Exam time funnies

So here I am revising Social Studies with my kiddo who is in 5th grade. This year they have a lot of facts about India's struggle for Independence. I am re-learning facts about the Swadeshi Movement, the Dandi March, the Battle of Plassey, the Mangal Pandey episode, etc. Yeah, I know parents get to go to school twice in their lives! :-)

Well the funny part I did want to capture in my blog was the cute set of remarks S made about all this. He was reading about the Jaliawala Bagh incident; and obviously was moved by the atrocities of General Dyer. So his first set of questions were around "Who do you think is more cruel? Hitler or Dyer" Then he made this connection on their names. It was kind of cute, funny and weird at the same time. According to him, Hitler must be so named because he would have loved to hit people. "He mimed out Hitler with a stick hitting people should "Hit, Hit!" Then he extended the analogy to Dyer and said, that man must be wacko and wanting to make people "Die", hence he was named Dyer. Interesting how kids run their imagination run riot in mundane history lessons.

The next part of the lesson talked about the Moderates and the Extremists in the Indian National Congress. Yawn. Then there were the names of the freedom fighters.. amongst them Gopal Krishna Gokhale and Lala Lajpat Rai. So apparently LLR here was an extremist because he didn't believe the British could be asked to leave politely. GKG was a moderate because he believed the demands should be made without violence and in a peaceful way. We got into a discussion of what we would have been had we been there at the time. S declared that he would have been a moderate but for the Jaliawala Bagh incident. Had he been there, he would have surely killed that Dyer apparently and thus would have been an extremist. And suddenly it stuck him that there was a Gokhale kid in his class. So amidst giggles and laughter, he said, he would have been like Lala Lajpat Rai since S was also a Rai (surname wise) and the class mate would have been like Gopal Krishna Gokhale. Ah the brains of a child works overtime in making facts fun to remember. :-)

Upcycled!

I had an old nightie
It was ugly and uncool
But, oh it was so comfy!
I wore it like a fool.

One fine day, I was looking,
As usual, so frumpy
Hubby looked at my nightie
And felt oh! so grumpy.

He flicked his hand once
No nightie no more
The neckline ran to my toes
His eyes had no remorse!

Recycling is my name
Sewing is my new found game
And experimentation is,
my only claim to fame.

And so behold!
The results of cutting and slicing
A tale so far untold,
Of sewing, ripping and more sewing..

Ta Da!

:-)

S's band!

Yeah, the kids are so savvy these days.
10 years old, just sticking their heads out of their little egg shells and these birds already know how to fly!

So they are not so little anymore, yeah. But 10-11 year old boys forming a band was kinda cool for me. And it mainly came from them. Maybe Clinton sir telling them that one day they can form their own band had something to do with. It did happen sooner than anyone expected.

What really is kind of nice is that the band is not just some flaky time pass that these kids are into. They practice oh! so seriously. "Its band practice time!" seems to get everyone in their group dropping everything and running for practice at Vinu's house. We being next door, can hear the boys belt it out for a good 45 minutes. They have "deep" discussions on which song to pick up next and make it as part of the band's standard repertoire. Wow, all by themselves too!

S is the chords and eventually lead guitarist of the band. I have seen him play and he puts his heart into it on stage. Yeah, did I just say on stage? The kids have already performed a cool 4 times at various local functions, and they have been received fairly well. Their "Smoke on the Water" is the best piece I like so far.
And here are the "Black Vipers"...er... "Blue Daggers"... er...ok, whatever is the (new preferred color + weapon of choice) name of the band at the time. Forgive the unprofessional collage!

Well, we surely were not so cool in our days!