1
jËQÑ`[Í
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jÞuÊe auÊ
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`ÊZÞ $ÊmVÞH Le
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Ae[Ñ _t `[Þ
Ae[Ñ _t `[Þ
6
Ganesha
The Hypothetical Jackel
My First Basketball Game
The Friendship Story
My India Trip
Symbols ogh Symbols
Ishita’s Love for Pizza
Houston Ratha Yatra 2010
Summer Vacation
Mr. Doodle Head
High Above the Trees
High in the Storm
Rhyme
Jagannath in My Little World
Plague
Burger Islands
An Autobiography of a Tree
My Annual Day
Buchart Garden in BC
My experience at BTSR Camp
My Kumar Purnima Experience
Cuttack Ma
Shooting Star
Dolphin
2011 OSA Convention
Random Article
Collection of Poems
Darkness
Tectonic Plates
The Fireman’s Escape
The Impatient Cat and the Fox
Anthony and Titus
Time
My 8th Grade Schedule
Krisha Rath
Anjaneya Kar
Adi Dass
Nilesh Sagar
Anuska Mishra
Anuska Mishra
Ishita Patra
Aryan Patra
Aryan Patra
Rishav Mohanty
Shilpita Mitra-Behura
Saswat Pati
Saswat Pati
Saswat Pati
Saswat Pati
Anuraag Routray
Shyam N. Panigrahi
Shyam N. Panigrahi
Arnav Mohanty
Arnav Mohanty
Devarun Dass
Ishita Patra
Ishita Patra
Ishita Patra
Dhara Chopra Mohapatra
Meha Mohapatra
Divya Rath
Treeank Patnaik
Treeank Patnaik
Asha Dash
Ishani Sahu
Ishani Sahu
Malina Maharana
Simantini Mitra-Behura
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@f[Ð, HLÐ]h jÕ²eZ, LÊcÐe `ËÀàÞcÐ, @Ò Ðae 15, 2011, kÔʽ_ç
7
12
2
Home Away From Home
Yoshi...in our life!
Introducing my Late Grandfather
My Mouth, Your Mouth
17th Kelucharan Award Festival
Dr. Sanjukta Samantroy
Chetana Samal
Lisa Bedbak Alva
Gopal Mohapatra
Soumya Rege
Bijoy Mahapatra Memorial Essay Contest: Imagination is better than knowledge
Group-A (Elimentary School)
Devarun Dass
Saswat Pati
Anuraag Routray
Diksha Rath
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50
52
53
60
61
63
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65
Group-B (Middle and High School)
Ishani Sahu
Divya Rath
Shruti Misra
Abhishek Routray
66
68
70
74
OCC Accounts details
Directory
75
76
@f[Ð, HLÐ]h jÕ²eZ, LÊcÐe `ËÀàÞcÐ, @Ò Ðae 15, 2011, kÔʽ_ç
3
@f[Ð
j−Ð]ÞLÐ:
Ae[Ñ _t `[Þ
hÞhÊ j−Ð]L: hÐhé[ `[Þ
`Ío] `p hÞÁÑ:
¯ÊÒ_Ô_ç HaÕ @hÞé_Ñ e\
Alata
An Annual Magazine of the Oriya Community of the
Greater Houston Area
Editor: Arati Nanda Pati
Child Editor: Saswat Pati
Cover page: Yunuen and Aswinee Rath
@f[Ð, HLÐ]h jÕ²eZ, LÊcÐe `ËÀàÞcÐ, @Ò Ðae 15, 2011, kÔʽ_ç
4
j−Ð]Lѯ ....
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D_ê ʦ Ðae cÐj, HL aÞhÞ½ cÐj Ð @Ò Ðae 10 [ÐeÞM ÒafLÊ ÒNÐVÞL `Òe ÒNÐVÞH
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aÞsÐ_ Òl[ÍÒe _Ë[_ ]ÞNç]hà_ [\Ð _Ë[_ DwÐa_Òe jÐeÐ `ó\ÞaÑ QfQqf
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RÐ[Í, @aÒQ[_ c_Òe c^Ô Ò_ÐÒamç `Êe²Ðe `ÐBaÐe jÕbÍЫ jéÐ]LÊ jé`ðÒe
D`m•Ñ LÒe Ð j[Òe `ÊZÞ d]Þ cÞÒf, `ÊZÞ HcÞ[Þ d]Þ cÞÒf, Ò[Òa [ÐkÐ bÐeÞ ]ÊÓM]!
eÐmç$ç ½ÐB_çcÐ_ç _ÞÒS DwÐa_ LeÞ\ÞaÐ `Ð_çLÍÞAVÞLç LÔÐ_çjeçe QÞLÞjúÐ ÒLßÐhf `ÐBÜ
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Òj _ÞS mÐÒaÐeÐÒVÐeÑÒe D`yÞ[ \ÞÒm !
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ÒkÐB ekÞÒa Ð Ò_ÐÒamç _ÒkÒm c^Ô [Ð* AB-Ò$Ð_ç `eÞ @Ò_L _Ë[_ ÒaßsÐ_ÞL
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lZÞLÒe `ó\ÞaÑ _ÞS LlQÔÊ[ ÒkÐB SÐ`Ð_LÊ ÒjkÞ A]Þc `ͪe dÊNLÊ VÐZÞ Ò_BRÞ Ð
Ò[ZÊ jbÔ[Ðe `eÞ`ÍLÐh jk A]Þc[ÐLÊ LÞRÞ cÐ[ÍÐÒe SÐaÊXÞ ^eÞ eMÞaÐ DQÞ[ç Ð
_ÒQ[ç, jcª aÊwÞe `eÞ`ÍLÐh LÕ`ÔÊVeçÒe kÞÜ ekÞÒm jaÊ]Þ_ `ÐBÜ _½ ÒkÐBdÞa Ð
_Ë[_ dÊN baÞiÔ[Òe d]Þ LÞRÞ ÒMÐSÞ `ÐBaÐLÊ ÒQ½Ð LeÞa Ò[Òa ÒLaf ÒLÒ[L
`âнÞLç ÒMÐfLÊ `ÐBa Ð ÒLÐZjÞ Dn `ͪeÒe d]Þ ÒLkÞ Ò`ÍcÞL Ò`ÍcÞLÐ _ÞS _Ðc
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@f[Ð, HLÐ]h jÕ²eZ, LÊcÐe `ËÀàÞcÐ, @Ò Ðae 15, 2011, kÔʽ_ç
5
ÒkÐB_\Þa, aeÕ jaÊ `ʪL LÕ`ÔÊVeçe kÐ[ ¸hàÒe at ÒkÐBdÐB\Þa Ð ASÞLÐmÞ
`ÍЯ akÞ Ò]ÐLÐ_ ÒmÐ` `ÐBNmÐZÞ Ð [Ð RXÐ `te ]Þ_ c^ÔÒe LÕ`ÔÊVeç
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ÒLÒ[ÒaÒf LÞH aâÐLç ADVç ÒkÐBdÞa [Ðe WÞLZÐ _ÐkÞÜ Ð
]Þ_ \ÞmÐ cZÞi kªÐle ÒmMÊ\ÞmÐ Ð Lmc jÐB[Þ eMÊ\ÞmÐ Ð aÞ]ÔÐf¯Òe QÞWÞ
ÒmMÞaÐe @Ò_L jÒcÐé^_e ÒhßfÑ hÞMÊ\ÞmÐ Ð HÒa kªÐle aÐ QÞWÞ ÒmMÞaÐe ÒhßfÑe
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D_ðrÞ LeÞRÞ Ð B-aÊLç cÐ^ÔcÒe akÞ `YÐ dÐDRÞ Ð jkS D`m•Ñ Òk[Ê HkÐe QÐkÞ]Ð
ÒahÑ Ð d]ÞJ LÕ`ÔÊVeçÒe akÞ `óºÐ 2D, [\Ð`Þ 3D ÒkaÐLÊ ÒahÑ ]Þ_ aÐLÞ _ÐkÞÜ Ð
ÒaßsÐ_ÞL `w[Þ ÒdcÞ[Þ D_ð[Þ LeÊRÞ `ó\ÞaÑe ÒLÐÒZ @_ÊÒLÐÒZ BÃeçÒ_Vç ÒdÐÒN
jaÊ sÐ_ D`m•Ñ ÒkÐB `ÐeÊRÞ Ð [\Ð`Þ `Íhð DÒW, jaÊ jÊM jéÐot \ÐB d]Þ \Òe
`ó\ÞaÑ aâÐLçADVç ÒkÐBdÐH Ò[Òa @[ÔÐahÔLѯ SÞ_Þie cÐ_Ô[Ð L'Z ? Ò[ZÊ
'@f[Ð'e H[ÞLÞ `ͯÐj lÊ]Í `ʪÞLÐVÞH ÒkÐB QÞe]Þ_ `ÐBÜ jcª* `ÐBÜ D_ê ʦ ekÞa Ð
cÊMÔ j−Ð]ÞLÐ
LÊcÐe `ËÀàÞcÐ (@Ò Ðae 15, 2011)
@f[Ð, HLÐ]h jÕ²eZ, LÊcÐe `ËÀàÞcÐ, @Ò Ðae 15, 2011, kÔʽ_ç
New Arrivals
Ayan Biswal (June 24, 2011, 1:16:54 AM)
Son of Arati Rani and Nrusingh C. Biswal, Houston, TX Teisha Dash (April 15, 2011)
Daughter of Sushmita and Roopesh Dash,
Jersey City, NJ (Honorary Houston Resident)
2nd
Anmol Alva (January 25, 2011)
Son of Lisa and Ajjai Alva, Houston, TX Ishita is 5yrs old and goes to Sugarcreek Montessori School in Katy. She is the
daughter of Sarita and Gyanendra Patra. She loves to Dance, Sing and paint.
She loves to play pretending as a teacher and wants to become one when she
grows up.
Nishita is 6yrs old and is the daughter of Sarmistha and Jyotiranjan Kar of
Pearland, TX. She loves to sing dance and read. She is the twin sister of
Anjaneya.
6
jÞuÊe auÊ
-jÊe\ e\
ÒLDÜWÊ AjÞR ÒLDÜ `ÍÐÒ« Oe,
LÊk ÒcÐe `Íѯ auÊ,
Ò_ßÐdÐ[ÍÞ [ÊÒc Ò_ßÐdÐ[ÍÞ cÊkÞÜ,
`ÐeÞÒkaÐ AÒc `ÍhЫ jÐNe,
TX Ò[Ð$Ð_ e jÞuÊ Ð
SÐZÞ_\ÞmÞ cÊÜ [ÊcLÊ[ ANÊ,
_\Þm [ÊÒcÒcÐ ÒLÒa jÐkÐ,
HB Ò[Ð$Ð_e jÞuÊ al yÒf,
SÊAe bpÐÒe AÒtÐfÞ[ ÒkÐB,
aÐkÊ@ÒR AÒc _ÞS _ÐA Ð
SÐZÞ_Þ cÊÜ [Êc @«ee L\Ð,
kÍÊ]¯Òe S]Þ @RÞ LÞRÞ aÔ\Ð,
@«ee ^é_Ñ kÍÊ]¯ ¸t_,
Aj Aj auÊ NÐB NÐB dÞaÐ,
@hЫ `ÍhЫ SÞa_e NÐ\Ð Ð
ÒafÐbËcÞ ÒcÐe ]Êe ]ÞNçaf¯,
SÐÒZ_Ð cÊÜ auÊ [Êc mlyf,
HB jc¯e jÐkÐ [ÊÒcÒcÐe,
jc¯ ÒjÐÍ[Òe ÒMfÞ ÒMfÞ dÞaÐ
dÐ[ÍÐ ÒLÒa Ac Òka_Þ _Þhç$f ÐÐ
~~~ jcЩ ~~~
It has been almost 16 years since I moved to Houston with my family. I have met friends at
different points in time in the past. I have been blessed to have the friendship, love and
support of all my friends in our not so big Houston Odia family. I dedicate this poem to all
my past, present and future friends whose support, love and friendship I value the most
during the course our journey.
@f[Ð, HLÐ]h jÕ²eZ, LÊcÐe `ËÀàÞcÐ, @Ò Ðae 15, 2011, kÔʽ_ç
7
[Ñ\à
-Ae[Ñ _t `[Þ
Smt. Kanan Bala (Pari)
Nanda
My mother passed away on a sacred Manabasa Gurubara day! I was on my way
from Houston to Bhubaneswar alone with full of apphension. Since I received the news
that she was in a hospital, I tried my best to see her as my most intimate and caring mother.
The more I was hurried, the more I was delayed in Bombay. At the Bhubaneswar airport,
my strides were even bigger than the "Selffish Giant". To meet her at a hospital in Cuttack
would take me another one hour, was killing me. There came the truth! My mother was
waiting for me in Bhubaneswar! Since 1995, whenever I went to India she was always
there to receive me at the airport by traveling 10 hours from Bolani (Barbil). This time was
no exception but with a great difference! She was ready to begin her final journey, the
"Swarga Jatra".
I touched her beautiful face! She was so soft and fresh at 63, as if she was sleeping
tight with a beautiful dream! How could it was not a regular sleep?
@f[Ð, HLÐ]h jÕ²eZ, LÊcÐe `ËÀàÞcÐ, @Ò Ðae 15, 2011, kÔʽ_ç
8
I could not persive what was all happening infront of me. My heart was sinking in
pain and everything went in air in the Land of Jagannath in the night of Dec 2, 2010! We
all returned, without one, the most unique one, the most favorite one, my mother. It was a
loss, a mega loss which has no substitute for the rest of my life. On my return, on January
1st, when the plane was taking off, in the Bhubaneswar airport, still I was searching for the
presence of my mother near Swarga Dwara, in the higher sky, maybe in the heaven. Back
in Houston, whenever I needed her the most, she is always there, but from a frame, she
smiles with a cofident charm, that I left in 1995, when I left the country for the first time.
She is my star in the dark of my pain.
"Tirtha" is my tribute to my beloved mother in the most passionate way. Below is a
part of it. She is my pilgrimage in the land of Jagannath, Puri.
******************
cÐÒmÐ [Ê LÐkÊÜ @RÊ
hÊZÊ_ÐkÞÜ ÒcÐe XÐL
VÞÒL ]ÊÓÒM `XÊ\ÞmÐ
Ò[Ðe kóÒ] aX $Ð* Ð
LÐtÊRÞ cÊÜ ]Þ_ eÐ[Þ
Ò$eÞLÞ AjÞa aÞ^Þ
`YÊAÜ @½cÑÒe
ÒkaÞ `ÊZÞ ÒLÐVÞ_Þ^Þ Ð
ÒLÒ[ d[ðÒe cÐÒmÐ
aÐjúmÔ e có]Ê ÒaÐfÐ
^Ë` ]Ñ` Ò_ßÒaÒ]Ô
@`Þà [Ê `YÊAÜ XÐmÐ Ð
c¨Ð H¨ÊeÑ NYÞmÊ
cÐ[ó[é LÊ jÞqÞjÞqÞ
@có[e LʨLÊ
_ÞS kÐÒ[ aÞqÞ aÞqÞ Ð
LÊjÊc ]ÊaàÐ]f
_ËA a± jÊÒhÐbÞ[
Ò[Ð h< kÊfkÊfÞ
_ÐÒ] Nók cÊMeÞ[ Ð
cÐNÞÒ_mÊ AhÞi
Òj `Í\cнcÑ [Þ\Þ
A`ÔЯÞ[ LmÊ cÐ
@bÞAN[ @[Þ\Þ Ð
aià `Òe `ÐkÞRÞ
@NZÞ[ aià aià
^_Ô Ò[Ð cÐ[ó[é cÐ
l¯ ÒkÐB_Þ c^Ë ¸hà Ð
ÒLcÞ[Þ LkÒmÐ cÐ
HcÞ[Þ ÒLcÞ[Þ ÒkmÐ
MÐBaÐe \ÐfÞÒe
Ò[Ðe eÐkÐ _ $ÞVÞmÐ ?
MÐD MÐD kWÐ[ç
_Þª• LÐkÞÜLÞ ÒkmÊ ?
@f[Ð, HLÐ]h jÕ²eZ, LÊcÐe `ËÀàÞcÐ, @Ò Ðae 15, 2011, kÔʽ_ç
9
]ÊB M¨ QLÊfÞ
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Do_ð VÞVÊ cÐ'cÐ LkÞ
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QÐkÊÜ QÐkÊÜ @NZÐ
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Aj jbÞHÜ jÐ\Þ
MÐ@Òe c¨Ð H¨ÊeÑ Ð
ÒbÐSÞe cÒkÐjúa
mÊQÞNmÐ @NZÐe
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LÐkÞÜLÞ [Ê _ÞeÊre ?
HcÞ[Þ a^Þe [Ê
Lk ÒLcÞ[Þ jÐSÞmÊ
@[Þ\Þ ANcÒ_
`eÐ `ËSÐ LeÊ\ÞmÊ ?
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@aÐeÞ[ @hÍÊ jk
mkÊ ÒaÐkÞmÐ _¯_ Ð
cÐ[ó[ée ÒNkâÐÒe
\ÞmÐ Ò[Ðe _Þ[Þ hÞlÐ
]ÊÓMÒe LÐ[e_Þ
aÐu ÒaÒN _ÞS LoÐ Ð
kpÞ dÐB_Þ ÒmÐcÐ
VÞVÊ @aÐ mÞÃÊ ]Ê~àhÐÒe
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QÞLÞjúL aÐe¨ÐÒe Ð
AjÞ _\ÞmÐ Òj]Þ_
a_ÔÐ LÐÒeÐ _]Ñ NÒbà
DSÐZÞ `Ê[Í AMÞ
dkÞÜ XЦe LÒe jÒbà Ð
amÐZÑe `ÐkÐX
_Þª• _Þ¾f `ÍЯ
@NZÞ[ `ͪe
LÞ«Ê MÊtÞmÐ kó]¯ Ð
jtÞ' j«`àZ
kÊ kÊ aYÞmÐ eÐ[ÍÞe
_\ç _Ð\ç `XÞmÐ
VÞVÊ Ò]MÞ _ÐXÞ Ò[Ðe Ð
A¾dàÔ Ò[Ðe _Þ]ÍÐ
LÐkÞÜ HÒX A_c_Ð
hÊZÞRÞ akÊ\e
Ò[Ð LràaÔe _cË_Ð Ð
NYÞ\ÞmÊ QLÊfÞ
@f[Ð, HLÐ]h jÕ²eZ, LÊcÐe `ËÀàÞcÐ, @Ò Ðae 15, 2011, kÔʽ_ç
10
LqÐ QÐDf eNXÞ
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héÐ_ h¯Ò_ \ÐB
SNÞmÊ `ÍÐZ j[[ Ð
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VÞVÊ WÞLç Ò[ÐeÞ `eÞ
mlêZe [Þ_ÞNÐe
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aÐ`Ð Òd dÐBR«Þ
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aÊTÞ kÊH_Þ LÞRÞ
_ÊMÊeÐ DiÐe bÐiÐ
Yf Yf _¯_
_ÞÒªS AhÐ bejÐ Ð
]ÊÓMe ckÐÒceÊ
ScÞmÐZÞ aÊLÊ `Òe
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hÊbÞmÐZÞ ateÒe Ð
Ò$Ð`ÐXÞa HB_Ð
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WÞA Òka dc]éÐÒe
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@f[Ð, HLÐ]h jÕ²eZ, LÊcÐe `ËÀàÞcÐ, @Ò Ðae 15, 2011, kÔʽ_ç
11
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**********
@f[Ð, HLÐ]h jÕ²eZ, LÊcÐe `ËÀàÞcÐ, @Ò Ðae 15, 2011, kÔʽ_ç
12
`ÊZÞ $ÊmVÞH Le
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@f[Ð, HLÐ]h jÕ²eZ, LÊcÐe `ËÀàÞcÐ, @Ò Ðae 15, 2011, kÔʽ_ç
13
Ganesha
Krisha Rath
My favorite god is ganesha
because he has an elephant head and I
love elephants. I also like ganesha
because he is very smart and brave.
Ganesha has an elephant head
because his father Shiva fought him
because he wanted to get inside the door,
and so he got killed.
Ganesha’s mommy is Devi
Parvati and his Daddy is Lord Shiva.
Ganesha was created by Parvati to help
her guard the door of the palace.
Ganesha rides a mouse because he
does not have a bicycle.
KRISHA is the youngest daughter of Durba and Kalyan Rath of Jasper TX.
@f[Ð, HLÐ]h jÕ²eZ, LÊcÐe `ËÀàÞcÐ, @Ò Ðae 15, 2011, kÔʽ_ç
14
The Hypocritical Jackal
-Anjaneya Kar
Once upon a time, a Bodhisattva
was born as a wise rat. He lived in the
forest with hundreds of other rats. He was
as huge as a young boar. All the other
rats had great regard for him.
In the same forest there lived a
cunning jackal, who had an eye on the
rats. The wise rat observed the jackal
closely, and thought that the jackal was a
saintly being, who was engrossed in his
meditation. So he decided to talk to him.
“What’s your name, my friend?” asked
Bodhisattva. “Godly is my name,” said
the jackal. ‘Such a holy name,’ thought
the rat. Then he asked the jackal, “O
divine one, why are you standing on one
leg?’
The rat’s curiosity about the
jackal grew. Why do you keep your
mouth open? He asked. “To breathe in
fresh air.” I live on air. This is my only
food,” said the jackal. Amazed with the
jackal’s answers, the rat further went on
and asked, why do you face the sun? “I
worship the sun,” said the jackal.
Every morning, the Bodhisattva and the
other rats came to pay their respect to the
jackal. The jackal was very happy,
because he had gained their trust.
Everything was going as per his plan.
Everyday when the rats started to return
home, he would grab the last rat and eat
it.
Nobody even realized that the jackal had
eaten one of the rats. With every passing
day, the rats became fewer and fewer in
number. All the rats started getting
worried.
The rat turned around and shouted at him.
“You are actually a devil dressed as a
saint. You pretend to be very pious, but
you are very cunning.” The jackal was
taken by surprise. He did not know how
to react and so he pounced on the
Bodhisattva again. The Bodhisattva
started screaming and shouting in pain.
All the rats were up against the jackal and
attacked him. They made sure that the
wicked jackal was killed and would never
trouble any animal again. And thus, the
Bodhisattva and the rats got rid of the
wicked jackal and began to live
peacefully thereafter.
Anjaneya: Twin brother of Nishita Kar and son of Jyotiranjan Kar and Sarmistha Nanda.
Anjaneya is in first grade and loves to play soccer, cricket and memorize birthdays of
friends and family.
@f[Ð, HLÐ]h jÕ²eZ, LÊcÐe `ËÀàÞcÐ, @Ò Ðae 15, 2011, kÔʽ_ç
15
My First Basketball Game
-Adi Dass
I
played basketball at YMCA during
summer this year. Our team was called
Lakers. We were very lucky to have
Coach Markus. He was incredible. He
taught us drills and dribbles. After the
games, we got snacks.
Five players play at a time. We rotated
every five minutes. We learnt offense,
defense, and boxing out. I was good at
defense. We had seven practices on
Tuesdays and seven games on Saturdays.
I scored well.
Coach Markus was a great coach. In
practice games, our coach did warm-ups
to start practice. He taught us to play at
different positions. He wrote to our
parents coaching tips after practice
games. We won every single game. We
were the undefeated team.
We learned how to play as a team. We
made new friends. Our parents watched
us play games. There was party in Clay
Restaurant to celebrate and award
trophies.
Adi is the second son of Arunima and Raghu Dass. He is a second grader at Harmony
School of Excellence. He likes playing sports and loves reading books.
@f[Ð, HLÐ]h jÕ²eZ, LÊcÐe `ËÀàÞcÐ, @Ò Ðae 15, 2011, kÔʽ_ç
16
The Friendship Story
-Nilesh Sagar
Once upon a time there was a
bear. That bears name was Jack Carr.
Jack was 8 years old and Jack loved to do
a lot of things like dance, write, soccer,
math, read, run, fundraise, and draw. But
in school there are a lot of bullies but
worst of all Jack had no friends in his
school so at recess he would just sit down
and draw. But one day when Jack was
getting his lunch he saw another bear sad.
He asked him why he was feeling sad.
The bear said his name is Robert and he
did not have any friends too. Jack said
the same thing. May be we both can be
friends thought Jack and Robert had to
agree with that decision. Jack and Robert
were good friends. So instead of drawing
at recess Jack would play together. And
when trouble came Jack and Robert
worked liked a team. Jack and Robert
also like to talk to each other in the
cafeteria. And it’s been like this for
months. We are like brothers. And
everyday after school they would knock
on each others doors and see if they could
play outside. And when they have a
project they would study together in the
library. They would both help each other
if one another gets hurt. And also share a
lot for the rest of the year.
TO
BE
CONTINUED…
BE ON THE LOOK OUT FOR MORE
ADVENTUERES WITH JACK AND
ROBERT [JUST KIDDING]
@f[Ð, HLÐ]h jÕ²eZ, LÊcÐe `ËÀàÞcÐ, @Ò Ðae 15, 2011, kÔʽ_ç
17
My India trip
-Anuska Mishra
My India trip was awesome. We went to
Chandigarh first to see my cousin sister
Ritul nani. She is 12 years old and she
also has a computer. She gets to play
with me too. One night we got popsicles.
I ate mine in their car. A drop almost fell
on my shirt. But I wiped it off. Next we
got some really hot salad. I threw mine
away and got a plain one. I went to the
music class at their house. Her mom is a
music teacher. Then we went to see the
rock garden and Sukhna Lake. I wanted
to go boating but it was closed.
I went back to Delhi and after a few days
I went to Puri. I had lots of fun. I love my
grandpa. He loves me a lot. I went to see
the Rath Yatra on a motor bike. I went
with my cousin sister Titili. I got to sit in
the front of the bike. It was so crowded
near the chariot that I almost got
smashed. I went to the beach. It was a lot
of fun when we went to the water and
played. I wrote my name in the wet sand.
The wave washed it away. My mom
wrote our entire name in the wet sand.
The fun part was I almost sat in the water
and got messy because I liked to. Then
Title also joined me and sat in the water.
My mom got wet and complained about
it. We went to a temple to celebrate the
famous Rath Yatra. The soon Dad came
back to Houston. After 2 days, I also
came back to Houston with my Mom.
The return flight was really good.
Leena & Rajmohan are Anuska’s proud parents. She is a 2nd grader at Wilchester
Elementary school and she has an innate inclination towards drawing, art and science.
@f[Ð, HLÐ]h jÕ²eZ, LÊcÐe `ËÀàÞcÐ, @Ò Ðae 15, 2011, kÔʽ_ç
18
Symbols Oh Symbols: A small poem
-Anuska Mishra
Symbols of symbols of the United States, tell me what you mean.
The white House and the Bald Eagle, I see you mean freedom & joy
Statue of Liberty, standing so high! People looking high up at your face
United States Symbols, so amazing symbols!
Hey you see the flag with 50 stars? You see the flag with 13 stripes?
You see the United States flag, so many states as stars, 50 in all.
Leena & Rajmohan are Anuska’s proud parents. She is a 2nd grader at Wilchester
Elementary school and she has an innate inclination towards drawing, art and science.
Ishita‘s love for pizza
-Ishita Patra
I love pizza
I love pizza
Do you love?
Do you love?
Yummy Yummy Pizza
Yummy Yummy Pizza
My brother likes it too.
Ishita is 5yrs old and goes to Sugarcreek Montessori School in Katy. She is the
daughter of Sarita and Gyanendra Patra.
@f[Ð, HLÐ]h jÕ²eZ, LÊcÐe `ËÀàÞcÐ, @Ò Ðae 15, 2011, kÔʽ_ç
19
Houston Ratha Yatra 2010
in Aryan's Word's...
-Aryan Patra
We celebrated Ratha Yatra on 7-24-10. It was held in India House. The chariot was
carrying Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Lord Subhadra.
The chariot was well decorated. It was pulled by lot of people and I got to stand on it.I
enjoyed the day.
Summer Vacation 2011
I and my family went to a lot of places in
summer vacation. They are called
Washington D.C, New York City, Boston
and Harrisburg which is the capital of
Pennsylvania. That’s all.
When I went to Washington D.C I saw
the white House, Washington monument,
Capitol Hill, Lincoln Memorial, Museum
Of Natural History and Museum of
Aerospace. The white house had lot of
windows which made me think it had lot
of rooms. We took pictures in front of it.
In front of the Washington Monument I
got to play with my little cousin Brother
Sid. In DC I met my aunt and uncle.
Their names are Chiku mamu and Tiki
mami. Then from D.C we went back to
Harrisburg.
In Harrisburg we went to the Hershey
chocolate World. There was a ride about
how chocolate were made in Hershey.
After the ride we got to eat chocolate. It
was yummy. We also went to the
Hershey amusement park. My favorite
ride was the rope ride which went over a
lake. In Harrisburg we stayed with my
cousin Adi, Sid and Tilu mamu and Silu
mami. I enjoyed my stay with my cousin
Adi and then left for New York City.
My favorite thing in NYC was the
Empire State building because from the
86th floor we got to see the entire New
York City. The city looked very big and
bright in the evening. After seeing the
empire state building we went to the
Times Square which looked like a very
busy place with lot of people walking
around. I and my sister took a picture
with a NYPD police officer. That was
cool. The next day we saw the statue of
Liberty. The statue is very big. We could
not go inside due to some security
checking going on in the island.
After seeing NYC we left for Boston. In
Boston I met my dad’s friend Shripad
Uncle and his family. I met a new friend
named Rishi and my sister met her new
friend named Ansh. We saw the Boston
Downtown and Boston museum of
science. My favorite thing in Boston
Science Museum was the Theatre of
Electrical Science.
In Boston I enjoyed with my friend at the
sea beach. During our stay, Rashmi aunty
made yummy food like Puri, paneer,
beans and yummy milk shakes. The
@f[Ð, HLÐ]h jÕ²eZ, LÊcÐe `ËÀàÞcÐ, @Ò Ðae 15, 2011, kÔʽ_ç
20
special thing about their house was the
basement which had a big movie screen
like a theatre. I enjoyed watching movies
there.
This is how I spent my summer vacation
in 2011 but I missed my home, my
friends and Ratha Yatra of Houston.
Aryan is 7yrs old, son of Sarita and Gyanendra Patra. He is a 2nd grader at Bonnie
Holland Elementary School in Katy. He loves to play Basketball, Cricket and Tennis. His
also loves to play chess and likes solving Sudoku puzzles. He loves biking and playing with
his neighbourhood friends.
@f[Ð, HLÐ]h jÕ²eZ, LÊcÐe `ËÀàÞcÐ, @Ò Ðae 15, 2011, kÔʽ_ç
21
Mr. Doodle Head
-Rishav Mohanty
One day there was a student named Mr.
Doodle Head. He was 48 years old, so he
dropped out and became a teacher. On
the first day of the school, a very smart
boy came and finished everything he had
on his desk. Then he showed it to Mr.
Doodle Head. Mr. Doodle Head said you
got a big zero. Because you got them all
right!! The boy was disappointed and
said you are cuckoo in a furious voice.
Mr. Doodle Head said ‘’Thank You’’,
and gave him a lollypop.
Rishav Mohanty is the youngest
son of Debasis & Bindi. Rishav is a blue
belt in Taekwondo. He loves to play
football, swim, bike, and is a prankster.
Currently he is in 3rd grade.
@f[Ð, HLÐ]h jÕ²eZ, LÊcÐe `ËÀàÞcÐ, @Ò Ðae 15, 2011, kÔʽ_ç
22
High Above the Trees
-Shilpita Mitra-Behura
In summer
I am very glad
The spring rain has
Sailed out to sea
Children squeeze
Nectar out of flowers
And play among the
Grass and stones
But, when the snow
Is on the ground
And water always freezes
I wish I were taller
So tall
I was high above
The trees.
Shilpita Mitra-Behura is the daughter of Somdutt Behura and Shrabanee Mitra. She loves
to dance, play piano, viola, and play soccer. She is in the 5th grade of T.H. Rogers School
@f[Ð, HLÐ]h jÕ²eZ, LÊcÐe `ËÀàÞcÐ, @Ò Ðae 15, 2011, kÔʽ_ç
23
High in the Storm
-Saswat
Pati
That lit up the dark
There was sand
Which illuminated his hand
Which lit up a spark
In everyone’s heart
High in the storm
So everyone knew his love
Which was as soft as a dove
There was a dorm
With shackles of light
That destroyed all in spite
The beaker was tipped
In a drift
That showered the earth below
To keep balance in tow
Which gave a spark
His brain is greater than the farthest
reaches of math
And evildoers shall face his wrath
And then light shall pass through those
shackles and go above
And everyone with their hearts pure shall
behold his crackling love
Rhyme
Once upon a time
There was a rhyme
Who didn’t rhyme
Because he thought, do I eat thyme?
Eventually there was a game
Which lost all its fame
And the rhyme was to take all the blame
Then spring bloomed
And the rhyme knew time was doomed
So he boomed
And he rhymed
This is my story on how rhyming came to this world and how it rhymes!
@f[Ð, HLÐ]h jÕ²eZ, LÊcÐe `ËÀàÞcÐ, @Ò Ðae 15, 2011, kÔʽ_ç
24
Jagannath in My Little World
I see Jagannath in numerous places. As if my world is encircled by Him. Every
day I recite the Gita in front of Him. Some places I His circular eyes watching me are of
course in the Puja altar in our house, and in ordinary places like in the dashboard controller
in my mama’s car. Did you know that the word juggernaut originates from Jagannath?
Some cartoons have this word in it. For instance, in Bagukan they have a bakugan called
Juggernoid. Also in Star Wars they have the Juggernaut which is a colossal vehicle which
remained in the saga for an extreme amount of time until the AT-AT eclipsed the
Juggernaut and eventually became more desired. Jagannath has spread throughout time
and the planet, but it has spread through me and my little world.
Balabadhra in My Little World
Balabadhra was a different case. We transported Him (the deity) from Orissa last
July, in a way that was so exciting. First when we got him in Bhubaneswar from Debasis
Uncle’s house, He was in a steel box. When we opened it, the box was full of cardboard.
It took TEN minutes for us to get all the cardboard out! After we got all the cardboard out,
He was in newspapers. Then we had to struggle to put Him in the luggage. When we got
Him to the Delhi Airport, He unfortunately weighed too much. Bapa had to use the
wrapping system (a device) which made Balabadhra enclosed totally in plastic. That was
amazing to watch. The process was extremely fast. If I made a name I would name the
device INSTA-WRAP. After this was over we transported him home. Did you know that
Balabadhra is the avatar of Shesha?
I am a devotee of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabadhra, and Devi Subadhra. I see
them universally.
@f[Ð, HLÐ]h jÕ²eZ, LÊcÐe `ËÀàÞcÐ, @Ò Ðae 15, 2011, kÔʽ_ç
25
Plague
1
Once upon a time there was a city named Frenck, which was paradise except for
one thing, the fact that a devastating plague foretold in a prophecy. Unfortunately, the
antidote was half way across the world. The leaders called mercenaries to find four
amulets to make a ship which had the directions to the antidote.
2
The amulets were found after three days of gruesome searching. The first one was
found in the sewers of Frenck, the second one a peasant owned, the third one was found in
the sign of a temple, and the last on was found in the royal jewels. This made a vessel
which would take the mercenaries to the antidote which was in an abandoned city called
Andicron.
3
The mercenaries had few obstacles on the way. The first was the city of Serut.
They avoided Serut though one of the escorts was destroyed. Now down to three escorts,
the party made land on the continent of Ravedin. They docked the ships and made
headway until they reached the outskirts of Andicron which somehow was populated by
hostile reptiles called Fevrus.
4
Meanwhile at Frenck, the plague had begun. Millions were dead. The leaders
feared what would happen.
5
On the outskirts of Andicron many men were killed or injured when reptilian beasts
attacked the party. They made their way through the city without being noticed. They
finally realized what the antidote was. It was toxic to non-affected people but cure to
affected people. It was the venom of the beasts that attacked the mercenaries. After this,
they captured five beasts. Finally when they returned to Frenck they cured and
exterminated the plague.
6
Meanwhile a man was sitting and staring happily and thinking, “My plans are
working exactly.”
THE END
Saswat, lives at East Glen Haven Blvd in Houston, TX. He is the son of Arati and Debananda Pati. He is a
fifth grader at St. John’s School. He loves to play Soccer, Star Wars, Lego,s and reading books. He wants to
be the first man on Mars.
@f[Ð, HLÐ]h jÕ²eZ, LÊcÐe `ËÀàÞcÐ, @Ò Ðae 15, 2011, kÔʽ_ç
26
Burger Islands
Anuraag Routray
Dear general Steve,
As planned, we have sent down 5
submarines to get revenge on the
Foodop0ly Republic. They are loaded
with 5 tons of ketchup to squirt with.
Also, 3 battle ships each loaded with
mustard are under way. Boy, this is big
revenge for them. I still do not
understand why they threw orange peels
at us. I guess they were mad at us for
giving a hamburger to their president
Plum Apple. Also, we have arranged for
7 aircraft carriers to escort them. Each is
loaded with 2 tons of mayos! And 5
jumbo cargo jets will drop chicken
burgers to use with the sauces. We hope
they have a saucy day. Can we build a
navy base at burger islands? We have had
some kids come and eat our troops. At
burger islands we do not have to worry
about lunch and dinner. Just walk over to
some trees and each ingredient needed to
make a burger will be there. Also there
are no kids there. But there is a problem.
A big problem, that is. The native
animals there are salads and chicken
nuggets. The salads do not ever want to
touch them because they hate meat. After
the chicken nuggets learned that, they
started annoying them by throwing
hamburgers at them. But maybe we can
take some citizens with us and establish a
government. It will help us because the
government will give us onionmoney!
Also the people will make goods there so
we don’t have to trade. Please Approve
this.
Ten Years Later………….
$$$! Hey Steve! Our army has grow from
2000 troops to 100, 000 troops! Here at
Burger Island things are peaceful except
the Save the Chicken group. They have
caused many riots because the
government has started getting rid of
chicken nuggets because there is salads’
hiding in houses now. Our army has
gotten tired of burgers so they started
planting pizza, bread sticks, and pasta
plants. Also, a lemonade water treatment
plant to purify the lemonade has opened
up. Oh and we get 500 onionmoney per a
day from the government! I’m glad that
we are here. But 5 years ago the nearby
country of Meat Republic had claimed
Burger Islands are theirs. They wanted
our big reserves of barbeque sauce. They
thought our army was weak but we
fought right back at them. It was a
success! Most of us are on vacation right
now. I am on the beach surfing on
Chicken Tikka Masala gravy! This has
been a great decade for our army!
Sincerely,
Anuraag Routray
P.S. I have promoted myself to 5-star rank!
The End
Anuraag Routray is a 4th grader at James E. Williams Elementary. His favorite thing to do
is to play with his best friends. He also loves anything to do with airplanes. He can be
contacted at [email protected].
@f[Ð, HLÐ]h jÕ²eZ, LÊcÐe `ËÀàÞcÐ, @Ò Ðae 15, 2011, kÔʽ_ç
27
An Autobiography of a
Tree
-Shyam N. Panigrahi
I am a Banyan tree in the village of Dholakpur. I was
planned 33 years ago. I was nurtured with love and care
by a kind, helpful and cleaver man called Kshitij. Each
day he watered me. He made a tall fence so that
children cause no harm to me. Now I have grown up
and I provide mankind with oxygen, fruits and cool
shade. Birds such as parrots, pigeon, sparrow etc. make
their homes on my strong branches. I am worshiped
every year in some festivals. I owe my life to the man who nurtured me with such love and
care.
********
22nd December 2010, My Annual Day
A historical day it was, it was my annual
day. Many colorful dresses were worn.
There were dances and songs of many
foreign lands. This included the Chinese,
Mexican, French and African. There was
also Chess dance & cheerleaders. Really I
enjoyed the Chess dance which was very
very unique. The parents were thrilled.
Finally it came to the grand finale part.
We entered the stage and started singing
with actions. After the song the parents
clapped so loudly that it could be heard
for at least a kilometer. I felt happy
within myself and I was proud and that
was very experience of my annual day.
Shyam also known as Satyam Babu is the son of Bharati and Jyoti Panigrahi of Mumbai.
He is in 5th grade. Satyam is the cousin of Saswat Pati of Houston, TX
@f[Ð, HLÐ]h jÕ²eZ, LÊcÐe `ËÀàÞcÐ, @Ò Ðae 15, 2011, kÔʽ_ç
28
@f[Ð, HLÐ]h jÕ²eZ, LÊcÐe `ËÀàÞcÐ, @Ò Ðae 15, 2011, kÔʽ_ç
29
Buchart Garden
in British Columbia
-Arnav Mohanty
“Where are we going?” I asked Baba. He
said that we are going to Buchart Garden
in Victoria. We took a 2 hour ferry from
Vancouver to Vitoria Island.
When we arrived at our
destination it looked boring. Suddenly
when we entered through the gates, the
scenery became beautiful. This is a once
in a life moment. We were surrounded by
a vast variety of beautiful colors. Those
colors were all flowers. There was a trail
which we followed. The deeper we went
the more beautiful the flowers were.
There were colors of red, yellow, blue
and many other colors. The scenery was
exhilarating. When we came across a
large lake, jets of water shot up like
rockets. The water turned red and blue.
We went to the heart of the Buchart
Gardens and there was a purple tree on
the middle surrounded by beautiful
colors. When we exited the gardens I
thought it was beautiful. Too bad, this is
Vancouver, Canada and not Katy, Texas!
******
My Experience at BTSR Camp
I was very excited for my first
week long scout camping. Buffalo Trail
Scout Ranch (BTSR) was the venue for
the camp. It was a very long trip to BTSR
from Katy, TX. The thing that was good
about the trip is that we could bring our
electronic devices to play on. The reason
we were allowed to bring it was the trip
would take 8 hours. When we arrived at
BTSR we saw more than 50 Boy Scout
Troops in line for the check-in at BTSR.
After we checked in we strolled to our
campsite. It was pretty small, but we
managed to fit all our tents. It was very
late in the night so we setup our cots
(cots are portable beds), sleeping bags
and went to sleep. The next 6 days were
exactly like school except even cooler.
We were taking Merit Badge classes
which took forever. One of my favorite
merit badges was swimming. The only
demerit about it was that the water was
freezing cold. Breakfast, lunch, and
dinner were included. We had different
meals every day. My favorite meal for
lunch was mashed potatoes and chicken
tenders. My favorite dinner meal was
pasta with red sauce and a piece of
chocolate cake with vanilla frosting.
When it was 7th day of BTSR we all went
into our SUV’s and went home. When
everyone arrived at home it was like
family reunion. Everyone missed me at
home for 7 days, I was glad to be back
home after 7 days.
Arnav Mohanty is the eldest son of Debasis & Bindi. Arnav is a third degree black belt in
Taekwondo. He loves to swim, bike, read books and play on Wii. Currently he is in 6th
grade.
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My Kumar Purnima Experience
-Devarun Dass
Yay! Autumn has finally arrived
after a record hot summer season in
Houston this year. We are back at
school. The weather is changing for
better. The Indian Festival season has
begun with Ganesh Puja celebration in
the first week of September.
Lord
Ganesh is the god of learning and new
beginning.
Lord Ganesh and Lord
Kartikeya are two sons of Lord Shiva and
Goddess Parvati. Kumar Purnima is
celebrated as birthday of Lord Kartikeya.
Houston Odias have been celebrating
Kumar Purnima since 2000. This is an
elaborate
cultural
festival
with
participation from both young and old.
There are moon worship by girls, and
classical and modern dances and drama
performed by young kids and adults. This
is a very memorable cultural event in our
Odia community.
Kumar Purnima is a harvest festival
celebrated on the full moon day of the
Hindu Lunar month of Ashvin
(September-October) in Odisha. When
the rainy season is over, the brightness of
the full moon brings special joy to
people. This is a traditional celebration
of the moon and is also called the
Kaumudi celebration, Kaumudi meaning
moonlight. It is dedicated to the most
handsome Kartikeya. Kumar Purnima is
known
for
Kartikeya’s
birthday.
Unmarried girls pray to Kartikeya for
good qualities of their future soul mates.
Girls pray to the moon as it shines with
beauty.
People also celebrate Gaja
Laxmi Puja, the goodess of wealth.
People fasting on this day can only eat
rice flakes and cold milk.
Preparation for Houston Kumar Purnima
2011 starts with selection of drama and
dance groups from different age groups
for rehearsal over next six weeks. Last
year we had to go to houses of different
aunties and uncles to practice our dance
to make it perfect. We practice for 2
hours. Arnav has been my dance partner
for 2 years. Gopal uncle is the director
and Sarita Auntie is scriptwriter of the
drama. Bindi auntie is the choreographer
of the dance programs with help from
other aunties.
We practice every
weekend to learn moves for different
songs. It is the most fun time of the year
visiting friends weekly for practice.
Sometimes I get to have sleepovers with
Arnav.
There are rewards for our
participation in cultural programs and
essay competition.
It provides us
motivation in addition to our learning our
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heritage. Our parents spend time to drive
us to practices to expose us the cultures
and festivals of Odisha
Yah! Today is the Kumar Purnima it is
my favorite event of the year!!! We get
dressed up with our best dresses to the
Kumar Purnima venue at 5 pm. The
aunties get 250 flower petals for floral
decoration.
We sing bhajan Ahe
Dayamaya and eat good bhoga! We put
on our costumes for different programs
for the evening. We get good snacks and
pizza. Our writings, essays, poems and
art works get published in Alata, an
annual literary journal edited by Arati
auntie.
We get trophies for our
participation and display of our artistic
skills. After that we get to see the adult
performances. Uncles and aunties are
very talented showcasing different tribal
and Bollywood dances. Middle school
and high school girls dance Odissi dances
perfecting their artistic excellence learnt
over the years of training and practice.
We also get opportunity to have
sumptuous dinner catered from a good
Indian restaurant. Kumar Purnima is full
of fun and frolics for me.
Kumar Purnima 2011 will be celebrated
on October 15, 2011. I look forward to
this exciting program every year.
Dev Arun is the eldest son of Raghunath and Arunima Dass. He loves to participate in
Kumar Purnima Festival. Dev is 5th grader in the Harmony School of Excellence.
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Cuttack Ma
-Ishita Patra (Gini)
On a hot summer day I went to India.
On July 16th, 2010 I arrived at
BBSR. I spent some time with my two
wonderful cousins Papun Bhai and Dona.
After 2 weeks my mom told me we had
to go to Cuttack. I really didn’t want to
go to Cuttack. After many minutes of
begging I finally decided to go.
When I first stepped into the house the
first person I saw was an elderly woman
asleep on the bed. I asked my mom who
she was and my mom told me this is your
great grandmother. Then a flicker of
remembrance floated in my head. My
mom then introduced me to Cuttack ma.
People are always wondering how
Cuttack ma got her name. Here is why
she lives in Cuttack so that’s how she got
her name. Cuttack ma was my
grandmother’s mom. My mom told me
she was a very kind person and always
had a happy life, a good listener and a
good role model.
I then saw Cuttack ma eat for the first
time. I never saw an elderly person eat
like that. My mom wanted to take a
picture but it was too dark. Slowly my
Cuttack ma stood up with difficulty and
moved to where the sun was shining. All
that struggle for taking a picture. When
we had to leave I looked at my Cuttack
before going to BBSR. That was my last
time to see Cuttack Ma. This year when
my mom went to India to see Cuttack ma,
she told my mom to teach me Oriya.
After 1 month I got to know Cuttack ma
died of old age. I know Cuttack ma is not
alive but she always has a place for me in
my heart.
*******
With my Cuttack Ma
Ishita (Gini), daughter of Subhashree and Dillip Patra, is a 5th grader at the Hunters Creek
Elementary
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Shooting Star
-Ishita Patra (Gini)
There’s a million stars up their
But one catches my eye
So different from the others
You’d never expect it to tell a lie
It’s bright and colorful
But different from the rest
It’s one of a kind
It’s my shooting star
Dolphin
There is a spot where you can relax
And see one mammal jump and glide
In the blue glistening water
Their tails swoosh in the smooth water
Making the most beautiful noise
This mammal is different from his rest
One in a million
This mammal is an animal that is special
This mammal smooth and sleek
Blue and bumpy
It’s my own special dolphin
@f[Ð, HLÐ]h jÕ²eZ, LÊcÐe `ËÀàÞcÐ, @Ò Ðae 15, 2011, kÔʽ_ç
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2011 OSA Convention: My Experience
-Dhara Chopra Mohapatra
On Friday, July 1st, we headed
out for Dallas.It was the 2011 OSA
convention. I couldn't wait to get there
and see my friends and meet new ones.
When we were in the car, we were
smushed. In the front were Somdutt
Uncle and my dad. In the middle were
Sumi, Shrabanee Aunti, my mom, and
then me. I couldn’t move a muscle in the
middle of the car. In the back were Soma,
Meha, and Swati. They were having a
much better time than I was.
When we got to Dallas, it was
about 7:30 p.m. because it took about
four hours to get there. We arrived at the
Marriot Hotel which we were staying in
and also where OSA convention was
taking place. When I went into the hotel,
it looked pretty much bare. There were
only a few people checking in to go to
the hotel. But when I went to where all
the fun was happening, I was astounded.
Everywhere I looked was decorated. I
didn’t meet anybody whom I knew yet,
so I went to help my mom put the bags
away in our hotel room.
When I went to the lobby, Gini
was there. But with annoying Ashu.
Anyways, Gini was there so of course her
mom was there. We went out to say hi
and then we went to the place where
OSA convention was going to take place.
We danced and played and had race. We
were having so much fun, we didn’t
notice what time it was. In the morning,
we had to do a tribal performance for the
beginning scene and we represented
Houston, Texas. The People in the tribal
dance were Sumi, Gini, Ria, Swati, and
me. In our opening performance, we also
had a drama done by the boys, a tiger
dance done by the little kids, an odissi
dance done by the older girls, and then a
fusion where all of us were mixed
together and did a small dance. Right
after that we all ate lunch. The lunch was
so delicious! I am not going to tell you
what the food was because then your
mouth will get all watery and I don’t
want that happening.
Sumi, Gini, and I then went
upstairs because we were bored. The
boys were playing xbox and ping-pong. It
was really annoying so we went
downstairs. We met Neha, Meghna,
Megha and Disha. We all went to the
auditorium to see if there was something
going on. The adults were singing
bhajans so we went back upstairs to try
and annoy the boys. Just to make a long
story short, it worked. That was the end
of the day, but we kids still had to have
our fun. We had a disco party downstairs
and it was awesome. We all stayed up so
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late that my mom had to come and get us
to go to sleep.
On Sunday, we had way more fun
than the day before. We ate breakfast,
dressed up and then did an odissi
performance for the talent show. In our
group, we had Ria, Sumi, Swati, Meha,
Gini and me. We totally lost to the other
dances. Then we all watched Dallas's
play by the kids and I have to admit that
it was really good. Then, we went to the
Marriot pool. It was so small, but the
good thing was that they had a sauna. I
thought it was so cool. After coming
from the pool, we dressed up and went
downstairs for lunch. At lunch we played
games until my mom had to come over
and tell us to calm down. Next, we went
to Neha's suite and watched a movie.
Finally, we heard about the khulfi that
they were passing out and went and got
some and then came back and ate. After
dinner, there were fireworks outside to
celebrate the night before Independence
day.
We went to the disco party again
and that was that. On July 4th, we all
went home and thought about how great
that weekend was.
*****
Dhara is the daughter of Reva and Gopal Mohapatra. She is a 5th grader at Mark Twain
Elementary School. Dhara likes to take pictures, watch bollywood movies, listen to music,
have fun with friends and when she has spare time, she does her home work. Her favorite
actor is her dad and favorite actress is Priyanka Chopra.
@f[Ð, HLÐ]h jÕ²eZ, LÊcÐe `ËÀàÞcÐ, @Ò Ðae 15, 2011, kÔʽ_ç
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Random Article
-Meha Mohapatra
Hi! Ok we were supposed to
write an article but since I have nothing
to write I’m just going to write about how
I have nothing to write about and some
other random stuff that might be of use to
life.
Life is a game because you read
the instructions, which is like school.
You are learning the basics of the game.
Then when you go to college, you start
the game but you’re still using the
instruction manual. Soon you’re on your
way to death! Basically life is a game that
only the CHOOSEN ones can play. We
are awesome!!!
Ok the second thing I’m going to
talk about is… uh… ok I give up. Let’s
see we can…oo I know ok let’s talk
about when you’re a lone and how you
want to be in a group and then you’re in a
group and you want to be out of it. So
another example is school. In the summer
you want to be in school and then when
you are in school, you want to get out
ASAP. What else? I had one at the tip of
my tongue. Ok well let’s move on to our
next subject.
Let’s talk about boringness. You
can go anywhere in the world even a
restaurant with the yummiest food (sorry
I’m hungry he he) and still be bored. Isn’t
that cool? No it’s not. Parents need to
find better occupied things for kids. Even
this computer I’m on is getting boring. I
got a DS and I started to play games and
stuff, I exchanged games with friends,
played so many games and other stuff
that I thought would take up my
boredness but, I found myself wanting to
throw up every time I saw the DS. Well
first of all it wasn’t my favorite color but
still. So I just lost the charger on purpose
and I think it’s in the dump now!
Technology is making me bored.
Ok new topic. So today I go to
school looking like I do every day 2
braids and my uniform and all the other
stuff right? So I’m just walking to my
locker and all of a sudden I feel weight
on my braids. So I turn around and find
myself looking at people I don’t know
adoring my hair and touching it and
asking me all these questions about it.
That was annoying but then I barely
make it to dance (downstairs) because I
was at my locker multi-tasking and
juggling all my stuff! The next day I go
to media team and I write my paper on
the back of my notes, then the teacher
comes up to me and takes my hair and
whip it on my face (playfully) I was ok
with that. But some classmate then
started playing with my hair. It was weird
so now I’m debating should I go with my
friends requests and leave my hair down
on the day before winter break or should
I keep it in two braids? But I’m ok with
the aunties that touch my hair because a)
I know them, b) they are not annoying, c)
they make my hair tidier because
sometimes I’m just too lazy to do
anything besides blink, breath, and the
other natural things you do when you do
nothing.
Well now let’s start blaming the
people who made this article possible. I
sent an email to everyone that I have on
my contact list that said has anyone had a
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37
stupid dream? Well that question was
useless because the only answer I got was
“do the writing competition” so I was
like when is it due? The answer was
tomorrow. Ok let’s think this through I
have to write a hundred papers, do this
math quiz, make a map and dichotomous
key, study for a Spanish test, wash my
dog and then I have dance class for an
hour but then I get to stay another hour
waiting for my sister. Then realize she is
going to Gini’s (not that that is a problem
but I could have been done with so many
things). So thank you to the people on my
contact list for emailing me with the
wrong answer. The question was what is
more
important,
knowledge
or
imagination? Right? Well, I think that
imagination is more important because,
your imagination will lead you to
knowledge and plus people didn’t make
this world out of knowledge; they made it
with imagination leading to knowledge.
And that is why I love to ask “What If ”
questions.
No offence adults, but sometimes when
you don’t answer a question we kids (or
maybe just me and Calvin) think you are
kind of dumb because you always have
the same answer I don’t know!Ok well I
have to go eat dinner ugh… I’m not even
hungry. Wait, yes I am but not for the
food my parents make.
And if this was an actual story like I used
to say or I was told how I said this
An END
I’m Gopal and Reva Mohapatra’s oldest daughter. I’m in 7th grade, 12 years old in Lanier Middle
School (if you like dogs you will love our school) and I hate to be bored. Thank you for your much
divided attention (you were probably eating). Actually I like to play the violin, try to play different
songs that I have yet to learn on the piano, read (not the textbooks), make no sense, give people the
“What If…?” questions and I hate common sense because sometimes it never works with life. Ok I
think I’m done now.
Oh my name is Meha Mohapatra. Sorry hehe.
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Collection of Poems
- Divya Rath
Courage
Courage means to be strong
To stand up to wrong
To seek what is right
This may not be in other’s sight
But don’t stay with wrong, you do not belong.
Harmony
Peaceful, Happy
Joyful, United, Together,
Equal, Friends, Diverse, Enemies,
Fighting, Screaming, Injuring,
Unhappy, Frightening
Disharmony
Divya is the eldest daughter of Durba and Kalyan Rath of Jasper TX. She is a 6th grader
at the Vista Academy of Jasper, TX
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Darkness
-Treeank Patnaik
It’s just a tiny option
But it can reduce you to fractions
That small action
Can cause a chain reaction
Talent, potential
Hardly any issues
I had it all
That’s how it seemed,
Then light was gone
And I couldn’t see
So I took it to the brink
Let all my thoughts sync
Finally I could think
Shut off the light
And open my mind
Enjoy the darkness, while it’s inside
I was smart learned, to make a bond
But I knew to break it when it became too strong
I knew I couldn’t be way too fond
Of someone I couldn’t trust for long
There was a train of connection
Everyone listened
I was alive
That’s how it seemed
Until the blackness came to drive
And I couldn’t see
So I took it to the brink
Let all my thoughts sync
Finally I could think
Shut off the light
And open my mind
Enjoy the darkness, while it’s inside
Don’t take it
And then break it
Try to fake it
You can’t remake it
Causes then you use me
And then you’ll lose me
The darkness you can’t see
I think it’s friendly
So just take it to the brink
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Let all of your thoughts sync
And then try to think
And you’ll be like me
Shut off the light
And open your mind
Enjoy the darkness, while it’s inside
It’s a phenomenon
And it’s the only one
Something you can’t see
But it’s a part of me
Darkness
*****
Tectonic Plates
Tectonic plates
Are heavy weights
Moving on the asthenosphere
Like 2 centimeters a year
When these plates slide and shake
What we feel is Earthquake
And when the Earth quivers
Every body shivers
When the plates converge
A mountain will emerge
And when Tsunamis storm
Inside, energy forms
Apart go the plates
And a trench is made
New crust comes high
While old crust goes “Bye-bye”
And while we have soil
The earth’s core boils
And even though on crust it’s cool
To go in the mantle you‘d be a fool
That’s a song about plates that move
Moving continents through and through
So when you’re asked about tectonic plates
Say you know them, don’t hesitate.
*****
Treeank Patnaik is the son of Manas and Sarita Patnaik of Houston. He loves reading books and
plays basketball. He enjoys humor and a very happy kid. He is currently studying in 7th grade.
@f[Ð, HLÐ]h jÕ²eZ, LÊcÐe `ËÀàÞcÐ, @Ò Ðae 15, 2011, kÔʽ_ç
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The Fireman’s Escape
-Asha Dash
2003. Kindergarten year. It was one
small step for a child, but one large step for
me. Let me take you back.
I looked down. A ten foot drop lay
in front of me. All I had to hold on to was a
metal pole.
Come on Asha! All of the other kids
can do it, why can’t you? Okay ready, set,
one, two, three, GO! Okay, not that time,
okay now! No? One, two, three, NOW!
God.
“Hey, are you gonna go or what?
We are all waiting. I’ll push you if you
don’t go now,” Veronica said.
I always hated her. She had huge
blond pigtails, a huge body, she always
smelled like the bathroom at Wal-Mart, and
pretended anyone was her friend just so she
could get what they had, like lunch food.
I moved and sat on the edge of the
dock. I sat there the rest of recess watching
the other kids hop onto the pole one limb at
a time, and slide down. The bell rang. I slid
down the slide and took one last look at the
pole.
I sat on the edge of the dock. The
bell rang. I went inside.
I sat on the edge of the dock. The
bell rang. I went inside.
“TAG!”
I joined the group of girls in crowd
for tag, and put my foot in the circle.
“Bubblegum, bubblegum in a dish,
how many pieces do you wish?”
“Five.”
After three minutes of the
bubblegum game, Derby was chosen as ‘it’.
She counted to ten to give us a head start.
Where should I hide?
The
dollhouse? No, everyone hides there. The
tree house? Too visible. The Big Structure?
Too big. I know the tree house!
I ran to the top of the tree house, and
positioned at the slide, if I needed to
evacuate. Derby’s eyes were open and she
was running to the dollhouse.
I knew it.
Girls ran from the clearing where the
dollhouse was. Derby had found another
prey. Catherine was it. I watched her, but
lost focus thinking about our reading
assignment.
Why did George Washington cut
down his father’s cherry tree? Doesn’t one
think before doing something? He could
have just asked his father for something to
cut.
I felt a thud on the side of the tree
house. I looked down. Catherine was
climbing up the side! Her beefy hands
grabbed the top and reached to tag me. I
slid down the slide, and ran to the only safe
place left. The Big Structure.
I ran up to the top. The slide was
occupied by Ella. She wasn’t going to leave
until Catherine came. I looked behind me.
Catherine was coming up close, so there was
no turning back. She was right on my tail! I
jumped onto the fireman pole and slide
down to the ground below.
Wait. I just slid down the fireman
pole! I just slid down the fireman pole, yes!
This is great!
The bell rang, and I ran inside. I was
now one of them.
Asha Dash, 13 years old, an 8th grader in Louise S. McGehee School, New Orleans, is
daughter of Srikanta and Soudamini Dash, and big sister of Rohan Dash.
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The Impatient Cat and the Fox
Ishani Sahu
A portly, calico cat with a tummy so
large that it dragged on the ground,
waddled down the dusty dirt road. The
cat proudly carried two new China plates
bought in town especially for his weekly
Friday night fish feast.
A sly fox, seeing the cat and his
dazzling plates, thought how lovely they
would be for his wife’s birthday present.
He had procrastinated and had no gift for
the celebration at his house that night.
Running to greet the chubby feline, he
cunningly smiled, “Hello, cat, how nice
to see you on this lovely Thursday
evening.”
“Hello, fox. I am coming back
from town with these wonderful new
China plates that I have purchased for the
fish feast tomorrow. I yearn for Friday,
for I have been waiting all week for this
event to take place.”
“I am sure you have. I can
honestly assume that you have not missed
one feast since your grandfather started it
when you were just an innocent kitten.
Although you have a fish fest coming up
tomorrow, I have heard of a river teeming
with plump, delicious fish that practically
prance into your mouth. I can take you to
the river if you would like to go.”
Drooling with anticipation, the cat
debated. He needed to rest for his feast
tomorrow, but the place that the fox
talked about sounded very nice.
Uncertainly, he quibbled, “Oh, I don’t
know. I have to prepare for the feast
tomorrow. The place does sound very
nice, though. Maybe you can take me
some other time.”
Patiently the fox replied, “No, no.
There is nothing to get ready for. I will
not be around for the next couple of days
because my wife’s birthday is coming up.
Also, this river has even better fish than
the food served at the weekly feast. It is
the best fish available in the whole
country!”
The cat struggled to make a
decision. He could imagine the juicy,
scaly food on his China plate, just
waiting to be devoured. He did not want
to get home late and end up missing the
feast. “Maybe, but how long will it
take?”
“Oh, not long at all. It is a short
distance from here. That way, you don’t
have to wait until tomorrow to eat fish.
You can eat it today and then again
tomorrow!”
The cat’s impatience bottled up
inside of him burst out of its place as the
cat cried, “Wow! That sounds really
great. Well if we can get home on time, I
shall go. Can you take me to that place?”
“Yes! Follow me.”
The fox led the cat deep into the
dark forest for many miles where a raging
river roared menacingly. When they got
to the bank of the river, the fox
exclaimed, “Oh! There are so many fish!”
The cat, licking his lips, could not
wait to consume the scrumptious delight.
“Oh? But I cannot see the fish.”
The fox, not giving up easily,
answered, “Oh, cat, are your eyes messed
up from the radiant sun? I can see the
river plainly, which abounds with fish
splashing with joy.”
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The cat, hearing this remark, said,
“Fox, can you hold my China plates
while I jump into the river and catch the
fish?”
The fox knew that he had won.
“Of course, cat.”
The impatient cat jumped into the
river to find that there were in fact no fish
at all. The current pushed hard against
him as he was swept away. Before
completely disappearing, the cat yelled,
“Fox, you tricked me!”
The fox, chuckling, yelled, “You
should have looked before you leaped!”
Smiling, he walked away with the plates.
He knew that the cat’s impatience had
won the cat over.
Anthony and Titus
The earth was a very dark planet. Titus, a
massive giant, had stolen the sun from
the sky. Apollo, the sun god, was quickly
beginning to fade, for all his powers had
been stolen. Bit by bit, the giant was
consuming the sun. People around the
world were dying! With no sun, the
farmers could not depend on their plants
to thrive; this was very dangerous
because now the humans did not have
much food to live on. Also, jobs could
not be fulfilled because there was no light
to see anything. The human race was
hurtling toward extinction.
Zoe, goddess of Death, decided to
try to vanquish the great giant who lived
on the island Titania. Bravely, she set sail
toward her destination. The goddess did
not notice when a huge shadow fell over
the boat and crushed it, along with its
single passenger. Being the master of
death and also an immortal being, she
was not able to die. However, she
suffered horrible injuries as her dreams of
conquering the giant were crushed. All
over the world, the many people who had
faith in Zoe were appalled that the giant
had easily defeated the goddess of Death.
Their hopes crushed, many humans
believed that survival was futile. As a
result, they committed suicide by
jumping off cliffs and stabbing
themselves. God of Strength, Othello,
heard of the grim situation that the world
was in and decided that he wanted to
attempt to successfully slay the giant and
return world peace. He had no clue,
though, how strong Titus really was.
In the pitch-black darkness,
Othello appeared out of nowhere onto the
island, hoping to engage in a fight with
the mighty beast while it was inside of its
cave. Boldly, he strode to Titus’ side
thinking he was asleep. Raising his knife,
he got ready to stab the giant’s enormous
arm. At that moment, a bright, radiant
light blinded him from seeing. His eyes,
paralyzed by the bright light, caused him
to stagger around in the cave until he
bumped into the giant. With one flick,
Othello was flung out of the cave and on
to the shores of Titania. He was
extremely injured and lost much of his
powers. The world was now in complete
desperation. Their last hope was in the
hands of the god of Deception, Anthony.
If he failed to get the sun from the giant,
the world would die out. The fate of the
earth depended on Anthony.
Disguised in a cloak of
invisibility and glasses to protect his eyes
from the sun’s harmful rays, the mighty
Anthony set out by ship to slay the giant.
As he reached the shore of the island with
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his celestial bronze sword hidden under
his cloak, the god of Deception crept
toward the cave where the giant ate the
sun in his lair. To get Titus’ attention,
Anthony stabbed the ground, sending
cracks on the ground across the island.
Bellowing with rage, Titus took heavy
steps toward the source with the sun in
his hand. As soon as Titus moved out of
the cave, Anthony hurried in and created
a humongous, invisible trap with bonds
that could not be severed. After creating
the trap, the god rushed back out and
observed the giant’s reactions. A few
minutes passed and Titus finally calmed
down and seemed to accept that the
cracks were random happenings of
nature. As the giant headed back through
the cave, the trap snapped shut. Titus
squirmed inside the trap but the bonds
were too tight. Taking off his cloak,
Anthony demanded, “Return the sun to
the sky! You have caused so many
people to die because of you!”
The giant replied, “I won’t return
it! It belongs to me now.” After they both
argued back and forth, the god finally
stabbed the giant in the chest, took the
sun from Titus’ hands, and threw it back
up into the sky where it belonged. When
Anthony went back inside the cave to
retrieve his sword, he found a river of
magical blood gushing out from the
wound. Also, coming out with the
magical blood were tiny balls of light.
These were the pieces of the sun that
Titus had eaten. As the god watched, the
balls of light flew up to become a part of
the sky, shining brightly next to the sun.
After Anthony saved the world,
the god of Deception was greatly honored
and revered for his courageous acts of
bravery and wonderful talent of
deception. The human race was restored,
and from then on, Anthony was
remembered by the little balls of light
that flashed alongside the sun. Humans
were reminded, as they looked up at the
small balls of light, that thought and
intelligence can matter more than
strength and physical power. Anthony’s
deeds shone down on the human race
every night. His story lived on within the
tiny balls of light in the sky called stars.
Ishani is the daughter of Upendra and Rita Sahu of Sugar Land, TX. She is a 8th grader at
Fort Settlement Middle School, who loves to write poems and stories. She enjoys soccer,
dance, chess, math, and hanging out with her friends.
@f[Ð, HLÐ]h jÕ²eZ, LÊcÐe `ËÀàÞcÐ, @Ò Ðae 15, 2011, kÔʽ_ç
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Time
-
Malina Maharana
What is time?
Time is fleeting, time flies by, time is of the essence.
Time is ever-lasting, yet it will not wait for you.
Time transcends through the years, changing, developing, yet staying the same.
Time repeats, yet time already lost will never come back
Time’s rhythm can never be changed
Time’s beauty can be portrayed in many different ways
Watches, clocks, sundials, it does not matter,
Because time will always remain the same.
Time is used in almost everything:
Going outside, baking a batch of cookies, or even going to sleep
Time has become a word you use everyday in your life:
“Be on time; your time starts now; it’s almost time!”
Time is short, yet time can be long.
Time is limited, and time is free.
Time changes nearly everything.
Our whole lives are built on
Time.
Malina (Lina) is the daughter of Smita and Madhav Maharana. She goes to Cornerstone
Academy in Spring Branch ISD
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My 8th Grade Schedule
-Simantini (Soma) Mitra-Behura
“HAAAA…” It’s 6:25 AM. My mom’s
shouting my name. This is how my day
starts. I topple out of bed, totally forget
about making my bed, and slink to the
toilet. My sister is ALWAYS using the
closest one so I have to go all the way to
the master bathroom. No details on the
toilet. I pull my toothbrush out of the
green cup (I always wonder why it’s
shaped like grapes) and get some of my
green, watermelon-flavored toothpaste.
As usual the cap breaks off and I have to
go to an annoying measure to fix it.
Putting my contact lenses on is usually
easy, but today it hurts pretty badly so I
have to remove them and put them back
in THREE times. I wasted time with time
with that so I change quickly, tripping
over everything and hurry to the kitchen.
A pop-tart is the quickest choice so I grab
one and shove it in my mouth. I tie my
shoelaces while chewing like crazy. Then
I hear my mom yell at me for not making
my bed. I ignore her thinking I’ll do it
later after school. Rachel’s (Shenoi) car
pulls up and I run to it with my sister
trailing behind.
We get out of the car in front of
the school talking the entire time about
things I don’t remember. The second we
reach the courtyard the bell rings and
we’re off to first period. Algebra class is
just like normal. Another quiz is coming
up next class. Next, I’m off to English.
We talk about “To Kill a Mockingbird”
and how the characters are important to
the stories. In Art, we talk about Greek
mythology, more specifically about
Medusa. During lunch, I first went to free
play and then had my lunch of pizza.
Then was orchestra, We played all the
songs we would be playing in the
upcoming concerts. We finally had a
scream for our Halloween song and it
was done by a 6th grader. I believe I went
a little deaf from that. Finally it was
homeroom and then the bus back home.
At home, I collapse on the sofa
with a book borrowed from Teresa, “The
Speaker of the Dead.” I revel in the
science-fiction for maybe an hour or so
and then finally start on my homework. I
start with US History and then move on
to Spanish. Luckily there’s no science
homework so I get out my math binder
thinking I’ll get some homework done for
later on but before I know it I’ve dozed
off. The next thing I know my mom is
yelling at me to go take a shower. I
sleepily look at the clock. I spring up and
leap to the shower. It’s already 9:30 PM!
Right after coming from my shower, I
hear my mom shouting for me again. She
tells me I have to make my bed even if
I’m going to sleep in it again. I forgot to
do that too! Finally I collapse in my just
made bed and hope tomorrow I won’t be
as forgetful.
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Home Away From Home
-
Dr. Sanjukta Samantroy
She clutched her son’s hand and prayed
fervently. Beads of perspiration appeared
on her forehead inspite of the cool
interior of the plane. The plane was about
to take off and Kuntala felt as if she was
being uprooted from her soil, her culture
– the land of her forefathers. Som, her
only son, had fared brilliantly in his
studies and landed himself a job. But,
alas! It demanded a project abroad in
U.S. When Son had broken the news, she
was shocked. Her husband’s demise had
already broken her heart .Her sole hope
was her son and if he left her….
However, Som did leave her with a
promise to return soon. He kept his
promise and came back after a year.”
You will have to accompany me “,he
said.”I have rented an apartment and you
will enjoy there .It’s a wonderful place
ma,I can’t leave you alone” .Kuntala’s
dilemma was killing her ,on one hand
was her son and on the other hand her
home ,her village and her relatives .In the
end she relented to her son’s wishes and
here she was on the plane.
Som’s apartment was heavenly .All
modern amenities which she never had in
her small town. The big glass windows
gave a panoramic view of the town .She
was surprised to find all Indian food
items. The only thing which made her
uncomfortable was not being able to
wash after her abulations. She soon
devised an alternative – a big bottle with
its neck cut .She kept it hidden from
view.
After her initial excitement of
adjustment, depression set upon her.
Loneliness hung on her like the black fog
stifling her and suffocating her. With no
one to talk to and only strange faces
which smiled at her without recognition,
she felt herself an alien .The only time
she looked forward to was Som’s return
from work .But his long working hours
and his socializing left her alone most of
the time .She cried often and slept at odd
times. Som noticed his mother’s sad face.
That weekend he surprised her by taking
her to Jagannath temple. There in front of
the deity, tears streamed down her face.
The pain of alienation burst out in a flood
of tears. As she started chanting her
prayers, she felt a hand on her shoulder
and she turned around. The smiling face
of an elderly woman greeted her, “kemiti
achu maa,kahinki kanduchu”?(How are
you dear ,why are you crying?) Her kind,
gentle and soothing words brought forth a
fresh flood of tears. She burst out all her
feelings and apprehensions. The old lady
listened calmly stroking her head. “My
dear, you have heard this ‘vasudevam
kutumbakam’ meaning the whole world
is one family. The Almighty is also one
who manifests in different ways as
different gods. It is we who differentiate
between them. You left your mother’s
house after your marriage, did you loose
your family? No. You adopted a new
family while still loving your parents and
siblings. Similarly, you have migrated to
a new place and adopted a new lifestyle.
It does not mean that you are alienated .It
only means that your world has grown
bigger .Embrace it with love, observe the
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48
good things in culture and appreciate it.
See the respect and facilities they give to
elders and handicapped. Make yourself
useful by lending support where it is
needed and you will surely enjoy yourself
“On hearing these words Kuntala felt
peace decend upon her. She realized that
the old lady was actually sitting on a
wheelchair and she recalled her aunt who
was crippled and waiting for death
because everyone looked down upon her
as a burden to society. “Thank you Apa,
you have opened my eyes.My behavior
must have disturbed my son too.I shall
always heed your words “.On the way
back Som was relieved to see his mother
smiling
after
a
long
time.
******
Yoshi…in our life!
-Chetana Samal
I had barely reached home that Romil
announced, “Mama, we are going to
downtown tomorrow to get the puppy”.
The excitement knew no bounds as days
before he had ‘lost ‘another cute puppy in
the shelter to other prospective parents.
We got ready and went to see Yoshi. On
our way, our lecture continued to see if
kids
were
ready
with
the
responsibility…If we were ready for a
pet! It seems Ranjan and Romil had made
up their mind.
We saw Yoshi and fell in love with her
charms. She was quiet and very friendly.
We brought her home only for a day to
see if we can get along with a pet in our
house. Before we knew, the day passed
and we didn’t even feel like returning her
to the foster mom. But in a week we had
to go for OSA convention, so we were
not ready.
On our way home from Dallas, we
stopped and picked up Yoshi and brought
home. I don’t think we made any
significant change to our lives to adjust
with a pet; it appeared as if she was
always there. She knew the rules of the
house. Won’t even give a slightest
trouble to anyone! Instantly became
friendly with kids and all their friends.
Summer just zoomed by!
Now she is seven months old and wow, is
she playful!
As soon as I return from work, she would
sense immediately, she would roll, jump
and lick as if she hasn’t seen me for ages.
We are so used to her language now- her
requests, her demands and when she
ignores us as if we don’t exist!
Very soon kids had the realization that
they have to make space for Yoshi in the
car. She sits in the middle stretching as
much as she can, face on Rijul's lap and
legs towards Romil and after a while vice
a versa. Rijul would ask the official ‘pet
owner’ Romil, “can you please ask your
puppy to leave some room for me so that
I can sit comfortably?” and Romil would
give some cursory look!
Her first long drive was when we
dropped off Rijul at summer camp and
next one was when we picked him up.
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This time we decided to take a mini
vacation at Fredericksburg. We went to
see Enchanted Rock. Yoshi as she heard
the name thought must be enchanting. As
we reached, Ranjan wanted us to take a
hike, a round bald looking hill and at 100
plus temperature this year, the idea was
far from ‘enchanting’.
Still we decided, let’s try. Yoshi gave all
of us a look, “are you all crazy”? Well,
we started hiking, but 10 more minutes, I
and Rijul gave up and so did Yoshi. She
won’t move an inch! Romil continued
with Ranjan with a promise that he will
be rewarded with a trip to Famous
Fredericksburg’s pie company. “Trust
me, Romil, don’t be that adventurous.
Let’s go back to that shade where the
truck is selling ice cones”, Yoshi
whimpered. But Romil made it to the top
of Enchanted Rock and next morning he
tried all kinds of pie!!
We went to Lily Apa’s house for a dinner
invitation and Yoshi was playing with all
kids in the yard. And suddenly (I think, it
was Dhara) I heard that Yoshi had an egg
in her mouth. Ranjan and I had
imagination that it must be a plastic
Easter egg or something. Guess what?
She had a full mouth with a Duck’s egg
and she knew a slight pressure will break
the egg. She was holding the egg so
softly and playing with kids giving them
a reason to have fun. Later I heard from
Lily Apa, being waterfront house, often
ducks came over to yard and lay eggs.
I must tell you about her lessons. Her
instructor was no less than any principal
in any of your Elementary School. And
the Yoshi who would behave so nice at
home, won’t listen at all. Romil would
hide his face or ask “Mama, could you
please demo? I will pass on her treats”.
While she loved all the treats when it
came to demo what she practiced over the
week, the hell will break loose. And I
would pray God to let the one hour lesson
pass as quick as possible. But he
graduated earlier than Romil graduated
from Elem School; he wore the hat,
danced as the music played and some
extra treats from Romil!
When Rijul and Romil are both out on
activities, Yoshi thinks it’s her job to give
me company while watching my favorite
TV Serial and she would jump onto the
couch right away and sit comfortably. I
would say, “Yoshi, don’t do that. You
know you are not allowed there.” She
would roll her eyes and tell, “oh really?
Who did write that rule?” As I step into
the kitchen she would slide over to
exactly where I sit!
She is so fond of her toys. Any time she
gets a new toy, she would grab it and run
and try herself to understand what the toy
is capable of! And sometimes, her toys
roll down under the bed and she cannot
reach. Or she is just plain lazy…she
would be looking around who can be of
use! she will look around and talk if she
find a brother, “hey, would you mind
getting it for me?” and often it would be
Rijul as Romil will be biking or taking
care of stuff in the neighborhood!”.
Once I found this beautiful fluffy bed in
the store which I thought Yoshi would
enjoy as she had outgrown her small bed.
To my surprise, she tore it up! I told
Frances (I often get dog-advices from her
and I know she genuinely loves dogs).
She suggested, find a bed closer in look
and feel the one she is used to. Finally
Ranjan found one and you should see
how comfortably she snores the whole
night.
She must see off Rijul and Romil in the
morning when they ride the buses to
school and she will be waiting for them
when the bus comes to the neighborhood.
And if she doesn’t find the boys getting
down, would look at Ranjan- “Do they
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have after-school activity”? Oh boy, is
she smart?
Anytime our neighbor’s dogs bark, she
would never hesitate to reply. “Hey, are
you okay? Do you need help? Tell me…
I will jump over the fence”!
With Yoshi in our home, we can feel for
our kids, sense of responsibility, being
tolerant towards other pets, being
considerate of giving company if
someone is feeling sad. We wish a great
time ahead with Yoshi.
“Yoshi on her new bed, sitting cozily in Ranjan’s office and playing with Samu, that
Rijul brought from a trip to Seaworld”
(This article is written keeping all our kids in mind who love Yoshi so much, they have
played with her or take out for a walk. Yoshi reciprocates by playing Frisbee or simply
by sitting with them if they are watching a movie or just playing a board game.)
@f[Ð, HLÐ]h jÕ²eZ, LÊcÐe `ËÀàÞcÐ, @Ò Ðae 15, 2011, kÔʽ_ç
51
Introducing a
remarkable man called
Dasarathi Mahapatra-My
late Grandfather
-Lisa Bedbak Alva
It was the winter of 1981 when I was
traveling to Bombay with my grandfather
(aja) and grandmother (aie) and I
suddenly became very sick. We were
supposed to take a train from Jharsuguda
(near Sambalpur) to Bombay. I was sick
like hell with high fever and my
grandparents canceled their trip and came
back to Sambalpur. That was the first
time I had an Asthma attack……I was 4
years old and I still remember that so
clearly. My grandfather took one month
off just to take care of me as I had to be
hospitalized. He was always by my side,
always. I remember keeping my little
head on his chest and falling asleep and
waking up in his arms. It was pretty
obvious I was his little angel and he was
really worried about me. Time flew and
as I was growing up, I realized I shared a
very special bond with my grandfather. I
was extremely possessive about him.
When I was in enrolled in first grade at a
convent school in Unit 4 in
Bhubaneswar, he would bring me my
favorite snacks every single evening. I
was indeed a spoilt brat. I still am
actually……..:)
There are some people with these larger
than life personalities who are simply
amazing and my aja was surely one of
them. My grandfather had a remarkable
personality and he loved travelling. He
visited England in 1988 when he retired
from his job at the AG Office in
Bhubaneswar. He arrived in Heathrow
airport in London and traveled to
Norwich all by himself to meet my uncle
who was doing his Ph.d in East Anglia
University on a Full bright scholarship. I
think it was a great thing those days when
there was no internet and few phone
connections, even in a developed country
like England. My grandfather was 62
years old and had no knowledge about
computers and had spent all his growing
years in Bolangir. He certainly knew how
to rise to a challenge. He always used to
tell me “Achievements aren’t about big
things, they are actually about very small
things. Achievements are about day to
day to life, being nice to someone is an
achievement, making a nice meal is an
achievement, doing the homework
properly is an achievement, giving a
goodnight kiss and to make someone feel
special is an achievement, wishing
someone on his/her Birthday is an
achievement, reading well and working
towards a goal is an achievement by
itself, accepting life as it comes and
trying to make it better with small tiny
steps is an achievement, to make
someone
smile
is
an
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achievement…….the list goes on. Now
that I am writing this, I can’t stop
thinking what an amazing man he was!! I
have always admired this trait of his
personality and how he never bothered to
think about the obstacles he faced on his
way. He had a strange drive in himself
and the more challenges he faced, the
stronger he became. Sometimes when I
am overwhelmed, I always think about
him and I get my determination back.
My grandfather was a feminist and was
much ahead of his time. He was very
well versed in History and he introduced
me to the world of Cleopatra, Anna
Comnena, Catherine I, Maria Anna,
Queen Victoria, Indira Gandhi, Corazon
Aquino, Margaret Thatcher and many
more.
The 25 years of life that I spent with my
grandfather, I never saw him talking to
anyone rudely and his calm demeanor
was something that inspired me. I don’t
think I can ever be as calm as he was. His
attitude towards life was infectious. He
never cribbed about anything, never
complained about food, weather,
pollution, no complaints at all. He always
wore a smile on his face.
I miss talking to him, I miss listening to
his stories, I miss his humor, I miss his
warmth that everyone felt including me. I
do and always will miss my grandfather
dearly. But I will treasure his memory
forever.
My only regret is that he could not meet
Ajjai, he could not spend time with Arjun
and Anmol. I know Ajjai and Aja would
have made a nice team. He would have
absolutely doted on Arjun and Anmol. I
would have loved to take him around and
showed him the places. But I guess that is
what life is all about and sadly we don’t
get everything we want. He is up there
and he showers all his blessings on me
and Ajjai as we raise our two boys.
God bless!!
Lisa's article is a tribute to her late grandfather (aja), who died in 2003. Lisa was very
close to her aja....
Lisa Bedbak Alva lives in Houston. She is married to Dr. Ajjai Alva and has two sons,
Arjun (5 years old) and Anmol (8 months old). Lisa is originally from Sambalpur and came
to the US as a student 10 years back. She loves to spend time with her boys, loves to paint
and write in her free time.
@f[Ð, HLÐ]h jÕ²eZ, LÊcÐe `ËÀàÞcÐ, @Ò Ðae 15, 2011, kÔʽ_ç
53
My Mouth, Your Mouth
-Gopal Mohapatra
Years
ago in a
dinner
party
some of
my
friends
were
debating whether it is heart or head that
shapes one’s life the most. At that instant
I was chewing a piece of mutton in my
mouth which obviously did not allow me
to chime into the debate. But once the
spiced
pieces,
chewed
beyond
recognition, found their way into my
stomach and settled down in the
designated chamber, I said loudly “It is
not heart not head, it is your mouth which
shapes your life.” Everyone had a good
laugh and asked me to continue doing
what I do best – taste half cooked mutton
to check if the salt in it is adequate.
After pocketing a few more years into my
age-wallet since that event, I came to
realize that what I had said that night was
right. It is actually your mouth that
shapes your life. Heart and head provide
the material and glue of life. But the
shape is given by mouth – what goes into
mouth affects your health and what
comes out of your mouth affects your
relationship with dear ones and the
society. I realized that mouth can make
you or break you – what you eat is
important to you and what you say is not
only important to you but also to others.
I cannot claim that I have sincerely
abided by that realization. There have
been times when the scent of mutton or
my impatience with someone has moved
me away from that realization. But the
realization has certainly not left me.
Legend has it that head and heart are
envious of mouth – because mouth gets
all sorts of first-hand experience – be it
food, communication or even a kiss.
Head and heart have been passive
receivers of all this experience. Although
they have got full authority over mouth,
the latter has the power to veto and can
do as many times as it wants. As a
consequence, mouth is punished by
having to loose the teeth one by one. But
with technology, it has been able to
surmount even that obstacle. Thus mouth
really does not care about head and heart
which aggravates the whole situation.
The only solution is to distance mouth
from food and people – and this is the
real reason why some people leave
family and society and go to the forest so
that they can only live on fruits and live
with animals with whom they cannot pick
up a fight.
On a serious note, words we utter are as
powerful as pens or swords. Let us use
them more as pens, not as swords.
********
Gopal Mohapatra and his family have been living
in Houston for last fisteen years. These years
have gone by very fast – the small Odiya
community (and mutton curry) being one of the
main reasons.
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54
The 17th Guru Kelucharan
Award Festival
-Soumya Rege
During my recent visit to Bhubaneswar, I
had the good fortune to enjoy a fabulous
cultural event featuring some of the
nation’s greatest artists – the 17th Guru
Kelucharan Award Festival. I thought I
would share my experience in the form of
a diary.
This festival, held at Bhubaneswar’s one
& only Rabindra Mandap, the setting for
many a great performance, is organized
by
Srjan,
Guru
Kelu
Charan
Mohapatra’s (Guruji) residential dance
school in BBSR where students come
from all over the world to stay & learn
Odissi dance. The festival is held each
year in honor of Guruji’s memory and his
legacy of bringing Odissi dance to
prominence.
Each year artists are
selected to receive a “lifetime
achievement” award. This year’s award
winners were Smt. Kumkum Mohanty for
Odissi dance, and Smt. Gloria Mohanty
for Cinema (acting).
Srjan is run by Guruji’s son Ratikanta
along with famous dancer Smt. Sujata
Mohapatra. I visited them with my
parents at their school. Attendance at this
event is by invitation only.
Day 1, Sept 7, 2011 – The Inaugural
function featuring speeches by the
following dignitaries:
Shri Murlidhar Bhandare, Governor of
Orissa, Shri Prafulla Samal, Minister of
Culture & Tourism, Shri Ashok Tripathy,
Principal Secretary, Dept. Of Culture &
Tourism, Shri Bajrang Lal Bagra,
Chairman & managing Director of
NALCO.
Followed by a flute recital by Surmani
Pravin Godkhindi & ghazals by Pt. Jagjit
Singh. I couldn’t attend this evening
because
of
another
overriding
engagement
that
could
not
be
rescheduled.
The next day the
newspapers reported that a great crowd
had gathered at the door to gain entry to
listen to Pt. Jagjit Singh, but was denied
admission without an invitation. The
crowd then became violent and security
had to be called in to restrain the crowd
and let the invitees in.
Day 2, Sept 8, 2011 – Started with Deepa
Jalan & speeches by two of the event
sponsors.
The first featured artist was renowned
Odissi dancer Padmashri Smt. Kumkum
Mohanty. She is 67 yrs old, but gave a
sterling performance. She danced a
Pallavi set to raag Hansadhwani. In
1965, after the birth of Ratikanta, Guru
KC
composed
a
Pallavi
in
Sankarabharana. He then cultivated and
promoted the Pallavi as a significant
aspect of Odissi dance. Before this only
two Pallavi compositions had existed.
Smt. Kumkum danced a Pallavi to honor
the guru’s legacy.
She then danced an abhinaya to
Bhaktacharan Das’ rachana “Arre babu tu
gale madhu bhubana, kaha mukha anaayi
banchibi”. Yasoda tells Krishna, “if you
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go to Mathura (to Kansa), whose face
will I look at in order to live.” Her
abhinaya was superb! She is well known
for her excellence in abhinaya.
It was wonderful to listen to the
accomplished musicians.
Singer Dr.
Mitali Chinnara’s powerful voice lent
such richness to Smt. Kukum’s dance.
Mardala Guru Banamali Moharana was
honoured on stage with a bouquet of
flowers. Guru Moharana has gained
renown for taking the mardala beyond an
“accompanying”
instrument
to
prominence on its own merit.
Accompanying Smt. Kumkum were
violin, flute, mardala & voice.
The second featured artist was renowned
Kathak dancer Smt. Uma Dogra of the
Jaipur Gharana, disciple of Guru Shri
Durga Lal. She started with a Ganesh
Vandana “Vakratunda Mahakaya...”
followed by “He Gajaanana...” (originally
sung by Suresh Wadkar)
She followed this by a set of padhants in
the 14 beat Dhamar taal, raag Bhawani.
Bhawani is a modern raag and has the
unique distinction of being created out of
only 5 notes (whereas the shastras dictate
a minimum of 6 notes necessary to form
a raag). This raag was created by
Madhusudan Patwardhan, son of famous
Pt. Vinayakrao Patwardhan, who in turn
was a disciple of the legendary Vishnu
Digambar Paluskar.
Padhant: means recitation (of the bols
for the dance steps). Normally kathak
dancers recite the tabla bol followed by
the toda bol before dancing. This helps
the musicians set the laya (speed). Smt.
Uma Dogra’s performance of this
segment was an absolute masterpiece!
Complicated
bols
followed
by
complicated footwork held the audience
captivated! She demonstrated a padhant
with 13 chakkars (twirls typical of
kathak) so gracefully! At 53 years of age
she was so full of vibrant energy, spirit
and a gorgeous smile, the audience was
mesmerized. It was clear that she was
having fun and so was the audience.
This was followed by an abhinaya –
Khandita Nayika (aka Virohini Radha) –
one of nine nayika representations of
Radha – Radha excitedly gets dressed
and awaits Krishna, but she waits in vain
all night. In the morning when he comes,
she recognizes the signs of his amorous
night with the gopis, red eyed and with
scratches on his arms... “hato ji hato, na
pakdo meri baian, mere saian – jaao ji
jaao ab bolo na mithi mithi batiyan,
nirmohi saian...”.
This particular composition had been
created by Guru Shri Durga Lal, in
consultation with Guru Kelucharan
Mohapatra, for a performance at the 1989
Gateway of India festival in Mumbai.
Hence the song is a close translation of
poet Banamali’s poem for this dance.
Smt. Dogra’s exquisite abhinaya brought
the story alive! So much feeling and
angst was portrayed you could feel
Radha’s pain.
She ended the recital with the shloka
“gururbramha, gururvishnu...” in honor
of Guruji, then a very fast footwork piece
in teentaal. The audience was vowed
with her precise & superfast footwork!
She was accompanied by flute, sarangi
(rarely seen these days), voice and tabla.
The tabla maestro was outstanding! I
never imagined a human being could be
capable of playing tabla so fast without
losing precision – fingers flew faster than
anything I had ever seen, and we do get
to see great tabla players in Houston.
The beautiful male voice, and the songs
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sung with such melody and depth of
feeling became one with the dance. To
quote an audience member “It felt like
the notes were flowing down from
Gangotri – so pure & emotional were
they”.
Smt. Uma Dogra said – She reveres three
people as her gurus – Guru Shri Durga
Lal from whom she learned to dance
kathak, Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra
from whom she learned appreciation of
other dance forms, and Michael Jackson
who inspired her to learn to dance with a
vibrant spirit. How interesting!
Day 3, Sept. 9, 2011 – Also started with
Deepa Jalan & speeches by two of the
event sponsors.
The
first
featured
artist
was
Bharatnatyam dancer Padmashri Smt.
Priyadarshini Govind. Because of my
daughters’ training in classical South
Indian dance forms, I have been
intimately
connected
with
the
Bharatnatyam dance style. Watching
Smt. Priyadarshini and listening to the
song brought back familiar memories.
She started the evening with a Kartikeya
Koutuam (or Kavitwam), an invocation
to
Lord
Kartikeya,
in
raag
Shanmugapriya,
taalam
Rupakam.
Padmashri Smt. Priyadarshini has
received the prestigious Kalaimamani
award from the Tamilnadu government,
and it is easy to see why. She is
beautiful, graceful, and gave a sensational
performance!
Her next two pieces were abhinayas. The
first one was a heart wrenching telugu
“padam” – Parakiya Nayika - about a
woman torn between two opposing forces
– her diksha to Shiva with her
commitment to serving him, and her
attraction to Krishna. One day, as she is
praying to Shiva, Krishna comes to her.
The abhinaya is about the struggle she
faces between her loyalty to Shiva and
her uncontrollable attraction to Krishna,
“oh Krishna, why do you come to me,
why do you close your lips with mine,
why do you pull on my sari, the heart in
which Shiva should reside cannot beat for
you....” She says “go’”, but her eyes say
“stay”. What exquisite abhinaya! I have
heard people frequently refer to
Bharatnatyam
as
“dry”.
This
performance was anything but dry, so full
of emotion (bhavana) and grace!
The second abhinaya peice was a telugu
“javali” about a heroine who is strong &
spirited. She has been promised many
things by the man in her life, but he has
not delivered any of them “you promised
me bangles for my love, you promised
me a necklace for my attention......what
happened to all your promises?” The
ending of this dance is left to the
discretion of the dancer to render. This is
a popular piece that I have seen before.
But, this abhinaya was truly outstanding.
Towards the end, she shuts the door &
walks away from him, he knocks
repeatedly, she is undecided whether to
open the door & let him in (hoping that
he might make good on his promises),
then at the last minute she makes a
decision and bolts every latch on the door
with fierce determination & walks away.
It was a surprise ending and got a hearty
laugh from the audience.
Her next piece was a “Tillana” composed
by none other than the famous Dr.
Balmurlikrishna in raag Kadanakutuhala.
I heard this unusual and amazing raag for
the first time – its special arrangement of
notes and its melody resembles a lilting
western style of music (not to be
confused with the Texas “western
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music”). It was a beautiful Tillana (the
equivalent of Pallavi in Odissi dance).
tabla jump at his command....and he is
left handed.
She ended the performance with an
unusual
“Mangalam”
“Vande
Mataram”, again beautifully executed and
extremely pleasing.
She was accompanied by a violin,
Mridangam, female singer and a
“Nattuvangam” (the person who calls out
the bols). The singer, Smt. Priti Mahesh
sang like a koel. The sweet melody and
bhavana in her voice, the brilliant
variations in her style of singing, and her
superb rendition of the commonly sung
“Vande Mataram” made the audience feel
humbled in the presence of such great art.
Pt. Bhatt followed this with a Rajasthani
composition
“Kesariya”,
that
he
proceeded to sing first, & then play. I
couldn’t stay for the entire rendition, but
Pt. Vishwamohan Bhatt sings as well as
he plays! Incredible, how one person can
be so multi talented!
The second featured artist was world
famous artist Pt. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt on
the Mohan Veena. Pt. Bhatt was the first
Indian to receive a grammy award in
1994. He received the Sangeet Natak
Akademi Award in 1998 and the
Padmashri in 2002. The Mohan Veena
(aka the Indian slide guitar) is a
combination of the acoustic guitar and
the Veena. It has 13 strings added to the
guitar and has a unique sound. Pt. Bhatt
first learned the sitar under the tutelage of
Pt. Ravi Shankar, but was dissatisfied
with the sound of the sitar, so he invented
the Mohan Veena....a brilliant man
indeed.
Accompanying him was another stalwart
of the music world, Pt. Kumar Bose on
tabla. Pt. Bhatt started the evening with a
vilambit and then a drut in raag
Marubehag.
A
truly
brilliant
performance as ever. The two musical
giants kept the audience excited with
their brilliant executions of taans, tihais
and sweet melodies. The duo performed
as one! Pt. Kumar Bose’s dexterity, and
his superfast speed literally made the
Truly a great evening!
Day 4 - Sept. 10, 2011 – This day’s event
brought a special surprise for us. “Kokila
Kantha Gaayika Smt. Arati Misra” was
invited to perform Deepa Jalan & speak a
few words in honor of Guruji & his
legacy.
Mardala Maestro, Guru
Banamali Moharana, was also invited to
do the same. Smt. Arati Misra credited
Guru Ratikant Mohapara with carrying
Guruji’s legacy forward with his hard
work & dedication. We had front row
VIP seats that day.
The
first
presentation
was
a
Mohiniyattam dance by Smt. Sunanda
Nair. A brief note about Mohiniyattam:
Mohiniyattam is performed as a solo
recital by women. It is a drama in dance
and verse, and has influences and
elements from two South Indian dance
forms, Bharatanatyam and Kathakali.
The term Mohiniyattam comes from the
words "Mohini" meaning a woman who
enchants onlookers and "aattam"
meaning graceful and sensuous body
movements.
Smt. Sunanda Nair did not introduce her
dance. It would have been nice if she had
done so. But, in spite of the song sung in
Malayalam & Sanskrit (mixed), it was
clear from the beginning that she was
depicting the story of Ramayana.....so
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clear, detailed and intricate were her
mudras & facial expressions. Compared
to the other dance forms presented thus
far, this was, by far the most graceful &
feminine of them all. She started with
the birth of Lord Rama, then Sita
Swayambara, Rama’s fight & defeat of
Tarakasura, Rama’s encounter with
Jatayu (this was an outstanding depiction
of Jatayu!), Surpanakha episode, the
golden deer episode, then Sita Haran,
Ravana’s fight with Jatayu, Rama’s
tender ministrations to the dying Jatayu,
meeting with Hanuman, Rama’s first
disheartening realization that a sea had to
be crossed, then the building of the
bridge by the Vanaras, Hanuman’s
meeting with Sita at Ashok Vana – Sita’s
fear at seeing Hanuman, and then her
eventual thrilling realization that he was
Rama’s emissary – the famous Lanka
Yudh, and then Rama’s happy return
welcomed by the people of Ayodhya.
All of this was portrayed sequentially in
one single unbroken piece without a
break. The music was a raagmala. The
music was presented by a male vocalist,
violin, “maddalam” (same as our
mardala), a large mardala called
“chenda”, and a small drum called
“chengila” (a bell metal gong) that was
played standing up.
The second performance of the evening
was Smt. Kala Ramnath on violin. Smt.
Kala Ramnath had visited Houston
before and we had heard her perform.
But this performance outshone that
previous one. She is a disciple of famous
violinist Guru N. Rajam, and is known
for playing in the Gayaki (vocal) style –
Her violin playing is characterized by an
immaculate bowing and fingering
technique that revolutionized the playing
of the violin by taking this instrument so
close to vocal music that today her violin
is called The Singing Violin.
She was awarded the prestigious Jasraj
award in 1999. It was announced that
she had participated in the background
music for the Hollywood movie “Blood
Diamond”.
She played raag behag, ektal (rarely
played on an instrument), followed by a
madhyalay in teentaal, then a drut & a
taraana, both in teentaal.
She was accompanied on tabla by Ustad
Akram Khan, disciple of Md. Sakhi Khan
& Ustad Hazmat Ali Khan. Ustad Akram
Khan is truly an accomplished
accompanist....his harmonious playing
added great depth to the entire
performance.
Smt. Kala Ramnath then played raag
Kafi, in taal Deepchandi. This too was
an extremely brilliant & well executed
piece. She then decided to end the
program, and the audience began to
leave, so we left. Later we heard that she
was requested to sing something because
she was also an accomplished singer
having started her musical career as a
disciple of Pt. Jasraj. Too bad we missed
that.
Day 5, - 11 Sept, 2011 – This was the
crowning evening of the festival – Dance
Drama “Ravana” presented by Srjan.
This was a special evening, many
dignitaries were present and security was
tight. Attending dignitaries were:
Chief Minister – Shri Naveen Pattnaik
Minister for Tourism & Culture – Shri
Prafulla Samal
Minister for Forest & Environment – Shri
Debi Prasad Mohanty
Commissioner cum Principal Secretary,
Dept. of Culture & Tourism – Shri Ashok
Tripathy
Vice Chairman of Sangeet Natak
Academy – Ms. Shanta Sarbjeet Singh
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Chairman Swosti Group – Shri Jitendra
Mohanty
They all gave speeches – some lengthy
some short, some interesting some not,
but the worst speech was by the Chief
Minister. With all due respect to his
position, his speech was pathetically
inadequate. He cannot speak or read
Oriya, but wants to deliver his speech in
Oriya, so he has his speech writer write
his Oriya speeches in the devnagari
script. Then when he delivers his speech,
the hindi accent sounds awful, and he
mispronounces words so much that the
meaning changes completely. This was
clearly a forum where he could have
delivered his speech in Hindi or English.
The speeches were followed by a short
Odissi dance performance “Krishna
Swagatam” in raag Mohana, music
composed by Yesudas, taal ektali,
choreographed by Guru Ratikanta
Mohapatra, and performed by the junior
dancers of Srjan. It was a pleasant piece,
and the male dancer was extremely good.
Then
came
the
much
awaited
presentation of Ravana.
Ravana’s gorgeous and elaborate music
was composed by Shri Debasis Sarkar,
and also rendered by him, & the writing
was developed specifically for this dance
(in Sanskrit) by Shri Manmohan
Acharya.
The premise of this dance drama was:
Ravana is the primary character
“Muladhar” of the Ramayana. Without
Ravana the Ramayana would not exist as
we know it. Ravana, an accomplished
musician, a great scholar, a devout
follower of Dharma, attained immortality
thru penance and devotion to Lord
Bramha. Bramha then granted him the
boon of immortality with the caveat that
he would die only if he abducted Sita and
was killed in battle with Lord Rama.
Thus Ravana engineered the abduction of
Sita and started the ball rolling on the
subsequent chain of events.
Ravana was played by Guru Ratikanta
Mohapatra, Sita was played by Smt.
Sujata Mohapatra, Sutradhar was
portrayed by a bevy of dancers, and of
course Bramha, Rama & Lakhshmana
were played by the male dancers of Srjan.
Ravana was a good production. It was
clear that enormous effort and time had
gone into the making of this dance
drama. Some of the parts were really
good, for example, how Ravana explains
to Mandodari why he MUST go to war
with Rama “If I give up Sita, I cannot
die. How can I live forever when all my
family and dear ones depart and I am still
alive? If I do not die, how can I attain
“Vaikuntha”?”
But the overall
production left something to be desired.
Perhaps some of the key incidents of
Ramayana leading up to the war could
have been presented in a little more detail
– like, Sita’s attraction to the golden deer
leading to her abduction, Ravana’s fight
with Jatayu – these stories were all just
related (thru dance) by the Sutradhar.
All in all, the festival was a great success.
Famous artists were featured, their
performances were outstanding, and each
day’s function went without a hitch. It is
clear that the entire festival was
organized with a lot of hard work, great
care, dedication and attention to detail.
The fund raising ability, the political
savvy, the public relations qualities, and
the overall vision required for
successfully presenting a festival of this
magnitude and calibre should be
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respected and applauded. Credit for
presenting a great festival like this, to
perpetuate the great Guru Kelucharan
Mohapatra’s legacy, can be attributed to
his son, Guru Ratikanta Mohapatra and
Srjan.
Notes:
An event like this at Rabindra Mandap
brings out so many artists (dancers,
singers, musicians), writers and poets
along with all the upper echelons of
BBSR society...it is the cultural “scene”.
system, the comfortable seats, the artistic
audience (and of course the A/C) all
contribute to an evening of pure
enjoyment.
Why don’t we have deepa jalan at out
functions in Houston?
We visited Srjan, but unfortunately,
could not meet Guru Ratikanta
Mohapatra. We did have the privilege of
meeting with Smt. Sujata Mohapatra.
She is beautiful, charming and soft
spoken. She operates Srjan.
The festival was a once in a lifetime feast
for the senses. The excellent sound
Soumya Rege and husband Ajay Rege have lived in Houston for almost 30 years now. They have 2
daughters Renuka & Rohini who have made them proud. Renuka studies at Rice University and
Rohini at the University of Rochester. Soumya is an accomplished mother, wife and singer.
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Bijoy Mahapatra
Memorial Essay
Competition
Shri Bijoy Mahapatra 1941‐2009 @f[Ð, HLÐ]h jÕ²eZ, LÊcÐe `ËÀàÞcÐ, @Ò Ðae 15, 2011, kÔʽ_ç
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Bijoy Mahapatra Memorial Essay Contest
Group-A (Elementary School)
Imagination is more important than knowledge
Devarun Dass
5th grade
Harmony School of Excellence
1st Place
Sir Albert Einstein once said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge. For
knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the
entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.”
The dictionary meaning of “imagine” is to form a mental image of (something not
actually present to the senses such as sight, smell, taste, hearing, etc). We imagine using
our mind. Human mind is the most advanced mind. The early human beings lived in
Stone Age without the comforts of world today. Using their mind and available resources,
they invented and created products and amenities for their comforts.
Imagination was a key to think beyond the available knowledge. Human beings
used their environment and imagination to improve their living conditions. They built
houses, roadways, cars, ships, aeroplanes, telephones, computers, etc. Scientist and
inventors first used their imagination to make a mental exercise or vision of their products
and theories. Without imagination, these inventions would not have been possible.
For example, Henry Ford wanted to make people move faster by driving cars than
walking or using horse-driven carriages. He imagined first the design of the Model T car.
He built the factory to build different models of cars in large numbers. This helped people
move faster from place to place. The Wright Brothers imagined how to build the airplanes.
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They first got the idea from a flying bird. They had to model several airplanes to
make it work. The Kitty Hawk was the first successful model before the advanced planes
we have today. Steve Jobs imagined about MP-3, I- Phone and I-Pad as the advanced tools
of modern high-speed communication. He thought ahead of others through his insight to
put together voice, data, Internet, video, and apps in a small handheld integrated machine.
He improved the modern communication.
Einstein was the greatest thinker of 20th century. He used his imagination to
develop the theories of relativity. His equation, E = mc2 is a product of his imagination.
This is a relationship between energy and mass at the speed of light. This equation was
used to build the atomic bombs. His equation was misused to bomb Japan in 1945.
Terrorists used aeroplanes to destroy the World Trade Center in New York on September
11, 2001. They planned very well death and destruction through their imagination for
these daring attacks. Negative imagination can be used against the human society.
Without constructive imagination, new products would not have been invented or
produced. For new thinking, imagination is necessary. Students should imagine new ways
to solve problems. They should use the power of imagination to think beyond the
available knowledge. Parents should encourage children for free thinking and healthy
imagination. Teachers and parents should help children imagine as an exercise in their
daily routine. This essay contest may be a small imaginative step in the right direction.
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Imagination is more important than knowledge
Saswat Pati
5th grade
St. John’s School, Houston, TX
2nd Place
Imagination is like a factory, kingdom or workshop. Knowledge is the boss and
imagination is the worker. Imagination makes thing possible. Knowledge is a slab of
marble and imagination is the hammer and chisel that makes it a sculpture. Without
imagination we humans are hollow shells. We would be black and white and without
color. Imagination is what makes a human a human and not a marionette.
Some may approach knowledge with more thought than others. Meher Baba says
“imagination can go up to the beginning of infinity where God lets only knowledge pass.”
Imagination is “creative ability” (Webster Dictionary 2004.) Knowledge according to the
same source is “understanding gained by actual experience or a range of information”
which is very relevant against knowledge. With imagination we dream and have ideas.
Without it many of our greatest people would have never been great such as Mahatma
Gandhi, Subhas Chandra Bose, Albert Einstein, Martin Luther King Jr., and Srinivas
Ramanujan. Mark Twain once said “You can’t depend on your eyes when you
imagination is out of focus.” And Frank Lloyd Wright said “An idea is salvation by
imagination.” Some other quotes are “Imagination is everything. It’s the preview of life’s
coming attractions.” And “The human race is governed by its imagination.” by Albert
Einstein and Napoleon Bonaparte, respectively.
Imagination is essential to life. Imagination gives the power to your thoughts you
envision. Knowledge is contained like a fly in a cage, while imagination is a butterfly
spreading its wings. These aspects show why imagination is better than knowledge. The
fusion of dreams and ideas is imagination.
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Imagination is more important than knowledge
Anuraag Routray
4th grade
Williams Elementary, Katy, Texas
3rd Place
"Imagination is more important than knowledge By anuraag routray 4 grade
Some people would think that knowledge is more important than imagination. Then there
are those who think imagination is better. Then there are some who think some of both.
Read this story and then think about it.
Jules Verne imagined one day a man would be on the moon. At that time people
thought he was crazy. But if he said that now people would say “it was possible just
because humans are smart!”. What the people didn't realise is that space shuttles would not
have been made without imagination. The shape of it was only made by a humans
imagination.
Alexander graham Bell imagined about an invention that could connect people
around the world. That was only possible with his imagination. Do you love art? Well art
is 95% imagination. Do you like Pokemon? That is completely imagination. Did you know
people wouldn't be what they are today if they had not imagined?
Even though both do not have the same capabilities they both have some
advantages. For example in art if you are the smartest but didn't have a strong imagination
then you would not do as good as someone who was the complete opposite. Why? Because
like I mentioned before art is made up of 95% imagination.
Imagination means to have the ability to form images and ideas in the mind,
especially of things never seen or experienced directly.
All inventions were imagined. If you imagine you can do something then you can
do it!
So this story has proven that everything needs both some imagination and some
knowledge sometimes a little more imagination and vice versa. Albert Einstein said
Knowledge is not the sign of intelligence, believing knowledge is the sign of intelligence is
the sign of stupidity. “
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Imagination Is Better Than Knowledge!
Diksha Rath
4th grade
Vista Academy of Jasper, TX
4th Place
Why is imagination better than knowledge? Because you have to gain knowledge
but your imagination is simply there all along. You just need to find it. Also knowledge is
not always the solution. One example is dinosaurs. If you were a scientist instead of just
studying fossils of dinosaurs to know about them why not imagine how they may have
looked ,what they might have ate , what color they were, etc. But do not think that
knowledge is not useful.
Knowledge is also very useful in many ways. Without knowledge no matter how much
imagination you have, that imagination is totally useless. If you try enough you can use
knowledge and imagination when you need them. Or you might want to try and mix the
two together. But when we do not have imagination everyone will start taking all things for
granted and will never think about making things better.
I would like to give some examples. Imagine how computers were big and bulky a few
years ago. I remember my dad’s old computer which was huge. If someone would not have
imagined about computers we kids would still be dragging a big backpack with 10
different books instead of doing most of our work on line. If someone had not imagined
about i- pods and i- pads we would not have a device that would work as a phone,
messaging system, notebook, camera, music player, video camera, and computer at the
same time.
I have heard from my mom about “ Aaa Janha Mamu Saraga Shasi “. For ages
people did not know exactly what was the moon and someone imagined that we can
actually go to the moon and it became true. In the same way we are imagining about living
on the Mars some day.
Knowledge is better than ignorance because it helps us to understand things better and
helps us to make the right choice. Imagination is better than knowledge because it drives
human beings to think differently and helps us to create new things every day. Without
imagination the world would be dark and dull.
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Group B Essay Competition
(Middle and High School)
Imagination is better than knowledge
Ishani Sahu
Grade 8
Fort Settlement Middle School
1st Place
“Logic will get you from point A to B- imagination will take you everywhere.”Albert Einstein. I have to agree. Currently, we live in a world full of technology that would
be unfathomable ten years ago. I am constantly telling my dad of tasks he can perform on
his smart phone, and my mom will be laughing in the background. (Then I give her that ‘Iwouldn’t-be-laughing-because-you-didn’t-know-that-either look and her laughter
immediately stop.) But how did these amazing inventions come to this world? Certainly
they did not appear out of thin air. Somebody imagined such a product and made their
dream come true. Sure, it took some amount of knowledge to design their gadget, but it all
started from one tiny little seed that started to sprout in someone’s head. It is the
imagination, though- not only the knowledge- that helps our world progress.
If you have knowledge, then you are smart. However- if you have knowledge with
a great imagination, then you are a genius. Subtracting the two equations tells that the
difference between being a smart person and a genius is having a wonderful imagination.
One of history’s most important geniuses was born in 1847. Thomas Alva Edison- sound
familiar? Yes. We all know that Edison invented the light bulb. What we don’t know is
that he got kicked out of school at age twelve. Why? He was too ‘dumb’. In other words,
he was dyslexic. Thomas Edison, the great, mighty Thomas Edison, had dyslexia.
Obviously, this did not stop him from coming up with marvelous ideas. I wonder if the
teachers knew that they had kicked out one of the brightest inventors of the century.
Have any of you heard of the comic strip ‘Dilbert’? Or, more importantly, have you
heard of the creator of ‘Dilbert’, Scott Adams? Mr. Adams attended a small college in New
York while majoring in economics. A few months ago, he wrote an article in the Wall
Street Journal about B students, and how not everyone is cut out to be a straight-A student.
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This is because he too was not a brilliant student who excelled in math. Now, he creates his
own comic strips. I don’t know if you have ever tried making a comic strip, but it is
HARD. You have to think for hours before you finally get a satisfactory idea. For him to
come up with a new comic strip every day requires a great level of imagination. Through
the eyes of any sane person, Scott Adams is a highly successful man.
To any religious person, God exists. It is not like He comes and visits us every
Sunday; we go visit Him. When we sit down to pray, we form an image of God, in any
size, shape, or form, inside of our heads. As people tell us stories of God, we imagine them
and assume they are true. Anyone religious can be imaginative; that is because we are not
certain that God exists. We have no proof that everything people say about God is true. But
if we believe in God, then we believe in what he did. You cannot believe in Him if you
base your opinions only off of knowledge. With barely any evidence, we base our thoughts
and prayers off of pure imagination.
Many kids play video games these days. Playing video games is not as baseless as
it seems, so give players some credit- it requires some amount of knowledge. Still, if they
were asked to CREATE a video game, they would not have a clue in the world of how to
accomplish that task. (Not to be stereotypical- I am sure that some players know how to
make one.) Someone’s imagination is not common knowledge until they pursue this image
and make it come to life. To come up with such a gaming device is… genius.
It’s funny how things work out. An average kid with a wild imagination can get
farther in life than a really smart kid who knows a bunch of formulas. Imagination is a
great expansion, much greater than any amount of knowledge. No wonder they say that a
picture is worth a thousand words.
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Imagination is better than knowledge
Divya Rath
6th grade
Vista Academy of Jasper, TX
2nd Place
Albert Einstein was a great person. He was a master of physics and science. But, I
am not going to talk about him. I am going to talk about this famous quote he said, “
Imagination is better than knowledge” .
I strongly agree with Mr. Einstein. Imagination has to come before knowledge,
Why do I think this? Because you cannot do anything new without imagining about it
first. It’s just like trying to find a watch or a small object in a dark room, but you do not
know how to find it because the light is off. Similarly, you can’t have knowledge without
imagination.
Another reason why imagination is good is that it lets us make, create, and invent
things. Of course, knowledge is good to have, but in a different way. I will demonstrate
this concept in the form of two familiar people, the Wright Brothers. They used the method
“imagination before knowledge” in this way : They imagined flight first, then they used
their knowledge to create flight. Flight would not have been created if someone had not
stopped for a moment and thought, “Why can birds fly, but humans and animals have not
been able to”? After the Wright brothers thought of that question, that same question
turned into a strong will, firm determination, and a powerful desire to acquire the ability to
fly. It was achieved with great persistence and perseverance. On December 17 in 1903, the
Wright brothers Wilbur and Oliver flew for 12 seconds at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
In my own experience as a student in my computer course, I feel imagination is
more important in designing a good web-page . Becuse you will have to imagine first how
a website should look like with its unique features to be attractive to people before you
apply your knowledge of programming.
My point is, that even if knowledge is A++, imagination will be A+++. However,
knowledge is very essential. You need knowledge in a lot of everyday tasks, such as
cooking, writing, teaching, construction, and business management just to name a few.
Let’s get more specific. I will take cooking as an example. You first need a basic
background of what you are cooking, but then you also need a detailed recipe so you know
all of the spices and directions of the dish that you will be serving. However, to create a
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new recipe, you will sometimes need to use your imagination. Just imagine if people did
not use their imagination to create a new recipe. We would be stuck eating the same thing
every day. (yuck!)
Another example of knowledge being good is it’s usefulness in managing different
day to day activities and improve the quality of our life. When you are getting education, it
is basically just building up more and more information into your mind. It is very
important to get a good education, otherwise you will not succeed at all in life. But without
imagination, the knowledge will not be able to make any progress in this world.
I have now shown the characteristics of both imagination’s and knowledge’s traits
separately. I will now write about both imagination and knowledge as a whole.
Imagination and knowledge are both fundamental characteristics in life. Let me put
the two and two together. We have a science poster. You have to imagine the layout and
the design, but the poster will not be completed if you do not have the knowledge that will
fill the poster up. Imagination and knowledge go hand in hand. First imagine everything,
then prove the facts with knowledge.
I wanted to give the last example of imagination coming before knowledge.
“Thousands of people saw an apple fall, but only Isaac Newton asked why”. If no one
imagined that question, we would have never known about gravity, even if we had
knowledge. That is how the imagination brings us the most essential knowledge. That
proves imagination is better than or superior to simple acquisition of knowledge.
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“Imagination is more Important than Knowledge.”
-Albert Einstein
Shruti Misra
Grade 7
Grady Middle School
3rd Place
What is imagination? Imagination consists of your dreams, your ideas, your hopes.
One of the most significant aspects of imagination is religion, in other words your faith,
your beliefs, and your way of living. Of course if you ask a follower, or a devotee, they
will vigorously deny that their beliefs are actually their imagination. They have utmost
faith that their God or Gods exist and control the primordial forces of nature and humanity.
But do we have absolute proof of their existence? No. Of course, the Christian God may be
real, perhaps the Hindu devas and devis actually exist. However, until we have absolute
proof, they are considered imagination.
Knowledge is something you know for sure, the hard cold unbreakable truth. It’s the
stripping down of ideas and beliefs until all you have left is the core. Perhaps not very
exciting, but it’s true.
This brings us back to the question: is Einstein right or wrong? Naturally, it
simmers down to the kind of person you are. If you base your ideas on all that you
gathered from your five senses, you will think that knowledge is undoubtably much more
important and useful than imagination. But if you are dreamy and always looking for ways
the world can be changed or improved upon, if you are imaginative, you will probably
think that imagination is more important.
As for me, I agree with Albert Einstein and believe that imagination is much more
important than knowledge. Without imagination, we would not be able to live in a world in
which messages can be sent to any distance across the world in mere seconds when a
century ago, it would have taken at least a week. We could not live in a world you can
cross in less than a day (if of course you have the money to pay for it) or a world connected
by vast networks of computers and social networking sites, notably Facebook.
If you think about it, one of the simplest and oldest inventions in the world, the
wheel, would not have been created without the power of a human’s imagination. The
wheel, which has ensured the creation of some of our most invaluable inventions, would be
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impossible to live without today. Where would our speeding cars be, our trucks, our vans?
Where would our airplanes and helicopters be? How could our immense selection of goods
and imports be brought to us? Just imagine a world as such. Would you like to live in that
world? Here we must appreciate the genius of our ancient ancestors. They might have seen
a cut tree cookie rolling on the ground and thought to themselves that they might be able
to lighten their workload by mimicking the shape of the tree cookie and putting the shape
on a cart. From that one ingenious invention,we gained a treasure trove of knowledge from
which a million more invaluable inventions could be created.
The story of India’s struggle for independence is a heart rending tribute to the
powers of imagination. Gandhi, the most famous of the freedom fighters, had seen what
damage war could do. He had lived through two world wars and had seen the pain and
anguish of the families of soldiers as those dreaded telegrams and letters brought news of
death. Gandhi did not want that to happen again, he did not want his home land besieged
by death and savagery. He imagined the non-violence movement. And through that
movement, India gained her freedom.
One of the most beautiful ways imagination has reached out to us is through the
great mythological stories and epics. In those words, the imagination and power of those
ancient authors is brought out to us. Look at the beauty of the lines, those fleeting glimpses
of ancient life- a pathway to a world completely different from ours. Epics have influenced
our minds for millenia. Think of stories as letters to us from the past for that is what they
truly are. They were created for new generations of people, people like us. They were
made to show us the good and bad of life, to appreciate the world as it is, something I fear
we never have done.
Epics also can set our imaginations to work, to make things in the stories into
reality. One example is the ancient Greek legend of Daedalus. Daedalus and his son,
Icarus, were imprisoned by King Minos. To escape, Daedalus and Icarus wrought two
pairs of beautiful wings. As they were flying away, Icarus flew too close to the Sun and his
wings melted and he fell toward the sea. That was the end of poor Icarus. Maybe, that
legend awoke in us a desire to fly. Parachutes were designed, then hot air balloons, and
eventually the airplane and helicopter.
Another great work of literature is the Hindu epic, the Ramayana. In this marvelous
myth, the sage Valmiki crafts a poem which will survive in our hearts for generations. In
this epic, the main character is Rama, an avatar, or incarnation, of Vishnu, the Preserver.
The reason or Vishnu’s descent to Earth is that Ravana, an evil demon, has captured the
three worlds (Earth, Heaven, and the Underworld) and has brought down the gods. Thanks
to a boon, Ravana can only be killed by a man. The main story is that Rama is forced into
exile by his evil stepmother and his lovely wife, Sita, was captured by Ravana. The
narrative then focuses on the war between Rama and Ravana, with the eventual destruction
of Ravana at the end. It is relevant that the act of flying is used throughout the epic. Flying
is achieved through the use of magic in the story, sometimes by characters flying by their
own celestial power, other times by the use of magical carriers, notably the Pushpaka
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Vimana. This, along with the story of Daedalus and many others, might have helped us to
develop the idea of flying and give us courage to make that dream a reality.
The Space Industry is represented as one of the greatest embodiments of
imagination. What began as a far off dream is now a reality. For millennia, people have
gazed wistfully at the vast expanses of the sky and dreamed of landing on the Moon,
visiting far away planets, maybe even of discovering other intelligent life forms,
commonly known as aliens. Only in the last century or so have people been working
toward making these goals come true. A few decades ago, we realized the ambition of
landing on the Moon. This was a life changing moment for many people around the world.
As the first man on the moon, Neil Armstrong, so rightly said, “One small step for man,
one giant leap for mankind.” Landing on the Moon was one of the greatest achievements
humans have ever made. The amazing degree of intelligence and imagination of these
scientists opened portals to knowledge culminating in landing machines and probes on
Mars and having space probes go to every single planet in the solar system and beyond,
bringing us high definition images of the space around us.
Imagination can be considered as the stepping stone to knowledge, without which
the path of knowledge would be almost impossible to tread.
That being said, not all knowledge has to be accessed through imagination. Our
prehistoric ancestors, commonly called ‘cavemen’, were not motivated to hunt because of
imagination, more likely that decision was fueled by a basic need to survive. Then, a few
generations later, driven by intense cold those early humans wrapped an animal pelt around
themselves and blankets and clothing were born. Knowledge can also be gained through an
accident. For example, perhaps someone dropped a haunch of meat into the fire and not
willing or too desperate to waste the meat, they decided to eat it. Cooking had been
discovered. Inventions can be produced that simply.
Some of the most popular inventions in the world were produced by accident. One
of these was the popsicle. A boy named Frank Epperson left some soda with a stirring stick
outside. The next morning, the juice had frozen solid. The popsicle was invented.
These important or popular advancements, which were fueled by simple human
need or pure accidents, are not very common. As yet, most knowledge is gathered through
the power of imagination and invention.
Imagination and knowledge go hand in hand. Alexander Graham Bell, the widely
acknowledged inventor of one of the most important technological advances of the modern
world, the telephone, dreamed up the idea of a device which could transmit sound over
great distances. He then had to research and experiment for many many years before
achieving his dream.
Einstein himself demonstrated this quote several times. He refused to accept that
Newton’s Laws were enough to explain the physical principles of the nature. He developed
the theory of relativity, which time has not yet managed to unravel. This great theory,
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though many aspects of it still remains in the realms of imagination, has helped us to
understand many principles of nature, time and space.
Yet what is knowledge without imagination? What good will any amount of
knowledge do to you if you have no ideas to apply it? If mankind had no imagination we
would probably still be hunter-gatherers, hunting animals for food with our crude weapons,
no better than a dumb animal.
In conclusion, I believe that imagination is much more important than knowledge.
Without imagination we wouldn’t have anything that we so prize today. We would be
nothing more than animals, scavenging for food with almost no knowledge of the world
around us.
Yet we know so little! We have barely scratched the surface of the mysteries this
planet holds, much less so the wonders of the vast expanses of Space. How was the Earth
truly created? Was it really a a small super hot ball of rock, or was there some other force
at work? Are there aliens out there? How was mankind created? Was it through Evolution
or godly creation? What was there before the Universe? The answer to these questions,
only time will tell......
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"Imagination is more important than knowledge."
-Albert Einstein
Abhishek (Rijul) Routray
Grade 9
Cinco Ranch High School, Katy
4th Place
"Imagination is more important than knowledge." The quote mentioned here by
Albert Einstein is the rule of innovation. Imagination is what brings brilliance into play in
our society and keeps the world moving. Without it, we would still be in the dark. Great
inventors and philosophers have stood by this rule. Edison, Tesla, Ford, Einstein; had it not
been for great minds like theirs, we could not have advanced this far in civilization.
Imagination offers us a means of interpreting information gained from the sensory
organs such as our eyes and ears. It allows us to understand things in ways we may not
have thought of before. Our world is full of randomness, inconsistency, and uncertainty. If
we cannot comprehend things, we often ignore it and miss out on many things in life. We
have a difficult time interacting directly with our real world already. Using our minds and
imagination, however, we can recreate the real world in a way that is easier for us to
understand.
Secondly, imagination is just as important, if not more so, than knowledge.
Knowledge is very limited; it is based generally upon only what we know is fact, and
therefore complicated to sprout ideas from. Knowledge is so small compared to what
imagination enables us to do that it is almost superfluous in some cases. But that is a little
overboard. Actually, without prior knowledge, imagination loses its focus and is not
always fruitful.
Finally, imagination gives us a sense that is not commonly associated with
imagination; anticipation. Planning and anticipation comes from us interacting with the
future through our thoughts. It gives us a model we can use to predict what could happen
in the future. Many things, including planning, innovation, and moral decisions are made
through the models in our imagination.
In essence, imagination is what inspires us to create anything and everything. It is
what gives us ideas, the foundation of every business plan, build buildings, or to write
stories. Imagination is our door to creativity, and without it life would be dull and mankind
would progress very little.
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Orissa Culture Society (OCC) Accounts Details
(20010-2011) as of 09/28/2011
INCOME
Contribution from community for Rathajatra
Contribution to OCC from other resources
$14,279
$32,724.16
EXPENDITURE
Rathajatra Expenses -
$ 21,898.92
Alataa 2010
Total Contributions
$760.00
Expenditure
$778.40
--------------------------------------------------------Balance
- $18.40
Previous years balance
$405.85
---------------------------------------------------------Total Balance after 2010
$387.45
Kumar Purnima 2010
Total Contribution=
Total Expense=
Previous years balance=
$2640
$2300.99
$386.39
Total Balance after 2009 KP=$725.40
OCC Short Term Interest Free Loan & Donation from the community
members (total 1)
Returned to the member $2,000
OCC Expenses
Jose Arguello to clean and level OCC land at Desoto
Silversand Services to clean up the OCC land at Desoto
Check reorder
Return of contribution to the member
Janmastami 2010 poster
Fence at Desoto
$10,500.00
$1250.00
$23.95
$201.00
$203.00
$875.07
Current available balance
$50,938.19
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