OUR SECOND WIN THIS SEASON - A BIG KILL

I remember our battle at the Green Meadows Resort on the ECR road in 2011. The teams who battled were from a diverse genre. We hall all kinds of groups and it was a real treat to watch. I could not believe that we battled and got the second position then.

Our competition at the Hindustan University was of a similar profile. There was a Mizo choir, four Marthoma chruch choirs, two CSI choirs and many bands and to beat all of them and come out as the winner was truly amazing. As a group we have given our best and Vinod, our great conductor and trainer deserves a big applause for ironing out all the discords while we were put through the rigourous drills.

We had some lovely and precious moments around the time the victory was announced. Me and my choir mate running up from the ground floor on hearing the cry of our other mates, never expecting a victory at all, the sight of other teams giving us a standing ovation when we were collecting the award, our ride back home with lots of singing and revelry, our group walking a short distance to the church singing 'Jingle Bells', our dear priest waiting for us at the church with a bag of sweets and the final victory shout before we parted for home.

Here's a small poem that I jotted down after this victory.

When  Victory Came Knocking

The smell of victory,
After an intense battle,
Can be intoxicating,
And yesterday,
Victory overwhelmed us.

For many of us,
Victory came knocking,
When we had closed the doors of hope,
And had started looking beyond.
Some of us had moved afar,
And were busy feeding our horses,
And sharpening our swords,
For the next battle.
But then we heard,
The cry of victory,
Resonating all over our camp,
And we ran back,
To embrace an astounding triumph.

The unbridled joy,
That victory inundated us with,
Could be seen and heard,
On our journey back home too.
There was revelry,
And a joy that was very special,
Even as we sang,
While on our way back to our church.

There is a special camaraderie,
That can be sensed,
In our bunch.
It is this affinity,
That is feeding into,
The celestial harmony,
That we generate.
May God, always keep us this way.

We are gifted with a General,
So committed in his venture,
And blessed with such a sharp ear,
That even the tiniest discord,
Will never get past him.
May God bless him,
As he mounts his horse again,
To lead us,
Through many more carol battles.

WE OPENED THIS SEASON WITH A BANG

The Christmas season for this year opened up sometime during October end. Due to some personal exigencies, I could not make it for two practices and thereafter I caught the singing bus over the last two weeks for the next two practices that followed. Sometimes during the first practice that I was into, I felt that the choir was chewing something too big for its calibre. In fact two of the songs were picked from last year's list as last year's Christmas had been literally washed out due to the floods, and we did not get to sing much. And the chewing impression I had, was about the two that we had picked up from last year. During the second practice, that impression changed as I saw many aspects of harmony falling in place. But still, perfection was eluding us somehow. It was somewhere there close by, but somehow we just could not embrace it.

It was with this mindset that I had got on to the podium for our first competition today. We had a stiff battle from a few other teams, but then it just happened today. We saw everything falling in place and it was close to or I should say, a flawless performance. I saw one of the judges stand up and clap for us when we finished the second song. A few other judges did again mention about us  and our superb performance while they spoke before the award ceremony. And in the feedback session from the panel, we had no negatives listed on our performance. 

So, we could smell victory, much before we were declared as the victors. That was indeed a great feeling. It's something I cannot fully express in words, but it can only be felt while standing right there in the middle of the audience and the judges and listening and watching them while they give their feedback. Today was our first competition for this Christmas season and we, the Celestial Voices, have begun with a real bang. We convincingly beat seven teams and emerged first.

We will prevail right through this season. Let there be no doubts !!!

BIRTHDAY TIMES ARE HERE AGAIN!!!

Today, you should take time for yourself,

And walk along those serene paths,

That you always wanted to,

      Those pristine green paths,

Feeling the flowers and shrubs caress you. 

Today you should wear,

Your uniqueness boldly on you,

And should as the young ones say "rock". 

But it's also a great day

To be silent and reflect..

Today is when,

Reminiscences will fill you to the brim. 

It's a good day to look forward

And set new goals. 

But more than that, 

It's a great day to be just YOU,

And do all you really like,

From the bottom of your heart. 

Long back on this day,
When the earth heard u first cry,
They were filled to the brim,
With joy boundless.

Everything you did,
Brought happiness to all around,
And many a hand,
Wanted to take care of you.

Today, with the burdens of life,

You probably prefer,
To cry all alone,
To cry while it rains,
So that only Providence will know,
Your tears.

But today is a day to smile,
To be just YOU,
Unique, unbridled and effervescent!!!

Happy Birthday!!!