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The Adventures of Toto as a comic strip

  'The Adventures of Toto' is an amusing story by Ruskin Bond. It is prescribed as a lesson in CBSE's English course for class 9. Maggie asked her students to do a project on some of the lessons and Femi George's work is what I would like to present here. Femi converted the story into a beautiful comic strip. Her work will speak for itself and let me present it below.  Femi George Student of Carmel Public School, Vazhakulam, Kerala Similar post: The Little Girl
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Literature and Meaning

Most people, almost all normal ones, live their lives by the stories they tell about themselves and those others tell about them. As psychologist Gerald Corey says, “These stories actually shape reality in that they construct and constitute what we see, feel, and do.” Your personality is not a static entity which took shape at your birth once and for all. As you grew up physically, you encountered a lot of other people, situations, and forces that contributed into the ongoing shaping of your personality even if you didn’t want all that shaping. Your life is a story that continues to be written till your death. You are the ultimate writer of your own story though a whole lot of others make significant contributions which you can’t ignore. Every Othello has to meet his Iago. But the plot need not necessitate the murder of Desdemona. Every Hamlet has to deal with the demons of fraudulence. Mark Antony has a choice to not “let Rome in Tiber melt” and thus rewrite his story. Your...
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Pope Francis

Pope Francis was a saintly, enlightened religious leader. His death is undoubtedly a loss for humankind. I started reading his autobiography, Hope , nearly two months back and am still reading it. I could have finished it long ago. But I didn’t want to. Because I loved every page of it. And I wanted this soothing and refreshing feeling, that I got every time I returned to the book, to last as long as it could. So I read the book slowly, one chapter a day, or even slower sometimes. There are lines in the book that set me thinking for long. There are personal episodes from the Pope’s life that remain etched in my heart. I already wrote two posts based on my reading experience. War is Stupid: Pope Francis & The Pope and a Prostitute . I would have written a lot more. The A-Z challenge I took up in April became a hindrance. But I continued to read the autobiography because I needed the inspiration as well as comfort it offered. There is compassion on every page of the book. Th...
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Vishwamitra: The King and the Ascetic

Vishwamitra and young Rama (Gemini AI) “O Rama, I shall teach you Bala and Atibala , the two secret mantras, which are the mother of all knowledge. By chanting them, you will never suffer from fatigue, hunger, thirst, or disease. You will shine among all beings, your intellect will be unmatched, and your strength will be extraordinary.” Rama was barely an adolescent when Sage Vishwamitra took him away from the comforts of the palace to the hardships of the forest. Dasharatha wasn’t quite happy to send his young son with the sage. How can a tender boy protect a mighty sage from rakshasas as powerful as Tataka and Subahu? Dasharatha is ready to send his entire army instead. He offers himself then. Vishwamitra reminds Dasharatha of his raja-dharma of upholding righteousness, even above personal emotions. If a sage asks for help, the king must honour the request. “Rama is no ordinary human child,” Vishwamitra tells Dasharatha. “He is born for a higher purpose.” When Vasistha, the ro...
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Desolation

Some gates thrust upon us an impression of desolation. They may be left open, but they don't invite; rather, they repulse.  It's not the Nature with her trees and plants or even its aridity that repulses; it's the gate in such a place; a gate that looks out of place; a gate that doesn't look like a gate! Take a look around and you realise that you are not alone.  There is another creature that looks forlorn too.  Its company is no consolation. Nor does it seem interested in your company.  Maybe, it's looking for something to eat.  A little water to drink.  A shelter from the heat of the summer sun in Delhi.  Is it wondering, like you, what we have done to the planet?  Why did we make such a hell out of it?  Why couldn't we get along together like the passengers on a train... knowing that the journey will end anyway? No, it's not interested in your company.  "Good bye." PS. All the pictures were taken this afternoon ...
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