Happy Valentine's Day!

I am sure my Biology teacher still remembers my gifts with the pencil. I am probably the benchmark in that teacher's mind, and let me tell you being a benchmark figure in anything is satisfying! I can readily imagine how many pupils would have been spared the agony of redoing their cockroach drawing, because all the teacher had to do was close their eyes and visualize the cockroach on MY page. Instantly, I could make people look like Michelangelos. How many people can live up to that boast?!

I seemed to have passed some of my varied talents in the field to my daughter. When the tummy was bulging and I was wondering which genes of mine I would like her to have, I am quite sure I hadn't asked for this one to come from me - but apparently it has. A while ago, my daughter proclaimed to her Aunt that she had drawn her a picture, and my sister being who she is demanded that the groaning masterpiece be scanned and sent to her. I complied - I mean nobody EVER wanted to see my pictures, and if somebody wants to see the offsprings, the proud parent can't be stopped! So, there it was sailing through the cables under the misty waters waiting to be revealed.

Here it is: it is a wrench giving it away free on the Internet like this, but one can't be selfish.

Quick as a whip, my sister's exuberant interpretation made it across.
There are fire-crackers on top...shows celebration time

There are hearts...shows that she loves us all

Two little faces with a mop of hair...shows the kids celebrating

A red dustbin...shows that you clean up after you celebrate.

All the colours ....shows how interesting and colourful life really is!!!

Modern art can be interpreted in multiple ways, but really I think she was way off!

1) The dustbins are cupcakes - you need food during a celebration!

2) There aren't only 2 happy faces, there is a sad one too stuck in the corner to make all sorts of people make up our world

3) And, the sun was drawn in two places - high up and below somewhere. That should symbolize the rising and setting of the sun! Just the same way that the celebration starts so too must it end.
While I was explaining this to the husband, the artist pops up in her classic tone, and says:

"Actually, those are not crackers - they are trees! "

"So, what is that thing on top of the trees?" I ask

"Those are fountains!" "Oh ... and the hearts say you love us right?" I ask pleading for her to endorse at least one intepretation of ours. She does no such thing and scoffs at me and declares - "Those are flowers - some are heart shaped, but there are trees, fountains and flowers with sad and happy faces!"

And, that is the artistic touch of the future! I think the whole family needs to attend some classes in Art.

Having said that, we sat down last night after dinner preparing Valentine Day Cards for all of my daughter's friends in her class. While I joked about how I did not classify the activity as important enough to rank high up in our list, I enjoyed it all the same. It made a nice change from the regular. She drew little pictures in every card and wrote out her name arduously. She particularly liked to draw Saturn for some vague reason, and I must say, it was one of her better attempts at drawing. (That is saying something!). So she drew Saturn on a couple of cards. I am not sure whether Cupid and Sani "Bhagawan" have any qualms, but if they did, my daughter just took a brave stab at attaining mythological peace.

More than the cards and the drawing, I like to think of Valentine's Day as a day of love - I am pleased to hear that similar sentiments are being voiced elsewhere too. Instead of marking a day for lovers, it is nice to mark a day of love for all your friends and family.

So, here it is: Happy Valentine's Day - may Love spread and eradicate the darkness of hatred!