Sankethi Koota

On February 14, we had the first Sankethi Koota of 2009. It was on Valentine’s Day. I had volunteered to help out and perform in to skits.

The first thing that happened was an invocation ceremony. Some people sung a song and there was a short speech. Very few people were there at that time. To me, it wasn’t the most interesting thing in the world. Plus, I was doing a skit and I was already all ready to perform. I was getting very restless.

Next came the interesting part. The first skit took place after the invocation. It was called Karnataka Vaibhava, or Karnataka’s Glory. It was about important people from the history of Karnataka. The oldest person lived some 1,400 years ago. The lines were organized from oldest time to youngest time. The first person was my friend, Sanjana K. She was acting as a sort of timeline. Between times, she would speak up.

The first person to go up was me. I was acting as a king called Pulikeshi. My lines were:” Pallavarana solisi, kanchi nagaravannu vasha padisi kondi dsayithu. Harsha Rajanannu solisi, idée dakshinapattaka arasa enisikondidyathu. Nama rajyada hirimay, yella deshaku hubide. Jay Kowshikambe!”

The next person to come up was a boy name Sudanva. He acted as Saint Basavanna. Basavanna was a great teacher and thought about many things. He was born in the year 1131 AD. Next, my other friend, Sanjana M. went up. She was acting as Saint MahadevI. Mahadevi was a great poet. She didn’t have a very long life and most of it is unknown. After Sanjana recited her lines and sat down, another boy named Gagan came up on the stage. He acted as Saint Purandaradasa. Purandaradasa was a famous Indian musician. He made many compositions. However, he was most known for making the system of beginner songs. He is still celebrated and his system is still used today. Gagan sang one of Purandaradasa’s compositions. Then he prayed and two very young children appeared as gods and stood in front of him. Then they went off - stage.

After Gagan sat down, my younger cousin Aditi came on – stage. She was Rani Shantala. Rani Shantala was a queen. She was also a very good Bharatnatyam dancer. She was also quite intelligent. Right after Aditi sat down, another girl named Prisha came up. She acted as Onake Obavva. She lived in the 18th century and fought the forces of Hyder Ali. She was the epitome of Karntaka women pride. The next person who came up was my sister. She acted as Kitturu Chennama. Kitturu Chennama was a queen. She opposed British rule in India and refused to pay taxes. Finally, last of all, an acquaintance named Aniketh went up. He was Sir M. Vishveshveraya. He was an eminent Indian engineer and statesman. He also received the most prestigious award in India, the Bharat Ratna, and was knighted by the British for his contributions to the public good.

After the skit, a guest speaker spoke. I didn’t catch many of the details because I was put on guard duty. I had to guard all the food. However, the other group made us move. After the move, I had to perform another skit.

The second skit was called the Valentine’s Day Skit. It was about some kids on Valentine’s Day. The setting was in a classroom. One girl had just come from India. Her name was Smitha. She didn’t know about Valentine’s Day. The other kids talked about Valentine’s Day. When the teacher came in, he talked about Valentine’s Day. At the end of the skit, Smitha finally knew what Valentine’s Day was all about. I was myself. My sister was herself. Sanjana M. was Sanjana. Sanjana K. was Smitha. Sanjana K.’s dad was the teacher, Mr. H.

I went back to guard duty in the new location until a dance was done. Then I played with my friends until dinner. I helped serve the food. After dinner, I talked with my friends and we left.

I thought all the children performed very well. Particularly my sister.

On a bitterer note, before the Sankethi Koota, one of our props broke. I lied about it. On a lighter note, I was excused and we got a new prop.

TheatreWorks Workshop

Recently, the G.A.T.E. 5th graders in my school have done an activity called TheatreWorks. A TheatreWorks expert comes and teaches us some basic things about theatre and then they teach us a poem that we enact. Our teacher was Vera Sloan and she taught us how to be actors. She told us how to do some basic warm – ups, tongue twisters, what the actor’s toolbox is (it is the three things you need to act, which are: voice, body, and imagination), and the meaning of the word ensemble and the essentials to be an ensemble. We also learnt a special game about being an ensemble called Pass the Clap or The Clap Game. It had 3 variations and we were the first class that our teacher taught the third variation to.

It was a 2 - week program. During the second week, the teacher brought a poem called “All the World’s a Stage” by William Shakespeare. We were divided into 4 “clumpy clusters”. I was in “cluster” 2. The taller people were in the back and the shorter people were in the front. The front row people had to kneel while the back row people had to stand. Each group got certain lines, which we had to recite while we made gestures associated with that line.

On the day of the performance, some parents, TheatreWorks officials, and most of the 4th grade, 6th grade, and non – G.A.T.E. 5th grade students came to see us perform. We did our warm – ups, then we recited our tongue twisters, and then we stated what the actor’s toolbox was.

After that, we played a game called Machines. We had to make a group scene that made us look like we were a machine. We each had to make a different sound, perform a different repeatable activity, and have a different level (height) from everyone else. We also got two parent volunteers for this game. The volunteers were my friend my friend Divyesh’s mom and my mom. After we finished, someone in the crowd was supposed to name the machine and its use. Someone called it the Funny Machine. It had done what it was supposed to do because everyone laughed.

Later, after we played Machines, we played Pass the Clap V (variation) 1 and V2.
The last game we played was called Pantomime. It was a little like Machines. However, there were a few differences. Instead of some random person starting of doing some random action, someone would be taken into a place called “The Cone of Silence”. They would be told that they had to act like they were in a specific place. Then that person would have to enact an activity you would do in that place silently. The other people would have to guess where you were and then raise their hand to be sent into the scene as well. They would be judged to see if they really knew where they were by the teacher by the look of the activity they were enacting. We also had 2 adult volunteers for this game as well. After the scene got crowded, someone in the crowd had to say where we were. Someone said that we were in the snow and they were completely correct.

Finally, we enacted “All the World’s a Stage”. After that we were lead outside and given awards. That was the end of the TheatreWorks workshop.

At first, I felt embarrassed about Theater Works. However, in the end, I had fun. I started to miss it a little bit after it was over.

And Then There Were None - A Book Report

'And Then There Were None' is a story written by Agatha Christie. It is also known by the name 'Ten Little Indians'.

Eight people are invited to an island called Indian Island to meet two people who go by the names Mr. U.N. Owen and Mrs. U.N. Owen. The names of these people are Vera Claythorne, Anthony Marston, Justice Lawrence Wargrave, Phillip Lombard, an ex-Inspector of Scotland Yard named William Henry Blore disguised as a South African, and General Macarthur, Dr. Armstrong, and Emily Brent. A man named Fred Narracot takes them to the island. There, they meet the servants, Mr. and Mrs. Rogers. Mr. Owen was not there at the time. They each went to there rooms. Each of them saw the children’s nursery rhyme, Ten Little Indians. It goes like this (big hint)

Ten little Indians went out to dine

One choked his little self and then there were nine nine

Nine little Indians stayed up very late

One overslept and then there were eight

Eight little Indians traveling through Devon

One said he would stay and then there were seven

Seven little Indians chopping up sticks

One chopped himself in halves and then there were six

Six little Indians played with a hive

A bee stung and then there were five

Five little Indians going for law

One got in Chancery and then there were four

Fpur little Indians going out to sea

A red herring swallowed one and then there were three

Three little Indians going to a zoo

A bear hugged one and then there were two

Two little Indians sitting in the Sun

One shriveled up and then there was one

One little Indian all alone

That night, they were having dinner and found out everyone had a copy of the poem in there rooms. They saw 10 china Indians on the table as they ate. They suddenly heard a record accusing each of them with murder. They were all spooked. Mrs. Rogers fainted. Rogers said he started the record because Mr. Owen told him to. They asked him what this Mr. Owen even looked like. He told them that he had never me him. Mrs. Rogers came to and Dr. Armstrong gave her some sleeping pills. They started to want to investigate who this guy was anyway. Justice Wargrave asked everyone about the murders they were accused with and how they even got invited. They all got the stories from each other. They also learned Blore’s true name because the record said William Henry Blore and there was no Blore among them and that he was hired by Owen to watch the others. All the murders seemed accidental and/or coincidental in exception for the one for which Phillip Lombard was accused. They also said the invitations they got were either from Una Nancy Owen or Ulick Norman Owen, both U.N. Owens. After examining the pronunciations of the names, they found that U.N. Owen sounded like UNKNOWN. They deduced that there was no Mr. Owen and that a homicidal lunatic had lured them to the island. Anthony Marston said he was ready to investigate. He drank something in a toast and his face became purple; he choked, and then died. The doctor found some traces of Potassium Cyanide in the cup that Marston had drunk from. They thought it might have been suicide because everyone else’s drinks weren’t poisoned. However, they all thought it was hard to believe because he was so young and so full of life. They decided they would leave the island with Fred Narracott when he came tomorrow to deliver bread and milk. They all went to their rooms. Rogers stayed behind to clean up. He saw 9 china Indians on the table instead of 10 while he was cleaning. That struck him as odd. Upstairs, in her locked room, Vera Claythorne examined the poem in her room and said that this terrible murder was just like how the first Indian disappeared.

The next day, Rogers woke up Dr. Armstrong and told him that his wife wasn’t waking up no matter what he did. Armstrong examined her and declared that she was dead. Rogers told him that she hadn’t been sleeping well and that she hadn’t taken any pills except the ones that he had given her. He said she might have either done suicide or had cardiac problems. They started walking to the beach. They found out from the others who were already there that Narracott hadn’t arrived yet. Rogers said that was strange because he normally came quite early and he would send his brother if he was sick. Rogers went into the house, and came back and told Dr. Armstrong about last nights disappearing china Indian and said now there were only 8 of them on the table.

After that, the guests who slept longer came to the beach. It was breakfast time and everyone but General MacArthur went inside to eat. He decided he wasn’t going to leave the island . . . ever. After breakfast, Lombard, Blore, and Armstrong decided to see if anyone was on the island except themselves. While investigating, they passed General MacArthur. He seemed . . . strange. His eyes were out of focus and he seemed to be daydreaming. They went to see if there were any caves in the cliff on the side of the island. Blore said he had seen Lombard with a revolver. Lombard told him that he was really hired to watch the 10 people on the island. Blore went to get some rope for a little while. Lombard went for a few minutes to test a theory, which was incorrect. When Blore came back, Armstrong went down and saw no caves. He deduced no one but their 10 selves were on the island. While they were doing that, Vera Claythorne and Emily Brent were taking a short walk together. Emily told Vera about the murder she was accused of. She said that a girl who seemed nice came to her house but she turned out to be a sinner. Emily kicked her out of her house and the girl threw herself into a river. Vera seemed afraid of Emily now. The gong soon sounded for lunch. They all went to the house. They noticed General MacArthur wasn’t there. Armstrong went to fetch him. Soon, he ran back and exclaimed the MacArthur was dead. Rogers ran to the table but Vera told him what he suspected had already happened. There were only 7 china Indians.

They were all afraid now. Armstrong said that MacArthur was hit by something like a life preserver. Rogers said that someone had stole bathroom curtains and Emily said someone had stolen her wool. They ate lunch. Then Wargrave told everyone that the murderer had to be of them and that they had to be careful and that no one could be eliminated from the suspects list. They told each other what they had been doing. They learned from Rogers Fred Narracott still hadn’t arrived. That night, after dinner, they each locked their doors and slept.

The morning, Lombard woke up Blore and told him Rogers hadn’t come by yet. They woke up the rest and started looking for Rogers. They couldn’t find him. The fire wasn’t lit, the tea hadn’t been made and Rogers hadn’t woken them up. They made their own breakfast and saw that there were only 6 china Indians now. After breakfast, they found Rogers. He had been the tool shed chopping up firewood with the small cleaver when some one Must have snuck up on him and hit him with the big cleaver. Now Rogers was dead. They wondered who would be next.

That afternoon, they ate lunch. They finished and Emily said she would wash the dishes. Everyone else went to the drawing room. Wargrave stepped out for a second. In the kitchen, Miss Brent was getting drowsy. A bee stung her. She was dead. After a long time, everyone went to see how Emily was doing. She looked fine, but didn’t notice them. When they saw her face, her lips were blue and blood covered he face. They saw a bee on the site. There were only 5 china Indians.

Well, that’s the half - point. Oh, by the way, there are 2 - 3 versions of the endings. This is the end of my summary.

Who is the murderer?

Why have they killed these people?

Why does this homicidal maniac love his nursery rhyme so much?

Read this book and you’ll find the answers and more.

(Okay, okay, that last one might not be answered)

Recent Literary Activities

In the recent past, I’ve had a number of literary ventures. One of them was being interviewed by an AP (Associated Press, the most prestigious group of reporters in the country) consultant.

The AP consultant’s name was Emily Fredrix. She was writing a report about businesses that have closed in 2008 and she stumbled on my Mervyns and Me blog. She posted a comment on my blogsite. I was extremely happy when I found out I was going to be mentioned in a newspaper and an online report by the Associated Press! She interviewed me by phone on New Year’s Eve, 2008. I told her about how I felt about Mervyns closing. I’d made a few notes on a scrap of paper for what to say. I also talked about my childhood and how much I used to enjoy going to Mervyns. That day, in her report, she wrote three lines about her interview with me.

Here is that article. Click on the image for a zoomed-in view:

Another literary venture was releasing my book, Potions and Portals for Dummies.

I started writing Potions and Portals for Dummies for my sister’s birthday. I was excited because I was making a real book. I dedicated it to her and autographed it on her birthday. My parents interviewed me about the book release afterwards. She read it out loud after 5 minutes. I had written 5 pages of potions, how to make them, and their uses. I also had printed some funny pictures. At her birthday party, I also gave regular copies to her friends. Three days later, on my mother’s birthday, I gave her an autographed and dedicated copy.

Now, time for another venture concerning my mother’s birthday and my sister’s birthday.

I gave both my mom and my sister poem cards on their birthdays. I had to use all my literary genius of the day for both days to think of them. I used a different format for each one. For my sister, I made a normal half - fold card. For my mom, I made a giant one – page poster card. These were the longest and best poems I have ever written.

Things that happened in the recent past & my expectations for 2009

The old year of 2008 is almost over. I’ve done a lot of things during 2008. I’ve watched many movies. I’ve read new books. I started 5th grade this and turned 10 this year. My uncle got a new house. My sister went to 3rd grade and turned 8. I’ve made some new friends this year, too. I witnessed Barack Obama’s win in the U.S.’s presidential election. I’ve also written many blogposts on this website as well. I’ve written over 10 more blogposts than last year. It’s been an awesome and memorable year. Right now, at the end of the year, I’m sleeping late and watching movies everyday.

My uncle moved in to his new house on the first day of school. I woke up early and went to the housewarming party. I witnessed a lot of ceremonies to celebrate getting a new house at the housewarming. I also saw in a newspaper before I left for school that Michael Phelps had earned his 8th gold medal, giving him the most Olympic gold medal in history. Moving on, I have read new books like The Science of Harry Potter and Star Wars: Children of the Jedi. I’ve done book reports, book report projects, and a special project called the Holiday Budget in 5th grade. For the Holiday Budget, I had to evenly spend $600 over decorations, food, gifts, and other things for a holiday. It was a very difficult project. Now let me tell about other things. I’ve made new friends as well. A few examples are Wee Jin Koh, John Theodore M. Mappala, and Annete Tri. In December, I celebrated my sister's and mother’s birthdays. I made a card and wrote a poem for both of them. My sister, dad, and I also made special treats for my mom’s birthday instead of buying a cake. Right now, at the end of the year, I have watched a number of movies such as: Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, Pokemon: Jirachi Wish Maker, Camp Rock, and the Cheetah Girls: One World (please do not laugh at me). I will now tell you about what I think of each of these movies. The Cheetah Girls: One World is miserable. They kept breaking into stupid songs and phony dances every two minutes. They don’t even explain the storyline gaps between the beginning and end of each song. Now to talk about another movie, Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa. It’s an awesome movie. It explains a lot of things from Madagascar, like how Alex the lion ended up in a zoo. I t was also very funny. Now let’s discuss the next movie, Camp Rock. It was overall good. The storyline wasn’t flawed and the songs and dances were not phony and stupid. Now, let’s talk about the final movie, Pokemon: Jirachi Wish Maker. It was a good movie. It had a great storyline. Now, moving on, I feel great One year is over and I’m ready for the next. I can’t wait for another exciting year of life. I’m a bit sad that 2008 is almost over, but I’m also happy. It’s been one of the best years of my life, and I’ll always remember it.

Next year, I’ll be finishing 5th grade and I’ll be going to 6th grade. My grandfather and grandmother will also visit and I will visit the majority of my family in India. I’ll be turning 11 as well. I’ll be going to 6th grade and I’ll be learning new things. I don’t know everything that will happen to me next year, but I know it will be another awesome, great, and terrific year.

Happy New Year!

Thanksgiving

On the day before Thanksgiving, my friend Amogh came to my house. We had some pizza. While we ate, we talked about school. Then I showed Amogh around my house. We played in the garage later. When he left, I watched the movie Cats and Dogs.

On Thanksgiving Day, I went to my uncle’s house. We stayed from lunch at 12:30 to after dinner at 8:00. The day after Thanksgiving, I went to the Century Theater with my family and my younger cousin. I watched the movie Madagascar 2: Escape to Africa. We really enjoyed it. It was the sequel to the original Madagascar. The animals were on their way to New York City when their crashed plane crash-landed. They met their own kind for the first time. They each proved that they were different from the others.



On Saturday, I went to my friend Deepti’s house. There was a battle of boys against girls. We left at midnight. It was a fun get-together.

Mervyns and Me

The store where I got most of my childhood clothes is closing. It is called Mervyns. Mervyns was a clothing store. When I was younger, my family and I used to go to Mervyns everyday. We knew many of the employees there.

Today, I kind of feel sad, happy, and weird.

I’m sad that Mervyns is closing, for several reasons. The first is that it had the best clothes for the lowest prices. Another is that it was the smallest clothing store in our area. It was never crowded, either. 75% of all the clothes I’ve worn have come from Mervyns.

I’m happy for one silly reason - no more cloth shopping. It was a clothing store. That was Mervyns’ fatal flaw in my view :-). I never loved it for that reason.

Today, Mervyns seemed different. New things were on sale. There was a new staff. An unnatural amount of people had come. There were too many On Sale signs. Prices were much higher than normal. It was as if it was a part of a mall. I miss the Mervyn's I knew. I feel sad for all the old and new employees at Mervyns because they lost or soon will lose their jobs. They will have to apply for jobs at larger clothing store such as Kohl’s, Sears, or J.C. Penny. Most likely, they will find work in due time.