Names don’t have colours. Music does not look like wisps of rainbow floating around. Every letter, number, and sound does not have a separate colour and texture. Right?
Mia Winchell, a thirteen-year-old girl, would not be able to agree to any of this.
Her childhood, lived in fear and ignorance, was spent with her thinking she was crazy.
However, after confessing to her parents about her problems, a whole new world of self-realization opens up to her. She discovers that she has a rare medical condition called synesthesia.
Synesthetes (a word to describe people with synesthesia), can see shapes, colours, and textures when hearing certain sounds or words. To Mia, every word and sound had its colour, which made her daily life somewhat of a struggle.
Wendy Mass’s unique novel takes us through Mia’s journey of self-acceptance as she slowly begins to accept her condition as a gift, rather than a disease. She begins to embrace it, supported by her parents and best friend, Jenna Davis. Mia slowly begins to accept herself as who she is and connects with fellow synesthetes. She develops a unique bond with them, but at the price of a strong friendship.
This author covers themes like friendship, art and culture, self-acceptance, identity, and so much more.
I loved this book because it highlighted a unique and rare condition and captured its beauty by portraying it in words so that the reader has a captivating experience.
The author’s descriptive approach to this book illustrates the visions and colours that appear in front of Mia when she hears a sound, in an alluring manner through words, and paints a beautiful picture that hooks the reader as if they’re experiencing a myriad of colours floating through their head as they read.
It is a beautiful book to read and really gives you a new perspective of life where everything isn’t just one-dimensional.
One of my favourite parts in the book is when Mia tries taking a bath with music playing, and how she describes the way the steam makes the music and its colours, shapes, and textures, come to life in a way she’s never seen before.
This is one of my favourite excerpts in the book, from the same scene:
“I switch off the light and admire the way the candle illuminates the steam. Right away all the colours of the music have more dimension. The steam makes them more solid somehow. The violins are hundreds of shimmering gold lights, the horns are cubes of green, and the drums are a bright aqua blue. It feels like I can almost reach out and touch them. It’s like I’m a part of the fabric of the whole universe- the air, the water, the music, the colours, the shapes, and me right in the middle.”
Wendy Mass takes the reader into the mind of a bright and artistic teenage girl and portrays the ups and downs of her (literally) colourful life in a magical way.
By, Trisha Simhachalam, Grade 10A, Ekya JP Nagar
Trip to Mangalore & Udupi
Post lockdown last year when things started to settle down and travel again was possible, we decided to do a road trip to Mangalore and Udupi. We decided on the Christmas weekend and started planning the trip. We had been to Mangalore and Udupi many times before, so we decided to cover some of the unseen places that I had come across on Instagram on this trip. We were all geared up for the trip, all packed and ready. The day of the trip arrived it was a bright sunny day. We had planned to start our road trip early in the morning as it was an 8-hour drive from Bangalore. The first stop was in Hassan for breakfast at 9 AM. After filling our stomachs, we started off again and we hit the ghats of Sakeleshpur called Sharadi ghat. The winding roads were a pleasure to drive and the views are just unbelievable. We breezed past the ghats and within a few hours reached Mangalore just in time for Lunch. We had booked ourselves at Hotel Prestige, after checking in and freshening up came down to their restaurant "Fish Market" to have some delicious seafood.
The only plan for the day was to go to Suratkal beach to relax and see the dreading vessel named Bhagwati Prem which is struck at the beach. Also, enjoy the beautiful sunset.
After viewing the wonderful sunset, we headed back to Mangalore and decided to treat ourselves to the famous Pabbas Ice cream and called it the day.
The next day’s plan was to visit the famous Krishna temple at Udupi, we had a good darshan and then we travelled further north to Maravanthe Beach, where the highway has the river Suparnika flowing on one side and the Arabian sea on the other.
We also visited Kapu beach post-lunch, which is a beach village in coastal Karnataka. Kapu’s long sandy beaches offer a panoramic view of the Arabian Sea. Kapu lighthouse was built in 1901, the lighthouse is 27 meters tall.
We ended the day returning back to Mangalore and having some nice Mangalore Cuisine at the Janardhana Hotel.
The next day we would travel to St. Mary’s Island and Kodi Bangre beach. After a sumptuous breakfast at New Tajmahal Café we headed towards St. Mary’s Island.
We didn’t expect St. Mary’s Island to be totally packed with tourists, the only reason we planned this was my parents hadn’t seen the island. It is a 15 min boat ride to the island which we need to take a ferry.
St. Mary’s island is a set of four small islands in the Arabian Sea off the coast of Malpe in Udupi. They are known for their distinctive geological formation of columnar rhyolitic lava. The entire island is filled with seashells and very little sand.
Next, we visited Kodi Bengre Beach or Delta beach which lies in the small sleepy village of Kodi Bengre near Udipi. The beach is a beautiful secret and not a lot of people know about it. This means you can enjoy walking on the golden sand and jumping with the waves without a big crowd around you. Once you get here, you will be amazed by the natural beauty that surrounds you. The secluded state of the beach makes it a peaceful, serene, and quiet spot to spend an afternoon.
This is also the point where River Suvarna joins the Arabian Sea and forms islands covered with mangrove forests. While driving here, you will see the vast expanse of Arabian Sea on one side and River Suvarna on the other.
We thoroughly enjoyed the beachfront and the sunset and called it a day early as we had to start back to Bangalore the next day.
The last day of the trip was finally here, we started towards Bangalore after our breakfast. It was a wonderful trip with many memories to cherish. We said goodbye to Mangalore until next.
We reached Bangalore a little after sunset a little tired but full of memories and a much-needed break from our daily routine and minds off Covid.
Disclaimer: All images are shot by me and are copyrighted.
सावन का पहला साया
दोपहर को मैं बैठी हाथ में किताब लिए
फिर किसी ने मुझको बुलाया,
जोर से आवाज दिया
आशंका हुई मुझे कही
सोचा कि शायद वही तो नहीं?
फिर मेरी नजर कैलेंडर पर पडी
और मेरी आंखें माथे पर चढ़ी
अब मुझे पता चला कि किसने बुलाया
अरे वाह! यह तो है सावन का पहला साया
कुर्सी से उठ के मैं दौड़ की गई खिड़की पर
और आसमान को देखकर सोचा
आज लगता है देव पथ है अपनी ही मजे में
जहां पर पहले दिवाकर सूर्य का राज था
वहां पर अब केश फैलाए काले घने बादलों का
राज करने की हुई थी लालसा
फिर आरंभ हुआ सूर्यदेव व बादलों के बीच का महासंग्राम
गरजते हुए दोनों ने लिया एक दूसरे का नाम
शोर सुन के कांप उठा सारा गगन और मेरा मन
परंतु अंततः लंबी चांदी समान विजय पताका बरसाते हुए जीत गए घन
तब मैंने हलके से, हंस के सर हिलाया
हां, सोचा, यही तो है सावन का पहला साया !
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