An English teacher of a State Model School and Junior College in Telangana's Nizamabad district has motivated some of his students to write poetry, which has now been released as a book titled, Blooming Birds. P Chandrashekhar, who teaches English from Class VI to intermediate, pushed students to study English comprehensively and encouraged them to write short stories and poems in the language.
Chandrashekhar's methods also included urging students to concentrate on literary activities such as reading and writing and helping them build their vocabulary. He also worked on their communication, imagination and creative skills.
These efforts began when the students were in Class VII. By the time they reached Class IX, a few students, in the academic year 2018-19, began showing interest in writing poetry in English. Encouraged by their teacher, they wrote poetry on various topics in free verse. Some of these poems were also published in various national and international magazines, claims Chandrashekhar.
For the book, 72 poems inked by 24 students were selected. However, the COVID pandemic threw a dent in their plans of finishing the book's printing process. It finally saw the light of day at a launch event in Nizamabad where the district's MLC, K Kavitha and Collector, C Narayana Reddy released the book.
So what became of these young poets? Well, they each went on their chosen paths. While a few are pursuing their intermediate from the same institution, a few others have joined the Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) in Hyderabad. Others have continued pursuing literature in various capacities.
For their mentor, Chandrashekhar, the aim is to remove the fear of the English language from the hearts of his students, many of whom hail from rural backgrounds. Chandrashekhar has co-authored a book titled General Mains: English Language and Literature, published by Telugu Academy and has his own collection of poetry to his name, titled Exquisite Ecstasy. He also speaks of various state-level competitions in poetry where his students participated and reportedly have won accolades.
