Sunday, March 29, 2009

Reaction

On Monday we will start looking at 'Chemical reactions' announced our teacher as he closed the reference book. Two or more substances interact to transform from one form to the other he said. Just then it was time to leave for home. We left the class noisily and went straight to the playground. For a while the thought about 'Chemical reactions' was out of my mind. But as I sat in the school bus I was mesmerized by what the teacher had described.

As I reached home I was envisioning our table transform into chairs, the chairs transforming into a tree and the tree transforming into a rabbit. What would be my fate if I was turned into a different object? The thought terrified me. But the teacher had said that it required two or more substances for the transformation. Secretly I decided to carry out some experiments of my own.

I collected a bunch of dried leaves. I then got a glass of water. Carefully I poured a few drops of water on one leaf and then in desperation emptied the entire glass. I had just got a wet leaf. I then took a few drops of milk and poured it on the leaf. I was hoping that the leaf would transform into a green leaf. But to my disappointment nothing had happened. I spent the next few hours experimenting without much success.

In the evening we were hosting a few guests. I had greeted them hastily and then sneaked into the kitchen to continue my experiment. There was a tetsubin filled with tea. I was looking for the magic second substance when my eyes fell on tamarind. What would happen I wondered? The thought instilled a thrill in me. Carefully I took a piece of tamarind and put into the tea and started mixing it. And voila there it was the transformation I was so eager to see.

Every one was laughing at the mishap. I was sitting quietly embarrassed at my lack of thought. Then tea and snacks were served again and I had joined all in the laughter.

Saturday, March 7, 2009

Stop.

The Discovery channel was airing a man who was annoying a poor snake. There was a group of people around the man who was enjoying every bit of what the man was demonstrating. I wondered how they would have felt if the same man was poking at them or holding their neck with the same instrument in the name of studying.

The old house had the most beautiful scenic surroundings. It was surrounded by a hedge with beautiful flowers. Within the boundaries of the fence we had planted a variety of vegetables and flowers. A narrow pathway made from mud ran in the front of the house. Towards the right it coiled in between tall trees bearing fruits and flowers. Fruits like mangoes, guavas, chikoos (sapodilla), jackfruits, cashews, tamarind, jambool (java plum). Flowers like Parijat and Gulmohar. Walking a little further in the same direction was a well where we would quench our thirst after playing. Further ahead was a beautiful lush green play ground. On the other side of the play ground stood the kokum trees. Further away there were beautiful hillocks with thick plantation. We would venture there once in a while for the purpose of hiking and eating wild fruits.

Standing in front of the house you could see people working in fields and pastures where animals would graze. Wild animals too were seen once in a while. A leopard had once entered a house a few kilometers away. Snakes were a pretty common site. A majestic monitor lizard roamed around the house. Woodpeckers, kingfishers and parrots could also be seen. The beautiful sound of the cuckoo and other birds refreshed your mind instantly.

Towards the left of the house the pathway merged into a road. The road ran perpendicular to the pathway. Towards its left was the same range of hillocks you could see from the playground. The road then made a hair pin turn and was not visible until it made another one. Looking further ahead beyond the fields you could see the road again. Towards the left of the road was a beautiful island. On the island you could see a hillock on top of which was an ancient fort. You could reach the island by rowing a small boat. The road now ran straight until it disappeared.

It was late night when we were returning home. It was a full moon day. We were looking at the island and the fort on our right. Then we were looking at the image of the moon in the water. Towards our left the plants in the field stood still. Looking further we could see our house in the moonlight.

The morning bustle had turned into silence. The silence being disturbed only by the sound of our car and chirping of the crickets. And then it happened. The car had come to a sudden halt. I had almost hit my head on the windshield when I saw one of the most beautiful sites. We had turned off the headlights immediately. In the bright moon light we could see a big python slowly crossing the road. We waited there for a while until it had finally disappeared.

Why can't you live them alone was the question I had as I switched off the television.

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