A comparison of two poems -The Mad and Stammer,both by Sachidanandan

     The mad are not mad as we are.They go on walking restless because they know some thing better than we do.They know that the earth is boiling.They can meditate and understand the big bang theory.They know more about the origin of the universe and life than we do.That is why they are restless.We think that everything is calm and cool here.Most of us are not conscious of the subtle changes the humanity undergo.We have forgotten the realm of virtues and are poised for destruction and violence. But the mad have wings of fancy in with which they get close to God.The poet places  madness as a plane of   enlightenment where  flies are respected as divine  souls and grasshoppers as green gods.They may seem eccentric or excited but they are innocent, loving -Their love overflows in full moon-and realistic than we are.They don't live inside ideologies but we do. There is no life for us outside ideologies.We love slavery but they live above all kinds of bindings of caste religion or gender.The mad are better living beings than we are.This leads us to think about the ecological perspective evident in these lines.The beautiful images of flies,grasshoppers and moonlight remind me of the Green movement which is often interpreted as unrealistic,utopean and sheer madness.The poem seems to say that Kanden Pokkudan who spent all his life to protect the mangroves and thereby to save this earth was not mad as some of us thought.The Green movement is right.

 Sachidanandan ,as he has always done it in his other poems like stammer and cactus,presents a different perspective of life.Or all he wants to say is that life is about perceptions.In stammer,he humorosly brings out this idea of perceptions declaring that all of us are stammering at present,as we face many social challenges.This becomes evident in the times of demonitisation.Are we articulating our feelings as strongly as it should be?No. Instead the Indian society is stammering.At the same time we can see that there  is irony when the poet highlights Stammer as our language.Stammer is not a handicap.It is a mode of speech.There is self mockery when poetry itself is presented as stammering.At the same time stammer is highlighted as a language .Even the creator would have used this language at the time of creation and that is why we all stammer.!
 This irony and black humour is missing in the poem "The Mad".But one cannot miss the light touch of hidden humour, when the poet presents the shrugging of their shoulders as the shaking of the wings by some angels.Both the poems are written in free verse.Both of them engage the reader with their deep rhythm and lucid language.Both poems use analytical metaphors like "love is moonlight" in the 'the mad " and 'stammer is a mode of speech' in the stammer.Both poems seek the truth in concepts like God, Creation and Life.Analytical approach and philosophical tone are characteristics of the two poems.The different perceptions on madness and stammer are striking and revealing.
- CKR ;04/01/2017( A comparison of two poems -The Mad and Stammer,both by Sachidanandan )

A Wonderful Blend of Poetry and Music

   A Wonderful Blend of Poetry and Music(A review of a poets' meet )
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Respected dignitaries on the dais and dear friends,

                       Sugathan Master set the tone of the meet by inaugurating the session with a splendid rendering of the poem written in Malayalam 'Veedu' by O N V Kurup.His musical rendering took me to the olden days when I sat alone in the late night carnatic concerts in Kozhikode during my B Ed days.Sitting in the crowd but feeling alone and excited in the flow of music I would forget myself and leave the hall refreshed and ecstasic.Today when Santhosh Cherupuzha, Subash Edavarambu,Vishnu Manoj and Sreelakshmi Sashi presented the poems -Post Mortem, Iruttile Kazcha(a view in darkness ),Therali (the driver )and Varu Nee Koottukara(Welcome my friend),I have the same feeling.I am sure all of us  feel raised to higher plane of life.and this meet of poets marks this special camp as different from all the the other  camps being conducted in various parts of this district and perhaps in the state too.This is a different experience. After this session , being  part of the audience ,I am convinced that poetry can lift human minds to a plane where we all will feel exalted and poised for action.

                 That is what poetry does.It changes us.It becomes a powerful defence against the forces of darkness like marginalisation, colonisation and sexual abuse.The poems presented here reveals the pathos and agony of common man when we hear about the rebels being shot down by the police or about the hunters who haunt the darlings even from their sleep bed in slums.Poetry takes us into the realm  of nostalgia and makes us hopeful that one day we might  meet the lost friends ,at least in a riot torn land.The poet cannot hide the rebellious thought  when he realises that even a devilish criminal like Govinda Chami(the rapist who murdered an innocent girl Soumya) is let off the hook by the so called perfect system of blind justice in the society.


It is a fact that Poetry is something to be meditated over and it should blossom up naturally in one's heart.And that is how each line is created by a poet.A poet would have meditated over a word many times and it is a challenge to decipher them in a poets' meet.That why I doubt whether I was able to decipher every line we heard in this session.This is a promise that I ,all of us will delve deep into these poems again and again.They are so powerful. I have wondered why poetry surges into our thoughts without being called upon.Last month  when I was standing in front of the Mysore palace observing its splendour and beauty-not a new experience  as I have visited this place many times - then come the lines of the poet Sachidanandan into my mind.All the forts and dungeons will become archives one day.Every fort will fall down.That lifts my mind into a new perspective of life.Then James Shirley speaks on .Only the actions of the just will smell sweet and blossom in the dust.Every thing else dies.This is what poetry is about.It takes us into eternity.It is a defense of the hurt,the lost and the abandoned.

                 Poetry is defined as the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings .It is also described as emotions recollected in tranquility. In my view it is more than that.It should be .It can and it should lift our mind to a plane where we will feel exalted and poised for action.A time will come when we can be sure that all our gazes are without revenge;all our words are without trash.(as quoted in the poem 'Veedu'). There will be a time when we consider the words of the other as sweeter than music.This session has provided us at least a dream to pursue .A dream of a change in attitudes and perceptions.That is what this meeting of the volunteers of the National Service Scheme is concerned about and that is why I am so grateful to the enlightened minds who were present here.It was a wonderful blend of poetry and music .
Thank you all.

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A Review of a Poet Meet held as part of the seven day camp for the first year national service scheme members in GHSS KAMBALLUR(28/12/2016)

( SCRIPT OF A REVIEW SPEECH- translated from the Malayalam version )

JNAN PITH WINNER SHANKHAGHOSH

Shankha Ghosh is a Bengali Indian poet and critic. He was born in Chandpur of what is now Bangladesh. Shankha Ghosh is regarded a leading authority on Rabindranath in addition to being one of the most prolific writers in Bengali. (Wikipedia) .
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The Storm of Desire( CREDITS TO http://www.parabaas.com )
A POEM BY Sankha Ghosh
In this hovering soundless solitude,
In the abundant lonesome winds of this dark evening,
You turn up
your white pale face
cold as a cloud, lightless like the moon
towards the enormous sky.

From a far-away land I tremble
with the unbearable agony of desire---
Bunched around your white stone of a face
thin wisps of hair tremble
in the dark wind
        like so many fingers extended
                in pain, in prayer.

The corner of the sky grows heavy
with clustering clouds,---
Flashes of longing tear through
with repeated ferocity,
Tidal waves of love seeking to burst forth
in tremendous ecstasy, agitate
the unbounded distances within the darkness,
the sombre complexion of a reflective unmoving land.
You turn up your face
cold as a cloud, lightless like the moon,
your breasts are like undulations of a land
that has wept itself to weary stillness
you stretch out your anxious wasted arms--- long-expectant,
prayer-tired, towards that furious enormous sky-----

Around them cluster darkness,
wisps of hair,
a thousand musical notes,
in the boundless lonesome winds.

Slowly creation reaches readiness:
      As if in one terrible blessedly-sweet moment,
the clouds of its desire break forth
in bolts of unbearable thunder piercing the middle
of your outspread breast, eager, upturned,
towards the total bliss of union---
Then,banishing all rubbish
from this wet dishevelled tumbledown world
CREDITS TO http://www.parabaas.com transpires
      a beautiful cool caressing
                  morning.

Translated by Nandini Gupta [nandinI gupta*] - Nandini Gupta is a post-doctoral research fellow at the Eindhoven University of Technology, the Netherlands
CREDITS TO http://www.parabaas.com 

---

A critical appreciation of THIS IS GOING TO HURT A LITTLE BIT

"This is Going to Hurt a Little Bit"  by Ogden Nash is ironical and humorous.Sitting in a dentist's chair is indeed an unpleasant experience.It is hard ,annoying,shameful embarassing and frightening to keep your mouth wide open with your jaws digging deep into your chest and to let the dentist work up on your mouth with awful tools like the drill and the crowbar.It is terrible to imagine what would  happen if the dentist moving like a bear gets the teeth mixed up as he is using a mirror.After the job is over, we think it is all over for once.Then the dentist advises us to come back after three monce !The vicious circle of visits will go on .There is no escape for a human being from this dental torture.This graphic presentation in free verse contributes to the energy and lively spirit of  the poem.

The poem with rhyme amd rhythm has got a  simple and lucid language.Humour is cooked up with the right blend of irony,exaggeration,simile and puns.The very title of the poem is ironical.It reveals the importance of the way we percieve life. To a dentist ,it is a simple task.To the patient is can be a terrible experience.The peom analyses the embarassment and fear we feel with the help of exaggerations like  "The mouth is like a section of road which is being worked on".The puns like 'hope hopen' and 'three monce' make the poem alive with comedy .These devices add to the ironical and humorous tone of the poem.The poem  is an attempt to change an unpleasant experience into an acceptable predicament.Perceptions can change life.

Ogden Nash is trying to tell us that humour is the salt of life.A pinch of it can change the way we see things.Life can be beautiful if we take a lighter approach to wards it.Without laughter , life would be a sad place.As SofIa Burger stresses in her poem 'Laughter'

It is important the we move forward in life with a different perspective .

Never laughing at someone,
Only sharing together the humor of moments.

A SONG BY BOB DYLAN

How many roads must a man walk down
Before you call him a man?
Yes, 'n' how many seas must a white dove sail
Before she sleeps in the sand?
Yes, 'n' how many times must the cannon balls fly
Before they're forever banned?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,
The answer is blowin' in the wind.

How many times must a man look up
Before he can see the sky?
Yes, 'n' how many ears must one man have
Before he can hear people cry?
Yes, 'n' how many deaths will it take till he knows
That too many people have died?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,
The answer is blowin' in the wind.

How many…

Songwriters: Bob Dylan / Diana Pequeno

Blowin' in the Wind lyrics © Bob Dylan Music Co.

 

QN TO STUDENTS :WHO IS BOB DYLAN ? 

GHSS KAMBALLUR EXCELS IN COMPETITIONS in English AT SUB DT.LEVEL

Our member wins the first prize in Elocution(SPEECH) competition in English at sub disrtrict level(Chittarikal ) this year.Congratulations,NAVYA B NAIR,SCIENCE BATCH,GHSS KAMBALLLUR.Let us wish her all the best in district level and the state level.- CKR



THE SCRIPT OF THE SPEECH AS PRESENTED BY NAVYA ( The topic was CYBER CRIMES.)

Respected panel of Judges and all my dear friends ,

       Today in this valuable opportunity ,I am indeed happy to stand before you to  say a few words about Cyber Crimes.

      CYBER SPACE is a huge space which consists of many factors in the society.What is interesting about the internet media is is its power and impact.So the fact is that you should use it in a good manner.Have you heard the inspiring speech of Malai Yousaf Thai ? One book , one pen ,one school can change the world ! I heard this from the internet.The question is -are you using it -the computer-in a good way ? This is the thing we need to think about .

        The world of computer is good.It increases the power of communication and helps to develop human relationships.It should sustain better communication and develop positive attitudes.But is this happening here ?No. it is not.How many of you in this gathering do not use face book? No. Whats up ? and you ,respected judges ?No. Every one is glued to the cyber world.Why is it so ? It is because our culture is changing.We can't live without the media.

          But friends ,through the cyber world ,how many of our sisters have lost their lives ? How many families have been destroyed ? This is the specialty of the cyber world.it encourages relationships and it destroys relationships.

         Another fact -that is proven-why children depend too much on cyberworld is that is because of their family.

         In olden days children used to share their ideas , thoughts and dreams to their family members , to their grandma or grandpa at least.In the era of nuclear families , father and mother goes to work - to ensure the safety of their childrens 'future !.But they have no time to care ,to love, to spend a few minutes with them.So ,obviously children will depend upon the computers and the cyberworld.

       Hence dear youth,you are the one who is the dream of tomorrow;who should be the model for tomorrow.Knowledge at your fingertip should not be misused.Dear youth,let me call for your action -against cyber crimes,for a good tomorrow.For the good of our sisters, for a good family a single step of yours can turn into many steps of others-as goes  a Chinese proverb.

                                                                                            Thank you all.
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( An off the cuff write up, as presented on stage..Slighty modified- THE SCOPE FOR INTERACTION WITH THE AUDIENCE WAS THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE SPEECH AS OBSERVED BY THE JUDGES) -CKR

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THIS FILE

IMPROVEMENT EXAM IN ENGLISH QUESTION PAPER AND ANSWERS

QUESTION PAPER ESP 2016 LINK 1(CREDITS TO HSS LIVE .IN)

FOR Answer KEY CLICK THIS LINK

PLUS ONE ENGLISH PROBABLE QUESTIONS-Compiled by: R. Sajan Samson

PLUS ONE ENGLISH

PROBABLE QUESTIONS MARKS: 80

TIME: 2½ hrs

1. Questions based on extracts from prescribed lessons - prose and poem.

2. Profile Writing (Ref Page 25 text)

3. Precis Writing

4. Comprehension

5. Letter to the Editor (Ref page 47 text)

6. Live TV report - page 87, text or News Paper Report

7. Travel essay - page 89 or
Travel Info - Page 96, text

8. Appreciation of a poem - page 32, 77, 147, text

9. Character sketch - Maggie, Hasan, A.J.Chronin, Greta

10. Essay (page 152, 153) - disaster management, cyber crime, Gandhijis lesson

11. E-mail - Ref page 168, text

12. Speech - page 46 or Introductory speech - page 97

13. Editing passage / Error Correction - page 49

14. Interview - page 25 / conversation

15. Debate

16. Express your views / do you agree with?

17. Short write up, Ref page 94, text

18. Diary writing

GRAMMAR

19. Reported speech

20. Passive voice

21. Framing questions

22. Correct form of verb

23. If clause, page 33, text

24. Cohesive device - page 27, 28, 36

25. Parts of speech - page 50

Compiled by: R. Sajan Samson

HSST English, Govt. Boys HSS, Mithirmala, Trivandrum, e-mail: sajansamson@hotmail.com

Call for the Papers on “Women and Education: Issues and Challenges.”

Call for the Papers

Dear Sir/Madam

Greetings!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We are pleased to inform you that we will be going to publish an edited Book with International Standard Book Number (ISBN), on the topic of “Women and Education: Issues and Challenges.” Articles must be no more than 6000 words, including endnotes and references. Longer articles will not be processed.

Contributions should be sent preferably by email. Articles should be accompanied by an abstract of a maximum of 200-250 words along-with 3-5 keywords. Graphs and charts need to be prepared in MS Office (Word/Excel) and are preferable to material prepared in jpeg formats.

Receipt of Abstracts/articles will be acknowledged by email within 3-4 weeks. Papers are invited from Academicians, Practitioners, and Research Scholars to submit their original research paper on the particular sub-theme or any topic related to the theme of Book. The last date of submission is 30^th Novembers 2016. The soft copy of the article will be mailed to: callfortheeditedvolumes@gmail.com

(Dr. Pravesh Dalei Head; School of Law & Mr. Vikram Singh, Assistant Professor; Department of Social Work, Guru Ghasidas Vishwavidyalaya, Koni Bilaspur (C.G.)

We also look forward for contributions from the social sector. Kindly circulate the information among your colleagues and friends for wide and good quality Papers. For Query, Contact on: +91-8962231719, +91-9425520409

1. Styles and Formats

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3. Paragraphs formatting:
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   • Spacing Before and After Paragraph: 6 points
   • Line Spacing: 1.5 lines.

4. Footnotes, References, Bibliography and Citations

APA 6^th Edition style you have to adopt, please maintain complete uniformity throughout the paper. Avoid giving foot-note, instead of that give end-note. In case of doubt, contact us. Whatever is not your own writing MUST be properly cited and referenced.

Theme: Women’s and Education

Sub-themes:

1. Challenges and achievement of Women’s Education.
2. Patterns and Determinants hampering Women Education.
3. Human Rights and Girls Education.
4. Educational and Social Changes among Girl Child.
5. Education and Social equality among Girl child of Schedule Caste.
6. Education and Social equality among Girl child of Schedule Tribes.
7. Education and Social equality among Girl child of Backward Caste.
8. Education and Social equality among Girl child of Minority.
9. Education and Social equality among Girl child with Disability.
10. Women inequality in Education.
11. Women Based Quota in Education.
12. Education and Employment among Status Girl child.
13. Education and Social Status among Girl child.
14. Various Policies on Girls education.
15. Various flagship Programmes on Girls education.
16. Commissions on Girls education.
17. Any other related topic to the main theme.

**Note: All contributors are requested to mention main theme of the book while sending their abstract/papers.

Then Gandhi Came- summary for special learners 25/08/2016