20 - Sparky’s ‘August-assembly’ World

 Hello, Sparky here.

Ø  If last week was memorable for the ‘never before seen’ scene of monkeys flying then this week was memorable for a ‘never before done’ event on our Banyan Island. This week the rains did return but not with the intensity of the previous weeks, so while the temperatures came down, it was possible for us to go about our work and life with very little inconvenience. In fact, on the contrary we appreciated the rain more because of the summer-like temperatures of last week. That’s the thing with life, sometimes it takes a bit of reminding of hard times for us to appreciate the bounties of the day.

 

Ø  Talking of bounties, we had one of epic proportion this week. Right at the beginning of the week, Udra and Samudra’s cousin, Mudra came over for a short visit. Her primary purpose of visit was to look around Banyan Island and see if it would be right for an event that did take place later in the week. The otter family to which Udra and Samudra belong were planning a dramatisation of Louisa May Alcott‘s ‘Little Women’, written in 1868. It was set to be played on the night of the full moon to quite a large gathering, of primarily otters. Their venue on their island had been flooded by the river flowing higher than usual a few weeks back, the very same event which had brought the crocodile to our island. The otters there had been hoping that the waters would either recede or evaporate by the D-day. Since neither of that had happened Mudra had visited the Banyan Island, desperate to find an alternate venue.

 

Ø  I wouldn’t think a bit of water would bother the otters who love water but even they prefer to sit on dry land when having a bit of fun, I guess. At any rate, it was quite a lucky chance for us. Mudra loved the place and thought it perfect for the event. Now, how they were going to arrange with Mother Nature that there would not be a downpour on the night of the full moon is beyond my comprehension. Everybody seems to be either making arrangements with Mother Nature about the weather or everybody seems to be planning gatherings without giving the slightest thought to the weather. This is befuddling me.

 

Ø  Mudra invited all of us to the event as she left. Not that she really had a choice, whether she liked it or not we would have been present on our island home. Anyway, we were all glad for the invite as it sure is fun when we are expected to be part of the gathering and partake of the fun.

 

Ø  Hardly any of us spoke of anything other than the event or ‘for’ the event in the couple of days we had till the event. The parents all over the island kept prepping their children to be on their best behavior during the event especially when we were to have so many visitors.

 

Ø  On the day of the event, the one thing on our minds was the weather, like somehow if it did rain; it would be us letting down Mudra. We had a couple of showers during the day but as the evening approached, again miraculously the clouds cleared like the stage was set and the curtains were drawn. Then the visitors started trooping in – otters of every size – big, small, round, petite. Some looked excited, some looked calm till they recognized someone and smiled – showing off their rows of shining white teeth – it put many of us on the edge of our seat, even those who weren’t already on edge with anticipation.

 

Ø  As the beautiful full moon rose up in the sky, painting everything in a hue of white, the audience settled down. The only preparation in terms of stage had been the marking off of the area where the actors would perform. The actors were huddled behind one of the thick aerial roots of the Banyan, away from the view of the audience. While the visitors made themselves comfortable around the stage, the residents of the Banyan had ‘opera box’ seats from our vantage point from up on the tree.

 

Ø  From the point Jo March came onto the stage, grumbling, “Christmas won’t be Christmas without any presents.” to the last scene where the March family and Laurie sat together, it left the audience contended by the story and astounded by the performance – it was sheer joy. Never having seen a drama before we hung on to every word that was said and every expression that said more than what just words could. Even the little ones who dozed off later on were quiet and attentive when they were awake. At one point in time when I looked around, I saw Civvy watching the show without even blinking, such was his attention. I was sure then that there would be tales of his own that would be woven of that night and I wasn’t mistaken.

 

Ø  Not just Civvy, I think most of us are still going around like we are on a set and acting out various characters. It will take a while for us to settle down.  

Here are a few activities for this week, it can’t be helped that most of the activities this week are based on literature.

·         Below are some famous quotes/extracts from popular books (I have sneaked in a couple of poems too). Either recognise the book/poem from the quote or else look them up and the name of the book/poem will form a word which describes our feeling this week:

	“So please, oh please, we beg, we pray, Go throw your TV set away, And in its place you can install A lovely bookshelf on the wall. Then fill the shelves with lots of books.”
	“It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.”
	“If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster and treat those two impostors just the same”
	“These violent delights have violent ends And in their triumph die, like fire and powder Which, as they kiss, consume”
	“It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”
	Delicious is the Lay that sings The haunts of happy lovers, The path that leads them to the grove, The leafy grove that covers: And pity sanctifies the verse That paints, by strength of sorrow, The unconquerable strength of love; Bear witness, rueful Yarrow!
	The final riddle – first letter of the answers above will also solve this riddle below:
	Means cheerful & lively, The word’s derived from calls of birdy.

 

·         Recollecting the other 19^th century gems, match the authors to their books.

Charles Dickens	Dracula
Jane Austen	Pickwick Papers
George Eliot	Vanity Fair
Emily Bronte	Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Anne Bronte	Emma
William Thackeray	Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Elizabeth Gaskell	The Boscombe Valley Mystery
Thomas Hardy	North & South
Lewis Carroll	The Mayor of Casterbridge
Jules Verne	The Tenant of Wildfell Hall
Mark Twain	Wuthering Heights
Robert Louis Stevenson	Middlemarch
Bram Stoker	Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle	Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea

‘Little readers’ Section’

Trees and plants all around us, be it in our garden, in the park or on the roadside are all constantly growing and helping us keep the environment green and clean. They not only give us delicious fruits and beautiful flowers but give us the precious oxygen that we breathe. Here are a few popular trees and plants, see if you can identify them.

Readers’ Write

Here’s a letter written by Mr. Ankit Agrawal to a friend’s son. When Ankit shared the letter with me I loved it so much that I wanted my other readers to enjoy it too.

See you all next week with more news, activities and answers to this week’s puzzles.

In the meanwhile, if you would like to write to me, email me at Sparkyatbanyan@gmail.com

Answers to last week’s puzzles:

·         Solve the riddles one by one and get a word that solves another riddle.

Star	Little children sing of them, Have been compared to a precious gem, But we know so little of them.
Travel	Do this, go to new places, meet new people, Go around the world, let it make an imprint, But be ever mindful of your carbon footprint.
Race	Life is not this, slow down. Living life on the fast track could blow you up.
Ant	I am a very hard working creature, Not a bee, but have similar family structure.
Nice	Of these and pleasant things there’s no dearth, Open your mind and find everything to please and delight.
Gentle	Take time to meet & greet, Don’t practice conceit or deceit. Be Compassionate and kind. You will be called this and always have peace of mind.
Everest	Of mountains I am the king, At my summit, there’s absolutely nothing. Still people queue up to climb me, like it is something.
	The final riddle – first letter of the answers above will also solve this riddle below:
STRANGE	Odd and peculiar, the word can also mean ‘unfamiliar’.

Analogical reasoning questions. Fill in the blanks by understanding the relation between the words in the first column and then extending the same to the word in the third column.

 

Butterfly : Monarch	::	Cobra : King
Battles : History	::	Star : Astronomy
Ribbon : Gift	::	Icing : Cake
Lion : Courage	::	Dove : Peace
Coffee : Seed	::	Tea : Leaf
Chef : Food	::	Painter : Painting
Aeroplane : Air	::	Submarine : Water
Laboratory : Microscope	::	Ship : Periscope
Needle : Haystack	::	Nail : Coffin
Null : Void	::	Nuts : Bolt

 

·         Match the idioms with their meaning: 

Nick of time	Do something at the very last minute.
Needle in a haystack	Almost impossible to find/do.
On the back-burner	Given low priority
On back-foot	At a disadvantage
Game plan	A strategy
Take a rain-check	Decline an offer for now
Take a bull by its horns	Face a problem directly and boldly
Pandora’s box	Something which causes a lot of unexpected trouble
Pass the buck	Avoid taking responsibility
Easy as ABC	Very simple and easy

‘Little readers’ Section’

Animals usually blend in to their habitat either because they don’t want to be seen by their prey or because they want to hide from the ones who hunt them. Here are a few photographs where the animals are almost hidden. Could you spot the animals, also try to identify the animals.

1	Frog	2	Flycatcher	3	Deer	4	Parakeet
5	Lapwing	6	Kingfisher	7	Minivet