Written by Krystal
The Bard is back to tell a tale;
That starts and ends with a long, long ‘rail’
To set the context before she starts,
Let her explain these few brief parts:
For KathaVana great prep was done,
A lot you can imagine was on the run!
For one of the sessions, the Bard did choose;
a book about a girl who wanted to draw ‘choo-choos’!
A book so simply done by Pratham (publishers);
Our rating for it is definitely a raised thumb!
Now that a background she did create,
The events of that session she will narrate.
Have all of you seen a train she asked,
‘Yes’, came the response, chorused!
Is there a Kannada word for ‘train’?
‘Rail’, came the response; chorused again!
‘Kanyakumari!’ ‘Patankhot’, ‘Andhra Pradesh’ (amongst others) they told her!
Places they’ve caught trains to; journeys taking 2 days, sometimes longer!
Then all around a train could be heard (as the kids created the sound and followed
with an action for the wheels of the train) – ‘Chuk chuk chak! Chuk chuk chak!
The sound in our heads was marvelously stuck!
And so we were ready to take a look-
At our happy and wonderful story book!
The kids, they all did pay rapt attention,
almost like listening to an announcement at the station!
‘How would she draw the train?’ we wondered;
then, ‘Ahhhhhh!’ as all our doubts were cleared!
When Kannada words failed the narrator in parts,
The young ones spoke using words, fingers…and hearts.
And when the story was done, they sighed;
Content and happy…satisfied!
‘But that’s not all!’ the Story-Teller proclaimed;
‘We’ll make out very own train!’, she exclaimed!
And then with colours and papers in hand
Bogeys were created by this happy band!
Then all around us the train did go…
and on their faces, there was a glow!
Thus was the journey of our happy time;
That the Bard did tell in a chirpy rhyme!
