a student journal of research, art & literature
She cooked the breakfast first of all
Washed the cups and plates
Dressed the children and made sure
Stockings all were made.
Dusted chairs and made stairs,
I roamed an hour or two
Baked a jar of cake and pie,
Then worked to cook and stew.
The telephone rang constantly
The door ball did the same
The younger bell and hurt his toe,
And then the laundry came.
And when her husband came at six
He said,’’ I envy you!
It must be nice to sit at home
without* thing to do
Student: Balachandran. R
Modern people, especially teenagers, are facing unprecedented challenges in this fast paced society. In China, more and more juveniles are becoming so concerned about their future career path that an increasing percentage of these young people gradually suffer mental diseases such as anxiety and depression.
As one of the biggest countries in the world, China has a population of over 1.4 billion and this number seems to be increasing year by year according to official databases. Large numbers of young children are educated ever since they were born to catch up with or outcompete their peers, rendering many of them, mostly starting from the age of 6 or even younger, having to bear far more academic responsibilities to fulfil their so-called dreams than the majority of other counterparts in this world. Initially, things may not seem so serious to them as they were still young and not too much engaged in the society. Yet, as the intervention of social media and other technological inventions becomes available, young students are clearer than ever about their current and future conditions as they step into their teenage life. Unfortunately, many of the young teenagers arrive at the conclusion that they should stay simple and normal without the need to work hard to strive towards unrealistic goals since they realize that talents are almost everywhere and they are not so needed as expected in this society while their parents still push them on the way to become outstanding members of the society. As a consequence, many young people feel stressed and nervous on a regular basis, causing themselves to be finally harassed by anxiety, which has become one of the most common phenomenons in modern societies of China in the present day.
What is worse is that with the advent of the one of the most serious pandemics, namely the coronavirus disease which broke out in the late 2019, young teenagers are facing yet another serious challenge that they cannot avoid by their own will. The truth is with the viruses spreading and evolving over time, they have posed a threat to young students’ physical fitness significantly by increasing the possibility of getting them sick much more easily than before, which potentially weakens the immune system as a whole to this new generation. Many adults have become mildly handicapped due to this pandemic, not to mention that teenagers have to strive hard to balance between keeping fit and studying hard. This unexpected situation has led many ambitious young teenagers to gradually lose their hope to become great as they have planned before since they simply do not have the power to bear too much responsibility and be so energetic to engage in complicated work or tasks as freely as ever. In China, the rising percentage of young people getting depressed has become so prevalent that the government is still on its way to figure out how to deal with the social challenge.
Ziluo Cheng
I love the way the moonlight flickers through my room,
Choosing a few selected items to shine at in the gloom,
Choosing lots of people to comfort in the night,
Keeping them from their nightmares,
Keeping them from their fright.
The moonlight is another comfort sent from God above,
To fill us with His comfort, His mercy, and His love.
He knows who the moonlight is comforting tonight,
Someone who needs it to keep him from feeling airtight.
That’s the way God shows He’s there,
Through His wondrous and endless works,
As well as all His little quirks.
Student: Alen Jose Thomas
Every autumn, West Bengal and the states in its neighbourhood wear an air of community celebration and pageantry. Devotees welcome Goddess Durga who is believed to leave her home in the Himalayas to spend a few days in her parents’ home in the plains of Bengal. Though the festivities span over five days, preparations for the Puja commence months in advance. If one has to understand the kind of back-breaking labour that goes into preparing for the festival, some of the best people to ask would be the clay modelers (Pals) from Kumartuli, North Kolkata who tirelessly produce some of the finest samples of idol making, year after year.
This autumn, I tried to understand the life and work of one such artisan, Ajoy Pal, who had been hired by 12 Puja committees of my hometown, Jamshedpur. Pal has been assisting his father since he was 13. Now aged 45, he dropped out of school in Class 8 and has been making the annual autumnal trip to Jamshedpur ever since. Shy and initially reluctant to interact, he starts conversing by first explaining to me the arduous process of idol making in the traditional Kumartuli style. First, bamboo sticks are used to make the skeletal structure of the idol, followed by giving shape to the idol using jute ropes and straw. In the second stage, a clay solution with an adequately high percentage of water is used to fill the crevices of the straw structure. Palms, head and feet of the idol are separately moulded by the highest graded Pal, Ajoy being one of them. After these parts are fixed to the main figurine, another layer of clay (this time very fine and without any impurities) is applied with a soft cloth to prevent cracks in the idol once it dries. The image is then painted, either with oil paints or water colours, depending on the humidity. The main artist then paints the eyes and sticks the jute hair. The idol is dressed and ornamented, and made ready to be taken to respective pandals for worship. All these preparations generally begin in March-April each year.
I enquire about where he sources the materials from. Ajoy says,“ The fundamental rule to be followed is that all the core materials should come from the river.. the sandy soil, clay, etc. However, this ritual is hard to follow at all times. The jewellery and sarees are sourced from Shovabazar, while the bamboo, jute and straw come from our traditional supplier in Purulia.” Pal explains another crucial aspect of arranging the raw materials. “Dust from beneath the feet of a prostitute is mixed with the clay used for making the idol. People differ as to why this tradition is followed. But I believe it signifies the fact that even those who are despised from society and live along its fringes are invited for the festivities.”
Though clay-modellers from Kumartuli belong to the purist school of idol-making but artisans have bent rules to cater to particular needs of Puja committees. Given an option, Ajoy still prefers the traditional fashion wherein the Goddess is placed on a single platform with her children, but Puja associations coax medellers to flirt with traditions and create idols on separate platforms for ease of transportation. For the first time in 2001, Ajoy’s group made an idol that could be dismantled. This was done for a client in New Jersey. In fact, these days idols are decorated from a whole plethora of materials- chalk pieces, buttons, coins, matchsticks etc.
So would Ajoy like his children to tread on his footsteps. “No”, comes the quick reply. “I’m nobody to stop them from taking up the traditional family craft, but if I could influence their career choices, I’d dissuade them from following me.” He explains that the conditions of idol-modellers all across the country is rather unenviable. Unlike in earlier times when artists were patronized by kings, famous families, businessmen etc., conditions today are not conducive for a artisan to earn comfortably by depending on his craft. Puja committees haggle incessantly and pay them paltry sums (sometimes just Rs.10000 for a single set of Durga and her children), there is space constraint and material costs are rising. He gives me a sample, “100 quintals of riverbed clay cost around Rs. 750-800 just two years back, but stands at Rs. 1500 this year, chiefly due to reclamation of riverbed land for real estate development along the Hoogly. Are we being compensated by puja committees for bearing these insanely high costs? Is the government subsidizing our expenses? How do I ask my children to follow in my footsteps?”
With a week for the Pujas to commence, I ask Pal where he sees himself 10 days down the line. Thoughtfully he responds, “My karma is to enable the community to have five days of unadulterated joy by gifting them a part of my craft. By since you’ve asked…perhaps scouting for employment-as an electrician, plumber, locksmith- to support my family and myself for the rest of the year.” (I met Ajoy Pal on the 10th of October this year.)
This article is a tribute to the craftsmen of Kumartuli- the men who create God.
Student: Sourovi De
A fool, a disappointment, and a failure he was labeled. And none were surprised. Never were there any cries for help, nor were there tears of shame and guilt, but it showed. It showed on his face and on the face of many in the court who had to face the consequences of his actions, for that what he did was nothing but a shameful reminder of the man he has become. He himself was now only a distant memory of the person he was meant to be, supposed to be.
Will, or William the VII, was the once much adored prince, and the son to king Alexander, of the great Prussian empire, an empire so esteemed and feared at the same time by its many subjects, allies and enemies. Words of its greatness reached ears all over the four lands of the world. People travelled for months to be a part of this Prussian empire, to experience the life only a country as great as this one, could give. It was a true medieval portrayal of the mythical land of Eden. Gold, jewels, coins and possessions held equal importance as love, respect and glory to its people and rulers. It was a land where God himself would have stepped upon to live and to celebrate his many gifts to the world. But it was a land where life was celebrated not in peace, but in battles, victories and above all, glory.
No true greatness could come without bearing the costs of waging wars and leading battles to even the people you once loved and cared for, and this empire was no different. Allies turn against you, for success prompts hope, and with hope comes the promise of glory. A glory that few achieve, yet all pursue. This pursuit for glory was what led to the battle of the legendary battle of the Bloodstone Valley. A battle fought between Prussia and their onceloved Georgia. It was an imprudent attempt on the part of the Georgian emperors to wage a war on Prussia, yet the smell of success and hope for glory led them to stab their own ally. It wasn’t a feeble attempt, and it showed. King Alexander was all but defeated at the hands of the traitors, as they were to be labeled. Arin, the king of Georgia and the well-known schemer of great sieges had led another great battle. Arin knew that the vast number of archers and cannons in the Prussian empire held no importance in the shallow valley of Bloodstone, for it was ceiled by the low rocks that would render the archers and cannons useless. They could have been useful only if they could get closer to their enemy without getting attacked. But given the power and skill of swords Georgia had at their disposal, they looked frail. But it was the valiance and intelligence of Will that led them to the win they deserved. It was his counter-plan, his swift execution of it that led Prussia out of one of the worst defeats they would have ever faced.
This great win, twelve years ago, seemed like a distant memory. These twelve years had changed a lot in Will. Many thought that maybe the smell of glory got to him too, for he was never the celebrated warrior and the valiant fighter he once was. And this day could just be the final blow in the already shaken reputation of the fallen prince. He had led three jesters into the king’s court. On his many requests, the king listened and gave them the chance to perform and be a part of the biggest gathering the country ever sees. Things didn’t exactly go as Will planned, for he wanted to get his father’s ears back. It turned out one of the jesters 57 was a man sent from the long known enemy-state of Dorth. He had with him a device, a device so small yet so powerful it blasted through a 100 yards of men, stone and steel. Hundreds in the court died, including the great king Alexander. I was a matter of shame that he had to die not at the hands of a great warrior, not by sword or arrow, but by a cheap trick from the wicked men of Dorth. And the blame was to fall to Will, who couldn’t judge the man for who he wasor could have the enterprise to do a proper check on the man before allowing him such royal access.
The kingdom reeled, but it was William who faced the consequences of his own actions the most. He couldn’t believe what he just did. How rash he had been. And being the one the kingdom would now fall to, he couldn’t have been more anxious. But it moved something in him. He realized he had been missing that motivation, that fire of vengeance and that will to make himself the man he was supposed to be. In his horrendous mistake, he realized he wasn’t looking at the world the right way. It wasn’t the world he was supposed to coast through, for the responsibilities on his shoulders were far too much. He yet couldn’t show the people around him, but he knew that it was this blow that would finally become the savior of him. He just might be able to turn around and rectify all the mistakes he once made. That he just might be able to carry and build upon the glories his forefathers achieved. So there stood a new king, the fallen prince, nigh the throne of the greatest empire the world saw, yet a king the empire looked down upon, a king who would have to prove his worth to the world. But would he? Only time could tell.
Student: Palash Siddamsettiwar
