“Me” Magazine Review by Mrs. Binthari Sabar
I have been requested to have a short review of the magazine titled “Me” which has been launched recently.
First and foremost, I must tell you, this is the first time such an English Magazine has been published in Puttalam. There have been several magazines in Tamil and Sinhala but not in English. I am so proud be the pioneer for reviewing the first English magazine of Puttalam.
Neil Armstrong, the first man to land on the moon, when he stepped on the moon said, “This is just a step for me, but a leap for the mankind.” Likewise this is an initial step for the English Education Centre but there would be leaps and bounds to follow.
This magazine is titled “Me”. The Directress in her message says that the young writers have penned their ideas and contents from their own context. That individualism is referred as “Me”. All the writers of this magazine are young ones , mostly teenagers. We are going to see the world, through their eyes.
They have written articles related to their day to day activities, their family members and friends, their views and ideas on certain topics and their hopes and aspirations.
It’s amazing to see that many children have written articles and poems about their parents, mostly about their fathers. That itself is unique because normally children talk about their mothers. See how they have described their fathers. For one the father is a hero. For another, he is a gift of God. One child has called his daddy a buddy. Another calls him a role model who plays a multi-faceted role.
“ My dad is like a running horse
Handsome with great force.”
“He is not only a bread winner,
but also my heart winner.
He is my Harry potter.”
What a beautiful description. I’m sure all the dads over there will be highly pleased to know that they have been the best dads in the world.
In the modern world some people think that old people have become a great burden. So many homes for the aged are coming up day by day. But here three young writers have put in black and white how they deeply feel the loss of their grandparents. For them their grandparents are inspirations. One of the young girl writers has described her paternal grandma as an “Iron Lady” who brought up her child, single handed, having lost her husband at the tender age of 27. It has been titled as “ Who paused the button?” The love towards her grandma is beautifully expressed when her soul departed. Another girl writer has an innovative way of showing how much she loves her grandpa. It’s been written in the form of Email. She yearns for the paternal love and affection from the departed grandpa. Her email is an appeal to protect her from the world of fake.
There are many articles and poems on different topics. You can read about nature, friendship, value of reading, importance of learning English, hobbies, just a few to mentions. There are striking stories too. Some are short with a moral in it. Some are long with the minute details. Authors have touched serious topics such as Gaza Soldiers, War Victims etc. Good and bad sides of Television also touched upon.
“Drama is a five letter word which is highly connected to a six letter world called people.”
Everybody speaks about Social Networks. Here too the young writers have discussed how it causes bad impacts, if it is not used carefully. Social network isolates people from the world of reality and leads to social imbalance and depression. Human relationships break down. Another young writer has this to say in her article “Selfie Mania”. If anybody meets with an accident, people rush there not to help the victims but to take emergency selfie to create an exciting moment with the phrase “Must watch.” How right she is?
We adults often think the teenagers are playful. Do not take life seriously and quite irresponsible. But they have proved it wrong by writing articles on “Life”. One writer says that the life is a roller coaster which has its ups and downs. Another sees life as a book. Some chapters are sad. Some are happy. Some are exciting as well as interesting. But if you don’t turn the pages you’ll never know what the next chapter contains as resolutions for your problems.
All of us like washing machines. They twist, they spin, they knock around but in the end clothes come out cleaner, brighter and better than before. An autobiography of a washing machine is something amazing because splendid words of wisdom are coming from a teenager.
There are so much to read, enjoy and hunt the treasure. This magazine is interesting, informative and also very attractive. The pages are so colourful and when you read it’s like walking about in a garden full of gorgeous flowers. As far as I’m concerned, this magazine is going to be one of the standard reading materials in English. I personally appreciate all the young writers for authoring different genre in your own way. It’s obviously visible we also have Blacks and What mores in Puttalam. Nobody can block the way of wisdom because our young authors have armed themselves with the weapons – pens.
Releasing a magazine is not an easy task. There’s a laborious work of dedication behind this. It’s more difficult than delivering a baby. The directress has correctly quoted the words of Nelson Mandela. “Do not judge me by my success, judge me how many times I fell down and got back again.”
Hats off to you, young writers. Well done ! your have made all of us proud. Your parents, your teacher and your institute. I wish you all the best. Congratulations !
Mrs. Binthari Sabar
Former Principal of P/ Fathima Balika Maha Vidyalaya
Retired Teacher of English
Puttalam.
