Write to the Editor

I AM delighted to announce that the 2011 Wheelathon has been confirmed at the Bahrain International Circuit for October 28.
 
In what will be the best opportunity for the population of Bahrain to experience the whole F1 circuit this year, we get the chance to show the F1 teams what might have been!
 
The event will follow the usual format with a hospital bed race along the main straight before individuals and families of all ages and nationalities will be given the chance to wheel around the prestigious F1 track.
 
There will also be a shorter circuit for the young or weary! 

It promises to be a wonderful day out for the whole family and a great chance to raise money for local charities.
For more details or any further information email itglobal@batelco.com.bh or call 39432133.

David Axtell,
Saar.

REMINISCING on school memories is great, but returning to our school grounds and basking in the familiar ambience, conversing with old teachers and grasping the seasons of change is a whole different experience.

As an alumnus of the Indian School Bahrain, I was not prepared to miss out on its annual fair which was held last weekend – especially since this year the school was celebrating its diamond jubilee.

Driving into the school zone in Isa Town, the scene was the same as more than a decade ago – bumper-to-bumper traffic. As I entered the premises, a wave of nostalgia gripped me as I was bombarded with flashes of all those wonderful times with my friends in this institution that helped carve my identity.

There were blaring sounds of popular Indian music and the air was filled with the rich aroma of cooking. Once again the fair food stalls were hosted by teachers who shed their strict classroom demure for wide grins and allured students to try out some great bites.

However, above all the food, the music and the commotion of the crowd, I was lost in my own thoughts, finding a memory at every nook and corner.

As my wife and I began manoeuvring through the thick crowd, I began catching glimpses of familiar faces – former classmates, parents of friends, administrative staff and also my teachers. I even ran into my all-time favourite teacher who immediately told my wife several embarrassing schoolboy stories about me.

While there are three new buildings since I left the school in 2000, the old classroom blocks still remain. Walking down the halls of these blocks took me down memory lane and while I smiled at them, I couldn’t help but feel a tinge of sadness for those lost school days.

Things have changed structurally and trend-wise, but it was not hard to notice the same scenario all over again. Students even today seem as thrilled and flirtatious at the fair as they used to be during my school days. The school fair meant a chance to meet a boyfriend or a girlfriend or ignite a classroom crush and be smitten for the rest of the year.

It meant roaming around freely and not having teachers yelling at us to rush back to class. It meant hopping from stall to stall and savouring great tastes at affordable pocket money prices, or buying fashion accessories or playing a game or two or getting palms and faces painted with henna and face paint.

One major change I noticed, however, was that every child had a mobile phone! And, thanks to my own smart phone, I was able to share a portion of nostalgia with my school friends living out of Bahrain.

Arun Damodaran, Gudaibiya.

FIFTY per cent of profits from sales made during the ‘Earth balance’ exhibition from January to April held at World Beat Fitness Centre Cafe by British artist Serena Stevens have been donated to the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. The funds supported were the Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fund, The IRFC Societies General Fund and the IRFC Disaster Relief Emergency Fund some of which will hopefully also reach New Zealand which also suffered a disastrous earthquake at the time of the exhibition.
 
Both the artist and World Beat Fitness Centre would like to thank all those that supported the exhibition and raised the funds during difficult times here in Bahrain, the total donated was BD204.175.

Iman Fouad,
assistant manager,
World Beat Fitness Centre & Café.