www.indianewenglandnews.com
Issue Date: February 16-28, 2007, Posted On: 2/18/2007

Mass. wordsmith crafts poems, newsletter, Web site

Chirantan places second at regional math competition

By UMA VALLURI

Chirantan

ACTON, Mass. - Chirantan Neogy says he has found the best medium to express
himself - poetry. "It is so amazing how random ideas can actually make sense
and become a poem, almost magically," says 11-year-old Chirantan, reciting
his latest creation, "Poets," to be published by Creative Communications, a
Utah-based organization that promotes creative writing.
When Ruma Neogy read her son's effortless creations, she looked around and
found Creative Communications. "Chirantan is thrilled to see his work
published, he tries to submit his creations at least four times a year,"
says Ruma Neogy, an environmental compliance engineer at the NH. based USR
Corporation.
Chirantan has written on a variety of topics - India, math competitions,
lunch rooms and winter nights. He hopes to continue this passion and says
with pride that his typing skills are getting better.
A sixth grader at Merriam Elementary School in Acton, Mass., Chirantan is
very happy that he was instrumental in starting a school newsletter called
Merriam Monthly last October. Chirantan solicited help from his classmates
and presented a proposal to the principal. "Everyone was very excited as we
revived a newsletter by the same name that used to be published long back,"
he says. His class teacher, Christy Nealon, has helped him in this venture.
Nealon says Chirantan and his classmates worked very hard to convince her to
start a school newspaper. "Chirantan actually took the initiative to create
the first issue on his own," she said. "After seeing his first issue, I was
truly convinced that the students could create the newspaper together."
After coming up with story ideas, allocating work, meeting deadlines, lay
out and finally selling the product, Chirantan says he knows that "nothing
comes for free." While his sixth grade class does the majority of work by
alternating jobs "to give everyone an equal opportunity, " students from
other grades are encouraged to suggest story ideas. Chirantan hopes the
present fifth grade gets motivated and continues to run the newsletter when
his class moves to middle school.
However, Chirantan is not sure which interest will help shape his future. Is
journalism top most on the list? "I am not very sure," he says. He is also
very interested in airplanes and how they operate. After many hours of
research on the subject, Chirantan designed a Web site using Dreamweaver, a
web designing software. "I enjoy researching on different topics," he says.
Designated the official "travel planner" in his house, he usually shortlists
destinations, decides on good deals and best airlines. Chirantan says his
family loves traveling and exploring.
"If I plan well, I have enough time for everything," says Chirantan who
has many after school activities. A green belt in karate, he likes weekly
lessons in self-defense, he also learns Hindustani classical music and plays
the tabla and is part of his school band where he plays the saxophone.
Fluent in Bengali, Chirantan attends Banitirtha Bengali School. During
spring and summer, he plays tennis and soccer and enjoys swimming. Another
favorite for him is chess. He loves to play serious chess at the
Massachusetts Chess Association, but also loves playing chess at home with
his family. Chirantan is very passionate about his participation in the
North South Foundation's annual contests. The organization awards
scholarships to qualified and needy students in India and conducts
fundraisers and education contests in the United States. Last year Chirantan
was placed second in the regional level of the Math competition. "I am happy
that the money raised by NSF helps children in India," he says.
Chirantan says he believes that all work and no play is not good, especially
for children. Yet, he does not spend too much time watching television
shows, he prefers to read J.K. Rowling's books and loves comics like Tintin.
He also likes watching movies and surprises his family with some bhangra
moves.
More than anything, Chirantan says he enjoys spending time with his
10-year-old brother Rupayan. He says even though their interests differ, he
cannot imagine life without him.
Ruma Neogy says she has raised her boys with the hope that they become
open-minded and strong. She says the big challenge for their family and
perhaps other families is time-management. "I guide my boys and paste
schedules (one for every season) in their rooms. This helps them plan their
day better," she says.
Chirantan's father Chitro Neogy, managing director of Acadia Edge Group
says, "It is all a matter of balancing time and individual interests." He
believes that when many opportunities are presented at a young age, children
will hopefully pick a few.
Chirantan, though, says he has already found what he enjoys. Yet he adds,
that a kid has also got to be just a kid.
If you would like your child to be featured as a "Stellar Student" please
contact our special sections editor at tmittal@indianeweng land.com
<mailto:tmittal@ indianew% C2%ADengland. com> . While all entries will be
considered, we cannot guarantee that all will be featured.