Leslie's Laughs

 [Published in The Telegraph's My Kolkata on 22 Jan 2024.  You can read the original article here ] [A former high school teacher and a just-done parent of three takes a light-hearted look at what’s on everybody’s mind and tabletop this month - exams! It’s serious stuff, though, so don’t stress too much.] One of the most quoted lines about examinations was originally stated by Mr Tom Vianna, a rockstar teacher who was responsible for the success of thousands of young men back in the day.  Mr V is famously quoted as saying, “Treat the ICSE as a pleasant interlude in your learning journey!”  I’m not sure I got the words right, but the sentiment was clear: don’t bother yourself too much about the exams. And, true to this sentiment, his students literally breezed through the exams, having been there, done that a dozen times in class. There were batches of Xaverians who actually organised end-of-exam parties during the exams.  They passed chits around which had list...

 [Published in The Telegraph's My Kolkata on 09 January 2024.  You can read the original here ] Pick Your Picnic “This is picnic month, no one will come for other programs,” thus spake the official in Arunachal Pradesh a decade or so ago. On seeing a bemused, though quizzical expression, he explained that “everyone takes off to go for picnics”, leaving us to wonder how to get work done. This also got me wondering about Picnic Month in Kolkata. So, here it is - all six weeks of it! Come Boxing Day on December 26th, the picnic season starts in earnest. The morning after the night before, carrying baskets of Christmas leftovers, babes in arms and other ‘babes’ in tow, extended families would make the traditional pilgrimage to Alipore Zoo. Badminton racquets, shawls, bags and satrangis would then be chucked in gay abandon on the grass along with assorted “uncles” to guard them, while the entourage would go to “check out their relatives” - a favourite, time-worn...

 [The original was published in The Telegraph's My Kolkata on 27 December 2023.  You can read the original here - and my draft below. Enjoy.] The musings of a one-time master of ceremonies, musician and organiser of New Year’s Eve programs shares views on what can only be described as madness at midnight. When the bells all ring and the horns all blow / And the couples we know are fondly kissing Will I be with you or will I be among the missing? The popular song goes on to ask “What are you doing New Year’s Eve?” just in case “you” is free and the singer stands a chance!  Today, both  would have a plethora of events to choose from to figure out what he or she is doing on New Year’s Eve.  Good Christians, of which a decent number still survive, attend Thanksgiving Services which aim to credit higher powers for the year gone by and to beseech the same powers to fix whatever is broken in the world and make things better in the forthcoming year. Some visit elder re...