It always thrills me when I get a chance to work with poetry. As an avid fan of stories and prose, poetry came to me much later in life and since then I've been hooked. So, when Shibumi suggested I work with the children on poetry, I grabbed the chance. My first task was to dispel all common notions that a poem has to rhyme. We attacked haiku with a vengeance in the Kiri and Thulir group. By giving them a simple formula, and some examples, they were soon spouting haikus about stones, puppies, mice, and even about people. Their young minds grabbed the chance to step out of the structures of a poem, and the imagery they captured in three simple lines was fantastic. As Sarayu said, "I love haiku because it's infinite. Anything is possible." Of course, we had to trim and tweak some of the 'poems' which irked our budding poets, but they eventually succumbed to some edits here and there in their masterpieces. We also sketched and doodled about existing poems...

                                Shibumi has been exploring the possibility to look a fresh at the functioning of the library. We have no dedicated librarian and to keep the the library alive is now the collective responsibility of all the teachers, students and some parents who have plunged in. What is the intent of the library? It is a demand for awareness:  Of the collection. Of the various aspects of use; of the joys of reading; Of the nature of the library; Of the care inherent in its smooth running; Of the necessity of individual and collective responsibility, ownership, active involvement and accountability.  We are coming to understand and enter into this intent, and things are happening without tremendous effort or confusion. One of the ideas to keep the library alive was to have a dedicated day to bring attention to the library and celebrate it. Once in two months perhaps. When...

Sharing a picture from some years ago on Teachers day. After our Sunday meeting, the parents organised a yummy surprise potluck lunch for all of us.