Children's Corner
By Mithi Shukla Floppy ears, big shiny playful eyes, and that cuddly fur, what does that remind you of? She likes some attention, likes to be loved, and loves to play. That’s the picture I had in mind forever and ever. Every time I thought of this picture I felt like something was missing. Oh….. How I wish I could have a puppy!!!!!!!!!! If you are interested and want to get more information please contact: www.humanesocietyofcharlotte.org The Ekal Vidyalaya chapter of Charlotte held an art and essay competition in March 2010. The two essays below are first place winners in each age group. First Person- Martin Luther King, Jr. Heritage Poem The Gatekeeper The Very Hungry Bear Music is My Shield
All I need is love… Love is all I need…
My experience with fostering puppies
We had explored several options and then we finally found something. At the Humane Society of Charlotte we were looking for some way to work with puppies. They had just the right program that would be ideal for me. We could be foster families for puppies. We filled the online application and then waited for the mandatory orientation session. The orientation session was finally here and now there was another training session we needed to go to. This seemed like a long wait and felt like we would never be able to bring a puppy home at this rate. But, this would be a good and helpful training so we would know what to do and what not to do.
Foster puppies are normally around 5 to 6 weeks in age. They need to stay with their mom ideally for the first 4 to 5 weeks after which they can be more independent and stay away from the mother. Humane Society gets puppies and dogs from rescue efforts, sometimes they have been abandoned and also when people bring in the puppies from a mother dog that had a litter. When puppies come to the shelter they get their first round of shots and subsequent ones as they grow. At this age puppies cannot mix with other dogs because they are not fully vaccinated and can pick up infections from other dogs. Humane Society provides food, bedding, crates, toys, everything. These puppies don’t need to go for walks but they do love to play outside. After all the training I was anxiously waiting for my first puppy.
It was really cold outside and the forecast called for snow. I was sitting on the couch watching TV when my dad came in from the garage door and said my friend was outside and wanted me to come to her house. But when I opened the door I saw a crate with two small Rottweiler puppies just staring at me with the most adorable eyes. When I saw them I felt lightheaded and I felt like I was going to faint. Anytime I ever thought about puppies I only thought of golden retrievers and Labradors. But never in my life had I thought about getting a Rottweiler puppy! Everybody talks about Rottweilers being mean vicious dogs but they can only be mean if you train them like that. So I asked my dad what their names were, and he said the solid black one is Deci, and the black one with tan markings was Dyna. They were both 6 weeks old. I opened the crate and it took them a while to get out and get used to their surroundings so I waited for about two minutes and they started to come out very slowly. I sat on the ground with them and Deci crawled into my lap and snuggled up with me. Dyna went and snuggled in my mom’s lap. They were shivering very hard so we got out the blanket the Humane Society gave us and wrapped it around both of them. They loved to play tug of war. In a battle between D2 (Dyna and Deci) and me over my sock, D2 won. Their new acquisition, “the sock” became their new tug of war toy. Dyna was the one that would love to nibble on fingers and toes and Deci liked to lick. They were very playful and energetic and when they had to go back after being with us for two weeks, they left a big quietness and void in our home and us.
My birthday was coming up and I wanted to do a sleepover so I was planning all the activities when the phone rang. I went to go get it and on the caller id it said the Humane Society so my face lit up. I rushed to my mom to give the phone to her when the call was done I couldn’t stand still so I kept asking her what they said so it kind of sounded like this: “What did they say, what did they say, what did they say?” She said that they were getting a puppy in a few days but I wanted a puppy today, right now! My brother was sitting at the kitchen table on his laptop and he asked my mom when my dad was coming home and he had that smirk on his face that says he’s hiding something. I looked up at my mom and she was smiling too, so I had the feeling there was something going on. I called my dad to see where he was and in the background I heard a faint whimpering. I was so happy that I could explode!!!!!!!!!!!
When he came through the garage I was smiling so much my cheeks hurt he said there was someone outside to see me and when I went out I saw two more of the most adorable puppies in a crate. We brought them inside and I asked my dad what kind they were and he said they were Labrador pit bull mix. There was a boy and a girl, both 5 weeks old and the boy’s name was Spot and the girl’s name was Sabrina. Spot had a big spot on his eye and Sabrina had little spots on her ears. They were both white. The day of my birthday party I was so excited because all of my friends were coming and then we could play with the puppies all day. S2 (Spot and Sabrina) had a great time getting all the attention. Spot was like Deci, he was so calm and he loved to cuddle up with people. Sabrina was like Dyna, always ready to play. I was outside helping my mom plant some flowers and S2 were outside too playing with each other when I got tired of planting flowers I sat on the patio and S2 came running towards me. They jumped into my lap and fell asleep. They were exhausted from playing for three hours straight! This was the most adorable thing I had ever seen. When my mom was done she came over to the patio and saw that S2 were sleeping in my lap. She pulled out a folding cot and said to lie down on it with them. They looked so peaceful just lying there. When they were about to leave to go back, after two weeks, I took one last look at them and they looked at me with those eyes just like when they first came into our house. It was hard to let them go but I knew the deal and that this day will come.
It was a typical day where you wash your car and clean the house and that was exactly what we did. I wanted to foster that day since I hadn’t fostered for three months. I asked my mom if I could check the mail account to see if there were any foster mails and there was one. I opened it and it said they needed a foster home for two weeks. The puppy was a brindle boxer mix. I showed my mom the email and she said that we could pick it up today. So my mom called the Humane Society and they said that we could come at 2:00. So I was desperately waiting for 2:00 and when it finally came around we left. I went to pick up my friend so she could come with me. We were both jumping with joy and every five minutes I asked my mom if we were there yet.
When we were there my friend and I jumped out of the car and raced to the door. When we opened the door we went to the front desk and said we were picking up a foster puppy, so the lady went in the back door and came out holding the cutest puppy ever!!!!!!! It was smaller than any of the puppies I ever had. We asked the lady what the puppy’s name was and she said her name was Savoy. Savoy was a girl and was 4 weeks old. I asked if I could pick Savoy up and when I picked her up she was the lightest thing ever! Then we went back to the car and put her crate and all of the things that came with her. We took her out of the crate and my friend and I took some towels in the back and put her in our laps. I put Savoy in the middle and she was about to go to sleep. When we got home we took her to the backyard so she could go to the bathroom. Then we took her inside to play. She was so quiet I forgot she was there. At night when it was time to go to sleep we brought her crate upstairs so that we could hear her if she was whimpering to go to the bathroom. Everyday when I went to school, I always thought about her and I felt sad. When I came home my mom would always bring her to me so I could hold her. As the days went on she started barking and being more like a playful dog. When she was about to leave I went to the car and said good-bye and she was whimpering as we parted ways.
It was the 4th of July weekend. I was watching TV and I checked the email and there was a foster mail and it said they needed a foster home for two Lhasa Apso Labrador mix puppies. I went to my dad to go and tell him about it and convinced him that we can bring them home, so he sent an email to them. When the Humane Society called and I answered it and said that we could pick them up the following day. I called my mom and she said my dad and I could go and pick them up. Next day we went to the Humane Society to get them. When we arrived I went to the front desk and said that we were picking up two foster puppies, the lady said that she will be right back and then she went in through the backdoor. She came out holding two big puppies. One of them was solid black and the other was white with tan spots and markings. She said the black one was Tinker and the white one was Tango. They were so cute!!!!!!!
She put them in the crate and gave them to us. We put them in the car and all the way home I just kept on staring at them. I looked at the papers they gave us for them and it said they were both 2-months-old boys.
When we got home my dad unloaded them and I took them to the backyard. They were running with joy. I called my friends over and when they came we played with them for the rest of the day until my friends had to go home. Then I took Tinker and Tango inside to put them in their crate. T2 (Tango and Tinker) didn’t bark much and were very easy to train. They loved to play with each other in the backyard. If another dog was barking they would jump up, run to you and hide. We had broken our trend of the big scary guard dog puppies we had so far. They were big and muscular puppies, but very cute and friendly. My brother has been very helpful in taking care of them. He told me that T2 were his favorite puppies. I loved them very much and I missed them a lot when they left.
I hope that all little puppies would find a safe and loving home. When we picked up T2, they told us Savoy was getting adopted that day! I wonder where all my little (not so little anymore) puppies are now and if they would recognize me if they saw me. I love fostering because I know I’m helping little puppies that need us.
If you could improve one thing in this world...
By Deepthi Tulasi (age 12)
If I could improve one thing in this world I would get more people or the whole world to be green. I would encourage people around the world to recycle, to not waste water, and to use re-usable items instead of disposable. This can make a great difference in the world.
Recycling is an important part or step when turning the world “green.” Let’s say the whole world threw away all their garbage (in the trash) and recycled all their paper, plastic, and some aluminum. All that recycled material can be made into new things like new cans or new newspaper. The cycle can go on. The world has limited recourses they won’t be there forever.
So, instead of throwing everything in the trash and all the trash going to harmful landfills, try recycling so the resources in the world can be there for generations from now.
Another important part in making this world green is to not waste water. Did you know 3 percent of the whole Earth’s water is fresh or drinking water? Wow! That can easily run out. People can do the simplest things to save water. I would encourage people to take shorter showers. Let’s say the whole world took a shower for 30 min. which uses six gallons of water. That would mean people or everyone in the world used over 6,000,000,000,000 gallons a day! Now let’s say everybody cut that shower in half, that would save 3,000,000,000,000 gallons of water. That may not seem much as first but I bet it could give at least 10 cups of water to everybody in Charlotte. Water is a scarce resource so people shouldn’t waste it.
Another thing I would make the world do is to buy reusable items instead of disposable. Have you ever drunk out of a plastic water bottle? Or a can of coke? Even though these items are recyclable they can’t be recycled forever. So what I would do is get rid of all cans and bottles and replace with metal or water bottle you can use forever. This bottle can handle wear and tear damage and you only need one. This will fill fewer landfills and not cause over pollution.
All these steps are important in making the world green. I would spread this message around the world and encourage them to “be green.” This can make a serious impact on the world. Generations from now people can still be able to live a happy life if we take care of the world. So, if I could get the chance to improve one thing in the world, I would make everyone be green to help the world prosper.
My Best Friend
By Sanjit Tatvarthy (age 8)
My Best friend is Suvir. Let me describe him. He’s silly, fun, loco and sometimes annoying. What he thinks is funny I sometimes don’t. But our main similarity is that we both hate our moms sometimes. We have differences to though. He’s way better in art than I am. Too bad he wasn’t here. I’m too better at writing than him though. So here I am! He’s my friend because we knew each other since wore diapers. Also because he and I make a good fit. Put our brains together and we are a giant plus a huge, gigantic monster full of smartness and made up of smartness. But sometimes we don’t get along well. For example when we are playing football he complains that I’m hogging the ball. We both go to shloka class (that’s not a reason why we don’t get along well). We don’t like to argue over simple things but sometimes it just never hit our head. But I guess we get along pretty well. He has a Wii, which I regularly play at least two times when I go to his house. I have a PS2, which he is kind of interested in. Going back, I feel bad for him that he couldn’t come. I was looking forward for him coming to my house or me going to his house. Boo hoo! The only reason he’s good at art is because of the way he observes things better than me. That’s what I like about him. I may have glasses, but how he observes things amazes me! Our common favorite sports are football and basketball. I like soccer and cricket. I don’t know if he does. I’m slower than him. He’s too fast for me. Since I weigh 84 pounds though, I’m too hard for him to bring down! If I can catch him, I can bring him down. He can bring me down sometimes. We’re both also very big readers too. You can threaten to hurt us bad, but we won’t stop reading. We both think very, very hard. And now I’m thinking very hard on how to write 500 words! I’m sure he would’ve been thinking hard on how to draw a really good picture. Another thing about us is that we both think in the future, past, and present. But the thing is his jokes are so lame. Only very few make me laugh my head out or even make me laugh. That I’m surprised at because most of my friends can make me laugh. Wonder why his jokes are so lame. So I’m here thinking I’ve got 500 words, so I’m going to end my piece of writing.
By Bansili Desai (Grade 9)
Martin Luther King Jr. stops by at oval office to check on Obama. He describes his visit...
“Welcome. Take a seat my dear friend,” said President Obama as he greeted me. It was a pleasure to be in the White House. I took a seat staring at the bodyguards who stood close to Obama. “So what brings you here today?”
“I’m here in your presence today because I would like to congratulate you on your achievement, but I’m also here to warn you,” I mentioned. “Warn you that there are people in the world who loathe you because of your color and you can’t let those people put you down no matter what they say. Always keep your head up.”
“Yes sir, I have learned from the best. Standing in front of 1.8 million people on the day I officially became the President of USA was a dream come true. All those people who had supported me, made me realize that I was capable of making a change. It made me forgive all the others who showed a dislike towards me.”
I chuckled, “I also see that you have won a Nobel Peace Prize just like me. It brings great excitement in me to see an African American President sitting in front of me today. Almost 50 years back it seemed like something impossible.”
“I didn’t know that being a president was in my fortune. I didn’t know this is where I’d be today. It took courage and hard work just like how you stood up for the African Americans,” he pointed out. He shuffled in his chair still sitting straight and tall.
“Yes it took courage, but I knew I had to stand up, otherwise this country wouldn’t have changed.
“I’m here because of you, Dr. King, because you are my mentor,” explained Obama.
“No you’re here in the White House because of Gandhi. John Lewis a close friend of mine had said the same. ‘Without Gandhi, there would be no Obama as president’. The words of Gandhi had inspired me and spoke to me only because they were true. There was no need for violence. And I want you to promise me that you will never use violence, Obama.”
“I can’t make that promise to you because sometimes you have to use violence. Tell me, do you think nonviolence would work against Hitler in your time? Today would nonviolence work against Osama Bin Laden?”
“Well you do have a point there, but only use force as your last resort. Make sure that you always try to resolve issues peacefully first,” I said
“I sure will try my best. I think though that an important issue is education for the children. All children should get an education and no teens should drop out of high school. Speaking of children, my daughters should be back home from school. Let me bring them in, they would love to meet you.” Obama asked the guard to go get his daughters.
Meanwhile Obama and I discussed some of America’s crises. Obama thought it was a bad time in America and that he was trying hard to make a change. I could see the keenness in his eyes. Suddenly two little heads popped in.
“Hello Dr. King, it’s very nice to met you,” both Malia and Sasha said.
“Very nice to met you too,” I replied as I stuck my hand out for them to shake.
“May I ask you a question?” Malia asked eagerly.
“Well go right ahead.”
“I wanted to know how you felt when you were up on the podium reading your ‘I Have A Dream’ speech? And if you want relive that moment again?”
“I had felt a little shaky but I had also felt confident. Shaky because there were many people out there waiting for me to speak. Confident though because what I had to say was important. Reliving the moment would not be something I would really look forward to because I know that the experience I had on August 23, 1963 was my dream come true. I wouldn’t want to change that moment in any way,” I responded.
“Thank you,” replied Malia.
Sasha finally spoke, “Daddy we have to go to my sports practice.”
“Yes we have to get going. It was nice talking to you, Dr. King. Thank you and I hope to see you again.” President Obama got up to shake my hand, and the guards were ready to lead me outside.
“Thank you too. Bye for now,” I waved to President Obama and his children.
(By Aadithya Nair - 5th grade)
Kerala, is the state where I come –
Malayalam is the language I speak…
It’s like Dravidian culture;
Flourished civilization 5000 years ago,
Similarities it strikes with—
Mediterranean and Mesopotamian.
“God’s own country”, is what they say—
From they land I came away!
The Cheras, the Cholas, and the Pandyas,
Adisankara, Ayurveda, Advaita—
Are parts of my heritage…
Onam and Vishu are celebrations,
Welcoming harvest and New Year—
With lanterns, flowers, prayers;
Matrilineal system, geographical features—
Isolated Kerala – from rest of India...
“God’s own country”, is what they say—
From the land I came away!
Its heritage packed with—
Art, rock cut temples, monuments.
Bekal fort, Kochi fort, palakkad fort—
Dutch palace, Francis church—
Stands pride heritage of Kerala.
“God’s own country”, is what they say –
From the land I came away!
Kerala, a melting pot—
Several religious, ethnic groups.
Inhabitants of my state – Kerala,
Arrived by sea and land.
Rulers practiced never—
Three hundred A.D or present!
Any religious discrimination.
“God’s own country”, is what they say—
The land I came away from.
By Ananya Mallavarapu (age 17)
After walking through a tunnel
I stopped up at a door
With a ragged looking gatekeeper
Asking me what was I there for?
“To go into the future,
That awaits me, you see,
To see myself within the light,
I’m waiting to be free.”
“Halt! Go back!
Step no further!” he said
“You’re not ready to go
onto that path ahead.”
I walked up to defy him but
I was barred from going
I was pulled away
Banned from ever knowing.
“Why can’t I cross?”
I shouted with anger
“Why must I stay
Inside this closed chamber?”
“You are not ready to go
Onto the path ahead.
If I were you
I would watch where I tread.”
I recoiled but stood
Quite determined was I
I shook off his chains
And held my head high.
“You cannot stop me,
You will let me go on.
Now move aside
And let me walk on!”
“You cannot pass
The chains still bind you.
I won’t let you by
You will not go through!”
“Stop! You are me!”
I yelled to him at last
“Let me go! Let me be!
Leave my sight fast!”
The gatekeeper shook his head,
But as I watched he sighed,
“It seems I have lost,
Your will I have not denied.”
The man then disappeared
And the gate opened on its own.
I walked into the light
His chains seeming to have flown.
By Anita (Age 9)
One afternoon, a bear roamed the woods looking for food. All he wanted was a bit of honey, and that would make him happy. As he kept on walking, he found a marvelous beehive, and growled. A bee inside the hive flew out. “Hello, Mr. Bear,” said the bee. “What may I do for you?” “I want honey, now!” growled the bear. Now, that bee was a very smart bee. As the bear came walking towards the hive, the bee shouted, “Stop! If you do not know, Mr. Bear, all our sweetest and finest honey is produced in the back of the hive.” And with that, the bear slowly walked toward the back of the hive. While the bear was doing that, the bee zoomed inside the hive and told all the bees, “Bees! There is a hungry bear outside that wants honey! He will open the back of our hive. Everyone to the back!” Right after all bees had gone to the back, a sharp claw came sticking out of the hive. Then another, and another! Suddenly the bear ripped off the whole entire back of the hive. Right at that moment, all the bees swarmed out and stung the bear. The bear ran away like a bullet and never went back to that hive again.
By Ananya Mallavarapu (age 16)
Music, it’s not an abstract thought or concept but it is like one to us. People relate to it, enjoy the immortality of it, and live off it, as a source of inspiration. I love music, whether it is classical (Indian or Western) or rock (generally classic, Alternative, or Indie). I love music, and I would like to share its importance to me. Whether it’s an experience or just me hearing my favorite CD’s, music continually shapes my life.
About a year ago, I went to my best friend’s UNCC Youth Orchestra Concert. Nothing can describe the awe and beauty that I experienced. I’ve always loved live concerts, but listening to live orchestras really does take your breath away. This same best friend, while driving me home the other day played the Classical station on her car’s radio. We were both swept away by an amazing Arabic Orchestral piece. The intonations, the blend, and the entire combination of all the music: I won’t forget that experience. She told me that she loved classical music because no matter what happens, people playing the same classical pieces 20, 30, maybe 50 years down the road, love it and experience the same feelings as people now. I can’t agree with her more. Classical music is “classic” for a reason.
I’m studying Carnatic music. It’s beautiful with its broad structure, and though I don’t completely know all of it, the idea behind it astounds me. Even today, the pieces and songs created such a long time ago constantly weave their way into lives with or without the person’s permission. The amount of hard work and practice give Carnatic music not only recognition, but awe as well. In addition, just like Western classical music, the stories told from the songs, or the stories in the songs, still incorporate themselves vividly into our lives. I’ve never completely heard Hindustani music, but I want to hear a Hindustani concert one day and hear the music and vocals weave their way underneath my skin.
Music also plays a big factor in my writing. I can honestly say that without indie bands like Death Cab for Cutie and Coldplay I’d have no real inspiration. However, they’re not the only sources. I listen frequently to Motion City Soundtrack and adore the Beatles. Their lyrics speak out to me. Sometimes, as in the case of the Beatles and Motion City Soundtrack, there are songs (“I wanna’ hold you hand” and “Antonia” respectively) that stay straightforward, evoke a sudden sensation of joy, and a burst of writing energy. With bands like Coldplay and my favorite: Death Cab for Cutie, I can relate or even quote the lyrics to describe my life.
“Cause in my head, there’s a greyhound station, where I send my thoughts to far-off destinations” is a lyric from my favorite Death Cab song “Soul meets Body.” I love the metaphor and merge other metaphors (by Death Cab) into my stories: drawing a metaphor or a quote and expanding on it. It’s amazing to picture the station shipping out the thoughts right now as I write this.
Music is such a big part of my life and I’m sure that it’s a big part of many other people’s lives. People listen to sad songs when they’re sad, happy songs when they’re feeling “bubbly,” and dance beats when they just feel like getting up. Hasn’t that shown us what a big impact it’s had on our lives? I can’t live a day without my music, yes my music, music that I relate to, know the words to, and try to use as a little “Today’s a sunny day” weather forecast.
Music’s immortality never fails to shine at an opportunistic moment. To me, music is a shield. I can live without it, but when in my presence, it awakens feelings of security and protection. If music is this important to me, I just want to know, how important music is to others.
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