Here are some excerpts from the first issue (February, 2012) of TALK. Although the contributions are from students we assure you that they are original pieces. Their merit stands to be judged by you, the readers of the blog and we would like to read your valued comments on the same. So, go ahead and TALK.
ADELBERT AND THE WITCH
Once upon a time in Belgium lived
an orphan named Adelbert with his loving grandmother and their cow Wilma on the
outskirts of the Ardennes close to the river Meuse. He was a hardworking boy,
helping with milking Wilma and making cheese and collecting wood for the fire
and so on. His grandmother loved him more than anything in the world. After all
he was her only cause for living.
Every morning Adelbert woke up early and went
into the nearby woods to collect firewood. When he returned he would help his
grandmother make the fire and they would sit beside it tending the porridge
that would be their breakfast. Then he would get down to the business of
milking the cow, while his grandmother prepared the meal and did other
household chores. Adelbert never went to school, but his grandmother taught him
to read and write. Suddenly one morning Wilma was nowhere to be found. Adelbert
searched for her everywhere but without success.
One day he decided to go deeper
into the woods in search of Wilma. The tall pine trees and the lush green
foliage around him drew him in deeper and deeper till he realized that he had
gone too far. The dews of the early morning had moistened the soil so much that
Adelbert began to slip and slide here and there. There was a cave in a hill
before him and it seemed so enchanting that Adelbert could not resist going
towards it. He tried hard to keep his feet steady, but alas, he did not see the
patch of moss on the floor and slid headlong into the cave. He managed to bring
his slide to a halt with the help of his arms. In spite of the bruises he could
feel on his elbows and ankles Adelbert jumped to his feet and stared in
amazement. Right in front of his eyes was a little hut made entirely out of
chocolate and biscuits! And tied to a pole at the side of it was Wilma! So
someone had stolen Wilma and had used her milk to make all the chocolate for
the hut. The aroma of the tempting chocolate was too difficult to resist and as
Adelbert put out his hand to touch the wall of the hut a beautiful young lady
dressed in white emerged and asked him who he was and what he was doing there.
Adelbert narrated to her his misadventure and she smiled and asked him to enter
the hut. What he did not realize was that she had other plans for him. In the
centre of the hut was a cage into which she thrust him. Adelbert was too taken
aback to protest and right in front of his eyes the beautiful lady was
transformed into an ugly haggard witch. Seeing the shock on his little face the
witch cackled aloud and told him that since he had discovered her secret abode
she could not ever let him go. He would be her servant forever. Adelbert could
think of nothing but the disappointment his grandmother would feel when she
came to know that he had disobeyed her by going too far into the woods.
But Adelbert was a bright boy.
And so he fought back his tears and set to the task of thinking out ways by
which to escape from the cage and the cave. Suddenly he noticed a hen sitting
on a straw bed in a corner of the hut. The brown bird sat so still that it
seemed lifeless. It seemed to be in deep meditation. But just then it got up
and walked out of the hut leaving behind a beautiful golden egg. Adelbert just
couldn’t believe his eyes. So, the fabled bird that laid golden eggs was not a
goose but a hen and it was in the possession of the witch whom he could hear
singing somewhere in the cave.
Wonders did not cease for
Adelbert for he suddenly realized that the witch was dreadful for sure but not
too smart. She had left the keys to his cage on a ledge of the hut’s window and
it was within his reach! He grabbed the keys and leaving the cage was just
about to exit the hut when she appeared out of nowhere and slammed the doors
shut. But Adelbert was quick to realize that escape from the hut would be quite
pleasurable. The hut was made of chocolate and all he would have to do was eat
his way out. The next half hour he spent tasting some of the finest dark
chocolate he had ever had. The hole he had thus managed to make was large
enough for him to get out of. But now Adelbert was determined to leave with the
witch’s hen and Wilma. He untied the cow and tiptoed all around the cave with
the animal searching for the bird till he found it in a small fountain bathing
itself. Fascinated though he was at the sight he wasted no time in grabbing the
surprised creature and ran out of the cave. Wilma kept pace with him
beautifully. He had gone quite far when he heard horrid screams in the distance
behind him. The witch had made the discovery that she had lost not only her
captive but her precious hen as well.
Adelbert managed to reach home
before long. His grandmother was outside the door looking out for him. She
heaved a sigh of relief at the sight of her grandson and looked pretty amazed
to see Wilma in tow. After he had told her his story he had to prove that he
had not been lying by making the hen sit down to lay its egg. It did take some
time, but once she held the shining thing in her hand she was convinced of
Adelbert’s adventure. Of course, he promised never to disobey her again and
they had no cause to fear the anger of the witch for they soon left the place
and lived happily ever after.
Manjeet Singh Dutt (10 A)
VALIDATE
Recently, while taking part in the moral science class at school,
I came across the valuable concept of validation, something I feel the world is
very much in need of. A highly acclaimed short film which centered round the
idea of how validation can change people’s lives and make the world a happier
place was shown to us. A cheerful parking attendant does more than simply
validate parking. He delivers compliments about their appearances and the inner
qualities behind them. Everyone who comes up to him with a ticket walks away
validated as a worthwhile human being. Soon, the parking attendant becomes so
popular that people line up for validation. He appears on news broadcasts and
even ends up validating George W. Bush and Saddam Hussein. His life hits a
roadblock when he goes to get his driver's license photo taken and is met with
a beautiful photographer whom he can't get to smile. He loses his urge to validate and soon all
his customers as well. By some quirk of fate he discovers he has a knack for
being a feel- good photography expert as he can get people to smile like no one
can. Once again he becomes quite popular in his new line of work. When he
returns to get his driver’s license renewed he learns that the girl he could
not get to smile was fired because she began taking drivers’ smiling
photographs. The parking attendant-turned-photographer then goes on a quest for
her and discovers that her life changed when he got her wheelchair bound
grandmother to smile for a photograph, something she had completely forgotten
to do. The two finally come together and it is all smiles for everyone in the
audience. I decided there and then that I would propagate this concept, apart
from putting it into practice on a daily basis, to do my bit for the planet we
live in and its inhabitants we live among.
What does the word “validation” actually mean? To my mind it
means making something valid – a ratification, a substantiation, a confirmation
of the action or deed, the dress or expression of a person. Everyone wants to
be rewarded, but not everyone qualifies for the rewards the world dangles in
front of us like the proverbial carrot. Validation is one of the methods to
reward people. Speaking good about the person, giving him / her encouragement,
applauding the person’s efforts or even simply saying a kind word are forms of
validation. It brings a smile on the face of the person who is being validated.
Just as one expects to be validated, one should also readily validate others.
In order to validate one has to be happy because an unhappy person cannot make
someone else happy. After validating someone the only thing one expects in
return is a genuine smile. If a person does not validate others then in the
long run he / she might not be validated too.
So go ahead and validate. It’s the best you can do for your
fellow beings, without putting in too much effort.
Aman Rahaman (10 A)
