Rigved

Today in class, Rigved was the only one who knew what is mg(milligram). Most children knew mm and ml, but everyone was clueless about mg.

The exams are nearing. Rig’s daily schedule is

• 10:30 am Wake up & get ready
• 11:00 am to 12:00 study (copywriting + tables / leftover worksheets)
• 12:00 to 12:30 lunch (some television)
• 1:00 to 6:15 school
• 6:30 to 7:10 change into play clothes(prefers black or any dark color) watch some tv while having supper
• 7:15 to 9:30 go play in the opposite building
• 9:30 to 10:00 pm wash n get into night dress(hardly anything), have dinner
• 10:00 to 11:30 study
• 11:30 to 12:30 watch one episode of Sherlock Holmes
• 12:30 forcibly go to sleep

He seems to be quite good in whatever he has for studies. He thinks he doesnt like Mathematics, but I think he is attributing his dislike for the Math teacher! The teacher is quite dispassionate in her approach and isnt really out there to get children to understand what a brilliant subject math can be. I think most children who hate a subject, actually are expressing their dislike for the teacher who is teaching them that subject at school.

As a kid, I had a brilliant teacher in school for math… Mr.Colin… years later he was the same guy who sold me my first accoustic guitar. A math teacher who was a musician! No wonder then, he imbibed in me that Maths is fun!

Last night Rigved attended his first Indian classical concert, Hindustani Sarode + Karnatic violin. We were invited by my very good friend Anupam Shobhakar who played the Sarode and ripped the other guy apart towards the end. Rigved loved the concert and sat through without much trouble.

On the way to the concert I told Rigved that Anupam can let you sit on stage and play the Tanpura. He asked me whats a Tanpura… I told him that its a backing instrument for the performance… Rigved replied, “Nah, I m not interested in any backing instrument. Thats like sitting indoors and hoping something will happen outdoors!”

Some days ago Rigved told me that he is going to be in a band! So today I bought Rigved his very own acoustic guitar from Bhargava’s… Rigved wanted it for some time now and he was absolutely thrilled on getting it. I also got him a book on World War I… this too he wanted for quite some time now.

Just some time ago we saw The House of Flying Daggers… Its 2:15 in the morning right now and Rigved is reading a Satyajit Ray story called Fotikchand… I insisted him to read it as I read it last night and I was truly shaken by it. These days Rigved reads for quite some time in the night and goes to bed very late. The school began this week on the 16th (Banda’s birthday) and in the first week itself, he has been made the monitor, has got a few stars and full marks in a dictation test that he did not even prepare for. I sincerely feel that its due to his reading habit.

Rigved has started learning animation using Flash and he has shown some serious development on the basis of the very few basic things I showed him. He has said on many occasions that he wants to be an animator who makes films. He is at that age where inability to do something is not considered a setback… it is just a hurdle that one can jump over. Some times I feel that he is really gearing himself for a very big journey, a journey that doesn’t take him towards the North star, but makes him the North star.

Rigved loves cheese. Yesterday he was eating a pizza and some cheese fell off on the plate. He lifted it and looked at it and smiled, then he popped it in his mouth.

These few days are the last days of his 3rd Standard and in a couple of weeks the summer vacation begins. This year Rigved will appear for the Scholarship exams for standard 4 children. We have even enrolled him for a special tuition class for the scholarship exams. Needless to say, we had asked him at least a hundred times if he wants to go ahead with this as it can be a bit hectic for him. Every time he said he wants to do it.

He is kinda sure of certain things. For example, a few days ago, I was wondering if I should buy a Midi Controller and pro speakers for my home recording studio. I was not sure if it was worth spending the money and I kept wondering if it will work out or not. I kept asking him, “Should I buy this gear… do you think I ll be doing music again… I just hope it works out.” Every time I said that, he instantly said that I should buy it. Despite of that I kept doubting and once he said, “Of course its going to happen, YOU are making it a hope.”

Today Rigved woke up pretty early. Almost at 7. He generally wakes up around 9:30 to 10. His main reason for wanting to wake up early is to watch Baby Looney Tunes on Cartoon Network at 9 every morning. This and Tom & Jerry are 2 cartoons which he must watch no matter when it comes on air. Along with that are animation features created by Indians like Tenali Raman, Akbar Birbal etc have to be watched.

Day before yesterday some guests were home and someone asked him what he wants to be when he grows up. He said either an artist or a musician. Though his left hand is in plaster he still practices his set of tunes on the keyboard. He wants me to work out a Mozart piece which is on of Banda´s phone. The piece is really difficult and me being lesser than a novice at playing the piano, it is going to be painful. I tried last night and managed to scavenge a few notes from the piece with no guarantee of them being right. Rigved will not accept any compromises and the right notes will have to be worked out soon!

Last night I told Rigved the story of JS Bach. He thinks it is ´bark´ not Bach. A few minutes ago Rigved wrote down a track that he has composed. A book that we have on music notation (The AB guide to music theory) is lying next to the keyboard (musical). The notes of the 2 compositions are as follows:

1. C D E F E D E F F E D C D C D E F C D F C C F
2. C D E D E D E D F E D C E D C F E F C C A C