FIRST INDIAN BIODIVERSITY CONGRESS 2010

Apart from the excitement of a new year waiting round the corner, the last week of December 2010 also meant adding another bag of  memorable experience to our beloved school life. Myself and 3 of my colleagues were given the opportunity to represent our school (Holy Angels ISC School) in the first Indian Biodiversity Congress(IBC) held in Trivandrum along with representatives  from many other schools and colleges as well.The frustrations of the 2nd term exams were just beginning to wear off and we hardly had a week ahead of us to complete the work on our exhibits.After much hurry-burry we were able to come up with a rather well made model of a vertical farming structure(farmscraper) and a representation of the 

general natural vegetation of the world.

Natural vegetation of the world(students from L-R- Shahnaz,Rudra,Charutha,Najma)

Models of all 6 continents except that of Antarctica were cut out on thick pieces of thermocol  and were painted.It depicted the major grasslands(prairies,pampas,velds etc),deserts(sahara,atacama etc), rain  forests, deciduous,coniferous forests etc which are spread over the continents.We had to have a tough search among the shops to find the matching models of the  trees and grasses.We were successful in the hunt;but the demerit  as pointed out by some was that it was made of plastic.Initially people were reluctant to wait and listen but later on there were many students who were excited to see a 3D version of something rather boring that they had learned in geography and happily recollected it;and elders especially professors were interested in testing our knowledge on this in several ways.With some people we even entered into lengthy discussions about world geography,the climatic conditions that influenced their vegetation and so on.

Vertical Farming model

The farm-scraper was painstakingly constructed with glass and the surrounding structures with thick pieces of thermocol and it rightfully drew large crowds,some keen to know about this rather new technique ofcultivation and some with a great mood to fire up an argument.One such project was successfully conducted by the Columbia university in the premises of lake Michigan.Built in glass the structure drew its power mainly from solar energy,the leftover water is recycled and sent back to the lake thereby minimising pollution and wastage of water.Some visitors argued that this sort of entirely artificial cultivation can bring in more of disadvantages than the positives. But we clarified our stand that we dont really promote this right now,but that our aim was to let people know that such a method is available incase if in future we run severely out of land for agriculture.

In the end we realised that we had actually begun to face any sort of questions smartly and successfully.The kind of feedbacks we got,especially from foreign dignitaries and experts,were very encouraging.We were even more happy when reports and photos of our exhibits were published in the Young World and in the local newspapers.The fact that we had to put up our stalls  from morning till night for 5 consecutive days was a bit tiring.But the fun filled events that took place during the days made up for this and made us longing to get back there the next day too.Needless to say,there were many superbly creative exhibits from students of nearly 25 other schools from the state.Within a short span of time we made good friends with almost half of them.Thats how we kids are!
And the final night of the event which was the eve of new year was much celebrated with the rain joining us and packing ups and goodbyes filling the venue.We too left,with a brand new experience packed in our kitty.

What did she tell me??

I was with my few friends and a baby in one of the extensive grasslands in Africa.Just the 4 of us including the cute baby had gone there to get the raw wildlife experience-the animals in their original home and not behind the bars.A widespread dry grassland with lots of zebra's,antelopes,bulls etc. Naturally this ecosystem will also hold their predators.Thrilled at our new intention of getting to know the wild better, we moved on with our binoculars as quietly as possible.
Just then my foot got trapped a bit dangerously by the stems of a wild creeper and immediately i fell on the ground giving out little cry of pain.As i fell the baby in my hand also fell down but was not hurt.The next few things happened in a flash of lightening.I heard an ear pounding roar somewhere nearby and i turned just in time to see the glorious black and red stripes getting ready to pound on me.By this time the others had run for their safety n tried to rescue us from a distance but that wouldn't help us at all.and instead of a single jump,it took a few steps to come closer to me and with each of its step i felt the arrival of death so near to its destination.I didnt have the strength to move from my position.
However the tiger fooled me and headed straight with a wicked smile for the baby lying near me.I was helpless other than for praying with all my might.Just when it was showing all signs of an attack there was a rustling movement in the bushes nearby and out came,hopping happily ,the tiger cub.perhaps it was delighted to see another creature of its same age, i dont know y-the cub pushed away his mother and stroked the baby with his furs and within a few seconds i heard the laugh of the baby.I couldnt believe what was going on.The mother stood rooted to her place staring at the playful twosome.she slowly receded from there and returned back to me.
But this time, again i dont know y,I felt that my fears were evaporating and i was calm.I looked straight into the her glowing eyes and she stared back at me for a long time as if she wanted tell me something and i was reading it from her eyes.Yes i was reading the speechless universal language there as Paulo Coehlo says.I slowly raised my hand to touch its head and it willingly bowed.Maybe She wanted to tell me about the love she has for her son or perhaps that she understood the innocence of childhood or even something deeper;that she realized the deep love that the children of earth had for each other be it man or tiger or a deer or an elephant, i am not sure.but she surely told me that she loves me.she then beckoned her little kid who was still having fun with the baby and went back slowly into the sunset& through the grasses.
Can this happen in real life?It was a very realistic dream that i recently had and has left me with lots to ponder.I just couldnt keep it out of my mind these days as it keeps recurring.The things that happened in a few minutes that changed the mind of determined greedy ferocious tiger from finishing us to giving us some meaningful yet unfinished message.Thats what keeps me thinking..........

tour pictures

The superb carving in one of the wooden royal beds 

A beautiful yet sad sight at the Koodankulam bird sanctuary

Side(top) and front(bottom) view respectively of Padmanabhapuram Palace

Painted starks resting on a tree in the premises of a village house near the sanctuary

The green Western Ghats

birds having a relief from the hot sun in this lake at the sanctuary

Windmills lining the road at Arulvaimozhi

western ghats-another view

Me and my cousin Jasmin

Exploring south Tamil Nadu

I was on a 1 day trip to the southern side of tamil nadu on may 30(sunday) in my car.My 9th classes had already started by then.Anyway better late.
First we went to the well known 'padmanabhapuram kottaram' the royal palace of thiruvithamkur maharajavu.All the carvings on wood and stone were really perfect.And the secret behind its smooth glistening floor is nothing other than lime,eggs,mehendi,wax,cowdung,
eggshells;& the effect?better than marble!There were huge pillars made of single rock which were carried by the labourers and laid by elephants.It takes a long time to explore this palace & i'm sure nobody will dare break into the palace as they can easily get lost in the secret passages and get trapped.
Our next destination was'kundan kulam Bird sanctuary'.And the journey from the palace to the sanctuary was one of the best i've ever had.Right from the time we left the palace we were accompanied by the stunningly beautiful and majestic western ghats.There were mountains with lots of geenery as well as those made of naturally carved rocks.Just at the valley of these mountains there were large areas of banana plantains planted very close together,then came rice plantations and rivers and then there were long areas of just dry grasslands.The little rays of sunlight than came out of hiding from the rain clouds lit up parts of the moutains and fields so beautifully that i was greedily putting my head out to feed my inner eye with the maximum i can.While we were nearing Arulvaaimozhi i caught the first glimpse of a windmill.
Within a matter of seconds i saw sea of windmills,hunderds of them stretching out beyond the horizon in both sides.The strong winds,the windmills,and the mountains made such beautiful
atmosphere that i was in confusion whether to look in the right or left of my car window.
After a while the scenery changed,the fields were replaced by never ending dry grasslands with a few dry trees in between.and then came the palm trees.It was sort of a desert geography there.Just as we made this comment.on the same village road came the sight green paddy fields,banana,mango plantations,pineapple,mustard and again dry grasslands.
the density of population in this village area was very less.on the way we came across a tree which was full of very pretty painted stark birds and interestingy this tree was located on the same compound as that of a village member's house.The entrance to the park was empty n still there was no sign of water anywhere.And when we walked a few steps there we saw the amazing sight of a lake with lots n lots painted starks,flamingo's,black iris,white iris,pelican etc.on the other side of the lake were some dried trees.this scene was something totally unexpected in a such an area.The best part is that the villagers themselves take all the necessary steps to protect them from encroachments and never interfere with their life.
And the same beautiful journey back, full of mindblowing sceneries.......made my mid school tour of the beautiful south Tamil Nadu

Orphanage, at very first age

I was born to someone
Some day
And was taken to the orphanage
At my very first age
There were many crying of hunger
And fever
I did not know the reason then
But the rest of my life gave me the answer.

I too was made a servant
When i was six or seven
Morning till dusk
Work,work,work
No one cared about
The weak body that weared out.

And now, standing on life's ways,
I think of those days,
When I too was put to bear the burden
Of parenthood rejection!

Falling in your own pit

(written during my 4th std)
Long ago there was a village called Zreena.At that time all the countries were fighting with each other except Zreena.It was a beautiful land with many forests ,lake and birds.Once a group of soldiers and hunters came to Zreena from a neighbouring country called Originia.They killed all thebirds and fell all the trees and made the people their servants.The king of Originia became very happy when heard this news.They made Zreena a part of Originia.
The people of originia went Zreena but lived only for one month because there was no fresh air to breathe,water to drink and food to eat.All this was because there was no trees or plants.If they wanted to drink water they had to walk too far to find it.So they went to king and
complained.The king said,"No problem,we can grow plants and trees".On hearing this one of the soldiers asked the king,"We were the ones who cut down the trees here before.It will be a shame if we grow it again"The king then remembered about his previous act.Then he said,"Oh yes.You all have to walk far away and get water and food,but dont grow trees".Everyone went home sadly.
Many days later the king became very hungry and asked the servants,"bring me some food".Then the servants told him,"Sorry king,we dont have any food here".The king became very angry with the servants.At that time he heard a news that many people have died of hunger.The king went to his bedroom and thought,"Am i doing right?why did I cut down the trees?Why did i make Zreena a part a Originia and made its people my servants?I have to tell them sorry and go back to my country."That evening he called and told the people everything
and he apologised to the people of Zreena and thereafterwent back to his own country.Zreena
became an independent country.The people of Zreena were very kind,they did not have any bad feelings towards towards Originia.From then onwards evry country became friends and saved forests and wildlife for now and for future

Through the Open Window.....

The sunset that day was very beautiful.The golden rays of the setting sun came in through the open window.Everything in the cottage glowed softly.The cool wind which blew at the time would calm down any troubled heart.The old man could not help going near the window and enjoying this beautiful time of the day.He stared at the distant hills,the small lake nearby and watched with interest the little lively public lane below.Slowly, an old familiar smile spread across his face.....
Meanwhile,the old Lady was doing her knitting watched him in nostalgia.The surrounding calmness and beauty reminded her of her younger days; the feeling of nervous excitement when he used to admire her beauty from his window,the days they had spent while running away,their loving kids,The hardships the faced together......And now he was here with her again enjoying the beautiful sunset,young at heart though he was old.She went to sit near him to get the feel of the cold breeze.But only then did she notice that the old man was no more enjoying the sunset but was keenly admiring a beautiful young girl of 20 who was doing part of her make up under a tree: putting her lipstick,adjusting her hair and so on.
But the old man was slow to adjust the expression on his face.Whereas this mere sight made the old lady go red in her face instantly.##******
Should I tell the rest of the story?????

'YOUR PLANET NEEDS YOU'

Yet another Environment day has passed.And what have we resolved to do??Perhaps nothing;
just continue what we have been doing...We know that our planet earth is dying,that the pollution,global warming have all made her weak and sick.Earth has also caught CHRONIC BRONCHITIS.These fevers are not natural but MAN MADE!!!!The 'best gifts' we have given to such a loving mother.Taking back gifts is insulting but in this case we have no other option and it is a must.
We know that the rapid pace of cutting down of trees is one of the many reasons for the fevers of earth.But we also know that ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS.I have just missed one chance of planting and caring a tree.We all got tree saplings from school but couldn't plant it as i am staying in a flat and the ground floor is cemented all over,ie there is no soil cover.I was really sad and disappointed.I would advise anyone who has a house not to cement or tar their house because that spoils the wishes if many children like me.
We are not just harming our earth but also cruelly killing our fellow living things.All this is because we do not realise that our grand parent;NATURE has brought up all we living beings with great care.There is a basic unity among all of us.Be it kittens and ducklings,humans and frogs...
all of us are inter-related and 'we' are not anyone to separate that bond.
HOPE ALL OF US WILL REALISE IT AND BE MORE KIND-HEARTED

Starting with determination to a new Academic year

The election results are out.The Congress party has won with a great lead.
Thanks to people,Thanks to God - they said
The exam results are also out.All the hard-working students have won with high marks.
Thanks to teachers,Thanks to God- we said
The school has reopened The parliament has reopened
I........do here by promise that i will abide by the rules of the constitution and work hard for the welfare of our people and will not reveal......................
I.......do here by promise that i will abide by the rules of my school and work hard to score good marks.I will not waste............
Proper government and proper students;who later become proper citizens together build up a proper and healthy nation.
Both of us have miles to go before we sleep.....miles to go before we sleep.......

Top stories of the season##****

These summer months were too busy as they were continuosly creating news.The grand IPL wave caught the sports lovers on nerve.The chapions league was also also added to their fiest. With the elections getting heated up all our responsible citizens were screwed to the newspaper & tv.They did not want to miss even the slightest news regarding the candidates,controversies,
elections,results,ministers...................All health concious people also had something to worry about.The swine flu was spreading at rapid pace all over the world.There were confirmed cases in India too. Even before these issues getting down,the headlines flashed again.
'Veluppilla Prabhakaran dead',followed by arguments over how he was killed and rumoure that he wasn't killed.But the next day the image of a cold,still and fierceless prabhakaran with flies around him was published.The reporters must have had a tough but a glad time running to get sometging for their 'exclusives' and interviews.And what were we, children doing???Nothing
but waiting to get the headlines and reports from our schools!

Summer Vacation

YAHOOOO.......Its back to the grand Summer Vacation......
Hmmm...What to do? Must call my friends in the neighbourhood and climb up the mango trees and pick the ripest mangoes,go cycling in the streets,play hide-and-seek and football in the ground,make a house with sand,sticks and clay,play pranks on others....Wow what an idea!!
But...But..Will they come?They will be busy with vacation classes and other works.Moreover will our parents allow us to do all these?I don't think so.
So what to do?Yes, there's TV,radio,internet,I-pods,dvd's...They are easily accessible and there is no need to disturb others if i go this way.
So which one to choose??????

SMILE PLEASE!!

'Smile a while,and while you smile there'll be miles and miles of smiles in between'

Two small girls had a fight and each waited for the other to come and talk.Neither of them did.
One day they came face to face.One girl saw something funny behind the other and smiled.
The other thought she smiled to her and slowly smiled back.The little girl thought that the other had compromised and gave a sweet smile to her.The smile turned into laughter and they become close friends ever after.Hmm.... such a simple solution?

Yes, Smile is a curve that can set many things straight
KEEP SMIING!!

The equal and opposite reaction

March is the month which i always wish would fly at top speed,to enjoy the joys of holidays in April.But it would go very slow making us to experience the bitterness of exams.

But what to do?Every season of joy and delight is always preceded by hardwork or bitterness.So better work hard for exams to enjoy the beautiful hols and results peacefully.

The English Teacher

Its another novel of RK Narayan from the grand town Malgudi.The story deals with Krishna,The English Proffessor who struggles to come back to normal life after the passing away of his beloved wife,by finding happiness in other little things including looking after his small daughter.
He gets irrited with his job later on for having to teach the english history,philosophies of Shakespeare and all the unnecessary things,the system of mugging up blindly and vomiting it.
As usual Narayan comes up with his tragic and unexpected climax.He retires as a professor
and ends up as a school teacher where he finds more happiness peace and being able to be close to his beloved wife.

a present

Dear mol,

a gift from kochappa....

keep writing, one day the world will wait for your words