The Expression Hub

  • A prodigy or a brat?

    Published by

    Roshani Patil

    on

    Author: Roald Dahl

    Genre: Children’s literature/ fantasy

    “While we try to teach our children all about life, our children teach us what life is all about.”

    -Angela Schwindt

    My sincerest apologies for posting this one a week late. But sometimes life becomes too busy especially when you have a festival around and you are busy enjoying it in order to take a little break from your daily routine. However, now that the festivities are over, I can assure you that there will be updates posted consistently unless and until some piece of literature or something is really taking a time. I generally have the habit of completing something and then posting it. So, that is the reason sometimes the posts are a bit delayed. But I appreciate the patience and the support shown by my readers and subscribers. And for that, I will be grateful forever from the bottom of my heart. Maybe it is your love and encouragement that keeps me going even when I don’t feel like writing.

    Okay, so returning to the pick of the week, this one too revolves around a relationship which is shared by a student and a teacher. After all, a bond between a teacher and a student is special. Especially, if the teacher appreciates us for allowing us to be the person we are. This is because to put it in the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson, “to be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”

    About the book: Matilda revolves around the girl of the same name who lives in a dysfunctional family. She is a prodigy by nature who shows some extraordinary abilities like learning to speak at the age of one and read at the age of three and a half. However, her abilities are not appreciated by her family as she is considered as a brat especially by her father. This fact annoys her that she is always undermined by her family due to which she ends up playing pranks on her family members which satisfies her.

    At the age of five and a half years, she is admitted to school. She finds support in her teacher Jennifer who is astounded by her intellectual abilities. Jennifer feels that Matilda should be moved to a higher class. However, the same is refused by the headmistress of the school Miss Trunchbull who is a tyrant by nature. Jennifer also tries to communicate the same with her parents. But her parents dismiss about the same.

    While Miss Trunchbull terrorizes the students with her creative yet over-the-top punishments and her parents continue to dismiss her, Matilda develops a strong bond with her teacher. The teacher too finds an ally in her and starts revealing her thoughts to her. But will the bond between the two sustain? Or will some circumstances force them to break apart?

    Analysis: This is a book that explores a lot of themes like how it is to be raised in a family which always looks down upon your abilities, of how people take benefit especially if you are obligated under them, of how people treat other in a cruel manner , of how people think that they can fool others and consider themselves as smart.

    Though the book is considered as a piece of children’s literature, there are some instances which cannot be considered child-friendly. They are pretty violent by nature. The parts which involve punishments given by Miss Trunchbull to her students if they dare to defy her orders are pretty violent. Or the treatment which Miss Trunchbull metes out to Miss Jennifer which forces Miss Jennifer to be under her obligation always. However, the parts where Matilda plays pranks when her parents annoy her or her bonding with Miss Jennifer are the parts which are fun to read. This is because it highlights the resilience which Matilda portrays while dealing with her parents as well as the feeling of empathy and admiration that she has for her teacher. The book also deals with the theme of telekinesis which is an extraordinary ability that Matilda possess and which she uses to serve justice to Miss Honey.

    Verdict: A book with varied themes which offers various insights into how a human being deals with the surroundings he or she has. In the above case, it gives a sneak peek into how it is to be brought up in a family which always looks down upon you. This book will be deeply resonated by people who have been brought up in dysfunctional families. It also highlights the fact that how someone’s empathy and care can heal the deepest of the wounds. Though termed as a child literature, this is a book which cannot be read to children even though it deals with children. So, do practice caution about the same when making this a choice for your child. This is because of some violent parts in the book. As far as adults are concerned, they do somewhat have the maturity to deal with such topics. However, if you are an adult who has faced such situations in your childhood, it is best to avoid this book. The reason is that the book can act as a trigger to certain situations.

    Cite Bite: “Never do anything by halves if you want to get away with it. Be outrageous. Go the whole hog. Make sure everything you do is so completely crazy it’s unbelievable.”

    Que: Where do the Wormwoods escape?

    a. England

    b. United States of America

    c. Spain

    d. Australia

    Continue reading →: A prodigy or a brat?

  • A groundbreaking teacher?

    Published by

    Roshani Patil

    on

    Starring: Hrithik Roshan, Mridul Thakur, Aditya Srivastava,Nandish Singh Sandhu, Virendra Saxena, Amit Sadh, Pankaj Tripathi, Vijay Verma

    Directed by: Vikas Bahl

    Genre: Drama-Comedy

    “Teachers can change lives with just the right mix of chalk and challenges.”

    -Joyce Meyer

    Well, its September and what do you associate the month of September with generally? For, me the month of September always is associated with the people who transform the lives of other people- the teachers. Teachers though, they are not appreciated for the work they undertake are responsible for bringing all the other professions to life. And it is not just human beings who are responsible for imparting knowledge. Knowledge can come from any source. And any source which imparts knowledge is a teacher according to me. So, who are your teachers ? Do tell me in the comments section. Would love to hear about the same as to what or whom do you consider your teachers.

    The reason why I am talking about teachers so much is that as I said above the month of September reminds me of only one thing and that is teachers. Also, since, Teacher’s Day is a few days away in my country, so maybe this is the right time to raise a toast to the most underappreciated yet inspiring people of our lives. Thus, dedicating this month to these underappreciated people.

    This week’s pick revolves around the life of one such teacher who dedicated his life to learning and teaching . A word of disclaimer however, I am personally not a big fan of Bollywood movies due to lack of creativity and original thought. However, there are certain movies which do stand out and it is these movies which bring a light of hope to lovers of art like me and inspire me to write about them .

    Story Line: Super 30 is a biographical fiction movie which is loosely based on the life of mathematician Anand Kumar. It narrates the story of how Anand Kumar initiated the initiative and what all problems he faced while setting it up and how it kind of revolutionized the Indian education which is kind of messed up lets say due to a lot of reasons. If you are interested in knowing the reasons, I give you the homework to research about the reasons to find out about the same🤓. Maybe this will awaken the nerd in you and maybe enlighten you with something new. And the state of education is not only messed up in my country but also in other countries. However, there are some special scenarios for the mess up in my country. So, how does Anand Kumar try to bring a revolution in the Indian education system? Does he succeed or is his attempt to revolutionize the education system a failure? Also, what are the challenges that Anand Kumar faces in his journey? Does he rise up to them ?Or will he crumble?

    Scrutiny: This is a movie which takes a look into the education system of India. It is said that education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world . But does everyone has the right to equal opportunities in the field of education? Education is supposed to be a universal right of everyone yet a majority of the people are denied the right to education because they do not have the sufficient resources available for funding their education. Though this might sound like a grave situation, yet there are people who are fighting for the educational rights of the children who are denied access. This movie tries to highlight the efforts taken by one such individual.

    This movie also highlights the grave differences one has while accessing education. The rich can afford the best of all the facilities while the poor who try to struggle to meet their basic needs cannot afford the same. The only thing that keeps a poor person going is the fuel of struggle and hard work and sometimes brains. It also highlights the ills which an education system in a country faces.

    Hrithik Roshan shines as the main protagonist so does Nandish Singh Sandhu as his brother along with Aditya Srivastava and Amit Sadh in their respective roles. Mrunal Thakur could have been utilized better and could have been given a better screen timing .

    Sentiment: This is a movie which is an eye-opener and a heartwarming tale of how hard work can beat the best of talents. It also reflects the grave yet harsh realities one has to face while pursuing his or her dreams. But it serves as a great motivational boost as well as a reminder of how privileged we can be. It also makes us realize one thing that the battles which we fight everyday are very small as compared to the battles fought by people who have the misfortune of being born into a poor family. So, if you think that you are the one that is grappled with a lot of problems in life , wait until you encounter a person who is struggling to make his or her ends meet . You will feel pretty humbled when you witness the magnitude of the problems faced by them. It reiterates one fact that the problem is not the lack of resources one possesses but it is often the lack of will. Lack of will to make a positive change in the society even though we have the resources. And maybe those who do make a change or attempt to make a change they are known as revolutionaries. And it is to such people,this movie tries to pay a tribute.

    Quote-unquote : “Baatne se gyaan do ka chaar ho jaata hai … aur na baatne se do ka zero”(When you distribute knowledge, it multiplies four fold and if you do not share, it becomes 0).

    Que: What is the name of the magazine in which Anand publishes his solution?

    a. Mathematics Standard

    b. Mathopedia

    c. Encylopedia of Mathematics

    d. The Mathematical Gazette

    Continue reading →: A groundbreaking teacher?

  • How do we bring a change around us?

    Published by

    Roshani Patil

    on

    “Our lives begin to end the day when we become silent about the things that matter.”

    -Martin Luther King Jr.

    This week, I decided not to post anything related to the books or movies or the webseries which I do watch and end up dissecting and analyzing about. But instead, felt I should maybe have a heartfelt conversation as well as gain insights as how we can make ourselves change? The reason why I decided to bring up this conversation was a lot of things happen around us and yet we don’t seem to do much about it. Instead, we try to push the things under the mat and try not to speak about it . But the only question that runs in my mind is that why are we not vocal about issues which are persistent ? Is it our ignorance or is it just that we do not seem to care. Or is it because of our business as usual attitude?

    A lot of coverage was given to the horrific incident which took place recently in Kolkata but what was the conclusion drawn? A similar incident took place in Uttarakhand and in a lot of places including Badlapur in Mumbai which highlighted only one major thing- that unless and until there is a huge outcry for any incident, we just push the matter below the mat. We as human beings instead of addressing the issue to the core just tend to make a hue and cry about that thing for a few days and then after we get the next sensational piece of information, our attention gets diverted to that piece of information thus leaving the previous issue which was burning or being discussed left in the lurch. Right now, the hue and cry is about safety of women and children in my country, but believe me this drama about talking about this issue will only extend upto a few more days. Before, the current hue and cry , the topic which was trending in my country was the future of medical students following the NEET exam scam. But instead of addressing the core issue we just keep highlighting on pieces that will gain the maximum eyeballs or ears . This is because sensationalism sells . And unfortunately, this is where the problem lies.

    But if we really really want to bring in a change within ourselves or the society around us, it is high time that we address the root cause and take steps to address the same. When we start taking this approach instead of just letting things happen, then maybe slowly things will start to change for good. For instance, its been almost 100+ years since women demanded their rights to be treated as equal as men ? But has the gender gap reduced? Maybe up to an extent but we still have a long way to go. Every time we make a huge hue and cry when some injustice takes place but have we able to reduce the root cause of the injustice ? Or we do make a huge noise about the pathetic conditions of the roads in the monsoon for instance but are we ensuring accountability so that the same thing is prevented in the future? It is easy to raise a voice but it is tough to take measures which will ensure prevention as well as accountability of the same.

    We may not be able to enter the field of politics due to some or the other reason , but at least we can start taking initiatives from our part . After all charity begins at home. Like for instance, we can start from breaking the typical gender stereotypes. We can make it acceptable that a boy can also play with a doll and a girl can play with a car instead of forcing upon what our girls and boys should do. A boy can help with chores in the kitchen and can also cook instead of making it a girl’s primary duty. Or it is really not okay for anyone including the people who are a part of your family to touch you inappropriately even if you are a small child and not wise enough to understand the world around you. Or that the men of the house have the same right to express their feelings just like women do.

    How we address the large issues always begins with how we address the small yet important issues at home. And it is when we address the small yet important issues, do we find the courage to take upon the challenges of addressing the large issues and bring in a change slowly yet steadily. It is when we become more vocal about the issues which plague us and start holding the people in charge accountable and ensure that proper action is taken that we bring in a change .Unless and until we do that , we are just making a fool out of ourselves and just committing those old mistakes. So maybe it is a high time to be the change the world wants to see . Don’t let anyone not even you disagree with the fact that we are not capable of bringing a change . This is because when we can have the entire universe reside in us, then maybe we do have the power to bring in a change for the good as well.

    Continue reading →: How do we bring a change around us?

Hello,

I’m Roshani

Welcome to The Expression Hub! I’m Roshani, who loves to express herself through the medium of writing. This blog is my little corner of the internet where I dive deep into the world of movies, books, and web series—reviewing, analyzing, and sometimes just ranting about the stories that make us laugh, cry, and question everything.

Beyond reviews, you’ll also find my personal musings—random thoughts, life reflections, and the occasional deep dive into the things that inspire me. Think of this as a space where art meets emotion, and where honest opinions matter more than star ratings.

Join me as we explore incredible stories together, one post at a time. Have a recommendation? Let’s talk—I’m always up for discovering something new!

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