The one mistake - A blessing in disguise!

We seldom feel happy when something goes wrong. But I felt so happy about a tiny mistake that my lil' boy made yesterday. While brushing his teeth before bedtime, he accidentally dropped the circular toothpaste lid in to the open wash drain which went in and placed itself comfortably with the flat face facing upwards. There was just enough space for a knife edge at the sides. All our efforts to pull it out using two knives at the sides went in vain! All that I told him was to stop panicking and to think of a solution if he could. That's when my 7 year old suggested that we use a straw and hold it with air and pull it out! Awe..... ! He took me by surprise! What a presence of mind! Then we improvised it further and added a fully blown balloon to the straw and tried pulling it out. Believe me, it worked indeed! although couldn't pull it out fully. He felt glad that the lid was rising slowly and his idea worked! Meanwhile our 4 year old girl who was a silent spectator of all our experiments brought a glue stick from their stationary kit and suggested that we use it to pull the lid out. Finally their dad used super glue and accomplished the mission! They felt so happy that we improvised their ideas and made them work. I perceived it more like a foundation to creativity in young minds.

Thanks to all those science experiments based on aerodynamics we did together thus far. Looks like he has got hold of the crux! The real pleasure in life lies not in gaining knowledge but when it is put to use in real time. And problems provide us the opportunity to experience such pleasure!

After all a small mistake/trouble instigated the tiny brains to think and come out with a quick and sensible solution. Isn't our life's journey similar?!  If only we learn to perceive every problem in life as an opportunity to extract the best out of us. The more we think about the cause the more it leads to stress and worries which tend to pull you down further. Hence, we fail to think of a sensible/feasible solution! Instead if we could attain that level of control wherein we could overcome all the emotions and focus only on best possible solution with an open mind, I'm sure it will lead us there!

It was a silly mistake  that happened, may be not worth bragging about. But I would call it a "Blessing in disguise"! 

The glistening dew at dawn

As it trickled from the heaven,

It was enshrined by the mist

That hung around in the night sky,

Carried away by the joy of being special.

The cold breeze whispered the secret

About the mighty river that adorned the Earth.

The tiny dew was swayed by the swirling breeze

And it ran down only to be caught by the tiny rose bud.

There it stayed, all night long

Wondering, if it were special at all.

When the golden rays unfolded,

The gentle wind scattered the Morning mist.

The silence of the night was broken

By the tweet of chirping birds and buzzing bees.

The lovely spring flowers danced while

Getting drenched in gentle kisses by the sparkling dew.

The dew that glistened on the flower bed which

Never realized the blissful feeling of being alive,

Rolled on to the ground sacrificing itself,

Giving up to the glory of dawn.

A new day dawned and at the end of it,

It trickled down from the heaven again

Wondering if it would be lost in the breeze,

Failing to live the few hours that nature spared.

Never did the dew sense that

It had a silent admirer up in the sky.

The moon shined all night

Staring at the ignorance of the gleaming dew!

A Day of Accolades

A day of trophies, medals and certificates - a terrific day indeed! We expected one for sure, but the rest took us by surprise. Truly a memorable day in life! Wondering what's all this about?! That's about my little Champ Navi and the surprise factor - "the junior champ", his sweet sister Nia winning accolades at an inter school competition conducted by The Preschool of India at Porur, yesterday. Wow! What a day it was - worth a write up. Maybe when the kids grow up and get to read this, they would be surprised if it were really them!

It was around 2 AM and I woke up with a severe ear pain. When it became quite unbearable and prolonged for an hour, I thought I was going to end up at the hospital instead of the competition spot. It took me off the bed. I definitely started to feel drowsy but the pain didn't let me sleep. Amidst all this, I was clear about one thing - that I should not be the one to spoil a good opportunity for my kids to showcase their talents. After all, it was their efforts to learn whatever we parents taught them. Thanks to the on-call doctor, who recommended me the pain killer; probably my body sensed the determination of my mind too, and the pain changed its state - unbearable became bearable. That eased me up a bit and gave way for a little sleep. After an hour's sleep, I got everything ready to spend one whole day at the competition spot. Kids were excited as usual as they realized they get to go out for the day.

We reached on time - thanks to my husband's driving skills. Both the kids participated in three competitions each. To start with, it was the "Fancy Dress" contest for both. Navyah was dressed up as little Krishna and to mention, this was her first performance on stage. Probably because this was the only competition in recent time that gave opportunity for toddlers to compete. They got her up on stage and held the mike in front of her and she was wondering what it was! She said the 4 lines of Bhagavad Gita I taught her. Though not very audible, she recited it neatly. Her brother went up next.

Navneet was dressed up as Bharathiyar; special thanks to his classmate's mom for lending us the black blazer for a day. This time when he was up on stage, he seemed to have learnt from his past mistakes. That showed up on his face. He rendered his speech/ song with such confidence. It was loud, clear and he showed conviction. We were admiring his voice modulation. The minute he finished it we knew he nailed it!

Followed by this, Nia had her "Show and tell" and "Rhymes" contests. She was getting a little fussy as it was almost noon and she is after all just two years old. Somehow this little girl managed to do whatever she was supposed to do. Navi went for "Book Reading" and "Sloka Recital". He recited "Sri Vishnu Sahasranamam" for two minutes. The way he recited was quite satisfying for us. But many kids were equally good at that.

We left home at eight o'clock in the morning and by the time all these contests got over it was almost 4 PM. We were asked to wait for another hour to know the results. While we were completely exhausted, the kids were playing around in the play area, which by the way, was just one slide. We wanted to leave for home but something stopped us both from leaving - a little hope that Navi would win some prize. Finally the chief guest arrived and the prizes were announced. We eagerly awaited to hear his name and we were not disappointed!

He won the second place in the "Fancy Dress" contest. He received a certificate, medal and a small trophy for that. This time he seemed to realize that he had received something really prestigious. Me and my husband were extremely delighted. We were actually waiting for the results of Navi's next contest, while we heard the name "Navyah Rajesh". She saw one trophy in her brother's hand and when she got one for herself she was happy. She must have been thinking, may be everyone got one. She won the second prize for "Fancy Dress" contest in her age group. Soon we heard her name again, She won the second prize in "Rhymes" contest. She was up on stage with her previous trophy in hand and when they gave her another she modestly said "no need - I have one and that would do". Such is the innocence of a two year old kid!

The chief guest smiled. I collected it on her behalf. Once again they called out her name and we were totally surprised. This time I took both the trophies in her hand and she got the one they gave along with the certificates and medal. That was for third prize in "Show and Tell". She competed with about 10 to 12 kids, almost of the same age as hers, in all categories and won them. I really wonder if I would have spoken one full sentence when I was 2 years old. We returned home with hand full of accolades - The two little kids gave us parents a priceless gift - the pride of being their mom and dad! Love you both - my little achievers!

Basics of Carnatic Music

My first article in Scribd

Basics of Carnatic Music by Pavithra Rajesh

A Proud Moment

Never have I felt so proud in my life. Not when I secured a centum in Mathematics for the first time, not when I got the first rank in school for the first time, Not when I got the first prize for the first time in a public musical contest. Let me mark this day, a little boy has left me flying up in the air totally amazed that at his age of 3 years he could achieve something that took 12 years for me to achieve. It might sound something silly, after all a small contest, but I would call it a real achievement – a 3 year old boy competing with so many kids of his age from various schools and emerging a winner. The pride goes with the fact that he is my own son J (Navneet Rajesh). Great was my joy the day he was born. Much greater was my joy this day, when I saw the excitement on his face when his name was called out during the prize distribution. (Navneet Rajesh gets second prize for Fancy dress contest and yet another for Devotional song contest).  As for him, it is just a short lived excitement that he got a prize/gift or precisely a surprise (that’s what he calls it). He had a glance at the certificates and all the books he received as reward and started playing with the new car he got from his dad for winning this contest. But it means so much to me that I simply can’t take it off my mind. It’s lingering on. Not sure if you can understand this right now – “I am proud to be your mom Navi J, Way to go my boy!”

Fancy Dress Contest

     

                                                             Devotional Songs Contest

                                        

                                                                       Sloka Contest

The Glorious Moment

ஈன்ற பொழுதின் பெரிதுவக்கும் தன்மகனைச் 

சான்றோன் எனக்கேட்ட தாய் 

How true?! Nothing but these two lines could perfectly describe the way I feel. 

மழலையின் இனிமை

நித்தம் நூறு முறை ஒலிக்கும் அச்சொல்,

திகட்டவில்லை என் செவிகளுக்கு!

அளவில்லா இன்பம் வைத்தாய் இறைவா,

மழலை எனும் மொழி தனிலே!

பிறப்பின் நோக்கம் அறியாது வளர்ந்தேன், 

அதனை உணர்ந்தேன், 'அம்மா' என்று அவன் அழைக்கையிலே!

தித்திக்கும் அச்சொல் கேட்டு, என் செவிகளின் தாகம் தணிய, 

இனியொரு பிறவியும் வேண்டுமோ!

Lost in an Innocent World

Those pair of dreamy eyes

Whose intentions are unpredictable,

The cute little mouth that only babbles

Yet making it sound so beautiful,

The glossy lips that carve a gentle smile

Which can easily make a frown vanish!

Those pair of tiny hands

Which indulge in continuous mischief,

Those pair of feathery foot

Which could hardly resist running around,

Lot more in you that I admire and

Lot more in you that are still hidden!

You are my bundle of happiness!

Being around you is such bliss!

My love for you is boundless and

I am completely lost in your innocent wonderland!