Memphis Tigers - Akshar Bhasin

Cover photo: Akshar Bhasin with the Memphis Tiger

It's wonderous, really, how quickly a moment captured and stored away in a phone, when seen years later, can induce a rather long yet delightful walk down memory lane. One can think of memories like a spider web basking in the sparkling droplets of early morning monsoon dew. If he chooses, he can take a stroll down a string of the web, passing through those little dew drops of memories, but even when he reaches the end of that string, there is yet another one that commences. So on and so forth, memories connect and merge into each other, combining to create the 'past' of each individual. But, eventually and inevitably, as those dew drops are bound to vanish when when the sun comes up, we, too, forget these moments as time moves on.

But, today, as fate wills it (in my case a wonderful educator and friend did too), I shall reach into the unfathomably vast web of memory, and choose to stroll through one of those strings of web. Now, as I fade away from the present, moments and images flood into the screen of the mind and a movie begins to play.

The year is 2016 and I'm residing in the U.S.A, in the state of Tennessee. To be more precise, I was living in the University of Memphis campus area. I'm enjoying life though. Teachers see me as a 9 year old incorrigible Indian headache, but, frankly, I'm not aware about the strenuous concepts of societal expectations or self image or what-do-people-think-of-me. Or maybe I was but I was but just didn't care.

I was too annoying to be befriended by anyone at school, but I really never felt lonely. The company of books doesn't really ever let one feel alone. And gratefully, I had the Benjamin L. Hooks Memphis central library to refill my shelf with 25 different books each week. I could honestly go on about that piece of paradise for hours on the end but, I suppose that string of web is for another day.

- Akshar Bhasin is a student at Jodhamal Public School, he loves to read and this is his reflection for The Great Dreams from Jataka Tales.

The Accounts of Monsoon - Shambhavi Nautiyal

Picture Courtesy: https://pixels.com/featured/monsoon-children-shashikanta-parida.html?product=greeting-card

Monsoon: The Month of Nourishment and Rejuvenation

Monsoon, the season of coolness and relief, is a reminder or a tradition for many of us to feast on some pakoras with chai and listen to the soothing patter of the raindrops, being present at the moment and having a laugh or two with our dear ones. 

Rain is an emotion for all of us. Whilst movie makers and writers may be obsessed with having the main lead mewl in the rain to hide their tears, it is a source of glee for many of us. It is like a treasure chest of so many memories. 

As children, we dance in the rain and then 'jump up and down' in the muddy puddles with our friends. 

Monsoon to me means reunion as, as a child, I would always be at Nani's home during monsoon with all of my cousins. We dance in the rain, feeling the cooling water taking all our worries and tension, if any, away. It felt like the love of Lord Indra being showered all over us, surrounded by the exhilaration, jauntiness and ecstasy common in our attitude.

At night time or sometimes even in the day itself, the place being  Dehradun, the weather would get so biting that we would have to take our sweaters out. Regardless, it is best to fall asleep to the background music of the rain without turning it up on a device. 

Even today, it is my ritual to leave any task and go out as soon as it starts to rain, to have my sense of adventure and precariousness, unless I need to work. Many students get a holiday or early home time following the floods caused by rains. 

June and July bring monsoons to India and are known as the month of 'Ashada', according to the Hindu calendar. This season brings relief from the sun's scorching heat and puts us all, if not at least me, in a relaxed and comforted mood. 

And so I wish you all to be mindful and grateful for the season of nourishment and rejuvenation.

Shambhavi Nautiyal

Class- 9 || Ahlcon Public School

Appreciation - Tenzin Jambey

Monsoon, the season of rain, brings heavy rainfall in some parts of India, which is very much beneficial for groundwater recharging but, on the other hand, it has caused a lot of trouble in the northeastern part of India, Delhi and also in many states of our country, due to which many people are suffering with various issues and to overcome these situations is not that easy.

My eyes opened as my alarm rang at 3:00 am, I went to the washroom to get fresh l, and I looked at myself in the mirror and said, "Yes, my vacations are over". I didn't even realise how many holidays ended. That day I had to cover a distance of 386 km from my hometown Tawang ( Arunachal) till
Guwahati (Assam), that journey is always the most tiring as it takes almost half a day because of the curvy roads of the mountain. The weather was quite oppressive that morning, and it was drizzling. I prayed to God that "Please don't let any problem arise during my journey", as it was rainy season and the landslide, mudslides and rocks falling from the hilltop were very often during this season. 

My prayer to god didn't reach that day. As the road got blocked at the place where the road blockage always occurs, there was a massive landslide, and the rocks were rolling down, and the more the workers tried to clean it, the more the mud was sliding down. That scene of more than a hundred cars waiting at the hilltop and the GREF workers and other labourers working under hefty rainfall by putting their lives in danger was terrifying. We all were in a vulnerable condition as it was rainy like someone was pouring a bucket of water upon us. I was feeling scared, and I prayed that hope rock wouldn't fall upon us over there. We were all fatigued after waiting for so long, and finally, after three hours of waiting, the rain stopped, and the road clearance was also thankfully done. After every car darted from that point, I felt relief, and I was sure that everyone there was feeling relief. That was a nightmare being stuck at the hill stop where there wasn't any mobile signal, neither any hostel nor any shop and that too in heavy rainfall.

As this month is the month of appreciation, I want to thank the workers who did an excellent job by risking their lives to make our journey successful till our destiny. I know that my appreciation and heartful thanks would not reach them, but still, I appreciate them for what they did, and I hope they will all live a happy, healthy and long life.

Tenzin Jambey
Pestalozzi Children's Village India