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STAR SPOT
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| Anu Meha Class XI St Joseph’s Convent High School, Patna |
Skilled orator…
Is 16-year-old Anu. She won several elocution contests for her former institution, Don Bosco Academy. She joined St Joseph's High School this year.
Child wonder…
Was Anu who started taking part in elocution while in lower kindergarten. She has participated in several English and Hindi elocution contests and bagged prizes.
Perfect guide...
For Anu had been her English teacher at Don Bosco Academy, Allan Cowell.
Tough competitor…
Anu has always been. Since lower kindergarten, she has always grabbed the first two positions in elocution contests.
Music inclination…
Anu has. She took part in carol competitions at her former school. Last year, her team stood first in an inter-school English carol competition, organised by Ravi Bharati, a training institute.
Martial art…
Is another skill the Anu has. In Class V, she got the third prize in a national karate tournament in Patna.
Familial bond…
Inspires Anu to soar higher. Elder sister Aishwarya Vani and mother Pushpa Paul are a source of support for her while facing any competition.
Knowledge source…
Anu would like to be. She plans to become an English teacher and utilise her skills.
MY TAKE
GREATEST GIFT
Christmas is not all about celebrations, the preparation for the festival also adds to the excitement of the event.
To get a feel of the revelry, I volunteered to help the Parishioners with the “Christmas greetings and wishes” programme.
Orphans from different homes wrote letters to the church and I was asked to go through them. I began to work quickly through my pile of 20-30 letters and came across one that took me by surprise.
The child had written about his earnest desire to be a part of a family and get involved with the work that family members do before
Christmas. He wanted to help his mother with the cake and join his father in putting up the decorations. My eyes brimmed with tears when I realised that the child had been writing the same letter for the past five years, without once complaining to Santa about the delay in the fulfilment of his wish.
There was one line in the letter which I couldn’t force out of my head. “Dear Santa, don’t forget to thank mum and dad for loving me and taking care of me for all these years.” The child never knew his parents and yet he thanked them. This made me realise that all these years I had not realised the worth of the greatest gift of God.
When I was six, the most beautiful time of the year meant chocolates, cakes and a new dress before going to Mass. Soon, the concept of Santa Claus hit me. Like every other child, I believed that an elderly, bearded man would leave for me the
greatest desire of my heart. One year, I decided to keep awake all night to meet Santa but failed miserably. The next morning, I cursed myself for falling asleep and walked up to the Christmas tree and found my gift with a note: “To my darling”. It’s my most favourite Christmas memory.
The letter from that child made me realise I had forgotten the real joy of Christmas — to be with my family and thank the Almighty for the blessings.
