Eminem. And Poetry
It is 7 in the morning, and time for my first lecture of the day, in the college I teach in.
Attendance is mandatory: but my kids come from very far away. Some of them wake at 5 am, to board the first train, to be on time. Many live in such far flung areas, that they have to switch trains, or buses. Life is not easy for the average Mumbai teenager.
I am teaching poetry today, one of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s immortal pieces. The kids, all teenagers on the cusp of adulthood, are sleepy and drooping over their desks.
“Switch on your mobiles,” I announce.
Mouths drop open, eyes become unglazed and they sit up so hastily that they almost fall off their benches.
“Switch on?,” they chorus, in shock and awe.
“Yes,” I say, firmly.
Sleep forgotten, they extract their mobiles from bags and pockets, switch them on, and look at me expectantly.
A happy murmur of conversation breaks out.
“Plug in your earphones, “ I say, “and listen to the favourite song of your favourite singer. And then write down the lyrics of the first two stanzas. And then we discuss them. That will be your poetry for today.”
They stared at me in disbelief and joy. There were 69 students in class, and it was like the sun had risen, individually on 69 different faces.
“In any language?” It was a hesitant voice from the middle row.
“Is Eminem ok?”, they ask.
“Of course,” I say equably, in answer to both questions.
For the next 40 minutes, I walked among the students, each of them sharing with me, and each other, bursts of song from their favourite singer. Ed Sheeran,Taylor, Asha Bhonslè, Kishore Kumar, Swift, Enya.Pink Floyd,Despacito,K Pop, Shawn Mendes, Queen, Bruno Mars, Mohit Chauhan…and Slim Shady, the Rap God.
Outside the window, the Sun began his morning ascent, and the world bloomed.
Inside the classroom, a hundred stars lit up my kids' eyes. Tears of gratitude welled up in my eyes, imminently endangering my eye-liner, for this vocation of teaching, that could touch so many lives.
I felt blessed, a hundred times over.
Life is precious.
Stay blessed.
©️ Suma Narayan
