Have a JOY RIDE with the Recitation Contest!

Hi Rosebuddies,

Sunita Miss here! 

Thanks a lot for the excitement from your side towards the New English Club! Before we get into the first competition, I would like to convey a very important message! I don’t wish to use a tone of ADVICE! Yet, I feel it may be useful to you! 

As the recitation competition is just a few days away, I thought of writing something for the majority. By ‘Majority’, I mean the audience(For the time being, the contestants please excuse me). As you all know, we had the preliminary round of the contest just a week back, and now there are just 8 of you to compete! But to me, ALL of you are participating. How come! Naturally, when you’re one among the audience, you’re just an observer. That must be the impression all of you have. But when you dig deep, it’s not so. Now, let’s start from the title –“ JOY RIDE with the Recitation Contest! 

So, how can you make the contest a joy ride? I’m sure at least some of you have been puzzled by this. Recitation and Joy Ride! How can they go together! Can they actually go together? Each one of you might have different opinions about the contest. Let me try to classify the audience into three groups. Go through the three groups carefully and find out, which group you belong to! 

Group I : Grrr..Oh! What competition? It may not be useful for me, may be for others. I’m here to remain off the radar, silently. Anyway, it’s gonna fall on deaf ears!

Group II : Okay, I am not good enough to participate in this poetry competition . But, anyway as it’s taking place, I shall go and just be a spectator. Everything will go in one ear and out the other.

Group III : Wow! This is a great opportunity for me. I’m waiting eagerly for the competition. Even though I’m not competing I’m going to be an active listener. I’m going to read all these poems before, so that I can be familiar with the poems. I would even try to make a mock recital at home, as if I’m participating! I'll give all ears, to it.

So, I believe, you have identified yourself with one of these groups! (GroupI, Group II or Group III). And now we’ll go deeper in to it. Below is an image from Second life, a game most of you may be familiar with.

From Second Life! 

In such games, you have avatars. Here you can create an avatar the way which like the most. In avatar, you can even create an environment you like. Plenty of options are given, so that it will match with the taste and preference of all of us . Given a chance, most of us will create an avatar which can do everything that we’re unable to do in real life. 

Now, coming back to our competition, those in Group I, have a particular approach towards the competition. They think that they can’t even listen to a poem eagerly. It’s not that they are not interested in it. For example, given a chance to create an avatar in second life, they may create a stage and give themselves a role of the participant in the competition!!!!!!!!! They too wish to participate in the competition, win a prize and get appreciated by everyone. But, it’s the fear of failure that is pulling them back! So it’s their pretence that they are not interested in the competition. In other words, it’s their approach towards the competition. But their attitude may change if they put in some effort. 

Have a look at the pic given below!

For example, when you look at the given painting, at first you may feel that it’s a very complex painting. But when you observe closely, it’s a combination of different geometrical shapes and colours. It’s not a big thing! Most of you can draw it!

Coming back to the joyful ride, I had mentioned in the beginning, you can find joy and happiness by involving in the event, even just by remaining as an active listener - trying to find out the meaning of the poem or something like that!

So if you have put yourself in Group I or II, I must say, you must change your attitude. Everything is possible, if you put in some effort. So, the message for the first and second groups is that you can make a try. It’s after all just listening to the poems attentively. That is a suggestion. But the choice is yours. Later you may understand that, our life is all, but the choices we make. It’s your choice that matters the most in your life! Not just about the competition, but about everything in your life!

Thank You!