November has been a very busy and eventful month, which in this case is both good and bad.

November is usually the beginning of the Holiday season, decorations are set up, sales happen at stores, everyone starts doing their Christmas shopping, etc...
But this year, just a couple of days after Remembrance Day, something terrible happened; and that terrible thing inspired this new poem.

--- Poem will be posted here soon! ---

 

2015

Bullying Awareness Week!

 

New Poem COMING SOON!

2015 Bullying Awareness Week

November 16 to 22 is bullying awareness week.

There will be a poem coming a little later, but first I want to talk and share about bullying and it's negative affect on the world.

Not only as a victim, but also someone who hates it, I am all about anti-bullying. When I was in school I was bullied. People would always make fun of and laugh at me.

In elementary school there were other kids who were always mean for no reason and would pick and start fights with me. It's true what they say, "Kids can be very cruel." They often preyed on my weaknesses.

Even in high school I was bullied, not only by fellow students and classmates, but by teachers and staff as well. Which was the inspiration behind my poem I Am Who I Am which I posted this year on Black History Month back in February, and has been published twice in collections.

I was often attacked for the way I looked, the way I dressed, the food I ate and drank for lunch, the classes and courses I took, the fandoms I loved, and even my personality.

A bully is not necessarily someone who hits you (which would be physical bullying). A bully is also someone who attacks you in a negative way physically, verbally, and/or electronically (cyber bullying) to hurt you. Anyone who hurts you physically, emotionally, or in any other way is a considered a bully. You seen, a bully is someone who uses power and intimidation over you.

The sad truth is that bullying doesn't just happen to children and teenagers, it also happens in the adult world all the time too. I've seen grown men and women get bullied, but the difference is they know how to handle it better.

Don't ever let people hurt you in any way. We are all the same with differences, we are all unique individuals and special in our own way. Bullying usually comes from jealousy and envy, and at the end of the day all bullies are cowards.

Don't listen to anything negative that others have to say about you or the people you care about, don't change anything about yourself to please anyone else. You are who you are, so keep being yourself and be proud of yourself! Don't let criticism have an effect on what you say or do, and don't let it affect the way you think of  yourself. Stand up to bullying, and rise above the hate!

This part is especially for kids all around the world:  Do not be afraid to walk away from a fight. You don't need to fight someone if you don't want to; except in a case of self-defence. You should never have to do anything you don't want to do; don't let people force you against your will. 
If you need to talk to someone, do it. Find someone who you can trust and you know cares about you, and they will listen. There is always someone out there who will listen to you.

Never feel alone or unwanted, you belong to this world as much as anyone else does. You matter, and you were put on this earth for a reason, and don't you ever forget that.

The importance of literature, 14 years since first "Harry Potter" movie, my journey through reading and writing

Yesterday was a pretty big day... well for me anyway; but for many others too, I'm sure.
I meant to post and share this story yesterday, but I was busy and didn't get around to it, sorry for the bit of lateness!  But I suppose a one day delay is better than not posting it at all, or worse, a two day delay. (I know, I need to sort out my priorities).  Anyway, what I'm about to share with you is quite important to me, and you'll see why as you read on.

Yesterday we celebrated the 14th anniversary of the first "Harry Potter" movie!
It was on this day (November 16, 2001) 14 years ago when the magic and an incredible journey began!  As "Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone" [Sorcerers Stone] saw its theatrical release, I had just settled into the second grade.

Back then I could not read very well at all, I hated reading and I didn't like it when people told me reading was good for me. I especially hated when people tried to force me to read. I think I hated reading mostly because I wasn't very good at it.  Even though I couldn't read all that well back then, I'd always liked writing and wanted to write even then, but of course my spelling was terrible.

"Harry Potter" has made a big difference and had a huge impact on my life.  It all started when I was in grade 2. Back in September 2001, prior to the highly anticipated release of the first "Harry Potter" movie, my teacher was reading the book to my class. 

"Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone" was first published and released in the UK in 1997, so it was still fairly new when my teacher was reading it to my class. The second and third books were even more relatively new, and the fourth book had just been released in 2000.
For those who don't know, the "Harry Potter" series has seven amazing books, written by the amazing author J.K.Rowling; which are re-released every few years with brand new covers in both hardcover and paperback.
1. Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone
2. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
4. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
5. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
6. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Anyway, as I was saying, my teacher was reading the first book to my class just as the first movie was coming out. Once I got a taste of Harry Potter, I began to want to read the books. I asked my mom to get me the books which she did without hesitation, she bought me the box set with the first four books, which is how the box set was available at the time.  A few months after November when "Philosopher's Stone" was released on VHS my mom also bought me that, and my teacher had finished reading the book to my class and had moved on to other stories.
But I was still hooked on Harry Potter, I'd really liked it. I wanted to know more about the story. What happens next? The second movie was a year away from release, and I just couldn't wait that long, so I began to read the books and in the process started becoming a much better reader.

Fast-forward to November 15, 2002 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets opened in theaters.


TO BE CONTINUED...  Stay tuned for the rest of this very interesting story!

"A Noble Death" poem - Remembrance Day

 

A Noble Death

By: Vickram Bachan
 

We are killed one by one,
Some by bomb and some by gun.

This is war.

For a man who has lived an adventurous life,
All it is now is pain and strife.

Freedom and peace are what we're fighting for.

Many of our bodies now lay in Flanders Fields,
Some are carried and some are wheeled.

This is war.

We die for you with sacrifice and pain,
And now we hope it is not all in vain.

Freedom and peace are what we're fighting for.

The living are covered in dirt and lice,
While the dead are eaten by rats and mice.

This is war.

The food here is stale it has no flavour or spice,
We miss our homes and good tasting rice.

Freedom and peace are what we're fighting for.

At home you grin and laugh with joy,
Here we are killed, and thrown aside like an old toy.

This is war.

Sometimes we must fight for what is right,
With a cause so great, we must fight with all out might.

Freedom and peace are what we're fighting for.

We long to get out of these trenches that smell,
But sometimes getting to Heaven, means going through hell.

This is war.

November 1918 the war is done,
Soldiers are happy to see the sun.

This is peace.

Recounting the lives that were taken away,
The thousands the war took, a devastating price to pay.

It is important to reflect.
We faced death in the hope that Canada would one day be a place of freedom and peace.
We won, but at what cost?
Let's hope war doesn't happen again!

Remembrance Day 2015 - Celebrating and Remembering their sacrifices

We're just a few short hours away now! Later tonight, at 11:00pm sharp, I will be posting my poem "A Noble Death" for your viewing and reading pleasures. Five years after it was written, this poem will finally make it's official online and public debut.

Today, as we celebrate and commemorate Remembrance Day 2015, and Canada is currently celebrating its 148th birthday, and as we celebrate 100 years since the famous poem "In Flanders Fields" was written by John McCrae; we take time to pay tribute, remember, pray, and think about all the sacrifices made so that we could be alive and enjoy the freedoms and everything we have today. Freedom we sometimes take for granted, and freedom that some don't appreciate.

So, to all the Canadian military; veterans past present and future, thank you for everything you do for us and for this great country. To soldiers who have passed on, and to the ones that are still alive today, we appreciate you and all that you've done for us. You will never be forgotten. "Lest We Forget."

Remembrance Day ceremonies were held all across Canada, and across the world.
Today I was proud to be part of a special Remembrance Day assembly, which clearly had a lot of time hard work and effort put into it. This morning was wonderful and, I even got to meet someone special!



Vick with Captain Trevor Smith,
son of a World War II veteran
at a Remembrance Day assembly.
Wednesday November 11, 2015. 11:30am

Vick with Captain Trevor Smith, son of a World War II  
veteran, at a Remembrance Day ceremony.
Wednesday November 11, 2015. 11:30am

        

 

 

 

"A Noble Death" the story behind the poem

Remembrance Day is tomorrow, and coming with it is my poem "A Noble Death", which is making it's public debut and will be available for the world to read for the first time ever!

"A Noble Death" focuses on World War I, and is written from the perspective of the Canadian soldiers. It speaks to, pays tribute, and acknowledges the sacrifices made for the freedoms we enjoy, take for granted, and sometimes don't appreciate today. The story of how this poem came to be and it's journey since then is an interesting one to say the least.

It began five years ago. It was in spring of 2010 when I first wrote "A Noble Death". I was having trouble sleeping and started thinking about everything I knew and had learnt in school and other places about war and Canadian history, and about how terrible it [war] is. Ideas for this poem began to formulate in my head, so I sat up, grabbed the notepad pencil and flashlight I keep on my bedside table for just such occasions, and started scribbling lines down.

I eventually fell asleep, and when I awoke the next day I wrote a rough draft. A couple of days later, after I did some editing and made a few final touch-ups, I typed out a final copy, and that is the poem you all enjoy today. But it doesn't end there, oh no.

A few days before I actually wrote or got the idea for this poem, everyone in my grade 10 history class was given an assignment to do either a poster or a poem which focuses on WWI. I ended up submitting this poem which earned top marks; and it went on to be read at the schools Remembrance Day assemblies three years in a row.

I wanted to get some more honest feedback on it, so in September the following school-year, I showed it to my grade 11 math teacher who loved it, and he loved it so much that he always encouraged me to keep writing and to never stop. It was in this school-year that my poem was first read at the school's annual Remembrance Day assembly in November 2010.

A few years later in November 2012, I submitted my poem "A Noble Death" to a contest hosted by The Royal Canadian Legion. It went on to win second place in that contest!
I was awarded the second place prize on Sunday March 3, 2013 at a Royal Canadian Legion branch in Toronto at the annual award ceremony!

Vickram Bachan receives award from Mr. John Holloway
of The Royal Canadian Legion

Coming soon: "A Noble Death" poem - Remembrance Day 2015

Well, it's November 1st, which means there is just ten more days to go until Canada's annual Remembrance Day celebrations and the public debut of my famous poem "A Noble Death".  I can't wait to share this poem with the world. Many have seen this poem before ever since I wrote it back in 2010, but this will be the first time it will appear here on my blog and seen publicly by the world!
So keep an eye out for it here on Wednesday November 11, 2015.

As I will be busy at 11:00am being present at a Remembrance Day assembly, I will be posting the poem at 11:00pm sharp.


Also, I will be posting an interesting backstory about the writing and the journey of a "A Noble Death" since it's creation in 2010 right up to today! So keep an eye out for that backstory, it'll be posted here before Remembrance Day.