Apart from the accent...

"My name is Shruti and I just moved here from the U.S."

This was the first thing I had said to many people when I came to India, and I never used to get irritated when this question was always asked..that was not my pet peeve...it was something else that I had to bear and tolerate over the years in my stay here,the constant teasing and mocking of my accent.
I mean what could I do? I had lived in countries where words were pronounced differently and spoken in different ways...with certain colloquialisms and slang...and of course I had been used to this manner of speaking for most of my life...so it's not like I could turn it on and off like a faucet...and just for your information, it wasn't like only they had an issue with my so-called 'American twang', I couldn't really understand half of what they were saying also...I would either be left confused and perplexed, angry and irritated...or in most cases, amused and trying to hold in my laughter...
I had a Geography teacher when I was in the 9th grade, and I could never stop giggling whenever she said certain words like tectonic plates, or erosion, or cartography...basically any 'o' sounds, and I would be in splits...after sometime I got used to it...I know that may sound a little mean and a bit cruel, but hey, it wasn't like I was being treated fairly either...
However after some time, I got used to their sing-song English and certain affectionate terms, like 'di' or 'ma'...such things tend to grow on you...and gradually, my twang and drawl began to reduce, but has not, till date, disappeared altogether...it is not as prominent as before but noticeable enough to understand that I had spent sometime outside India, luckily or unluckily for me...
But I do think it's a skill being able to understand different accents from different people and I pride myself on being able to understand all kinds of Western accents and Indian accents...and also how to make people feel comfortable if they do feel conscious of it...
On the other hand, some people actually liked the way I speak, they think it's cool or exotic, of course it feels great when someone says that,and I will never tire of hearing that either...:D
All jokes apart, I definitely know and can never forget how it feels to be be treated like an outsider just because of the way you may speak, irrespective of whether the pronunciation is correct or incorrect,because it happens till date to me...
So next time you hear a "foreign accent", instead of trying to be a smart ass and mimicking the person, try to understand what they're trying to say...you never know when you'll have to move, and according to them, you'll be the one with the strange accent!

An 'I' opener

I was lucky enough the other day, to watch a very interesting( yes, interesting) documentary...it opened with haunting Arabic music, and the lines saying," U.S and Iraq are on the brink of war..."and then the next line packing a powerful punch saying, "to 40 million Arab viewers..."
Immediately, my attention was captured and taken hostage for the next forty minutes...I was taken on a roller-coaster ride of emotions and horror..I was aware of the general state of affairs that took place during the time between the U.S and Iraq, however I was never exposed to any other perspective. 
Al Jazeera, launched in 1996, is one of the most controversial Arabic news channels and was called as "Osama Bin Laden's mouthpiece" by former U.S President George Bush.
The viewpoints of the Senior Producer Samir Khader and firebrand journalist Hassan Ibrahim are conveyed along with the opinions of an American Lieutenant , in charge of the Central Command,the American military headquarters of the east. 
Another aspect which I had not thought of was that the media people of Al-Jazeera would be under enormous amounts of pressure and apparently have their hands tied when it comes to showing the Iraqi troops in bad light. However the channel does not hesitate to air the American soldiers' being inhumane or cruel. They do not even think twice about showing very graphic and disturbing images of violence or complete squalor.
What fascinated me was how many assumptions that one side would make about the other...so many misunderstandings either due to lack of or an unwillingness to communicate.
Khader makes a general statement about humans, "People like victory, they don't like justification."
All in all, I learned that one cannot judge anyone or any place just by assuming that since their opinion or ways are different, they are wrong, and we are right. If anything, one should be more open and awake...Khader stated that he wishes to "teach the people something called democracy...to wake up rigid society..."   
I feel that this is a lesson that we all should learn...I hope we wake up soon from our seemingly eternal slumber!

Monday Blues

Briiing! The alarm goes off at six a.m. waking Sidharth, an eleventh standard student, from his six hour slumber. Monday mornings have always been a wet blanket to the fun and enjoyment he had over the weekend. For him, it’s another five long dreary days till the next weekend. Adding the last minute touches to the Mathematics assignment, Sidharth still has to iron his uniform, not to mention eat a wholesome breakfast in the next fifteen minutes to avoid missing the bus, while toting a backpack, weighing about half a kilo.

On the other hand, his sister, a final year college student, leisurely wakes up at half past seven and takes her time to get dressed in comfortable attire, for another enjoyable week of studying a subject which she’s always been passionate about. Having had the time to complete her homework over the weekend and having eaten to her fill, she has lots of time to spare and decides to read the newspaper before leaving for the junction to catch her bus.

As anyone can see, there is a conspicuous contrast between the lives of a college student and a school student. However this is just one example, to rationalize the point I’m trying to make, this is what a few students, both college and school, had to say: “College has given me more beautiful memories of unity and fun times. Attacks on other’s lunches, bunking of classes, celebrating small events, etc were all things which couldn’t be done in school.” Another view is that in school you learn the tricks of the trade and it would do you good to be nice to the teachers as they evaluate your papers whereas in college one has to apply what you have learned earlier and you can afford to be yourself as your professors do not grade you. School for some consist of an endless series of late nights and early mornings spent either at tuition or school and if there is time in between, it is at home, cramming as much information into their tiny little noggin. Mothers of college students have different problems than that of school students normally not related to academics. Each has its advantages and disadvantages but generally mothers tend to be more relaxed when their child has entered college because the ward seems to have attained a level of maturity and common sense and generally, can be trusted more to handle various problems. Psychologists say that school going children face as much stress as any adult undergoes, however unbelievable that may sound. Teachers are under a lot of pressure to finish the prescribed syllabus in a specific amount of time which can lead to carelessness and monotony. This in turn causes the student’s interest to decline and a growing hatred develops towards the subject which gradually turns into hatred towards school altogether.

As T.S Eliot once said, “No one can become really educated without having pursued some study in which he took no interest. For it is part of education to interest ourselves in subjects for which we have no aptitude.”

Therefore, school students, just remember that when you enter college, gone will be the days when your mind, body, heart and soul rebel at the beginning of a new week. Gone will be the times when you just could not find it in yourself to stand for another strenuous and droning day of classes which made no sense to you, but pulled through because of friends and family. No more will on Sunday nights gloom, misery, and a genuine desire to stop time, flood your consciousness. You will be able to take pleasure in devouring the sweet fruit of your labour as a school student, and that is by enjoying the bright hued days of college which will be with you forever. After all it is said that, "Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything he learned in school."

-Anonymous.

Therefore get ready for your education to begin, as soon as you leave behind the world of uniforms and chalk dust to enter a new world of coloured variety and a plethora of professors awaiting your questions with open arms.

Saved by the bell??

June 2003...the month in which I stepped into my 1st school in India. It was a moment I had been dreading but had been equally curious. Will the teachers be as nice?or mean?How will my classmates be?? Will I have any friends?? These were just a few of the million thoughts that were running through my head the night before my first day of school.
We had gone school supply shopping which was quite normal, but this time was a little different. My schoolbooks' list seemed to be never-ending! I was going to join the 8th grade and we were going to learn botany and zoology?Not to mention how complicated the Mathematics textbook looked. I was looking forward to start French once again and the English books, I read the moment I got them. I realised at least there would be a few subjects I could do okay in.
 Another major issue, was the awkwardness and dislike I had towards my uniform. Why would anyone in their right mind subject children to this kind of discouragement to freedom of expression. Yes, I knew it made everyone equal and would be identified as a student, but at least have the colours be a little bright?!Nope, it was a dirty tan colour pinafore(was I in kindergarten?Who in the 21st century at my age wears this style anymore?!)and an even more putrid red and brown checked shirt, along with ugly brown socks and black (girly...yucky)ballerina shoes...EWW!! Geez, I was already feeling suffocated, who knew what would be in store for me the next day?
Spartan Matriculation Higher Secondary School...was it going to be as overwhelming as it sounded? Well, I certainly felt like a soldier going into battle where I would face unknown people, who may speak an alien(the native)language( Tamil known: nil), unfamiliar territory and questionable food. Yes, I know I am sounding a little dramatic and a bit of an foreign-return brat, but I had no idea what to expect, so expecting the worst, we arrived at tall, wide steel gates, leading me to that different world.
I walked in and the first thing that hit me was the huge crowd of brown-skinned faces and black hair! It had been a while since I had seen so many Indian kids in such a large group! Talk about individuality, somehow I felt that even though I had blackish hair and brown skin, I still would stand out, and deep down I hoped I would not drown in this 'Indian Ocean'. I knew how to swim but these waters were unfamiliar, so crossing my fingers, I took the plunge, and hoped for the best.
The classrooms were plain, bare and to my surprise laden with wooden benches and desks, and how can I forget, a blackboard! I thought, I had stepped into some kind of time-machine, I couldn't believe that in such a huge school, chalk and erasers would be used. I had to grow accustomed to the soreness of my rear-end caused  by the hard wooden furniture, and also to the back pain due to my bulging backpack. Had no one ever heard of lockers?
Anyway, every morning we would assemble in the courtyard for morning assembly including prayer time. This was quite interesting. We had a songbook and I quite enjoyed listening to the choir and singing along, it was the lengthy prayers that was unbearable at first.I made up for all the masses I may have missed while being in the U.S. and Canada, all 14 years of it!
As the first day passed, I was introduced to each teacher, as the new student from the U.S., even if I had not mentioned where I was from, my accent did it for me. I can go onto recount the many experiences which baffled, frustrated, saddened and even excited me. Unfortunately, I seem to only remember how I managed to adjust to the new method of studying, new ways of interacting with teachers and classmates, and eventually new close group of friends. I even won my first competition, got 1st prize while reciting Eliot's Macavity: the Mystery Cat, which of course, led me to being called Macavity, ever since...which I kind of liked.
As I had mentioned earlier, the initial few months were very difficult but because of my family and finding a good set of friends, I began to love my new life. Apart from that, Chennai was a bustling city, with lots of places to go and see, so it was not like I had arrived at a place where I was completely bored and missed out on the latest English movies and music. Well, not yet, at least.
As luck would have it, we had to move, yes, again.Spartan was my 12th school and St.Thomas Residential School, Trivandrum, Kerala, would be the 13th...lucky or unlucky only time would tell...but that's a whole new story(post)!

Unlimited

Through my eyes of brown,

I see limits and restraints abound.

In every blade of grass,

Every flap of the dove's wing,

Every foaming wave of the sea.

And most unfortunately and undoubtedly, me.

The world may turn,

So days may pass by,

But we are lagging behind, why?!

Sinking into the quicksand of worry and ruckus,

The rope gets tighter and shorter,

Gradually everything is slipping,

Slowly, right beneath us.

Fair Justice lend us your hand.

Lest we become another lost grain of sand.

Yet another lost grain of sand, whose voices are unheard,

But blows with the wind, meek and lily-livered.

Unseen, unknown, and under-estimated

Without anyone's concern for its troubled tale,

Yet still you all should remember this:

It takes only one grain of sand to tip the scale.

And it all began...

"We'll be moving back to India, your father and I discussed it. We think it's the right thing to do at this time, for everyone."

"WHAT???!!!But what did I do wrong? Am I being punished? I promise I'll get higher grades, whatever you say I'll do. Wait a minute, is this a joke? You're kidding right, Amma?"

This was my reaction when I first heard that we were returning to India, for good. Sounds a little dramatic right? But what can I say, India for me was a place I would visit during holidays and leave after a month or so. I had heard stories about the difficult school life and could not imagine giving up all my friends, being on the sports teams, and so on, for living in a place I had so little knowledge about.

Not only that, even the materialistic things, like certain foods, the endless number of shops, unhealthy junk food,etc.

Of course, in the beginning, I was determined to stay, but in the end, I had no choice, and to move away from everything that I was used to.

It would be easy and perfect to say that I immediately adjusted to the new surroundings and had no issues at all. But let's be realistic, that was not how it happened at all!

I did not understand why people had the need to mark their territory like dogs at public places, especially at railway stations.And at that time,the Central Railway Station in Chennai, was what I thought to be, one large fire hydrant. Of course, we had landed at the airport, but I'm just narrating what happened when I remember travelling by train for the first time.

I am sorry to say that the hot dry weather did not help the general odours that were floating about the atmosphere. It does not pass you by,oh no, it hits you like a massive tidal wave of stink.

After finally getting to our car and my father having used all his wits and energy as he haggled with the coolie on the sum to pay him, we were on our way.

Do traffic rules exist??I was asking myself as I gaped in wonder and mild fright at the strange ways the cars, auto-rickshaws, motorcycles, and even pedestrians, seemed to weave about, in some kind of weird organised chaos. Another question that kept on popping up in my, was why do people honk the horn so much? Did they think that doing so would make the rest of the traffic disappear, or magically change the traffic lights from red to green?

It was all so strange and new, and I felt so lost.

If this is how I felt now,I wonder what school was going to be like ?