Autobiography of a school gate of St. Ann’s High School, Bolarum

I am a proud part of the history of St. Ann’s High School, Bolarum. I have stood the test of time, I have seen many changes. I stand tall as a shield between the students and the traffic. Yes, I proudly introduce myself I am the gate of St. Ann’s High School.

I stand amongst the greenery, watching over everybody who goes in and out. I am a silent watcher and a keen observer. I am maintained with a lot of love and care. My companions are the security men, who help me to maintained punctuality in the staff and students. I am punctual in my duties. I sharp close at 8.20 am and open at 3.20 pm.

I am impartial and very strict when it comes to both staff and students regarding time. I have seen both ups and downs. I have seen toddlers growing  up into young ladies and some of them again returning as teachers, mothers and even grandmother.

Sometimes I feel sorry when the tiny tots cry for their mothers when I close. In between school hours I need special permission to allow anyone inside. I have never slept a wink. I always stand guard, be it morning, noon or night. My favourite time is the morning when I see the students with the morning freshness entering and I feel a little disappointed. But then I know that I would see them the next day.

I am really fortunate to be a part of this school which has churned out good citizens. It has brought a difference in people’s lives. It not only imparts education but also moral values. I love being the gate of this wonderful school. It is my home forever and ever.

Manaal Soni
2 D

If a Bathroom Speaks…..

It was a pleasant evening. I was alone at my place and as I was about to resign myself to boredom , I began reminding the past…. My silly pranks, with my friends, the happiness, sorrows, etc….. suddenly, a though occurred to me. I started thinking of the BATHROOM…… how would it be if a bathroom speaks???.

I though about the privacy we have in a bathroom. There are small crevices in the bathroom where the cockroaches find their shelter… I remembered those times when I used to feed them with small bead sumps and at times I used to shoo them away with a stick…. I though of the sweet moments we at times experience in a bathroom…

We would express our happiness, jumping, laughing yet in a way none knew. As a die-hard fan of music, I remembered those times when I need to sing and I would also find my feet tapping to those tunes. There are times when you are extremely tired you take a nice hot water bath- the geyser switched on and the hot water just flowing out of the bucket and yet you never realized it. And the bathroom mirror – Ah! The way I admire myself in it!!! It’s truly an experience in itself!!!.

There are also some trying times in a bathroom. When we are dull and gloomy, when we aren’t happy the way things are moving in life. We scold ourselves and others-yet in a way known to none!!! We also find freedom to vent out our anger or dislike on somebody to whom you can’t be frank all this only in a Bathroom. To be quite frank, I myself do this I do it when I’m very unhappy at my parents regimen  - sometimes it is such a displeasure and you are in a state of inability to even resist them!!! There are times when you even cry out  about something we can’t shared with anyone.

Apart from all this, I though of the quite embarrassing but funny instances. There are times when you forget to latch the bathroom door and then somebody suddenly barges in !!! at that situation, you are in a daze as to whether to see the lighter side of it or vent out your anger at that person. You even sometimes suddenly slip there and only the Bathroom knows it. There are also some instances when your are alone at home and busy in the bathroom and there’s a visitor for you !!! Ah! What a situation !!! when you sit back to conjure up all these thoughts, it seems extremely funny and when you try to empathize them, you are in a bewildered state!!!

All in all, I find the bathroom the best place in our house – a place where you can find that utmost degree of privacy, fantasize any kind of a fandango, whimsical speculations, you can whinge or be whey-faced without anybody’s intervention. A place to daydream – this was exactly what I was doing when it occurred to my mind suddenly, what would it be like if the bathroom speaks…… 

There would be chaos and we would witness a third world war in every house!!! Every good Samaritan would turn a renegade who is unprincipled!!! Anything could happen – it is unpredictable and everything would turn irresistible!!!…. and many more unlikely things would happen ….. if a bathroom speaks….

Well, thanks to these bathrooms that they don’t speak, otherwise I wouldn’t even have been able to write this article and it is even unlikely for you to read it!!! In this way, a bathroom knows every secret of your most private life and yet it is so serene. I gradually realized the intimacy we share with the bathroom – it knows every secret of yours that remains unexposed throughout your life- until you yourself express it!!! Ah!!! And then how grateful we must be to the BATHROOM – so recluse from our social life – yet the best place on earth!!! What do you say friend!!!.

L. Gayatri Alekhya

X ‘A’

Confessions of a teenage drama queen

‘Look at the yonder window my friend, does thou looketh my lady in white? Oh! She loveth me the most!!!’

Oh! Please give me a break!!! Shakespearan Dramas – for teens??? You mean in the 21st century ? think again!!!

Apparently those are my first thoughts about classics. I mean no offence to the ones who love them, but my basic rules about reading or watching Shakespearan dramas is “If you try to understand them you will lose your brains completely and incase you do succeed in understanding them …….. hmm… uhh…. You’ll lode your brains any way!!!

Hey friendz!!! That’s me!!! Y. Sandhya Rajashree – 10A. I thought I’ll give you a taste of my woes with acting, and what I learnt through my acting experiences. I call myself the teenage drama queen and I think I deserve that title coz winning the “best actress’ award for 2 yrs, consecutively – is quite a big deal!!! So sit, back, relax and enjoy reading the confession of a teenage drama queen…..

Confession No.1 :
  “Always expect the unexpected.”
...that’s approximately 2 week before the much awaited English Dramatics. Now after that short introduction about my views concerning classics, you might have very well guessed my taste, when it comes to drama,…. And you can also guess my plight when Sowmya (my captain) tells me that I play the lead role [wow!!!] in a wonderful, little, sweet story [according to her] which is actually……  A Shakespearan drama!!!

But as I further read the script ….. I realized that his is not a Shakespearan drama, but the comic version of it, that is so exciting, and that is so much like MR!!!

Confession No. 2 :
My deepest and darkest fears…..

But now lets come to the other side of the coin – comedy!!! You can interview every single actor in the world and each one of them will tell you that comedy is the most difficult form of acting, coz    you can act badly in the other serious sense and it the audience doesn’t like it, they’ll just say that the acting wasn’t good enough, but if you are acting insanely funny on stage and the crowd stares at you with straight faces …. And no one is even close to smiling, that’s it!!!

Congratulations! You are the winner of “the best joke of the year award”- 06-07 and wow!!! You got to live with that truth forever and ever and ever…. And to face that situation in front of 600 high school students……

It wasn’t like last year though, it was quite easy, where the drama was actually a fairytale and I played a witch; just a little bit of make-up, and a false tone and quite a scary costume, but overall, I’d say it was quite easy, I had even got the best actress award for it!!!

Confession No. 3:
I loovee…. Acting our first rehearsal, was quite awesome. And you know what!!! My fears were completely extinguished!!! I mean…. I was enjoying my role and that seemed like the most important thing in the world. Our rehearsals went on for 2 weeks and I was quite prepared for the finale. I was not nervous at all ‘coz this time I had a strange voice inside my head that kept telling me that “ there is no big deal, its just a drama”. That was my confidence I guess. … or rather the INNER ME.

Confession No. 4 :
I’m proud of my team and I’m proud of myself….

The competition started and soon it was our turn and we did remarkably well!!! We won!!! Bagged the 1st prize and I got the best actress award, for the 2nd time… I mean, its not every day that you win such a prestigious prize for two year consecutively…..

Once again, I took the shield to my friends; to my teachers; to my family’ to MYSELF.

I felt to foolish as I recalled my fears about my role. Obviously, everyone is wise after the event, but now I feel even more stronger, braver and confident. And I guess that was because o believed in my role, my leadership and qualities, my team, my work and my abilities.

As I looked at the shield I realized the most wonderful thing – the best way to win over challenges it to enjoy them!!! I remember my class teacher telling us about the ‘feel good’ factor i.e. to enjoy what you are doing, to feel good about what you are doing. Now I guess I know what she meant….

What I learnt from this event was that “ everyone has fears, high and low and challenges in their lives, but what makes a person stand out from the rest, is the way he/she learns to live life happily even if it is the hard way round.

And that day I went home and placed my shield beside the one I had received the previous year, and the I though – “Shakespearan drama is not after all that boring!!! “and there goes my Confession No. 5!!!

Y. Sandhya Meher
10 A