Page 240 - DAIS Insignia 2021-2022

The Light at the End of the Tunnel
She giggled, her petite form hidden behind a large oak tree. The constant gurgling of
the stream that lay below her performed a background melody in her head. The sun
played hide-and-seek, dancing among the gently swaying verdure leaves, leaving the
water to appear like sharp crystals glistening at the sudden bursts of light. An
unexpected force lifted her, turning her giggles to squeals of laughter, begging her
father to put her down as he yelled with triumph and pumped his other hand into the
pale blue sky. His chocolate-brown eyes and crooked nose matched hers, but she got
her auburn hair and freckles from her mother.
The endless meadow stretched out, its long, thin grass coming up to the girl's waist.
She ran about, beckoning to her father to catch her. The sweet scent from innocent
joyous dandelions, the ticklish feel of clovers against skin, the chirps and whistles of
nearby thrushes brought about a light and playful atmosphere completely in sync with
the family. She was quite the sight. Not one to be tamed–her red hair sticking out,
freckles visible brighter than ever on her snub nose–a wild grin was plastered across
her face.
A clash of thunder shook her out of her daze and she jolted back into reality. The
flashbacks, the pain, the anxiety – they never ended. Tears dripped down her face,
similar to the rain pelting away a few feet in front of her. Shivering, she stumbled on,
pulling on the remnants of her coat, desperately seeking warmth. Fatigued and
numb, she barely had the will to advance. The last meal she had had was two days ago
– a scrap of soggy burnt bread. She dug her bare feet into the wet gravel and KEREN WADHWANI
continued, embracing the pain.
The streets were cold and eerie – not a soul to be seen. A bolt of lightning cracked the
X B foggy midnight sky into two, soon followed by a rumble of thunder. The wind howled
in ear-piercing battle cries, thunder boomed and stampeded and the barrage of
Dancing Away to Glory
bullet-like raindrops mercilessly gunned down anything in sight. The sheer wall of icy
water threatened to drown her. The dark menacing clouds, occasionally lit up by
Tenth grade is an extremely busy year – with exams, tests, and all sorts of sudden bright fork jabs, moved closer, pressing in, suffocating her. Staggering, she
pressures weighing upon you. But like everyone, I needed an escape. So I entered a tunnel. Unable to bear the pain, she collapsed, tiny rocks digging into her
promised myself that even amid all the work I would have, I would make time knees. A screeching light at the end of the tunnel was the last thing she saw.
for the things that make me happy, especially doing the one activity that fills Nikita Parera
me with great joy – dance!
As a kid, I hated dance. The embarrassing memories of me crying as my
mother insisted to go to dance class remain vivid in my mind. However, when REYA GAVASKAR
I first witnessed a Bharatanatyam performance, I was taken aback by the कल आज कल
grace and beauty that surrounded this dance form. I decided that I wanted to
give dance another try, and so I started this journey of learning कल जो हआ, वह इ तहास ह। कल या होगा, यह एक रह य ह, ल कन आज एक उपहार ह;
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Bharatanatyam. This has been a decision I have never regretted. I never truly इस लए हम हमशा वतमान म जीना चा हए। आपने यह कहावत सनी ह होगी; ‘जीवन Bonjour mes amis! Je veux partager une
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thought that Bharatanatyam would have such an influence on me, yet it has अ या शत ह।’ हम कोई नि चंतता नह ं ह क हम कल तक जीएँग, इस लए हम हर दन को petite histoire avec mes lecteurs. La
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taught me valuable life skills - compromise, time management, and semaine dernière, je me rendais à l'école

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discipline. अपना आ खर मानना चा हए, य क यह ह जीवन का मज़दार और साह सक वभाव ह। à pied et j'étais déjà assez en retard.
अगर इस वि वक महामार ने हम कोई सीख द , तो वह या ह? क हर पल को वतमान म Mais, j'ai vu une vieille dame tenant des
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Over the last 6 months, I have been focusing on my Arangetram, a grand संजोए , य क कल, आप जो भी छोट -छोट चीज़ भी करत ह , एक वशषे ा धकार बन सकती sacs lourds. Je venais de traverser la rue,
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stage performance, which is as a form of graduation for Bharatanatyam mais j'ai attendu et je l'ai aidée à porter
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students. While I had started preparing for it back in early 2020, the sudden ह। les sacs. C'était une tâche simple, mais
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COVID restrictions made it difficult for me to practice properly. I could not २०२० म , द नया को वड-१९ महामार का शकार बनी, िजसने लाख लोग को उनके प रवार qui ne m'a rien coûté. Ces activités sont
help but feel disheartened, wondering if all my hard work would never come स अलग कर लया और द नया को अ नि चत काल क लए घर म नज़रबंद कर दया। très importantes pour instaurer un sens
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to fruition. Yet, I could not simply give up. I insisted my teacher continue ‘वायरस’, ‘मा क’ और ‘सोशल ड ट सग’ जस श द हमार रोज़मरा क भाषा का ह सा बन de service, en particulier pour ceux qui
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helping me practice online. I soon learnt to manage the dance rehearsals गए, और हम इस घातक बीमार क सार को कम करने क लए एक ऑनलाइन लटफॉम पर en ont besoin.
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alongside studying and keeping up with schoolwork. It was a refreshing
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break from sitting at my desk. By January 2022, the restrictions eased, and so अपनी श ा को आग बढ़ाने क लए मजबर कया गया था। काश! फर स व यालय म क ाएँ À la maison, nous partageons des tâches
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the performance was no longer just a dream, it had become a reality. लगनी श हो जाएँ, व यालय फर स श ा क भौ तक मा यम म वापस जाने के लए म कछ ménagères. Pendant que ma mère fait la
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भी करने को राज़ी हँ, ल कन यह अ नि चत ह क यह कब संभव होगा। या ल ह थे वे, जब plupart du travail, j'aide en faisant les lits
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The event has become a joyful memory for me now. I look back upon it and après l'école et en mettant la table.
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reminisce about everything, from the dance to laughing backstage; even the हम अपने दो त को हर रोज़ दख पात थे, जब हम एक साथ मदान म फटबॉल खेलत े थे, और J'aime cuisiner, donc je prépare le petit
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mistakes seem funny now. The days leading to the Arangetram had been जब हम साथ म हँसत भी थे और रोत भी थे। कहाँ गए वे दन? अब हम कवल अपने घर म déjeuner pour la famille le week-end.
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some of the most stressful, yet the excitement of performing overcame all of क यटर क सामने परा दन बठ रहत ह; कोई यायाम नह ं, कोई ह सी-मज़ाक नह ं, सफ
that. Dance has become an important part of my life now, and with the event त दन ड क पर बठकर न को दखना। यह हमार बचपन क सबस अनमोल दन ह, पर Lorsque mon jeune frère a des difficultés
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over, I find myself missing the practice sessions, the laughing and connecting इस महामार क कारण हम इस यथ कर रह ह । यह हमारे साथ ह य हआ? dans ses travaux scolaires, je lui apprends

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with my fellow dancers. For us students, life revolves mostly around des notions, notamment celles des
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academics, and they often lose sight of other activities that make them आग या होगा इसक भ व यवाणी करना असंभव ह। हम यह नह ं बता सकत क ि थ त कब mathématiques et des sciences. Mais, à
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happy. Indulging in activities other than academics are essential in fostering a बहतर होगी या हम व यालय म कब लौट पाएँग। हम नि चत प स कवल इतना जानत ह l'avenir, j'aimerais travailler avec les
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healthy mind and body. Bharatanatyam has surely done that for me, and I क हम इन क ठन प रि थ तय क अनकल होना होगा और लचीलापन दखाना होगा, य क personnes âgées, car elles partagent des
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hope every student must find some passion to ensure their well-being यह एकमा तर का ह, िजसस हम इस ि थ त स उबर पाएँग। े conseils, qui sont toujours utiles.
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Dhrriti Yagnik वंश भा टया Elisha Parikh
FALAK SHAH
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