of Religions, Chicago, 9^th September, 1893 but still one can feel the electrifying effect of his words)

-by Santhosh Kumar Kana