The First Violin Concert

 I liked the violin and my son enjoyed the guitar. Classical music was the common theme that we explored together. 

Even after taking guitar lessons since he was six and being reasonably good at it, I still told him he could play the violin and be good at it too. What mattered, was that he be good at it. 

It was sheer joy to watch 130 students of the fifth and sixth grade from Transit Middle School, Williamsville NY in a Winter Concert at the Williamsville South High School. This was the first in-person concert in two years, abiding by the norms of the pandemic.

This was my son's first violin concert -- a memorable one to say the least. He has performed many guitar recitals for the Amherst School of Guitar which he thoroughly enjoys, of course. 

Here are some videos for you:

Oats, Peas and Beans https://youtu.be/O31bNhJpEKQ

Reuben and Rachel, William Gooch https://youtu.be/ix7GSw0dtF0

Majestic March https://youtu.be/Ow-Icn7x-TA

Jolly Old St Nicholas https://youtu.be/ljAwsQbdujk

Up on the housetop https://youtu.be/bfwhI2JP0g8

Please do hear the music and let us know what you think.

Practicing "Deck The Halls" for the Holiday Concert hosted by the Amherst School of Guitar

Practicing Jingle Bells for the Online Holiday Concert organized by the Amherst School of Guitar

Lesson For Two Lutes, Anonymous. Guitar Recital for the ASG

Preparing the Halloween costume. Guess what it is?

 

Honorable Mention at NYState Archives Student Research Awards

 My project on "Why the Choctaw language was used for communication in World War 1" won an Honorable Mention from the NY State Archives Student Research Awards. 

Tutorial on how to draw Piglins

 Piglins are pig- like mobs from the game of Minecraft. They inhabit a dimension called the Nether, in specific biomes. They love gold, and think all of it is theirs. They are equipped with either golden swords or crossbows, and will attack the player unless he or she is equipped with at least one golden piece of armor. Players can barter with them using gold ingots for items. The Piglin “inspects” the ingot for 6-8 seconds before dropping a random item. They also have other forms, such as the Hoglin. The Hoglin is a warthog-like mob. Piglins have a random chance to make a decision to hunt Hoglins.  Hoglins do not attack piglins unless provoked. Hoglins and Piglins both have baby variants! The baby piglin is a passive mob, and will not attack the player. However, when a player tries to barter with a baby piglin, it steals the gold ingot and runs away. It still inspects the ingot also. Baby Piglins ride and play with baby Hoglins. If there are more baby Piglins that Hoglins, the Piglins may stack onto a hoglin. 

In this tutorial, I provide step-by-step instructions on how to draw piglins.

Sound of Happenings

By Agneya Dutta Pooleery (with some edits and suggestions by Haimonti Dutta)

If you listen carefully, there are many unusual sounds you can hear at my maternal grandparents house. They include loud birds, train horns, street hawkers advertising their wares, and much more.

The birds and animals in this area - a small coal mining town named Asansol in West Bengal -- can be really loud. First of all, there is a cuckoo (Listen here Cuckoo Song) which sings very loudly, both in the morning and at night. Maybe someone served him a Pepsi instead of a Coke and he is venting his frustration. When his friend joins in the “singing”, it certainly sounds like they have been arguing about who did / did not do the dishes properly after dinner. What we do know about these birds are that they are very persistent in their songs. Another bird, the tailor bird, goes “Tuit Tuit” usually in the afternoons. I counted him do that one hundred and six times one day, at which point I decided, he needed his oven fixed to bake his pizza. The person responsible for fixing it was arriving late and he was getting hungry. Poor bird. The seven sisters (jungle babblers) are a noisy bunch, too. Not only do they hang around in a group, and always seem to be quarrelling about something, their call appears to be a wheezy chatter with lot of harsh notes. Did I tell you, there is a cow living nearby who moos rather loudly? At first, I thought he was sympathizing with me, when I voiced my discontent on the inability to get a math fraction problem correct -- but then I realized he had a lot more to say. He moos so that everyone in the area knows that he is there, almost like a declaration when you least expect it. Then there are the street (pariah) dogs -- they bark. Most of the time they are quiet and asleep on the sidewalk, but when one of them barks, the rest of them joins in. It then becomes a maddening cacophony. I often used to get bewildered wondering what the cause of concern may be -- an unknown person in the neighborhood? A cat moving along stealthily on the fence? Ringing of the bell by the priest? Someone enticing them with food? I have no idea. As suddenly as they had started, they all come to an agreement, and settle down to another round of peaceful slumber.

As if the racket the animals made were not enough -- there are humans who add to the hum-drum. There is a street vendor who sings “aaaaaaayyyyyyyy!”(Listen Here Ayy man) every morning at around 11 am. We do not know what he sells. We are just familiar with the beautiful sing-song voice with which he advertises his goods as he walks down narrow streets. Then, the newspaper man. He goes around the town collecting old newspapers, presumably to make recyclable packets in which small quantities of groceries can be sold. The “Tina Loha” man. He shouts “Teeenaaaa Loooohhhha!” -- stretching out the words and making his presence felt a few more seconds than would have been otherwise possible. He collects scrap metal and tin for recycling. The "sheeeeeel kuutaaaai" man apparently goes from door to door asking whether a grinding stone (Bengali: Shil Nora) needs to be perfected. He will do the job right at your door step and you don't have to pay him tips for visiting your home. "Katla mach (Labeo Catla), Rui mach (Labeo Rohita), Ilish mach (Hilsa), Magur mach (catfish, locally called magur)" calls the fish seller giving you a wide choice of locally caught "fresh" fish. Oh, and the man with cymbals. He clashes the cymbals in glee and sings devotional songs dedicated to Lord Krishna. He comes every other day, I think (Listen Here HareKrishna).

You can also hear the train horn everyday. There are two train lines close to this house -- one on an old bridge and another a railroad crossing. The freight trains typically go on the bridge, while local and passenger trains travel between Asansol and Burnpur on the other line. Occasionally, if you hear very carefully, you can hear the long horn of the express trains that travel between Kolkata and Dhanbad late in the night around 9 pm. You can check to see if your watch is running correctly or not. Since the house is located close to the Grand Trunk Road, you can also hear bus horns, scooter and motorcycles horns and occasionally an advertisement of movies or other important announcements on auto rickshaws.

The most beautiful sound though is that of people blowing the conch shell in the evening. A lamp is lit by the Tulsi plant followed by a long forlorn “puuuuaaaaah” declaring one’s devotion to the gods. Every once in a while, several houses in the neighborhood will blow the conch shell together at about the same time -- then you can be almost certain there is a festival being celebrated.  

As I continue my day, I keep my ear out for these sounds. Not all the time do you hear them, but they makeup part of my day. When I read books and play games, and hear these sounds, I am reminded of the people and life as it goes on in this small town. I make lots of memories, and I know I shall remember them when I return to the U.S after my summer vacation.

Virtual Cupcake Wars for Valentine's Day

 Here is my entry for Country Parkway's Virtual Cupcake war for Valentine's Day. Entitled "The Marsh 'N M Cakes" they are red velvet cupcakes decorated with M&M's and Marshmellows.

Me, making the Marsh 'N M Cakes

Frederick Douglass -- A Biography

Frederick Douglass was an African American -- an eminent leader of the Abolitionist movement who worked inexhaustibly to end slavery.  
            
              

Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey was born in February 1818. The exact date of his birth is not known, although he celebrated his birthday as Feb. 14th, since his mother called him, her “Little Valentine”. He was an American social reformer, abolitionist, orator, writer and statesman. He was a firm believer in the equality of all people. He was a leader in the abolitionist movement, which hoped to end slavery. 

Frederick Douglass was born into slavery on the eastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. He was of mixed race -- his father being almost certainly White and his mother Native American and African. At the age of six, he moved to the Wye House Plantation, where he worked for Aaron Anthony. After Anthony died in 1826, he was given to Thomas Auld, who sent him to his brother, Hugh Auld. Hugh’s wife Sophia had a fondness for him and fed, clothed and educated him. But, Hugh thought that if slaves were educated, they would want to be free. This discouraged his wife’s education plans for Douglass. In 1833, Thomas took him back from Hugh. He was a mean man. Recalling his treatment in his autobiography, Douglass notes "A great many times have we poor creatures been nearly perishing with hunger, when food in abundance lay mouldering in the safe and smoke-house, and our pious mistress was aware of the fact; and yet that mistress and her husband would kneel every morning, and pray that God would bless them in basket and store!” He sent Douglass for a year to Edward Covey's house to be "broken". Edward had a reputation as an “slave-breaker” and whipped Douglass regularly, often once every week. The sixteen year-old Douglass finally rebelled against his master and the beatings and fought back. This historic incident is described in Douglass’s autobiography where he says, “you shall see how a slave was made a man.” On January 1, 1834 he was hired to work for William Freeland. In the plantation, he read the New Testament and started teaching other slaves to read and write, but they were soon discovered and the congregation broken up. He tried to escape from William Freeland’s farm several times, but failed. 

    

In 1837, Douglass met Anna Murray, and fell in love with her. She helped him escape by giving him some of her money, dressed and with papers as a sailor. He traveled on the Baltimore-Delaware railroad, crossed the Susquehanna River eventually reaching New York City to freedom.

Douglass married Anna Murray, a free black woman and they moved to New Bedford, MA. He began attending meetings of the abolitionist movement there and was introduced to the writings of abolitionist and journalist, William Lloyd Garrison. In an abolitionist meeting at Nantucket, Douglass shared his story of slavery with extreme elegance and eloquence. Following this incident, Garrison encouraged Douglass to be a leader in the Abolitionist movement and he traveled the next fifteen years of his life talking about slavery and the need for abolition.

Not only did Douglass fight to end slavery, he also fought to give women equal rights, specifically the right to vote (suffrage). He supported Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony. Douglass was present and supported the launch of the American feminist movement in 1848 at Seneca Falls, in the presence of Elizabeth Cady Stanton.

A sculpture of Frederick Douglass and Susan B Anthony entitled "Let's Have Tea" at Susan B Anthony Square in Rochester, NY 

In 1845, Douglass published a book called “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave” written as an abolitionist horror story. It played an important role in fueling the American Abolitionist movement of the 19th century. Douglass published two more autobiographies “My Bondage and My Freedom” in 1855, and “Life and Times of Frederick Douglass” in 1881 which contain more details about the initial publication and talk about his transition from bondage to liberty. His works were important in spreading the anti-slavery sentiment. He also established an anti-slavery newspaper called the North Star. It developed into one of the most influential African American anti-slavery publication of the time and circulated until 1860.

In his new biography, “Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom”, David W. Blight discusses the life of this great American. His protest against the whippings of Edward Covey and a miraculous escape to freedom makes him “a model of “manhood,” of self-assertion in defiance of death” [1]. His work for the abolitionist movement and support of women's suffrage makes him a crusader and intellectual. He will be remembered by Americans as a prophet of freedom.

References

1. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/10/15/the-prophetic-pragmatism-of-frederick-douglass 

2. https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/narrative/full-text/chapter-ix/ 

3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Douglass 

Picture Credit: https://www.visitrochester.com/blog/post/finding-frederick-douglass-in-rochester/

The Laughter Library

 

The Laughter Library, Mixed medium on paper. 

All Rights Reserved, Agneya Dutta Pooleery, Feb 12th, 2021. 

Contribution to a painting event organized by Sanskriti Buffalo for Saraswati Puja (Theme: Life: Light and Laughter)

This painting won the first prize in the painting competition.

Tree Frog Adventures

 

Where to get the book

A pdf version of the book is available on request. 

Stay tuned for a version 2.0 coming soon with more illustrations and content enhancement.

Book Review (version 1.0)

" .. so creative! Will share it with the boys.. keep up the good work Agneya!" [Aditi Mehta]

"Very well done Agneya! Keep it up! " [Chavvi]

"Wow that’s awesome 👏 will share with Salil 👌" [Monica Karkhanis]

"Excellent job buddy" [Ghazala]

"Amazing work Agneya!" [Anshita]

"Bravo Agneya !! Indeed a budding writer 💕" [Shweta]

"Wow... Agneya is so creative and the book is such a good mix of reading and activity... keep up the good work!" [Shreya Gupta]

"Beautiful narrative, lovely descriptions & illustrations , amazing creativity....Agneya. This was our bed time story tonight ( my six year old Son Reo ) & Reo loved it. It was fun & interesting. He wants to read the story of a dragon, the next time. Waiting for more such super story sessions". [Sweta Banerjee]

Being Myself

 Agneya's response to the Country Parkway PTA's call for submissions for the 2020-2021 Reflections theme, "I matter because ...". A 14 in X 22 in mixed medium (mosaic and colored pens) poster for the Visual Arts category.

The Game Of Go: Read this and you can play!

The Game: A game of Go starts with a Go board that is empty. One player takes the black stones, the other takes the white. Players take turns, putting stones on top of the board.

Once a stone has been placed down on the board, the move cannot be taken back. To win the game, a player needs to have more territory than the other. In this figure, count where the lines intersect in the middle of the black stones. The lines intersect in 15 places, so black gets 15 points of territory. Stones that have been placed on the board do not count as points.

Picture Credits

The Capturing Rule: In this figure shown below, if black plays at the A, the white stones gets taken prisoner and must be removed from the board, also giving white points. In this case, 2 points. You can capture stones by surrounding them, from top to bottom, and left to right. If black plays at the A, this prevents the black stones from being captured. Captured stones are called “Agehame”. The stones that are a move away from being captured is called “Atari”. If black plays in the places that are open in the second figure, these stones would be immediately captured.

Picture Credits: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Go_(game)

The Ko rule: The Ko rule describes when 2 single stone captures repeat.

If back plays at the empty space, the white stone will be captured.

White could play at the x also and capture the black stone. This could result in an endless exchange. To prevent this from happening, Black cannot immediately recapture the white stone on the right shown in the figure above. The Ko rule forbids each player to immediately recapture the other’s stones when his or her stones have been captured.

The Komi rule: By going first, black stones have the advantage. So, to compensate, white gets 7 ½ points.

Handicaps: The game of Go may be played with a handicap for player strength differences. The weaker player takes the black stones, and either moves first, giving white only a handicap of ½ points.

Passing: On his or her turn, you may pass your turn by handing your opponent a stone.

Illegal moves: If a player makes an illegal move, it is not allowed and is counted as a pass move.

The Game Ends: If both black and white pass their moves, the game ends.

The Last Move: White must make the last move. If necessary, another pass move may be made.

Counting Points: There are two methods of counting points. One is based on territory, the other, area. Although the player’s scores will differ under these two methods, the outcome will be the same.

Countries That Play Go:

Japan
China
Korea
Tibet
America
Austria
Germany
And Many more!

Origin: Go originated in China about 4,000 years ago. It is of East Asian origin. The game was taken to Japan in about 500 CE and became popular during the Japanese Heian period (794-1185 BC). It is also played in Korea, and many more countries.

Stones: Go is played with 181 Black stones and 180 White stones. They are placed on intersection on the board.

Development in the West: Go has been slow to spread to other parts of the world not like other games of Asian origin. Oskar Korschelt brought the game to Europe, especially to Germany and Austria.

Thanks for reading! You can find more information here -- https://www.usgo.org/sites/default/files/pdf/W2Go8x11.pdf

Wood Block Designs

I used markers to create these wood block designs. The first and third have geometric patterns, the second is a mixture of colored lines and fourth uses a comma shaped pattern.

Magic Mirror

This is a magic mirror I made on Sketchbook. 

You can access it here: https://sketchbook.com/

The mirror looks like it has a hall inside it!

I chose this because it uses Sketchbook extras, 

so then it looks really cool in a black background.

I used brushes that are bright and easy to see.

The Wild Robot's Mission -- A story inspired by "The Wild Robot", by Peter Brown

The Wild Robot’s Mission

By Agneya Dutta Pooleery

Chapter 1

There was a robot. Not a very special one. “Hello, my name is ROZZUM- unit 717, but you may call me Roz.” he said.

He was in a huge factory, where there were numerous robots hard at work. Suddenly, an announcement blasted through the comm. “ROZZUM-unit 717, please report to the office. Someone will see you shortly.” “What could it be?” he thought as his computer brain was deep in its thoughts. He marched down the corridor and into the office room at the center of the building. A man stood there waiting for Roz to arrive. The robot studied the man. He had a scar on his face. “What could it have been from?” he thought as another man marched in. “Hello Roz. I am here to give you a top-secret mission. My name is Max.” the man said. Roz asked, “What is the mission about?” “It is about the study of animals,” replied Max. “You will be stranded on a remote island to gather information about the animals and their habitats!”  “Okay I’ll do that!” said Roz. although he was not very interested in the mission!

Chapter 2

“That sounds fun!” thought the robot as he went back to his normal work of assembling the robots so his owners could make money. The work there was very harsh, but he didn’t mind it at all. He was programmed to obey orders and do all the dirty work that humans couldn’t have done. The robots thought humans were lazy and couldn’t do anything on their own. But our robot did not care at all! The day of the mission came and he slid down the rope reaching down from the helicopter.

Figure 1: the island

Roz dropped down and observed his surroundings. He thought it was interesting. He walked down to the shore and saw several ducks swimming in a small pool of water. He wanted to go in, but he knew that water could damage his sensors. Lots of animals crowded around him to look at the curious creature. After a while, he began to understand and speak the animal language. “Hello, Fox! My name is Roz the robot. What is your name?” asked Roz. “Uh, Hello Roz the robot! My name is Foxy. You don’t look like any of the animals on the island.” said Foxy. “I know. I was sent here by the humans to learn about the animals on this island.” said Roz. “Roz, I have no friends. Can I be your friend?” asked Foxy. Roz agreed, and the two of them set out to explore the island, Foxy being Roz’s guide. They climbed cliffs, went in the jungle, until it was growing dark. “Hey Roz, I have to sleep. You can stay at my cave until you need to go back to the city. ZZZZ!”

Chapter 3

Roz felt at ease. He turned off himself and lay down in the warmth in the cave. Foxy was already fast asleep. The robot wondered what would happen the next day while he lay in the darkness of the cave. The next day, Roz and Foxy went out to talk about the things they wanted to do and what they already did. They chose a mountain and hiked up to the top.

“How about we go back to my den to eat some food?” asked Foxy. “I do not need to eat, Foxy. Remember, I am a robot.” said Roz. He didn’t feel hungry, and even if he did, he couldn’t. There was a beaver hopping by the duo. The beaver stopped and stared at the curious sight. Then he said “Oh, you must be Roz! Nice to meet you! My name is Chopper.” “Hello Chopper! How are you doing?” asked the robot. “Very well. And you?” said Chopper. “I’m doing well too! This is my friend Foxy.”

Chapter 4

Their new friend Chopper knew the island grounds very well. They hiked through the mountains and leapt over puddles and jogged through the jungle. Roz knew that all the island animals would think of him a strange animal or one of those lazy humans. Roz decided to take a little walk while Chopper and Foxy rested. They were very tired. The robot never got tired, so he marched a little bit until he came to a cave like the fox’s caves. He wanted to peek in a little.

Chapter 5

Roz walked down the mountain and stared through the cave entrance. “Hello? Is anyone there?” he called. The cave seemed to be empty, so he hiked back up the hill to where Foxy and Chopper were. They were finished resting and so the trio continued with the cheery little hike. But something was waiting…… The travelers met many animals on the way. Some were tall and some were short. They met some bears, too! They sat and ate and told jokes to each other. “Why did the tiger throw the clock out the window?” asked Roz. “What’s a clock?” asked Foxy. “Oh, never mind.” said Roz. They sat up very late in the night.

Clang! Rumble! Something was rumbling in the night sky. What could it be? A ship passed by in the distance. A boat was being paddled by other robots. There were 3 of them. “ROZZUM-unit 717, how is the work coming along?” said the robots. “We are the WRECK. We are here to hunt some animals for food.” Roz was alarmed. “I will not let any of you hurt the animals on this island!” he said.

Chapter 6

The robots were angry. Roz did not want to let any of the animals get hurt. He convinced the WRECK robots not to hunt the animals. The animals were grateful to Roz. But they still were on their guard and more WRECK robots could come to the island. Turtles, beavers and raccoons and all types of animals on the island went about their normal things, like hunting and playing. The little ones stumbled around, ran after each other, and played their animal games. As time passed, Roz knew more animals on the island. He still had to carry out the mission, and he made a daily report to that scarred man. Once in a while, he saw a helicopter soaring through the sky. The helicopter had 3 robots. The robots were too high in the sky to notice the robot staring up at them from the island. A year passed, and everything was going on normally. Roz still played with Chopper and Foxy. He learned about all the animals, their behavior and activities. After a while, he began to call the island home. He made new friends like turtles and dolphins.

One day, a huge wave came splashing down beside Roz. A storm was coming. Roz and his friends huddled up in a cave. It was very windy. Whoosh! Whoosh! The winds blew high and low. It was very severe! But eventually, the storm died down, bit by bit. Finally, it was over. The animals had survived.

Chapter 7

A few days later, when the robot ran up the mountain he saw a plane in the sky. It was a fighter jet, and was soaring overhead. What would happen next? It looked like it was going to land. It swooped and made a bumpy landing on the ground. The animals scurried down to their homes. Some humans climbed out of the ship. One human approached Roz. “You have completed your mission. You have to return to the factory with us.” said the man. Roz tried to resist, but the humans pressed the button on the back of his head.

Click. The robot did not say anything. The humans put Roz in the airship. The animals peeked out of the hiding spots. “We have to save Roz!” they said. But the humans had taken him in the plane and flew him back to the factory.

What happens next? Wait until book two ….

THE END

Reading Edgar Allen Poe

An excerpt from "The Unparalleled Adventure of One Hans Pfaal", Edgar Allen Poe. 

Quote:

"As to the shape of this phenomenon, it was even still more reprehensible. Being little or nothing better than a huge fools-cap turned upside down. And this similitude was regarded as by no means lessened, when upon near inspection, there was perceived a large tassel depending from its apex, and, around the upper rim or base of the cone, a circle of little instruments, resembling sheep-bells, which kept up a continual tinkling to the tune of Betty Martin. But still worse. Suspended by blue ribbons to the end of this fantastic machine, there hung, by way of car, an enormous drab beaver hat, with a brim superlatively broad, and a hemispherical crown with black band and a silver buckle. It is, however, somewhat remarkable that many citizens of Rotterdam swore to having seen the same hat repeatedly before; and indeed the whole assembly seemed to regard it with eyes of familiarity; while the vrow Grettel Pfaall, upon sight of it, uttered an exclamation of joyful surprise, and declared it to be the identical hat of her good man himself. "

Imaging the balloon ...  (Drawn using Sketchbook )

Termite nest at home

Lego Battleship, in the time of Corona Virus.

                                               Mega Battleship -- Ready to Fight.