The garden sleeps in silver frost, Beneath a moon of white, While all the summer leaves are lost To winter’s quiet night.
But see, against the coming cold, A single petal wakes, With stories that are yet untold And paths the spirit takes.
A rose of red in January, Upon the frozen vine, A spark of hope, a sanctuary, Where old and new entwine.
It does not fear the changing year, Or what the winds may bring, It holds the secret, soft and clear: That winter dreams of spring.
So let us bloom like this tonight, Though bitter winds may blow, And find our own internal light Amidst the falling snow.
CLOCK
Fernando José Martínez Alderete, México
The clock is leaning toward the edge of night, A heavy weight of months begins to fade. We stand between the shadow and the light, Beside the ghost of every choice we’ve made. The calendar is thinning, leaf by leaf, Until the final pulse, the final breath, A mixture of our triumph and our grief, Is laid to rest beneath the winter’s wreath.
But look—the dark is not an empty space, It is the soil where tomorrow sleeps. The universe prepares a quiet place For every promise that a spirit keeps. The old year was a teacher, stern and wise, Who taught us how to bend but never break, Who showed us how the sun will always rise, Despite the lonely paths we had to take.
So let the midnight bells begin to chime, To wash the dust from every tired soul. We are the weavers of this fabric, Time, And every broken thread can be made whole. Discard the heavy cloak of ‘what has been,’ The bitter words, the burdens, and the fear. A golden gate is opening within, To welcome in the dawning of the year.
The path ahead is silent, soft, and deep, Unmarked by any footstep but your own. There are a thousand promises to keep, And fields of joy that yet remain unsown. May courage be your compass through the gale, May kindness be the lantern in your hand, For even when the strongest spirits fail, New hope will rise like tides upon the sand.
So here we stand, upon the silver line, With hands outstretched to touch the coming day. The stars above in silent witness shine, As old regrets begin to melt away. Drink deep the air, the morning, and the light, The world is born again, forever new. The sun is climbing high above the night, And all the sky is waiting just for you.
Dr. Fernando Martinez Alderete
Writer, poet, theater actor, radio producer. Born in Leon Guanajuato, Mexico on April 21,1977, President of Mil Mentes Por México in Guanajuato. Dr. HC, global leadership and literature. His poems are published in more than 200 anthologies in fifteen countries around the world and he is the author of ten books, of poetry, short stories and novels.
Salivary glands are exocrine glands that secrete saliva into the oral cavity. They play an important role in the human body in digestion, moisturizing mucous membranes, protection against microbes, and serving as a source of biomarkers for research purposes. This article discusses the anatomical structure and types of salivary glands, characteristics of their secretions, the mechanism of saliva secretion, their physiological functions, as well as pathological conditions (such as inflammation of the glands, stone formation, Sjögren’s syndrome) and their clinical significance. According to research results, salivary glands perform important roles in protecting mucous membranes interacting with the external environment, initiating digestion, regulating oral microbiota, and providing useful biomarkers for diagnostics. In conclusion, the proper functioning of salivary glands is emphasized as crucial for oral and overall health.
Saliva is a liquid, primarily water-based secretion produced by the salivary glands in the oral cavity, consisting of up to 99% water, as well as various organic (enzymes, immune components) and inorganic compounds. On average, a human produces 0.5–1.5 liters of saliva per day. Salivary glands perform several essential functions for the oral cavity and the entire body: assisting in chewing and swallowing food, partially breaking down food molecules, maintaining oral microbiota and pH balance, moisturizing and protecting mucous membranes, and serving as bioindicators through secreted saliva. Despite their small size, salivary glands are biologically very important organs in the human body.
Discussion
1. Anatomical and Histological Structure:
Salivary glands are classified into major and minor glands. They include parotid, submandibular, sublingual, and other minor glands.
2. Salivary Secretion and Composition:
Saliva is a complex fluid composed of water, electrolytes, enzymes, and immune components.
Diseases affecting salivary glands include sialadenitis, Sjögren’s syndrome, sialolithiasis, tumors, and xerostomia.
5. Regeneration Prospects:
Approaches for restoring gland function are being developed through gene therapy, cell transplantation, and biomarker research.
Results
1. Salivary glands are essential for initiating digestion, protecting mucous membranes, and controlling microbes.
2. Their anatomical and histological structure is adapted to perform various functions.
3. The composition of saliva and its secretion mechanism maintain oral balance.
4. Pathologies disrupt gland functions and negatively affect oral health.
5. Research on regeneration represents a promising direction.
Conclusion
Despite their small size, salivary glands play a vital biological role in the human body. They are crucial not only for initiating digestion but also for protecting mucous membranes and defending against microbes. Additionally, saliva serves as a useful diagnostic biomarker. In the future, research on regeneration and functional restoration of salivary glands is expected to develop further.
References
1. Anatomy, Head and Neck, Salivary Glands — StatPearls, NCBI.
2. Review of the Major and Minor Salivary Glands — PMC.
3. Physiology, Pathology and Regeneration of Salivary Glands — MDPI.
4. Salivary gland function, development, and regeneration — PMC.
5. Salivary glands (Wikipedia, uz).
6. Saliva (Wikipedia, uz).
7. Pathogenesis and Molecular Genetic Aspects of Salivary Gland Tumors — CyberLeninka.
8. Serous demilune — Wikipedia.
9. Progress in Salivary Glands: Endocrine Glands with Immune Functions — Frontiers.
10. Overview of Human Salivary Glands: Morphology and Histology — Wiley.
O‘roqova Nargiza, born on March 26, 2001, in Ishtikhon District, Samarkand Region. She is currently a first-year grant-funded student at Tashkent State Medical University.
Her professional activity includes working as a Biology teacher at Secondary School No. 33 in Ishtikhon District, Samarkand Region, during the 2024/2025 academic year. She graduated from Jizzakh State Pedagogical University, Faculty of Biology, in the 2020–2024 academic years. She has an excellent command of English, Russian, Arabic, and Turkish.
THE BALAKAVI VISIONARY: AN INTERVIEW WITH MR. BALACHANDRAN NAIR C.S.
BY RUPA RAO
Rupa RaoBalachandran Nair
Introduction
Some individuals quietly reshape the world around them, not through grand speeches or positions of power, but through persistent acts of love, conviction, and service. Mr. Balachandran Nair C.S. — poet, mentor, retired CRPF officer, and the driving force behind the BALAKAVI School Level New Poets Initiative — is one such figure.
From a childhood shaped by hardship to a life dedicated to nurturing young voices across India and beyond, his journey is a testament to resilience, creativity, and unwavering belief in the transformative power of literature. This interview captures his story, his mission, and the extraordinary movement he has built — one child, one poem, one dawn at a time.
INTERVIEW
Q1. What inspires you to focus your energies on encouraging children across states and countries to write and recite poetry?
BN: No one knows, nor has anyone recorded, who first stood facing which direction and witnessed the beautiful dawn. Yet people still gather on hilltops and seashores to watch the sunrise. I am not the sun, a hill, or the sea, but I am still able to help literary enthusiasts witness the rising of schoolchildren as new poets—reciting poems they have written for the first time in their lives. Appearing in colourful school uniforms, sounding like chirping birds. I simply capture a small bit of their talent, cupping my palms around it like a firefly, revealing it when you open your eyes in the early morning. The happiness on children’s faces when you look at them in awe keeps me going, inspiring me to collect another firefly for your next dawn.
Q2. When and how did you come up with this concept?
BN: The 14th of November, the birthday of India’s first Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, is celebrated as Children’s Day. I received an invitation to speak to the students of Government High School, Njekkad (Kerala) on that day in 2021. From childhood, I always wanted to be different. So I made a request to the school authorities: I would collect and send poems authored by a few living poets, and the students would recite them during the celebration. In return, I promised to gift each student a poetry book. They agreed, and I collected poems and books from my Facebook friends and forwarded them to the school. The programme was a grand success—many children reciting poems by living, established poets, and those poets watching online. More than a hundred books were gifted to the students and the school library. It was then that it occurred to me: if a student writes and recites their own poem, it will benefit them in many ways. That was the first seed, and I decided to move forward with the idea.
Q3. When did you step into your creative writing phase, and how did it happen?
BN: I am from Kerala, and my mother tongue is Malayalam. I learned Tamil by reading cinema posters. My last four years of schooling were in Madras. I was obsessed with cinema and watched almost every film released at that time. Cinema articles were the first things I read in newspapers. After joining the Central Reserve Police, I hardly had time to write. But the urge to write film scripts slept deeply within me. When I received promotions and had more time, I finally sat down to write scripts—mostly at night. I wrote two or three and approached several well‑known studios between 1990 and 1992. There were promises, but nothing worked out. Later, I discovered that one of my scripts had been made into a film without credit. I ran out of the theatre crying. The same thing happened again with another script in Malayalam. That film won National and State Awards. Though devastated, I gained confidence that I can write. But I didn’t write again for fifteen years.
Q4. What is your family background?
BN: My father served in the British Indian Military. During World War II, he deserted the camp with a few friends to join the Indian Independence Movement and the INA. After independence, he returned home and became a hardcore Communist. He lost everything fighting court cases but ensured we never starved. None of us could study beyond matriculation. I lost my father in 1999 and my mother in 2004. I am from Attingal, Kerala. I married in 1977 and have two daughters, aged 46 and 44. The elder is a homemaker; the younger is a Headmistress. Both have two children each. My eldest grandchild works in IT; the others are studying.
Q5. Who inspired your love for poetry?
BN: I began using Facebook in 2016. Poet Anushka Sharma, a Punjabi settled in South Africa, was my first Facebook friend. I commented humorously on her poems, and she often said my comments outshone her writing. One day she insisted I write a poem myself. I wrote my first English poem at the age of sixty‑six.
Q6. How did you juggle writing and your career?
BN: In my early days as a soldier, I had no time or space to write. But I had access to a library and read extensively. Later, after promotions, I wrote at night. Writing film scripts was my passion.
Q7. Does anyone in your family follow in your footsteps?
BN: My youngest grandchild, Ashwin B. Nair, now fourteen, writes better than me. He published his first poetry anthology Darling Doodles in 2023 and his second, Dwelling Desires, in 2025. He attended online poetry meets with me and received appreciation from veteran poets. Now in high school, he writes during vacations.
Q8. What role does your wife play in your mission?
BN: My wife, Maheswari Amma, is a devoted homemaker. She constantly worries about my health, which suffers because I skip meals, drink little water, and hold my urine during school visits. I have undergone multiple renal stone surgeries and still undergo physiotherapy for a stiff neck caused by mobile‑phone use during the 2022 drive. As a pensioner, I spend much of my pension on travel and project expenses. She endures my endless phone calls and irregular routines without complaint. Her worries are justified… but I am not obedient. I have work to do—for the children. My dream is to give her one day free from my painful aaahhhs and woooohs.
Q9. Who supported you when you began, and who supports you now?
BN: The HaVen International literary platform, founded in 1999, was my first base. I began introducing schoolchildren through it on 1 January 2022. I contacted hundreds of poets worldwide and collected their biodata and simple poems for children to recite. The idea clicked. The 2022 programme ran for 365 days and created world records for:
· 407 New Poets introduced
· 357 living poets featured
· 87 countries involved
Certificates, prizes, and an annual function followed. After a break due to health issues, I revived the project in 2025, expanding it to include differently abled children. With HaVen inactive, I partnered with the International Academy of Ethics (IAE), led by Dr. Jernail S. Anand. The 2025 programme is broadcast daily through IAE and 21 global literary platforms.
Q10. Tell me about the children involved.
BN: Every child is a gem. In BALAKAVI, most New Poets are under ten. One school in Bangalore—East West Public School—has produced 92 New Poets, thanks to teacher Grace Sitharaman. As of 24.12.2025, 287 New Poets have been introduced in 152 days. Adding the 2022 drive, the total is 694. If all schools had cooperated, the number would be in the thousands.
Q11. What do you envision next?
BN: I run BALAKAVI single‑handedly. It is a massive daily task. If a global body that values literature, education, and peace recognizes this effort, it would fulfil my mission. Such recognition would inspire literary communities worldwide to think and act differently in a rapidly changing world.
Q12. What do you enjoy reading and writing?
BN: I love detective and fiction novels—Robert Ludlum, Stephen King, Ken Follett, Frederick Forsyth, Alistair MacLean, Wilbur Smith, Irving Wallace. I write Malayalam short stories and English poems, often with unexpected twists.
Q13. Anything more you’d like to add?
BN: I want to bring differently abled children into the limelight. Many parents hide them from society. I want to change that. And I wish I could give my wife a peaceful day… but I know that may remain a dream.
Q14. How did your partnership with IAE begin?
BN: I was introduced to IAE and its Director, Dr. Jernail Singh Anand, by Dr. Molly Joseph. Dr. Anand supported BALAKAVI wholeheartedly. He visited Kerala twice—once to distribute prizes to 100 students, and again with international scholars to meet New Poets. IAE broadcasts the programme daily, followed by 21 global platforms.
Q15. Any influencers or heroes you follow?
BN: My heroes are the children. They are like honey bees—buzzing, gathering nectar, never stinging, always singing. I simply help extract honey from their writings for the world to taste.
Q16. What dreams remain?
BN: I have published seven books—five poetry anthologies, one Malayalam short‑story collection, and one translated anthology. My poems appear in 92 books. One poem was translated into 89 languages. My dream is to continue guiding children to write and publish their own books.
* Bio of Mr. Balachandran Nair C.S.**
Mr. Balachandran Nair C.S. is a retired CRPF officer, poet, mentor, and the visionary behind the BALAKAVI School Level New Poets Initiative. Born in Attingal, Kerala, he overcame early hardships to become a passionate advocate for children’s literary expression. His work has introduced hundreds of young poets to the world, bridging cultures across 87 countries. A multilingual writer and translator, he has published seven books and contributed to over ninety anthologies worldwide. His mission remains simple yet profound: to nurture young voices, especially those often overlooked, and to spread literature, peace, and hope through the innocence of children.
Closing Note
Some people plant trees whose shade they will never sit under. Mr. Balachandran Nair plants poets.
Through his unwavering dedication, he has created a movement that transcends borders, languages, and limitations. His work reminds us that the future of literature does not lie in grand institutions, but in the small hands of children holding their first poem.
May his journey continue to inspire generations — and may the dawn he brings to young minds never fade.
Rupa Rao holds an MBA and a Law degree. She serves as an administrator at the Literary Warriors Group and as Chief Coordinator for the International Academy of Ethics. Her writings appear in global poetry anthologies, magazines, and literary platforms. She balances writing with hosting poetry sessions and author chats online. A lover of nature walks and yoga, she continually seeks to nurture her soul. She has completed an eminent author’s biography and has co‑authored, curated, and edited seven poetry anthologies and one prose work. She has also edited a novella and three poetry collections for writer friends.
Field of study: Preschool Education and Methodology
Puchon University
Master’s student in Educational Management
Types of Visual Activities in Preschool Educational Institutions
Puchon University
Field of Study: Educational Management
Student of Group 1-C
Abdullayeva Feruza Khayrulla qizi
Middle group teacher at Preschool Educational Institution No. 18,
Gulistan City, Syrdarya Region
ABSTRACT
This article highlights the role of visual activities in the comprehensive development of children in Preschool Educational Institutions (PEIs), as well as their importance in the formation of aesthetic knowledge. Visual activities contribute significantly to the intellectual, emotional, and creative growth of preschool children.
In preschool educational institutions, visual activities help develop analytical and synthetic thinking skills in children whose cognitive abilities are still insufficiently developed. Through visual activities, children are taught to perceive and represent the world through various colors, enrich their imagination, and learn to protect and care for nature and animals.
Object of the Research
The process of conducting visual activity lessons in preschool educational institutions and the observance of safety rules by teachers during the organization of these activities.
Main Part
A. Types of Visual Activities
Types of visual activities refer to the process of depicting objects, phenomena, or imagined images from the surrounding environment using various tools. This is a creative activity primarily based on visual perception and representation, and it is manifested in the following forms:
1. Drawing – Graphics and painting are widely used in preschool educational institutions within this field.
2. Sculpting – The use of three-dimensional forms. This method is applied when children create various objects using clay. It contributes to the development of fine motor skills and sensory perception. For example, children learn to distinguish between hard and soft, big and small objects.
3. Decorative and Applied Art (patterns and ornaments) – This type is mainly used with senior and preparatory group children, as they are capable of decorating with aesthetic taste. Considering the creative thinking and ability of older preschool children to create images, this activity can be effectively implemented.
White paper, colored paper, and cardboard – Essential materials for creating visual works. In preschool educational institutions, white and colored paper and cardboard are widely used in visual activities.
Handout materials – Cards or various objects appropriate to the age group and topic, which help children acquire new knowledge.
Construction sets – LEGO blocks and sets designed for assembling parts, such as Mosaic, Tangram, and the Columbus Egg. These sets enable children to learn unconventional forms of sculpting.
Herbariums – Collections of dried plants commonly used in education, scientific research, or decorative and applied art. Flowers, leaves, and various plants collected during walks with preschool children can be dried and used in creative activities. For example, dried straw can be used to create decorative fairy-tale characters or animate certain scenes.
Colored pencils – Pencils of various colors used for drawing, coloring, and creative activities. They are generally divided into three types:
1. Standard colored pencils – Wooden pencils used for coloring.
2. Watercolor pencils – Coloring tools that produce color when mixed with water.
3. Pastel pencils – Soft pencils that produce bright and vivid colors.
Porcelain dough – Due to its properties, such as softness, flexibility, smoothness, and ability to take any desired shape, it is convenient for creative activities.
In preschool educational settings, children can also be shown that natural dyes can be obtained by cutting red beetroot into pieces and applying it to paper.
Conclusion
The conducted analysis shows that through various types of visual activities, children enrich their inner world, develop aesthetic taste, learn to perceive nature and the environment, and are taught not to harm them. In addition, visual activities help children understand changes occurring in the surrounding world, including seasonal changes in nature.
Expected Results
During visual activity sessions, children learn to complete tasks in an orderly manner without disturbing others, respect one another, share learning materials, and work collaboratively. Upon completion of the activity, children experience satisfaction and joy from their own work.
References
1. Sakulina, N. R. Drawing, Appliqué, and Clay Work in Kindergarten.
2. Kamorova, T. S. Visual Arts Lessons.
3. Khasanova, T. Sh. Teaching Visual Activities. Tashkent, 2020.
4. Mahmudova, O. A., & Mahmudova, S. A. Technologies of Working with Plastic Materials in the Preschool Education System (Textbook). Tashkent, 2019.
5. Abdirasilov, S. F. Methods of Teaching Visual Arts. Tashkent, 2012.
6. Shodiyev, A. S. Preschool Education Pedagogy. Tashkent, 2018.
A flowerpot under a flowerpot—my perplexity is faster than a racehorse.
If destiny allows,
I would build a minaret—as grand as a pharaoh’s pyramid—out of a single poem.
I would plant flowers
all around it.
Then I would climb it gently
and gaze upon the world and its people.
I would ask applause for my poems
from whoever has read them—if anyone has.
I cherish poetry deeply,
even though it wounds my heart.
Wandering through astonishing flower gardens,
I place poetry
as a crown upon my head.
Let people send me their love
and call me king—I no longer mind.
Silence is comforting;
it buries the cries and sounds
of sorrow.
The morning sun is magnificent:
the flowers can hear
the sound of its light.
These mountains stand proud;
they pay no mind
to those who pass beneath them.
The sky is a vast embrace—wide enough to hold
every glance.
The poet is the guide of my soul;
from the light of faith
my feelings begin to bloom.
(Translated by Azam Abidov)
Nurbek Norchayev is a representative of modern Uzbek poetry and a poet. He was born on April 18, 1993, in Koson district of Kashkadarya region, Republic of Uzbekistan.
