It is the soul that matters

Friday, February 24, 2006

Are ghosts really there????????

‘Ghost Stories of Shimla Hills by Minakshi Choudhary’. Just read some ghost incidents in Shimla as narrated by local residents and visitors there. A churail walking right besides you, an eerie feeling occurring without any reason, you see some figure in the 1st second that disappears in the 2nd, hear some conversations but you don’t see anyone there, some strange looking person calling out your name …..so many more. Do all these things actually happen? Have what the people narrated, their real experiences, their imaginations or is it simply made up? But on second thoughts, why will they make up such stories? Maybe for its sheer excitement. No one knows and I am one of those 'no one'.

Even I can narrate one such story. Although it is a very lame one compared to others’ experiences. I was 9-10 years old then and was located in Delhi. We (my family) had to go to an aunt’s place for mata ki chauki. For people who don’t know, its full night kirtan and pooja of Goddess Durga. It was held in a big tent put up on an open ground which was at a distance of two minutes from my aunt’s house. By 2-3am I was feeling very sleepy, as expected. I decided to go to my aunt’s place to catch up with some sleep. I walked down the empty, dark and deserted lane with my cousin. While going, I heard some chham chham of anklets. I was surprised to hear it at 2am coz no one else had left the chauki. It was only me and I obviously hadn’t expected anyone, especially a girl walking there in the middle of the night. The sound was coming from somewhere very close but I didn’t see anyone in front of or behind us. I wasn’t scared but surprised. They say na ‘Innocence is a bliss’. I hadn’t heard any such stories of ghosts or churails before. But not that I didn’t know about them. My cousin told me that a churail walks in those lanes every night. I do not know how much of this is true. Was my elder cousin just trying to scare and make fun of her younger cousin? I don’t know.

Posted by Nats :: Friday, February 24, 2006 :: 3 comments

Thursday, February 23, 2006

English Language

“Are you very proud of what you did?” asked the angry principal to a class 2 student. Very innocently he said “Yes”. Said the principal “Ok, then you deserve a punishment. Show me your knuckles.” The impeccant boy did that. *Snnnnaaaaaaaaaaapp* He got one blow with a cane stick on his knuckles. Later, he was in tears.

In the evening when he went back home, his mother could see his red eyes and asked him what had happened. This is what the small boy narrated of what had happened. “I and my friend had a small argument over something. I hit him slowly, but he lost balance and fell. He got hurt. Then the matter was taken to the principal. She asked me if I was proud of what I did. I said yes. Then, she hit me hard with her cane stick. Mummy, what does PROUD mean?” Listening to his innocent question, his mother had tears in her eyes. She hugged him tight. Later, she explained him the meaning of the word. She didn’t know whom to blame. Her kid, who had hit the other boy or the principal who used her vocabulary without knowing what age boy she was speaking with.

The boy was a confident boy. Later, he determined to have a very good vocabulary. He worked towards it. He read and read and read. He read everything he could put his hands on, newspapers, magazines, novels, just everything.

He hadn’t seen any English movie when he was in school. The other thing that influenced him to have a complete control over English language is Amitabh Bacchan. In the movie Abhimaan, he has a dialog, “Am I supposed to know everything that happens to everyone in this house?” He spoke this statement confidently and in a very fast pace. This did influence the small boy and he worked harder.

This boy, today 25, actually did what he determined. He has a very good fluency and vocabulary. He is my sweet brother.

Hats off to his determination!

Posted by Nats :: Thursday, February 23, 2006 :: 4 comments