Dance Exam

Ours was a planned township with very defined recreation model. There was a dance school in front our house. It had many students enrolled who came from far distance to learn classical dance, mostly Kathak. Some of my schoolmates were regular students and were part of this classical school of Dance and Music. With passage of time my playground friends became less in number and most of them spend the lovely evenings in this dancing school learning steps of the classical art coached by qualified teachers.

I used to run all alone in the playground which was mostly barren. The loneliness was killing me. I wanted to play and needed friends. Alas, they were all in the dancing school. One fine evening, slowly entered the dancing school, took the unwanted route and hanged from the window of the big practice room to check out what my playground friends did inside. Oh God! It was another classroom. They all had ghumroo roped on their feet, stood in order of height and followed the mentor. I could see most of their mothers eagerly scribing notes, some commenting on steps and urging for accuracy.

I went back home and started emulating some steps that I saw to my grandmother, with a great passion. It worked. She thought I was interested in dancing and that was how I wanted to express my urge to get enrolled too. My parents couldn't drop the request as it came from a generation one step up. I was clear on their disinterest on this subject but still expressed that I was keen to learn Kathak - which was not the case.I was eager to join my friends and thought together we would make it a playground once more. When I entered the practice room this time through the proper door I felt the serious business that was on. Most of my friends where preparing for their dance exam ahead! I never got a chance to make my dreams come true. They were all grooming to become Amita Dutta and Bela Arnab.

2 years later - I also had to prepare for the exams - the classical dance exam. I realised it was a mistake. Me in pursuit to recreate the joy of playground full of friends landed up in an exam hall - burying even the least pleasure of enjoying carefree evenings alone. The worst hit me on the exam room. I did my best - that's what I thought. Was well decked up for the presentation - answered the orals well and even presented a dance script on Lord Krishna's Makhan Chori , meeting the need of all beats on the tabla!

When I was about to move out of the exam hall the external examiner said - " All is well , but remember you are performer - you need a smile on your face to connect to your audience, that was missing!". I left the examination hall with a great tip for all time presentation. I exercised the learning on purpose - on various stage of performance in my life - a smile added value to my face.

Gyan 4 - Even when you land up in wrong road and travel with utter frustration still there many be takeaway in the journey that can be precious.

Mid in the River

It was a school picnic at the barrage by the Damodar river. Around 70 bubbling teenagers – all girls, a few teachers and our vice-principal - a catholic nun, together made it. It was one of those chill winter morning in Durgapur that an enthusiastic bus started the day-out tour. We reached the spot, got set into multitude of activities. Most of it was on the bank which was sandy glittering with mica.
A population of that magnitude always has two or three dare devils that enjoy breaking the barrier. Ms. Shampa our class teacher, was struggling to manage them as they were desparate to try taste the water. Love for water is a strange one. Around noon the excitement had spread and almost the whole class was knee deep in water. They splashed water at each other encouraging the excitement to spread - All in pure fun!
My hydrophobic feelings probed me to look for a hiding place. Respecting my inner fear I stood behind Sister Pratibha whose vigilant pair of eyes were moving in the aqua arena to ensure she can trigger a SOS if needed. Stood by her and pretended to be very obedient.

I was caugth unaware. Not sure which direction she came from.Her long length school skirt was wet and water was drooping down her bare thin leg. Her feet were all smeared in sand and mica. She came at a speed I was unprepared for! Pulled my hands and overcame my resistance. She was taller than me and we ran.. ran.. My hand in hers, I could feel the cool fluid sweeping my feet. I was probably drowning more in fear than in the cold water of Damodar.
She kept pulling me and we both stepped on stones some visible and some by pure pedi-feeling. Oops; I felt like getting imbalanced – it was sand and stones no more. She supported me to adopt. The sense of fear had turned into a truth call survival. Suddenly looked around to realize there was no one at the length of my hand and I was standing mid of the river. With hope that Sister Pratibha was watching me out I madly retreated back on the sand with one or two traumatic stepping.
I rejoiced alone to have overcome my fear for a few minutes - that was my takeaway, while others enjoyed a carefree noon together in the river for long!
Gyan 3 – Many a times we all get the same environment but our self constraints make us react otherwise and obviously reap different results

Change the Equation

Ms.Menon – was my math teacher of standard V. I was not sure about my liking towards this subject till then - as because, I never scored more than 45% in the previous two standards. My parents, friends and teachers thought it was not my subject. But still core of my heart, I wanted to excel in that more that any. But I even didn't know how to do that and all around thought I can’t.
3rd period of the 1st day of standard V started at around 10 a.m. She started her session saying – “Maths is not about a few numbers and a few operations, it is a tool to solve mystery of the problem in hand!" The maths book by O.P.Singhal suddenly looked like one of the Nancy Drew series.It was knee-jerk reaction but the essence that the power speech left me with, lasted for ever .Thereafter I started looking into the subject more for problem statements and less of numeric operations. Till that day, I was probably missing a context to learn maths. Her speech connected the missing link. I hold some decent record in maths and my love for this subject is instrumental to how I earn my living even today.
She was a true maths teacher – first day first show she addressed a student who couldn't’ spell the problem in mind. The insight was too deep and I realized it with passing time. To me her speech was maths! She helped me solve a problem which I was struggling while others took it as my weakness.
Gyan 2 – One good mentor can turn an unsure mind to potential success ignoring weakness.