Ode to the Children: Take 3

Yet another 'Ode' expressing my love for the kiddos...

Vimalkanth

Vimalkanth (or V as he is also called) is my monkey baby. I first met V my first summer at Rising Star in 2010. He caught my eye immediately because of his hilarious impressions of Tamil actors. When I came back this year, it was definitely his crazy salsa dance moves that made me notice him again. He gives Ricky Martin a run for his money with his awesome hip shaking. Not only is he an amazingly talented dancer but he is also learning to play the piano--and he has gotten really good! His "aim" (goal) in life is to be a music director so he is learning piano to help reach his goal. Between his piano skills, his dance moves, his mage-watt smile, and his knack for acting, I think V is destined to become a Tamil Movie Star.

Besides all of V's talents, he is also one of the sweetest, most respectful boys you will ever meet. If ever he sees me carrying a big load of books to class he always runs right up and helps me to carry them wherever I am going. He is so kind and considerate and behind all the cool guy talent he is really just a softy. Because I am his "monkey mom" a lot of the time he'll walk up to me and just lean against me in a big hug. He also loves to put his head in my lap and fall asleep during movie nights--he has a hard time staying awake. V is such a special, unique and outstanding boy that I am always trying to treasure every moment I have with my "monkey baby".

P. Karthik

Whenever I walk into 2nd Standard to teach, I can't help but smile when I see this cute little face. P. Karthik is the youngest of what I refer to as "The Brothers Ashok". Ashok is the oldest (who you can read about at the end of this post) followed by P. Vijay, Moorthy, and, finally, Karthik. I love all of these brothers very much--they are the craziest, most stream-of conscience, rough and tumble boys around. They bring light and life everywhere they go. 

This may sound weird, but go with me here for a second. To me, Karthik is the embodiment of childhood. He finds joy in simple games and paper hats, he laughs at the silliest most inconsequential things, he loves to run around, be free and play--all the things that make childhood great. Even though Karthik doesn't live in the hostel, he's still on campus most of the time because both his mom and his dad work on campus. One of my favorite memories since I have been here is hanging out with Karthik over the October break and Christmas holiday. He played games at the school while his parents worked, he showed us around the village with his brothers, he took us to his house where we surprised his brothers--it was all tons of fun. Besides all these memories, though, the thing I will miss most about Karthik is holding his little hand and either walking through the village or just walking down the hall at school. He is so sweet and precious and I will greatly miss the youngest member of The Brothers Ashok.

M. Vignesh

This kid....I love this hip-shakin hooligan. M. Vignesh is another of my 6th standard students that I have come to absolutely adore. He is such a jokester and he loves to just play and have fun all the time. So much so that he has a lot of trouble getting homework done :). M. Vignesh is a total creative-minded, free spirit. He loves to sing and act and write stories and ESPECIALLY dance. M. Vignesh is an AMAZING dancer. I seriously think that if he had training he could be in a hip hop crew--this kid has got natural rhythm and soul. He is one of my favorite kids to watch freestyle on LifeDance because when he is in the zone...there's no stoppin this kid. He really feels the music and dances with his whole heart.

Besides being an awesome dancer he is also a sweetheart. About halfway through this last year, his mom came for parents day. He saw me walking down the path and ran up to me and said, "Kenady Ma'am! My mom is here! Come meet my mom!!" He was incredibly excited for his mom to be there and for me to meet her--it was so sweet and tender. Much like Vimal, Vignesh loves to come up to me in the hallways at school and just give me a hug or a high five or just call out my name. I will also randomly see him poking his head into one of my classes just to see what's going on. I definitely gonna miss those random check-ins when I'm back in America.

Nandhakumar

The Nandha that I know now is NOT the Nandha that I met when I first came to Rising Star. When I first got here, Nandha was kind of a troublemaker. He had a reputation for talking out in class and beating kids and just generally being a little crazy and hard to handle. When I took over teaching 6th Standard I remember distinctly thinking, "Uh oh...Nandha's in that class...this may be hard." The first few days in class he definitely tested me to see what he could get away with, but having taught Nandha for a year now and really getting to know him, the Nandha that I first perceived is NOT the Nandha I know now. Nandha is kind, considerate, caring, a hard worker, and tons of other exemplary qualities. He is always looking out for the little UKG and first standard boys and helping them out when needed and he is a great help in class too! Contrary to my initial perception, Nandha is actually really laid-back and chill. He goes with the flow and is happy with whatever he's given. Don't get me wrong, though, he definitely has spunk and sass but it is only a small facet of the amazing Nandhakumar.

Nandhakumar is the Rising Star that I am most proud of this year. He started the year off in my English class barely able to read and sound out words. Now he is reading slowly but fluently and is doing just as well as a lot of his peers (which is sayin something when you struggle with reading). He works and tries so hard and really wants to get better in English and do well in school. He is a total rough-and-tumble boy so you wouldn't expect this out of him when you first meet him, but he really is an amazing student. He even has all of his homework separated into plastic page covers (one for each subject) so none of it gets ripped or ruined. He has grown leaps and bounds this year and I am incredibly proud of him.

Ashok

I don't even know where to begin writing about Ashok. This boy is so near and dear to my heart and there is so much to say that it's hard to even put into words. I know in years to come that whenever I think back on my time at Rising Star, his face, smile, laugh, and voice will be some of the first things I think of. Ashok is a unique and special soul--one that reels you in and just makes you want to be around him all the time. Ashok is definitely one of the leaders on campus. His energy and presence are felt everywhere he goes. He has a HUGE personality that is unlike any other kid I have ever met. He loves to joke around and act and play. If you have read any of my other blog posts you have most likely read about Ashok a few times (some of his highlights can be found here and here). He does whatever come to his head and just goes with it. One of the many things I love about Ashok is how invested he gets in movies and stories. If there is a movie on, he sits right at the front and pays attention to every little thing going on. This makes watching English movies with him really fun because, unlike a lot of the kids, he understands the cultural humor. He laughs in all the right spots and cheers when the good guy wins--it's awesome.

A huge part of Ashok's life is dance. He eats, drinks, and sleeps dance. His dance idol is Michael Jackson and, at this point, he's about five moonwalks away from being the next Michael. Ashok has watched all of his videos multiple times and him and Deepan have even started choreographing their own takes on MJ's videos and moves. Besides being the next MJ, Ashok is the current President of LifeDance. This means that he brings his MJ moves and awesome style to all the LifeDance dances. He is so great to watch on stage--he dances hard and strong and MJ would definitely be proud.

Just being around Ashok is a fun time. Some of my best memories at Rising Star involve listening to his crazy stories and just chatting with him and the other boys in his house. He always has something fun and interesting to add to the conversation and, if anything, spices everything up. Conversations with Ashok are just one of the many things I'm going to miss about him. He is an amazing kid and I am so excited to see all the amazing things he does with his life--he is destined for greatness.

Vanakkam