Author: Subha Varma

Anvi Gudigantala, 1st Grade

Mahathi Konguraj , 1st Grade

Advika Gunturu, 2nd Grade

 

Eva Sharma, 3rd Grade

Advaith Sankar, 4th Grade

Pavithra Iyer, 6th Grade

I wrote these three poems as part of a middle-school project on Ancient India. Learning about India in an American classroom gave me a new perspective on how India is perceived by non-Indians. These poems were inspired by my family’s many trips to India, and all the stories I’ve heard over the years from my parents and grandparents.

In this Land

As diverse as India

is her geography

A nation of opposites in every way

Contrasts and contradictions

evident without exception

 

In this land,

chilling heat,

and sweltering cold

Frozen peaks,

and sandy dunes.

One second summer reigns…

Then suddenly,

The raging,

flaming,

maiming,

Monsoon arrives

 

In this land,

the Himalayas soar,

shrouded in mist and mystery both

Their stately tips grazing,

and gracing,

the clouded sky

Icy

and snow

and bone-chilling cold

a true wilderness

As savage and unforgiving,

as it it is stunning

 

In this land,

sprawl the Western

and Eastern Ghats

Both populated with

Hardwood forests, and

Sweet rains,

tropical fruit

Plants –

filling every crevice

and crack

and curve.

Beauty flourishes,

an alluring lure,

But, recognize that

danger dances nearby

Roaring rivers, rapids, rocks and cliffs, and

an easy death waiting,

for you

 

In this land,

rivers run wild

twining,

snaking

flowing

Liquid cursive,

Written all across the land

Words and names like;

Ganga and Indus

Brahmaputra,

Yamuna,

Godavari and Narmada,

Kaveri,

Sutlej….

A never ending list – Mahanadi, Krishna, Tapti, Jhelum, and so,

so many more

Some from mountain-place snowmelt,

Other rain-fed

So different they can be –

In the north, down south,

some long, some short,

clean, but mostly dirty,

but –

All

Nourish the land

All

Promise crops

All

Reap money

All

Serve India,

and her thirsty children.

 

In this land,

the heat, the cold,

the towering peaks,

the seething storms,

the wet and wild cliffs,

And last, but never least,

The rich and rowdy rivers

All of them –

All of India –

Wild,

and free,

and magnificently

Unleashed

 

India-

As diverse as she,

Is her geography.

 

Pavithra Iyer, 6th Grade

Pavithra Iyer – 2nd of 3 poems on India

Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva

Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva

One to Create,

One to Preserve,

One to Destroy

 

Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva

Together-

Trimurti incarnate

Together-

Dattatreya

Together-

Eternal,

All powerful,

Majestic

Together-

A force to be reckoned with

 

Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva

Brahmastra,

Sudarshana, Kaumodaki,

Trishula

Weapons to destroy the world

 

Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva

To destroy,

Is to create

 

Pavithra Iyer, 6th Grade

Pavithra Iyer – 3rd of 3 poems on India

 Vedas

 Vedas;

Ancient texts

Filled with tales of mystery

and magic

 

Sacred to all-

Knowledge passed on,

From mouth to mouth,

For generations passed

And more to come

 

Written in the language of old

Holy words,

Revealed to divine seers

 

Infused with power,

Shining with guidance

For those who

Believe

 

My experiences as a tutor

Sanika Bedre, 7th Grade

It was a regular Sunday, I happened to be helping my parents and younger brother in the kitchen after class, when Kishore Uncle pulls me aside. Normally, when I would be pulled aside, I would think that I was getting in trouble or I did something wrong. But this was different. I was offered a new opportunity, tutoring ESL students after Balavihar. This was an experience that would help me broaden my view on our community and at the same time, help other students improve themselves academically. I initially started tutoring a girl named Andrea. We got along really well so we started to talk about where we come from and the culture that we are a part of. She told me how her family was a really big family. The family has 5 kids and they even had to share a house with other families. Because of the vastness in family size and the crowded homes, their parents were not able to help the kids with their homework or preparing for tests. The time that we give these kids is very valuable to them as this is the time where they can ask questions, gain answers and practice so the information retains. As the mission pledge says, ‘We live honestly, the noble life of sacrifice and service, producing more that what we consume and giving more than what we take.’ This one in a lifetime opportunity gave me and many other tutors the chance to live up to this part in the pledge. We consumed our knowledge and now it is time to pass the knowledge onto the younger students. For me, I have been able to improve my communication skills and it helps so that the people who I talk to fully understand what I am talking about. Teaching the concepts helped me see what I remember from previous grades and verbally teaching would confirm my knowledge on the problem or topic. I would say that tutoring kids was a whole new experience for me. It really opened my eyes up to the lives of different students and the challenges they face from a day to day life. Sometimes, their car broke down and they weren’t able to come to classes for a couple weeks. It made me realize how fortunate we are to have the luxuries in life such as TVs and Xboxes, that we don’t even realize how much others face in life. In addition, our parents are able to provide the materials and knowledge for us to succeed and these students don’t have access to these materials. Tutoring is a great way to get to know your community, help others and yourself. I think that every person should have the opportunity to try it.