Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Fancy this.

A butterfly fairy in a silk top, pretty frock and stockings, a pair of wings that looked like anybody wearing it could actually fly and a wand that had this magical aura about it, which completed the look. It was an outfit my sister bought for my daughter for her birthday and we saved the wings and the wand for the fancy dress competition that is conducted every year as part of the Onam Celebrations at school.

My 7 yr old daughter with cheeks generously rouged, looking pretty in her outfit, went on the dais. As my hubby, parents and I waited with bated breath to see how she would perform, she walked in with an air of confidence and said with subtle hand gestures and a sweet smile to go with it…

"Hi! I am a butterfly fairy

Though I look pretty now

I was once just an ugly wriggly caterpillar

But don’t you know that each one of us is beautiful from within?

Here’s my magic wand

May each one of you shed your cocoons

And become beautiful butterflies!

Bye…"


We heaved a sigh of relief. It had gone well. There were quite a few kids who turned up for the competition dressed up as a bishop, nun, muthashi (grandmother), Lord Krishna, gypsy, paper girl, rag picker, earth, mother India, sunflower, Michael Jackson, princess, fairy, beauty queen, Swami Vivekananda, Dora the explorer….Some of the kids forgot the dialogue they were supposed to deliver after their grand entry onto the stage.

My daughter managed to pull it off. She is otherwise reserved and shy. But loves to participate – Fancy Dress, Elocution, Light Music, Recitation…

I had prepared a lengthy speech for her Elocution competition ‘Keep Kochi Clean’. She won the third prize. Kudos to you, my girl! She learns in a jiffy and delivers without stage-fear. Something to appreciate. Perhaps she needs to focus more on voice modulation, hand gestures and the right pauses. But I guess she will improve, with time. For now, she’s good. And I’m proud of her.

21 comments:

Insignia said...

Your daughter is a fairy!!

I loved those few lines. She must have been really cute delivering these lines on stage.

You ought to be a proud mom :-)

Unknown said...

awww...how sweet ur daughter looks!! with a great writer mum like u, am sure she will learn the art of speaking soon..:)

The Holy Lama said...

That's true. She has the mettle and will prove herself better. May God bless her.

Shilpa Garg said...

Wow!! A baby to be truly proud of!! :)
Confidence at this age can do wonders and all these activities definitely boost it. A confident child is a happy and a successful human being!
So kudos to you and your family for giving the right kind of environment to your girl!!
3 Cheers for all of you! :)
I liked the beautiful butterfly part!! :))

Sandhya said...

You have to be, RGB! She looks pretty here! She looks like a good child...god bless.

Keep writing about her, it will be interesting to read.

Bikram said...

time to say
CHAKKKK TE FATTTTTEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE yayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy KUDOS excellent and well done to her...

RGB said...

@Insignia,
Isn't she! Sure am proud of her :)

@Madhu,
Thank you...I'm flattered!

@The Holy Lama,
Yes, she definitely has the potential. Needs a bit of a push once a while. But she'll do just fine!

@Shilpa,
She's a bit timid off-stage that her performances on stage are quite a surprise...a pleasant surprise! I'm hoping these little victories would help build her self confidence further. Thank you for your encouraging comments:)

@Sandhya,
Looks can be deceptive...ha, ha! She's a good child no doubt, but when she wants to be adamant it's a bit tough.I shudder to think of what adolescence will be like!

RGB said...

@Bikram,
Thanks. She'll be happy to see so much appreciation coming her way!

Latha Nair said...

Cute post!
Happy for you and your lovely daughter!!
Your post reminded me of my
nephew's misadventure in a
fancy dress competition a
few years back.
He was dressed up a Sheikh complete with a beard and hookah.
He was supposed to introduce himself as a Sheikh and talk about his wealthy country.
The poor boy messed up his lines and ended up saying his name was Milk Shake!!

wise donkey said...

Wonderful!
Give my hugs to her:) Loved the lines and its not easy to overcome stage fear and deliver those lines without a mistake:)

RGB said...

@ Latha Nair,
He, he! Sheikh becomes Milk shake, eh? Happens...some kids get hyper-excited and some kids just freeze. I guess my daughter manages to keep her cool on stage. Thank God for that!

@ wise donkey,
Hugs delivered. You're right..it takes grit to deliver flawlessly on stage. My daughter's got talent and she's not afraid to exhibit it...which is what matters, above winning!

walk2write said...

It was a triumph of family proportions. You all participated and savored your daughter's moment in the spotlight. Good for all of you! When our daughter was young and performed in piano recitals, it meant a lot to her that parents and grandparents were there to listen and encourage. Those were confidence building moments she still treasures.

Rajlakshmi said...

the message she delivered is as beautifull as her appearance :D
lovely picture :)

RGB said...

@ walk2write,
The little things we can do for our children that will go a long way in moulding them, something they will treasure for a lifetime! Thanks very much for your comments.

@ Rajlakshmi,
Thank you :) I shall convey the message to her. She will be delighted.

Nona said...

Nice picture and Congratulations

A New Beginning said...

awwwww shaes a darling..Im sure sh'd go places :))and with the genes of a fairy God Mother she has all the chances ;)

RGB said...

@ Nona,
Thank you :)

@ A New Beginning,
Thanks for your wishes. Fairy Godmother aye?!

Destiny's child... said...

Roann looks really cute there. And I loved those lines :)

RGB said...

@Destiny's Child,
Cutie butterfly fairy! She delivered those lines nicely as well:)

radha said...

The post takes me back to when my children were in school. I would pore through an old encylopedia set ( Arthur Mee) and dig out poems that were not very common for the children to recite. And of course, fancy dress, elocution, annual day..... nostalgia, but am glad the days are over, it was enough labour to tire me out for days together.

RGB said...

@ radha,
yeah...it's usually the parents who are tensed and tired preparing for such contests and events! I've still got a long way to go...phew!!