READER-RESPONSE...When Asokamitran visited KV, MINAMBAKKAM

Reader-Response................ when ASOKAMITRAN visted KV Minambakkam

06.05.10

2.30 p.m. A Sultry Chennai afternoon.
Madam Lakshmi Ramakrishnan, the principal of KV, Minambakkam broke the news that any reader would love to hear--writer Asokamitran is visiting our In-service course venue at K.V. Minambakkam. For the post graduate teachers of English in Kendriya vidyalayas, Asokamitran is a very endearing name for the extract from his book MY YEARS WITH BOSS prescribed for class-xii titled "Poets and Pancakes", a graphic depiction of the life and people at Gemini studios in its days of glory. The extract is very special for the freshness of the language and the subtle humor and wit in the portrayal. The principal sent for me and I stood in her chamber unable to believe my eyes. He was there, the one who brought the life of Gemini studios in such visual clarity and detail that not even a documentary would succeed in doing. I used to tell my students about the spontaneity and the urgency in his writing and had always wished to see the writer.

Madam introduced me,

“He’s Mr. Santhosh, one of the participants for the course. He’s been after me pleading for a meeting with you.”

I shook hands with the writer. The tangibility of words! Holding my hand he walked into the conference hall. I welcomed him on behalf of all the participants, resource persons, associate course director and the course director. One of the participants had already projected on LCD screen a photo of the writer and of Gemini studios. But little did we pay attention to it for long as the writer was there before us. The living presence of the writer made the otherwise drowsy afternoon at once brisk and lively. The writer addressed us about his compelling passion and drive for creative expression in his characteristic humor. He reminisced the days at Gemini as teachers crowded round him with the English textbook for class XII asking him doubts about various aspects in the lesson. His face glowed in and out by the flash of digital cameras. He urged us to read more and more.

Like the Gemini literati, he was flanked by the forty four of us for a group snap. I could see him straining during the tedious task of penning a line in the one-after-another stretched pages before him. I am sure he would never feel writing a strain except for this.

Before leaving, he said,
“follow the tale not the teller. I like realistic approach”.

Age could not wither his passion for literature and writing. He talked a lot about Malayalam literature with me. We shared our liking for Anand and M. Govindan. He mentioned a few episodes of his intimacy with M. Govindan.

He said he was very happy to see such an overwhelming response from teachers. We saw him off with a feeling of incompleteness. A strange feeling of having seen “what lies behind”. Yes, the charm lies in the tale, true sir. I glanced through the pages of the lesson “poets and pancakes”. Yes, the tale remains in its pristine charm and mystery.

I withdrew my request to visit Gemini studios. It’s unnecessary now.

I read the line he had written for me in a page “to my reader…with best wishes”. I knew how much he valued a good reader. No doubt, literature lives by the response from readers.
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By
SANTHOSH KUMAR KANA

ANNOUNCEMENT COMMITTEE FOR THE OPENING CEREMONY

41st KVS NATIONAL SPORTS MEET, OPENING CEREMONY, BANGALORE

DID SOPHIE REALLY MEET DANNEY CASEY?

Mrs. Vineetha, PGT-English, KV, KANNUR writes...

Did Sophie really meet Danny Casey?

Never on a one to one basis. Of course she knew him as the star player her brother adored. I think the clue lies in Sophie’s obvious distaste for her working class background; she feels she is born for better things like Maupassant's Mattilda Loisel (diamond necklace). The Danny Casey story is her one stab at escaping -to a world of glamour and sophistication. Then why Danney?

Reason 1- he is the one star she knows, a way from her dreary circle.

2nd- she would like her brother to see her as a woman, not a girl - a girl good enough to be noticed and asked out by men like DANNY CASEY whom he admires.

And now the last part - her meeting him- remember, the place she chose for the meeting? One which she had seen other lovers use- her unconscious ideal rendezvous. Then the whole meeting thing- defense mechanism plus a strong imagination- willingly she goes through the motions of a girl in love- first the joyous anticipation part, then the doubting part, confirmation that he is not coming- she tells “now i am sad”

What I mean, is that she goes through each motion of love, savoring each step. It is as if there are two persons- one who goes through anticipation, doubt, heart-break and sadness life long, while the other looks on enjoying. Many nights of girlhood many through these steps with some boy who catch their fancy and their tears and sighs would be very real. They enjoy it too. I mean, girls love to be the tragic queens!

Mayank Mohan Upadhyay says the letter in THE THIRD LEVEL is real

The Third Level
“THE LETTER IS REAL”

Have you seen Farhan Akhtar and Deepika Padukone starrer Hindi movie “Karthik calling Karthik”? It resembles with this story to a great extent.

Of course, the letter was real. It really did exist.

Charley was an ordinary man, who was fed up with all kinds of tensions and worries that plagued his heart. So, he wanted to escape from reality.

He imagined that he was successful in escaping. The intensity of his wish to break free was so high, that he got to believe that it was a reality. In real sense, it was mere a creation of his mind. Thus, the third level was born and existed only in Charley’s psyche.

Human mind is a strange thing. Charley’s mind was divided into two parts. One, that Charley controlled, and other, which controlled Charley. Actually, Charley was ignorant himself of the fact that it was his own creation. Hence, from one part of his brain, he was normal. When the other part of mind made him visualize the third level then Charley felt it to be real. And he wanted to tell others about his experience. He told everyone something, which they found hard to digest.

The dominating part of mind, which was the mother of that unreal world, wanted to make others believe it. Hence, it instructed Charley to tell everyone that there was a psychiatrist named Sam, who said it was just his ‘waking dream wish fulfillment’.

By this, the mind wanted to make others trust that, if Charley talks differently, then at least there existed a person named Sam, who was stable, because Sam said those words, which they had expected and hence they agreed. The mind also instructed Charley to write a letter on the paper, which was inside an envelope of his Grandfather’s first day cover collection, under Sam’s signature.

Moreover, the dominating part of mind made Charley to go and buy more old style currency. Hundreds of people come and go to a shop. How’d a shopkeeper remember who had bought what? He paid the bill under the name Sam.

Many times, when we place a key somewhere and forget, then our sub-conscious mind tells us where to look at, for it. Isn’t it? Like this, when Charley became normal again, i.e., when he gained back control, he saw that mail and was surprised. Also, he went to the shop to find ‘Sam’ had bought old style currencies. His dictating part of mind asked him to do both these tasks. And Charley felt that it was a calling from his sub-consciousness.

Therefore, Charley was himself forced to accept as true that Sam reached that level.

Again he told one and all. They could have easily denied Charley, saying he was crazy. But the mind firstly proved, through Charley, that Sam was an even person. Next, the mind made Sam, the center of scenario. And hence, all were choiceless but to accept that third level was reality.

Nowhere in the story is it mentioned that Sam met anyone personally. Only possibility was at the shopkeeper’s, but it was none other than our Charley.

Hence, the letter was real, all else was just a fake….

---by MAYANK MOHAN UPADHYAY, XII-B, KV,AFS,YELAHANKA

Mayank is very creative. I see a future poet and writer in him. I'm proud to have him as my student.

THE NEED TO INTROSPECT: Pablo Neruda’s KEEPING QUIET

‘Keeping Quiet’ is a deceptively simple poem by Neruda about the exigency of self-analysis and introspection in building up a new world. An Indian reader with a penchant for spiritual stuff would find the poem offering rich resource for explaining things like meditation, awareness etc.

The poem is a plea for peace from one who has seen the dire consequences of war and and violence.

See the line,
“Let’s stop for one second,
and not move our arms so much.”

ARMS can also mean weapons and moving arms (arms-hands)is the stock gesture of dictation and order of any political leader. Remember how Chaplin makes fun of Hitler in “The Great Dictator” esp. in a scene where he sweats and fumes during a speech. The poet pleads people to do self-analysis before doing anything. A person without awareness in action would spread the same ignorance around. It is a vicious circle.

Sri Ramakrishna used to say,

“First rub your hands with oil and then break open the jack-fruit;
otherwise they will be smeared with its sticky milk.
First secure the oil of divine love, and then set your hand
to the duties of the world."

The poet directs our attention to Nature to convince us that Nature too holds back itself only to come back with better output. The same applies to us.

What is significant about “twelve” in the poem?

There are twenty-four hours in a day in all, with twelve hours for a half a day. The hours are numbered from one to twelve for both the ante meridiem (a.m.) half of the day and the post meridiem (p.m.) half of the day. 12:00 after a.m. and before p.m. (in the middle of the day) is midday or noon, and 12:00 after p.m. and before a.m. (in the middle of the night) is midnight. A new day is considered to start with the stroke of midnight. Furthermore, the basic units of time (60 seconds, 60 minutes, and 24 hours) can all perfectly divide by twelve.

In scripture we find twelve associated with rule. The sun which rules the day and the moon and stars which govern the night move through the twelve signs of the zodiac. The zodiac resides in the great circle of the heavens, which is itself 360 degrees (= 30 x 12).

The Heavenly City of Revelations has twelve gates with the names of the twelve tribes on them. Twelve angels stand at the gates; the walls have twelve foundations garnished with twelve precious stones, and in them the names of the twelve apostles. The city is twelve thousand furlongs square, and the twelve gates are twelve pearls. The number twelve is used here symbolically of God's perfect government.

The importance of 12 in Judaism and Christianity can be found in the Bible. The Twelfth chapter of the Bible starts with God calling Abram to come out of the land he was living in and go wehre God would tell him. This is the beginning of God’s plan to call out a nation unto him, that would be ruled by God and be a testimony to all the nations of the earth of the one true God. Here we can see the link between perfect government and the number twelve.

There are 12 days of Christmas.

Most calendar systems have twelve months in a year.

At twelve, the hands of a clock are one. It is Oneness that the poem calls for.

Count the letters in the title “Keeping Quiet”, there are twelve.

Or, the poet may have used 'twelve' for no reason.
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WITH THE FAMOUS KANNADA FILM DIRECTOR GIRISH KASARAVALLI