Writing Marathon

The third post of my marathon. I searched for writing prompts and came across 'write about a scary incidents with your professor'


Srilatha Madam and her drawing class

I do not remember..well I do not have any scary incidents in my college days. I was cautious enough not to get into any. But yes, in my school days I had involved myself in many pranks and enjoyed being mischevious at times :)

So my drawing teacher's name was Srilatha. Hefty, creative, talented, humourous, stubborn and strict were the words to describe her then. One day, the project of the art class was stiching. I was dissapointed the minute I heard it. I dejected stiching and hated it from every corner of my heart. Thankfully in my school we enjoyed the freedom of speech and expression. So I told my madam, that I am not interested in doing the flower stiching on the hanky. This way went our conversation.

Me- Ma'm please just for today I will not do this.

Madam - Nothing like that. Just do it.

Me - Ma'm but am not interested in stiching..please ma'm

Madam - This has become a game for you. Just keep quite and do as I say.

Me - Ma'm but...

Madam - Shut up will you???

When she said this, I was offended. The young devil in me...got hurt. I uninterestedly took the piece of cloth the needle and thread and began to stitch. My teacher did not stop there. She was closly observing my needle and thread work..and said 'What are you doing? You are 14 years old and you do not even know to stitch? I will tell your mother.' I would have just shrugged it off if she had said it in private, but there was a whole class of 12 students listening to our conversation. I was tight lipped..then a minute later when my teacher was engrossed in teaching others..i slowly got up went near a window and on the wooden window sill i scribbled in pencil ' stupid srilatha teacher. she should be thrown out'. Relieved i came and sat without her noticing me, but I was unaware that my class mate watched me. When I came and sat , she gestured 'I saw what you were doing'. To that I gave a cheerful smile of victory and carried on.

Days passed and one bad day I and my class mate had a fight. A big fight, that we stopped talking to each other for days and weeks. Then on one such bad day we had the drawing class, and I was busy sketching..when we all heard a loud voice reading ' stupid srilatha teacher. she should be thrown out'. My heart skipped a beat. I raised my head to see my friend trumphing over my red face..! Then she continued " Madam..this looks like nandita's writing and I saw her scribbling something one day"

Now it was my teacher's turn. I still remember her face...fuming and boiling. What else can we expect her to say than "get lost". Leave alone an explanation she did not even give me a second to look at my sorry cut face.

Things changed after some days. I went and apologized her for my behaviour..and she forgave me. But in my life I will always remember the incident, my teacher and her face :)

Writing Marathon

The second post of the writing marathon. I took the last lines of the poem and made them the beginning of my write up. Here it goes..


Two Roads diverged in a yellow wood..

Two Roads diverged in a yellow wood,
I took the less traveled by,
and that has made all the difference.

Robert Frost

Treading on the roads, all of us at some milestone of our lives think in these lines.
Many questions pass through our mind. Many 'Ifs' many 'buts' and so many 'what ifs'.
This is my story of one such retrospection.

"One day when we were traveling back to my home town I suddenly asked my father " Daddy how would it be to take up journalism as my graduation course?" Pleasantly surprised he encouraged me about taking up the course. I still do not know what made the thought barge into my mind, but that thought and my thereby actions had made all the difference.
I took up arts in graduation and specialised in journalism, Psychology and English Literature. Taking up these courses was the best thing to happen in the path of my education. My studies in these fields evoked my latent flares for all forms of Arts. It was also a platform to explore within, and treat myself in things like painting, music, dance etc.
All along the way I had received discouragements in taking up course like this. Questions were raised about the demand in the market for such careers, about the value of science and art subjects , about pursuing dance as form of career and many more. Thankfully none of them deterred me.
In the later years though my field of work changed, I always had arts as an underlying current. I did not know if I could make a living out of them, but I was sure that they made my living worthwhile."

"My reverance for Arts greatly increased when I stepped into this new land, America. I saw people looking out for oppurtunities to teach their kids Indian dance, music, to engage their kids in painting, drama, story reading et.al And when they approached me I was nothing but overjoyed to teach them..! With my partner's loved support I taught them with all my interest and dedication.I did not earn a penny in my year's stay here, but i have thorougly enjoyed my valuble time."

"I some times now think..what if I had taken the other road by the fear of others? I would have been someone else who I am not today."

It is no offense for the reader, for I do not accredit Arts as the only noble profession or path. It is solely my interest and personal story. What I meant to express is... "If you are an Msc grad..and if you are teaching in a government college..and if you are only earning xz amount and if you are happy about it..then I say it is the best thing to happen to you"
It is Ok if we are not competing with the world, it OK if the job has not much demand and it is definetly OK if others are not liking it. What matters is 'if we are happy'..what matters is 'if we like the job..what matters is 'if we are at peace with ourselves'

Agreed many of us are in the wrong places at the right time. Things happen that way, but that should not hold us back from becoming or doing what we want to?! As long as our zeal and intent do not diminish we will find a way to make our work and living worthwhile.


I hope my thoughts will trigger you to retrospect your journey.

Writing Marathon

The writing Marathon begins today. Each day, I am posting a small writeup, no matter how trivial it is. With no good food for thought, my lazy mind is getting drowsy day by day. To invoke latent writing senses, I here by put it on this marathon run. So here I begin with the first one.



My Name and how it was decided on


Every one has a name and every name has a story. Today I shall narrate my name's story. I was the first grand daughter to my maternal grand parents and the last grand daughter to my paternal. When I was born,I was told, that my parents and relatives had chosen many names to name. Some said 'Sunayana' (One with big eyes) some said 'Chaitra' (name of a month in the Indian calendar)some said 'Manasa' (Spiritual) and some said 'yamini'. So this way there were a few. One day my grandmother came across a name 'nandita' which all liked instantly. Some said 'that is a good name and we can call her lovingly nanda'. When this name was suggested to my father he said' well let us see’. So until the day of the naming ceremony my name was still not decided and when discussions went on, my father finally said' I will decide the name of my daughter' and he calmly wrote my name on the rice grains ( a part of the Indian ritual). Well obviously except my dad nobody knew what my name was. And he answered their curiosity by declaring it out as "NANDITA' :)

Thus I finally got my name. However like for all, entire story does not end here, in fact it had just begun. MY name was to get a persona, traits, and recognition of its own. Like all, I love my name for many reasons. Of them I love it most for it meaning. 'Nandita' means 'happiness'. Nandita is the name of the Indian goddess Parvati, who is an incarnation and source of 'energy and eternal happiness'. My name reminds me of the occult purpose of this life - To remain perennially happy at all times. When my spirits are low, my mother always reminds me to be happy and keep it as the motto of my life. A happiness that comes from within and the happiness that lasts for ever is Nandita. In all these years of my life I have given my name a considerable story. But it's story has to become more interesting. In this long journey, I wish, I give my name a good story, stature and meaning to its existence - For it is this name with which I was named then, addressed now and remembered for ever :)