MY FIRST DIGITAL CAMERA

I bought my first digital camera about ten years ago. It was a compact digital camera, making it convenient to carry. I used it a few times and then left it inside a bag. Many months later I wanted to use it again and took it from the bag. I tried to switch it on but it did not work. I noticed that the battery enclosure was slightly open. I checked the battery and found it to be leaking. It was not old enough to be leaking. The summer heat may have caused it to leak and the fact that I left it inside a bag did not help matters. I replaced the battery with new ones but the camera still did not work. The battery must have leaked into the camera and damaged it internally. Moreover, I could not close the battery enclosure properly anymore. I think the battery not only leaked but also expanded forcing the battery enclosure to open and damage it too. I felt sad since I had used the camera only a few times. I also felt lucky since it was not a very expensive camera. If I had bought an expensive camera the loss would have been so much more.
Later on, I bought another camera and now whenever I finish taking photos I remove the battery.

CRAVEN LMS HIGH SCHOOL

Craven LMS High School, Kollam

DUMPLING

When we were children my father sometimes bought street food from the hawkers. One day he brought home some dumplings. There were two types. The big ones had a sweet filling and the small ones had a meat filling. My mother opened one of the small ones before giving it to us. We were shocked to find a dead insect inside. I don’t know how it got in there. It may have fallen in accidentally while the meat filling was being prepared. That day we threw away all the small ones but we ate the big ones with the sweet filling.

After that incident I am careful when I eat something with a filling. I usually check what is inside before I eat it.

CSI CHRIST CHURCH

CSI Christ Church, Kollam

WE ARE NOT HAPPY WITH YOUR WORK

I was teaching Physics at a Private School in India long ago. The School attached more importance to English, Maths and Science. Teachers who taught these subjects were paid better. Some teachers leave at the end of the academic year. So at the beginning of the next year they would recruit a few new teachers to take their place. One year they could not get a teacher for the local language. The post had a lower pay scale. A few days after the School reopened a suitable teacher was found but she was not willing to accept the lower pay scale. She insisted on being paid a better salary. Since they had no other option they hired her. She did a good job and everything went well.

A few months later a man came to the School looking for work. He was a local language teacher. The School management found him to be suitable and asked him whether he was willing to work for the lower pay scale that the post offered. He agreed. They asked him to report for duty a few days later.

Now they had to remove the lady who insisted on being paid a better salary. They could not tell her that they found someone who was willing to do the job at a lower salary. So they told her ‘We are not happy with your work. We have received many complaints about you. Students find it difficult to understand you.’ She was made to resign and the new man took her place.

CSI CONVENTION CENTRE

CSI Convention Centre, Kollam

STREETLIGHT

There was a boy who lived in a village in South India. His parents were poor. They could not afford to send him to a good school. He studied at a government school which provided education for poor children. Such schools usually have very little facilities.

There was no electricity in his house. At night his parents would light lamps to avoid being in the dark. The boy was preparing for the final examination. He found it difficult to study at night with the light provided by the lamps. So every night he would go out with his books and sit under a nearby streetlight to study.

After the exams, when the results were declared he was the top student in the state. People were surprised that a boy who studied under a streetlight had done so well. Many people came forward to help him. They promised to pay for his further studies. 

True Story