First Literary Party/October 5th, 2020 Curated by The Pine Cone Review
Literary Party: World Teachers’ Day 001 October 5th, 2020 Editorial team: Dr. Khusi Pattanayak (fiction), Debalina Das (non-fiction) and Susmita Paul (poetry & art). Curated and published by The Pine Cone Review. www.thepineconereview.blogspot.com Please send all queries by e-mail to thepineconereview@gmail.com All rights of the works remain with the writers. 2
All opinions expressed in the literary pieces belong to the respective writers. The Pine Cone Review does not take any liability for the same. Cover page image attribution: <a href='https://www.freepik.com/vectors/school' >School vector created by freepik www.freepik.com</a>
Cost: Priceless. Free distribution rights acknowledged.
3
4
Contents Introduction by Sreemoyee Chatterjee…………………………….……...1 White Poppies by Dibyashree Nandy..……...4 Unique friendship and bliss by Dr.Thirupurasundari C J………….………...12 Didimoni by Jayasree Bhattacharjee. Translated from Bengali by Susmita Paul….18 My happy and blessed journey as a teacher by Srikala Ganapathy………………………….20 A Teacher’s Lockdown Lament by Vidya Shankar…………………………………….27 In conclusion by Susmita Paul…………….31 5
6
Introduction Sreemoyee Chatterjee Learning is an audio-visual process at the least. What one hears and what one sees become the guiding light. From the first harsh word heard to the first word that lights our interest, from the first hurt to living with aging bones, we are continuously learning. From the very beginning of our life, we learn and earn knowledge with every human communication. Learning, thus, is a multi-level act.
This act is not aimed at only achieving precision. Learning is a progression on most parts. What we learn once, we take it forward and keep adding on to the layers of knowledge gained. One important aspect of learning is unlearning. Sometimes, learning a new thing necessitates un-learning the old learning. If we cannot un-learn, our learning is hindered in such conditions. Enrichment is thus not always gained in the process of continuous progression. It is this ability to assess a
2
situation and act accordingly can be called the true state of learning.
3
White Poppies Dibyasree Nandy “Lieutenant Colonel Silvanus Hildebrandt, He who led the ‘Album Papaver’ Squad. Finest among men. In remembrance he shall be held, just like the White Poppy that symbolized his legion. *** When Willard heard the details of Hildebrandt’s unnatural death, he muttered:
4
“You were exactly the man I always knew you to be.” *** I strode briskly down the stairs of our headquarters and reached the ground floor. Moving swiftly towards the north wing of the corridor, I rapped sharply on the door of the fourth room from the right of a grimy painting of the Neuschwanstein Castle. After a moment, the door was opened by Willard, my subordinate. “Oh, it’s you, Sir. Do come in.” 5
I entered the room and slammed the door shut. Before Willard realized anything, I had pulled out my revolver in a flash; a Bodeo 1889; and pointed it straight towards Willard’s forehead. His eyes widened, then he relaxed his stance and sighed, closing his eyes as if a great weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He seemed ready to embrace his fate. “Nothing less from you, Silvanus Hildebrandt. My farce is up, eh?” “Willard, tell me something, is the Major General your co-spy?” 6
The 21-year old looked impassive. I approached Willard and pressed the muzzle against his forehead. “I wish you the best in life, Will. You’ve always been a good and pure-hearted lad.” I lowered my revolver and let my right-hand fall limp, stepping away and turning my back towards my ex-subordinate. *** He who voluntarily permits the enemy spy to escape into the shadows of a moonless night is labelled a ‘traitor’. 7
They called me a champion of righteousness, the kind of man who reaps the lives of any sort of wrong doer, even if it’s one’s mentor. Colonel Keith Torbert, who had served as my lighthouse in the dark, was one such victim of the ‘reaper’ known as Silvanus Hildebrandt. *** Colonel Torbert was my inspiration. He was kind and compassionate with an incredibly strong sense of justice. I could never thank him enough for everything he had taught me and for deeply influencing me ever since I had 8
been placed under his tutelage upon my enlistment in the army. Little did I know that there was trauma and despair behind his eyes; he constantly battled against deep, dark emotions which gradually decayed his heart. On that fateful day in 1942, Colonel Torbert shot three men from our reconnaissance unit who had sustained heavy injuries. *** â&#x20AC;&#x153;Major General, please allow me to shoot Colonel Torbert at the court-martial
9
tomorrow. But before that, let me have a word with my teacher.” *** “Hildebrandt, I heard about it. Sorry you had to dirty your hands on my account.” “It’s alright, Sir. It was my choice. I had failed to protect the sanity of the one who transformed me into what I am today.” “Sanity! Do you remember that after the previous war, I went back to my hometown in the brown countryside? Know why I rejoined? I couldn’t stand peace. Once you give up on 10
your morality in war, you can never get it back. An army veteran leaves a part of himself in the battlefield which gnaws at his heart in the quiet of the night.” With my act, I had killed a part of myself too. *** “So, what does the Ritter der Gerechtigkeit have in store for me?” The Major General asked me That title annoyed me. “Both you and I are traitors; when the clock finishes striking twelve, let’s pull the triggers 11
simultaneously. This will be our courtmartial.â&#x20AC;? I tossed him a Beretta Stampede.
12
Unique friendship and bliss Dr.Thirupurasundari C J Mentors are our awakeners. They evoke our potential. But as a mentor, I feel students rejuvenate our souls. Their inclination to explore further, makes us the finest teachers. The mantra in this relationship is to respect them. They primarily expect guidance, love and friendship from us. We in return mould them as a disciplined individual. As a catalyst, we instigate them to face challenges in life. Our lessons on the black boards get impregnated within them. 13
My relationship with students has always been cherishing. They shower us with their innocent love and attitude. Though not a teacher now, I always remember the bond I had with a differently-abled student. My style of approaching students by breaking the stereotypes, made him establish a sense of trust towards me. Being an introverted child, I found him developing his socialization skills when I was around. This striking difference in his behaviour made me more allured towards him. I strongly sensed that I could provide a sort of positive reinforcement. Such special 14
friends need our focus not only on a daily syllabus but also with regards to modelling their social and emotional development, mental health. He always needed special icebreakers. His eyes spoke to me the most. Occasionally, he would explode with hatred, but I could observe his euphoric expressions when he sensed my forbearance. Our special bond blossomed further. I found him more gleeful and energetic. He needed unique assignments and scrap sheets. Right from taking attendance until I quit the classroom for the day, he needed diversified attention. Some 15
days, it would be tiring; still, I could accomplish my tasks. Our physical science classes would revolve more around concepts and explanations. He would at times remain silent as if he were facing debacles. Slowly with finer details explained, he used to communicate. My presence as a substitute for his art or physical education teacher was a bonus to him. Along with him, the entire classroom would jump up with joy, with unusual expressions, sounds and performances. I tried my level best so that
16
he could portray his best version. This special friendship would always be revered.
17
Didimoni Original Bengali poem by Jayasree Bhattacharjee//Translated by Susmita Paul Only one day to remember? They are inter-twined in our lives The ones who taught us to ponder. The first alphabet to ethics and morality Or, to learn music, dancing, and painting They have extended their helping Hands and hearts, Oh how do you repay such grace?
18
All the wealth and fame is theirs to claim After you, o Lord, they are your incarnations divine. Even today, when I fall, the one who calms And reaches out without fail, She is my pride, a soulful being She made me humane, my soul a king, She is one and only My loving Didimoni!
19
My happy and blessed journey as a teacher Srikala Ganapathy I am starting my story with a note of gratitude. I am grateful to God and life for all the teaching experiences and opportunities. Experiences have moulded me to what I am today. I believe every teacher is a learner at first. A teacher learns qualities of empathy and patience when working with children. I have taught Biology, English and handwriting to children. It has given me immense satisfaction to nurture young minds. 20
I have taught first generation learners. Their determination to come up in life in spite of their myriad challenges inspired me to reach out to them and guide them. All they need is guidance, encouragement, and proper direction. As a handwriting faculty, guiding children to overcome their difficulties, where each child had their own share of problems, was a fulfilling experience. I helped them in correcting letter formations, taught them spacing between words using different techniques, and used mind programming tools 21
to help children change their conditioned habits. What a joy it is to see their handwriting improve! Nearing forty, my hearing abilities had suddenly deteriorated recently. I was shocked and scared. I could not hear the door-bell. I could not follow television. Phone conversations became a challenge. Series of visits to expert doctors and audiologists followed. Tests were done and I was informed that I was suffering from profound neural hearing loss. Doctors said that this could be due to damage to hair cells in the inner ear. 22
Hearing aids came as a solution and I started to use them. They were not much of help in terms of clarity. I reached the nadir when my teaching activities got considerably reduced due to my hearing issues. Slowly, I started to accept the situation and face the challenge with grace. Now, in the COVID pandemic, I got a wonderful opportunity to teach young girls Microbiology and English online. My students come from a humble background. I am so happy to see their inner drive to learn. They want to build their knowledge. They have 23
loads of dreams to succeed in life and are willing to work hard and persevere. I am having a lovely time teaching and listening to their voices and guiding them thanks to technology. I also donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t mind taking calculated risks of using headphones (as per doctorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s orders I am strictly advised against using it as this can cause further damage to my ears). To balance I have cut down on music listening time with headphones. But I want to do what I love the most. That is teaching, creating happiness for myself, to guide children and make some 24
positive impact in their lives. This gives meaning and purpose to my life. I would like to conclude with another story. Recently, I got an opportunity to mentor a young girl. It was a one to one mentor- mentee program. When Universe gave me such a new opportunity, I did not want to say no. I am enjoying my interactions with her. I share my challenges, my learnings, and my experiences, apart from teaching academics. These are life skills. It is wisdom apart from knowledge. They are vital for shaping oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s confidence and gives maturity and courage to face life. I 25
am happy to guide her. I feel touched to know that my mentee loves my approach and feels very comfortable. These experiences further boost my spirits. How lovely it is to be able to discover oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s passion and create happiness and meaning to our lives and also to be able to make a difference to the childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lives! I feel happy and blessed to be a teacher.
26
A Teacherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Lockdown Lament Vidya Shankar Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow Creeps in this petty pace, day to day, The hours are upon me, quite unapologetically, Not giving me a chance to even whisper A gratitude for the sufficiency of devices available For my students and me to carry on, Pretty unscathed, through lockdown lethargies, Our interactions of learning and teaching. 27
And so, as one online class moves on into another, As days become nights and nights become days, As time is measured by the digital clock on the screen, As sound is now a faint unpleasant hum In plugged ears, And sleep seeps in when the luminance that glares into eyes" Eventually, everyday dims to darkness, I grapple with timeâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;
28
Time—when my hands can feel life and better things Than the qwerty; Time—when my eyes can look upon the brightness Of a sunlit morn or a moonlit night; Time—when my ears brim with real music; Time—when I can un-quarantine myself Away from my desk upon which sits, In a box, my classes of eight, nine, and ten, And experience the freedom of lockdown.
29
(The opening lines, "Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow / Creeps in this petty pace, day to day" are from the famous soliloquy in Shakespeare's Macbeth.)
30
In conclusion Some teachers bring out the best in you, some teachers don't. Some teachers swing by the syllabus, some go to the core. Some teachers live up to the expectations, some cross the shore. Some teachers ask you how you are, some teachers won't. Some teachers bring out the well of tears, some wipe them aside, Some teachers sit with broken words, some teachers light the fire inside. 31
Some teachers cajole and pet you, some teachers let you run wild. Some teachers teach while others just nurture and are kind. When I decided to birth The Pine Cone Review, I counted my blessings. I came from a place of unrest of the mind and the body. I was looking for something that would help me make meaning of my existence. In my darkest hours, I remembered two of my teachers and their unfailing confidence in me. I remembered how each time I visited my doctor in India, he would appreciate my 32
resilience. I remembered the little challenges I have walked through. Rain and shine, my search for rainbows has remained unstoppable. I remembered learning the lesson of humility from my mother, the lesson of compassion from my family and the lesson of learning with joy from my son. As so many teaching souls inhabit my being, I did find my courage to tread on a new path. This event is, not only, the first event of our literary magazine, it is also the first time weKhusi, Debalina and I â&#x20AC;&#x201C; worked as a team. This event is important to us not only because 33
it reminded us of our teachers, but also because it helped up forge new relationships with writers about whom we were hitherto ignorant. As one curtain falls, we, at The Pine Cone Review wait eagerly for the next opportunity where we would be able to interact with so many creative souls once again. Till then, enjoy writing and take care! Susmita Paul Editor-in-Chief, Poetry & Art Editor www.thepineconereview.blogspot.com 34
35
Know your writers: Sreemoyee Chatterjee holds MBA from XLRI Jamshedpur. She loves animation and lives in fashion. An occasional artist and writer, she currently runs a fashion boutique with her sister. Dibyasree Nandy holds a MTech degree. Her books are Ripples of the Mahabharat and Labyrinth of Silent Voices (soon be published by Writers Workshop, Kolkata). Thirupurasundari C J dons several hats. She is a cheerful poet; an artist; an editor at
36
“Science Shore” magazine, and a doctorate with a gold medal in Life sciences. She has research experience in cancer, in diabetes and in horticulture. Jayasree Bhattacharjee has a master’s degree in social work. She loves to read and to listen to music. She is a poet at heart and pens her thoughts in Bengali. She currently runs a fashion boutique with her sister. Srikala Ganapathy is the Founding Editor of “Science Shore E-magazine”. She is a passionate educator and an experienced
37
teacher. An art lover, Srikala loves to express herself through writing. Vidya Shankar is a poet and author of The Flautist of Brindaranyam (collaboration with photographer husband Shankar Ramakrishnan) and The Rise of Yogamaya. She is a â&#x20AC;&#x153;bookâ&#x20AC;? in the Human Library and an editor at KavyaAdisakrit.
38