Girl Child: A New Life!

When she is born, she is ignored

No one’s ready to accept her,

When she grows up, she’s given less importance

Would that help in strengthening her?

She keeps asking herself,

As to why she is treated like this,

There’s no logical answer to this,

Even if there was, no one would tell her and take a risk.

Why don’t they just tell her,

That she’s not accepted in their society?

Why hide away from her,

When she’s an incarnation of a deity?

I’ll tell you why they do so,

They are not capable of facing her,

‘cause she has seen what this world is made of,

And she has seen what the world has made of her.

In a country where goddesses are praised

Why ignore and hate this beautiful gift of nature?

Why can’t they just live with the reality of the world,

And believe that she can make it even better?

She can do what they can do,

But still, she doesn’t believe in herself,

Are they the reason for this?

She keeps asking herself….

“Are they the reason for this?

Is this what I’m supposed to be,

A poor, helpless girl child, begging for help but no one sees me.”

She doubts her living presence,

“Would it make any difference if I weren’t alive?”

And whenever she asks herself this question,

We should all come up and say to that naïve.

Yes, it would make a difference, for people like us,

Who treasure your presence and who treasure you,

Girl, you’re strong, you can conquer the world,

You can make this world better, ‘cause the world is only because of you!

In every role o life,

She shows full responsibility,

She portrays the role efficiently,

But to her shock, many people doubt her ability.

That is why she is not given opportunities,

But still, she knows how to strive,

She believes she can live in this world, all by herself,

And that is why she comes with an all new life.

We are no one to discourage her,

Because she in herself, is perfection,

She has countless supporters, many of them girls,

For whom she can become an inspiration.

So, from today, let us take the initiative,

To save every girl child and give her what we can give,

Save her from the cruel customs of society,

And let her live with freedom, as she wants to live.

And after many years of freedom,

She’ll realize what you have done for her,

She’ll be grateful to you,

For saving and protecting her.

With this little thought in our minds,

Let’s make a fresh, new start,

Making people aware of this situation,

And contribute to this noble work, with our whole heart.

-Gatha Akashkamini

Marathon 2011!

We had a great time on Saturday, that was the 15th of October....as it was our marathon! Although I didn't grab any position (as always), I really enjoyed it (again, as always)! Disha came 3rd in the Junior category.....\m/

Another pup, but not for long...

On Saturday night, we heard a pup's cry followed with some chaos and gathering on the road. Our neighbours (Rawat household) also came out, I also went with others to find a female pup injured on the back which resulted in her hind limbs getting paralysed. We lost hope of her staying alive for the next couple of days and so kept her in our house for the night where she cried all night in pain.

She died yesterday in the evening and we buried her near the litchi tree beside little Lotta.

R.I.P.

Mother General's Visit

On Saturday, our school was decorated with the most beautiful paper flowers and rangoli you ever saw, and why not? Our Mother General, Angelis Alino was visitng the school and she comes only once in 6 years! She is really cute, although she couldn't speak english very well, she pleased us with her cute gestures and absolutely cheerful behaviour. She also gave us all a flying kiss and visited every class after the assembly was over for the blessing.

She was assisted by her counseller and partner in travelling in more than 20 countries, Sr Monica Joseph who is also an ex-student of CJM, Delhi. She was also very nice and made us happy with her encouraging and inspiring words.

Bye BYe ChuTki

Bid farewell to chutki, the cute little, naughty baby gal of Laila. We got someone's address from Baba. The lady is going to start an 'adoption camp' for dogs, where she wishes to Chutki also to be.We miss her very much but know that now she is safe......

<3

My Little Lotta a.k.a. Lilo.....(in loving memory)

Lotta, beautiful baby girl of Laila who was just a month and a few days old, died few days ago. Jackie, a neighbouring dog killed her. She'll be remembered for her chubby, cute, little innocent face, mischievous acts and for giving us 35 precious days of her life that we'll never forget.

Five Birthdays!

Yes, we celebrated five birthdays, actually I celebrated the fifth one.....

Baba's birthday (18 August) was celebrated by everyone (baba turned 59)! And yet, he seems to get younger with the years.....

The three other birthdays were of the pups to whom Laila gave birth. They are really very cute, two of them black and one brown with one of them male and the other two female. Ha, there birthday lies on the same day as that of baba's, so it would be easy to remember their birthdays.

The next birthday was of Palak (19 August) which we (Disha, Purva, Simmi, Priya, Astha, Niharika, Vidushi, Jagriti, Sneha and me) celebrated in school. Palak had brought a cake, a bottle of pepsi which lasted for 1 hour only. Next we bought stuff from canteen and after the break, we realized that no one's tiffin had been touched! Huh! We had loads of fun.

Celebrated five birthdays in two days.

A note of condolence from a former Pakistan Air Force pilot...

• Qais Hussain writes to daughter of Indian pilot, whose aircraft he shot down in 1965.
• He receives a response from Farida Singh.

In an unusual heart-gesture, some five-decades after Pakistan Air Force shot down a civilian aircraft in Gujarat, the pilot sent a note of condolence to the daughter of the Indian pilot killed in the incident. and on Wednesday he received a response.

Connecting across the border courtesy e-mail, Qais Hussain, a Flying Officer during the 1965 India-Pakistan conflict, sent a quiet note after tracing Farida Singh, daughter of Jahangir 'Jangoo' Engineer, who was flying a Satate government plane, about the circumstances under which he brought it down.

"I have received an excellent response from Ms. Farida Singh. If I took one step, she has taken two, but I respect her privacy and would share the contents of her response only after receiving her consent," the 70-year-old Mr. Hussain told The Hindu over telephone from Islamabad on Wednesday.

The story by well-known journalist Beena Sarwar appeared on Tuesday on a Pakistan website http://www.thenews.com.pk and was picked up by some Indian newspapers.

A resident of Lahore, Mr. Hussain said he wrote an e-mail to Ms. Singh on August 5 with the note of condolence as well as details of the incident. He also thanked the people through whom he was able to reach her and convey what happened 46 years ago.

In his e-mail, the former Pakistan Air Force Officer stated that he shot the Beechcraft aircraft that was being flown by her father - one of three famous Engineer brothers in the Indian Air Force - after it showed up on the Pakistani radars, having drifted by many miles and going up and down over the border area of Rann of Kutch for quite some time.

Having read accounts in the Indian media, which, he said, were not accurate, Mr. Hussain said he followed the orders of his controller and had a sense of achievement after completing the mission.

"Nonetheless, the unfortunate part in all this is that I had to execute the orders of my controller. Mrs. Singh, I have chosen to go into this detail to tell you that it all happened in the line of duty and it was not governed by the concept that 'everything is fair in love and war,' the way it has been portrayed by the Indian media due to lack of information. I did not play foul and went by the rules of the business but the unfortunate loss of precious lives, no matter how it happens, hurts each human and I am no exception. I feel sorry for you, your family and the other seven families who lost their dearest ones. I feel greatly grieved that you lost your brother Noshir recently.

If an opportunity ever arises that I could meet you face to face to condole the death of your father 46 years back i would grab it with both hands. I would highly appreciate if you please convey my feelings to the other members of your family, who were equally hurt by the untimely departure of Jungoo to the next world. I hope and pray that you and your family stay well. My best wishes....Qais.

An awesome weekend and Friendship day!

Yes, today is Friendship Day....the day which we always forget! But I remembered it and have wished all my friends a very happy one! Since we aren't allowed to bring friendship-bands and other fancy materials to school, we now just simply wish each other.....

And we had loads of fun in the class today (excluding the 'horrifying' marks of Maths and Chemistry....the teachers of the respective subjects showed us our answer sheets today!). We (Tavleen, Ashlesha, Smmi, Jaisleen, Nimisha, Mansi and me) ate chips in the class in the 3rd period. Then ate toffees and chocolate in the last two periods...........what? You find that all against the school rules? Oh, come on, you would also get bored of the Hindi period when ma'am has nothing to do but to make us sleep! Well, Ashlesha actually slept today cause ma'am was showing papers to all the students who didn't see them first. But trust me, school life is the best phase of one's life and one should enjoy it to the fullest no matter what, after all, these good old days will not return, neither will time wait for you!

And yes, I would say that my past weekend was awesome and a fun-filled one! Rupali di, Sandeep jiju, Neil and Saanya with Usha fufu and Mamaji came over for dinner. Ma cooked delicious food and that's when I realized her talent in cooking, I mean, we don't always get to eat such tasty 'lauki ke kofte' and 'daal'! O wow, the dinner was very good and was made perfect with the sweet dish - 'kheer' at last. Manan and I had lots of fun with Neil and Saanya. They both are real cuties!

It was really good to meet Rupali di after such a long time..... She brought a very cute bracelet for me and a couple of books for baba (the books were so heavy and yes, none of my business-I mean, dude, they had such difficult titles, a child would really get nightmares by seeing them). But I hope to read those books in future. Rupali di gave a very nice lecture on how to choose the right profession for yourself in life.

At last, I had the awesomest weekend (with the marks of English 1 and English 2 and also of History/Civics - got 19/20 in all of them).

Gatha Akashkamini - the poet!

Got our school magazines last week and just discovered that one of my articles is also printed......

My Best Friends, Books!

Reading books is a good habit,

They increase our vocabulary.

And if you try to run away,

You’ll never get helped in glossary.

I started reading at the age of five,

My favourite books are many,

And my favourite writers, you can say,

Can be any!

I like reading books of Roald Dahl,

And Ruskin Bond too,

From short stories to novels,

All contained in a book or two. 

Enid Blyton is a great favourite,

Where naughty Amelia Jane and Famous Five,

With the Secret Seven,

Help the children to be full of life.

Matilda and BFG teach us good habits,

BFG, the sweetest giant you would ever see,

And Matilda has supernatural powers,

She could open a door without using a key!

If you are fond of chocolates,

You can go for some chocolaty books,

Like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,

Where Mr. Wonka shows us his weird looks.

You can go back to the ‘Monsoon Time’,

With Ruskin Bond and his Potpourri,

Where you can go fishing with Robert Astley,

And listen to Binya and Rusty’s love story!

You can visit the fairies on the fairy hill,

And dig the garden with ‘Dukhi’, the gardener

And read how, Susanna,

Who killed her 7 husbands, became a murderer!

You can go to Hogwarts for some magic,

With Harry Potter and his friends.

J.K. Rowling makes the magic come alive,

With some magic tricks following the trend.

So friends, you’ve got a lot to choose from,

Just tell your parents to buy a book for you.

It is better than a movie ticket,

For which you have to stand in a long queue.

What else happened last week?

Yes, school re-opened on 11 July and Unit Tests started from Monday. All tests are going well till now.
Poonam aunty was here to visit Mussoorie, she wanted to meet Ruskin Bond (her niece is a very big fan of him).

So, Richa di and Poonam aunty reached Dehra Dun on 15th night. 16th was Saturday and I didn't have a holiday (Manan had a holiday but he was not willing to come to Mussoorie). So, Richa di and Poonam aunty had to pick me up from school but I didn't know that and went home with Disha. When I reached home, उन्होंने मुझे प्रिंस चौक पर आने के लिए कहा. मै गई पर बहुत देर बाद वो लोग दिखे. आखिरकार उन्हें ढूंढकर हमने प्लान बदल दिया क्योंकि बारिश बहुत हो रही थी. हम पूरा राजपुर रोड घुमे और फिर countdown में लंच करने के बाद हम 'ज़िन्दगी न मिलेगी दोबारा' मूवी देखने गए. पूनम आंटी को बहुत पसंद आई और हमे भी. फिर घर जा कर सबको बताया और जब मनन ने ये सब सुना तो उसने भी अगले दिन मुसूरी आने का फैसला लिया. अगले दिन, मनन, मई, मम्मा और आंटी मुसूरी के लिए निकले. बहुत साड़ी चीज़ें खायीं जिनमे से पास्ता बहुत tasty था. पकोड़े भी खाए, चिप्स भी खाए, पर Mr Ruskin Bond से नहीं मिल पाए, हम काफी लेट हो गए थे और घर भी तो जाना था. बस का टिकेट ले कर, देहरादून वापस आये और शाम को माँ और रेशु भैया आंटी और दीदी को छोड़ने गए. बहुत मज़े आये इस हफ्ते!

Bbuddah Hoga Tera Baap!

Went to see Bbuddah Hoga Tera Baap with baba and Manan. It was a funny movie. Great work by Amitabh Bachchan.....great acting, he seems to get younger and younger everyday!

P.S.- And, mind you, don't call him a 'BBUDDAH", kyunki.....Bbuddah Hoga Tera Baap!

The Past Week!

I know I haven’t been writing for the past few weeks, but I would like to tell that I was in New Delhi with no internet connection to pass time. Oh yes, it was great fun meeting Richa di after whole 2 months and seeing how perfectly she has settled there. We stayed at Vasant Kunj at my father’s friend’s place (Kalsi uncle’s) and mind you, Poonam aunty is very strict but it is for our disciplined nature, that she enjoyed with us. We even taught her how to play UNO (which she had been willing to learn ever since she had heard about it). And Manan enjoyed too much there because they had a whole lot of books to read, very interesting and good ones. And since daadiji (Kalsi uncle’s mother) was also there, we could never get bored (and of course, while the TV was there….no one can get bored).

So all in all, it was fun and an exciting outing for us as we were in Dehra Dun all this summer (we even did a lot of shopping).

We returned to Dehra a week ago and it seems that the only thing that has kept me busy and interested in holidays is the music class. Yesterday was Ma’am Vandana’s grandson’s 5^th birthday. So this was another reason for not getting bored. Obviously, when Richa aunty’s around, no one can bored. With her weird and awkward yet funny topics to discuss on, everyone gets interested and I would be lying if I don’t say that she is the clown of our music class.

Anyways, holidays are on the near end and I have still a lot to do with my holiday projects. Hope to finish it on time. But, honestly, for the first time in my school life of 9 and 7 months, I am excited to start school again after the summer vacations. Hope the first day is as I expect it to be. At least, with Sunita ma’am around, it ought to be exciting and interesting!

BACK TO SCHOOL on 11 JULY, 2011….

EXPERIMENTING!

 

Days with Mumma!

Finally, baba is coming today from Chamoli, and, our hectic weekend with mum will end, yes, you heard it right, 'hectic'! But it was easy and simple to handle the house with only three people living in one big house. Ma felt quite relaxed as she didn't have to work hard making rotis as Manan and I ate maggi and pasta for two days. By the way, ma gets frustrated easily, so we both were trying to make the least mistakes possible! But माँ ने सच में हमको सुधार दिया. Whether it was tidying the bed in the morning or washing our own utensils or even trying a hand at house-hold chores, ma ने हमको सिखाया कि कुछ भी पाने के लिए मेहनत ज़रूरी होती है. So, thank you ma for handling us the way you did and also for making us responsible.....

Living Life Musically!

So, it has been six years since I first started my Hindustani Classical Music lessons. I was eight years old and in class 2. That was quite heavy, you know, learning all the 'raags' and their 'aalap and taans'. But soon, I learnt it and music became the soul in me.

I became six years old in the music class on 21st of May, 2011.

Thank you baba, for encouraging me to join the music class, and you have done a great job. I really love it. Thank you ma'am Vandana because without you, this couldn't have been possible! I have really worked hard but still strive to improve. Now, I am preparing for my fifth year exams in music, and then, I'll head to the last year of music. WOW! Time flies so fast, can't believe how these six years passed, like sand from hands. Really, if I complete my music course, I'll miss my music class.

I'll miss it beacause of some people who made it really very special and a memorable one. First of all, my friends at the music class, Bani di, Aarush bhai, Vibhor bhaiya, Ayushmaan, Dhananjay, Kusum di and Shilpa di, you all are the true musicians. Really, Ayushmaan, you have a great voice and you play the tabla very beautifully. Kusum di, you have a great voice, typical 'garhwali' voice! Bani di, Aarush bhai and Vibhor bhaiya, you all used to come to the music class when I first joined it. Thank you for guiding me through my first year, it was very confusing since it was new to me.

THANKS guys for making it special. Hope to continue living my life musically, filled with music. Because, music is one thing that will never get you bored out of life!

Disha's Birthday - Teenage Dream!

Disha Pant

So, it was Disha(my best friend)'s 13th birthday bash. I, being her bf (best friend), was invited, along with Palak, Purva and Srishti from our class. Palak picked me up from Dharampur and then we headed towards her house.

I was surprised that we went the wrong way, we took a turn before the original one and got lost. Thankfully, someone told us the right way and we finally reached! Shame that I, being her bf, who had gone to her house at least half a dozen times, did not kno the right route! Anyways, we reached quite early and, in fact, I guess, were the first ones to reach, quite punctual, as always! So, finally Purva and Srishti also arrived and we took a walk around the colony. When we got tired, we went inside and by that time, everyone had come.

We first played tambola in which I didn't get anything. No luck, perhaps! Then we took the word 'industrialization' and made small words (at least of three letters) from it. I won this game by making 16 in 1 minute. Yay! Then, when the food was ready, Palak and I took seats in the lawn and ate chowmein, Palak's quite funny, I must say! So sad, that the starters weren't served to us, anyways, we ate the food which was quite tasty and then the ice-cream. Ah, all full now, time to say goodbye and goodnight. It was 10:30 p.m., so we had to head home. Disha's parents organized our departure and driver uncle gave us lift and we reached our homes, safe and sound, and, happy!

HAPPY B'DAY  DISHA! Live your Teenage Dream!

 ,LOADS OF LOVE AND BEST WISHES FROM 

Purva Joshi

Palak Sharma

 

 B.F.F.

P.S.- I gifted Disha a book - Five Point Someone by Chetan Bhagat. Very beautiful book (3 idiots was based on it). 

The awesomest last day!

Well, I know there is no such word as awesomest, but what's the harm, after all, English in itself is such a टेडी मेडी language. 

Now, let's talk about yesterday, which was the last day of school before summer vacations. We had it rocking! No studies!!! The first period was Maths, which went free because we started discussing about our plans for the vacations. The second period was also wasted like this (after all, we are experts in wasting our time). The most enjoyable was the dance period, which we enjoyed for the first time in our life. We made Shweta and Jagriti dance! And then I sang Saiyyaan by Kailash Kher. Ma'am Roy was very happy! Even the chemistry period was free with ma'am really in a mood to enjoy and not teach. 

Everyone was so happy that there was less holiday home-work this time, including physics and history! No projects! 

Last period was free because our class had to be arranged, furnitures were to be kept under the newspapers....(and of course, it was hindi period, we really wanted to miss it)!

So, last day was an enjoyable one, I can say! Let's look on to the vacations now, let's find out what's not boring!

Bidding Farewell to Richa di

Yesterday, Richa di was to leave for Delhi for the start of the new session in IIPM, Delhi (MBA batch -2011-2013). She went to the market yesterday for some last-minute shopping. Then we went to a nearby shop where we enjoyed a plate of chowmein. Really tasty. Since it was tuesday, we also went to Shiv Mandir and ate 'prasad' of 'boondi and halwa'. The night came and we had to bid her goodbye. Since baba was also going with her (for the guardians' meeting and for some help with settling), ma went with baba to drop him and Bhanu bhaiya and I went with Richa di. Baba bought tickets for the bus and when it was time to go, mum got really emotional and started crying. Rich di has a strong mind and heart, she controlled her tears. But I could see that she would really miss us. We would also! Love you Richa di, hope to meet you in the summer vacations. 

P.S. - the card made by Ashish was really cute, especially the Rich di that he had made (cute and fat, just like you), and the rose also, very beautiful! We will miss you di! Love you....<3<3<3

The half hour of captivity!

Yesterday, I was filling the bowl  with water for the birds when I saw something small, and, it was this cute little chick below the tree. It was so frightened and lay so still that I thought it was dead! I shrieked and told Manan and Richa di about it. Richa picked it up and took it inside. That little creature must have fallen from the nest as it was really small, we thought. Her heart was beating so fast and she wouldn't come down from Richa di's T shirt. It held her so tightly. Oh! She was beautiful and baba told that it was the chick of a red-vented bulbul. We made her sit on the window sill and she started chirping. Before I would notice, there was an even more beautiful bulbul sitting by her side. I think it was her mother. The next moment, she flew away with her. She sat on the neighbouring goose-berry tree and then flew away somewhere. We had only kept her for half an hour, but, I think it was a wonderful experience! I came to know, that, every creature of God is beautiful and a miracle in itself. Now, she must be somewhere with her mother. The chick looked so free with the bulbul (her mother) because she had no limits there. She had the vast sky where she could fly all alone with nobody to stop her. So, why would she be with us. It was good for her as now she was free without so many eyes staring at her like anything, trying to touch her and hold her, make her jump from here to there.

We should also be like the bird, free in imagination and speech. With no boundaries or limitations imposed on us, we can be confident and powerful in our thoughts. I am surprised that if we try to observe anything, the optimistic way, then, even a small creature can draw a lesson which would help us throughout our lifetime. 

Love you Ma!

Dedicated to the most wonderful, cheerful and loving mum in the whole world, Mrs. Sushila Bhandari a.k.a. my mother.

Ma, God has given me many gifts, and, the most important - you! I have enjoyed each and every moment with you, be it eating the 'chicken leg-piece' in Thailand or sitting and travelling with you in  Activa, every moment has been a memorable and enjoyable one! You have taken so much pain in making me what I am today, and, I promise, I will never let you down. Because, you have taught me to live in this hectic world, you've tought me to manage things and you've, above all, created me and I reflect your personality, all  because of you!

I hope that this love and bond gets even stronger in the coming years. Just stay like this, and, remember to lower down your BP,

Yours lovingly,

Gatha....

Mixed-bag!!!

Manan's Term 1 Unit tests have started and he has English 2 and Biology today. Since it is the second saturday and there are no tests (for me), here I am, sitting, getting bored in the house. I have planned to complete my math home-work, but for now, I plan to do something else. 

Yesterday, ma'am Bhawna told that the 'Camel Colour Contest' was compulsory, so I also have to make a painting, topic-'Wildlife in India'. Let's see. Today, first of all, I have to go with Richa di to the doctor's and then for some shopping of hers. Then with Govind bhaiya and Richa di to the canteen to buy some groceries for the house. ha!, how much can a child do, perhaps, i should ask, how much can a young lady (like me) do? 'Young Lady', because, our class teacher, ma'am Sunita came to know recently that our class was not so innocent as it appears to be! We had been reading the fifth chapter in our C.F. (character formation) books, which is about growing up and the bending problems in girls and boys during this stage. It was ridiculous.

Now, let's jump to last night. So, I've been Manan's teacher or 'home-tutor'. It was so difficult to teach him last night (biology). Thank you, ma'am Rushda, for tolerating us in class 7th and teaching so interestingly! Manan's doesn't seem to have any interest when I teach him. Hope he'll get used to this. After all, I'll be teaching him further, since, he's only a class smaller than me (I'm in 8 and he's in 7). He must know, that, studies are important and how to behave when someone's trying real hard to get your attention on the subject. He doesn't! We both got so bored last night, that I told him that I would teach him in the morning. What? Why bored? You ask that? If your mother and cousin are gone to some CM's party to enjoy the dinner for an occasion (it was the inauguration of Uttarakhand CM, Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank's new house (official residence)), wouldn't you get bored in the house, studying??? Ha, they both had a wonderful time, so I have been told. After listening to the events that took place last night in the CM house, I've told my mum to start preparing for the next CM post. I bet that she can grab it. She has the potential to do it. She's strong, intelligent, a fighter and most of all, she's a woman! I mean, women can also do it, best example-my mum. I've seen her work so much. Running from here to there which we call 'दौड़-भाग' in hindi. She is a fighter.

OMG!!! Where did I start and where have I ended! Now, that's called topic-change, now wonder what will be the heading of this post, maybe, Mixed-bag????

 

Laila aur Billu

अब एक नयी प्रेम कहानी लिखी जायेगी, लैला और मजनू के बजाये, लैला और बिल्लू! हाँ, आजकल दोनों बड़े मज़े में रहते हैं. कभी लड़ते-झगड़ते हैं, कभी थक कर एक साथ सो जाते हैं. दोनों को देखकर बहुत ख़ुशी होती है. इतने मज़े से एक दुसरे के साथ खलते हैं और साथ ही साथ हमे भी दौडाते हैं. उनके साथ तो मम्मा की भी exercise हो जाती है. कल तो दोनों ने माँ को ज्यादा ही गुस्सा दिला दिया. दोनों के दोनों 'बजरी' के पहाड़ पर कूद पड़े और सब कुछ नीचे गिरा दिया. आखिर माँ भी उनके साथ अपने हंसी को ज्यादा देर छुपा नहीं पायीं. काश दोनों ऐसे ही रहें, ज़िन्दगी भर, मै उन दोनों क ऐसे ही हँसते खेलते देखना चाहती हूँ.

April Fools' Day!!!

आज 'अप्रैल फूल्स' डे' है. पर भले ही हम सब भूल गए हों, हमारे कुत्ते, बिल्लू को यह बात याद थी, तभी शायद आज उसने हम सभी को अप्रैल फूल बना दिया. 

आज बाबा ने सुबह सुबह बिल्लू को बहरा छोड़ा, जैसा की वो रोज करते हैं. पर आज बिल्लू के दिमाग में कुछ और ही चल रहा था. जब हम मॉर्निंग वॉक के लिए गए, तो बाबा ने कहा की बिल्लू को भी ढूंढते हुए, उसे मॉर्निंग वॉक पर ले जाएँ. हम पुरे रास्ते में देखते हुए गए, पर बिल्लू का तो कहीं नमो-निशान न था. हम पहले नेहरु-कालोनी गए, पर वो वहां भी नहीं था. फिर हम शिव-मंदिर की तरफ गए पर वहां भी वो नहीं था. पुर रास्ते में कहीं न था. हमने सोचा की कहीं कोई उसे उठा के तो नहीं ले गया (मतलब 'किड्नाप')? हम साथ में उसकी चेन ले गए थे, ताकि अगर वो रास्ते में दिखे तो उसे चेन से बाँध ले आयें. हम लोग वे साड़ी जगहें गए जहाँ वो जा सकता था, पर आज वह कहाँ चला गया? आखिरकार मॉर्निंग वॉक से घर वापस आये तो माँ को ये साड़ी बातें बतायीं. माँ बहुत घबरा गयीं और कहने लगीं की वो सको ढूँढने जा रहीं हैं. जब बाबा दूध ले कर घर आये, तो उन्हें भी साड़ी बातें बतायीं. बाबा काफी हैरान थे क्योंकि बिल्लू रोज घूमने के बाद वापस घर आ जाता था. तभी ऋचा दीदी, मनन और मै बिल्लू को दोबारा ढूँढने के लिए बहार गए, माँ स्कूटी में बिल्लू को ढूँढने गयी और हम आगे तक गए. हम जैसे ही मुडने वाले थे, तभी देखा की आगे से बिल्लू 'महाशय' आ रहे हैं. उसे चेन से बांधकर हम घर ले गए, माँ को बताया तो वो बहुत खुश हुईं. आखिर मै बाबा ने कहा की आज के दिन तो बिल्लू ने ही हमको अप्रैल फूल बना दिया.......       

Thoughts and Songs on EXAMS!!!

"Every night in my dreams, I see the exam papers, I feel them." Although exams are for our benefit, I fail to understand, where do we have the 'common denominator'? "The papers are in a big pile,I don't even write a single page, dreaming about a day when I wake up and find that what I've learnt is not gonna come in the exam. Why can't it see, it doesn't belong with me!"

When you see the question paper : Everything just goes out of your mind with no 'right temperature to shelter us from the exam storm'. So is the state, that, you even forget your name and keep singing to yourself - 'oh, na na, what's my name'! And, as if you're shouting for help - "people save me, I've been feeling so alone, they say it's real, but I say it's difficult, and they say - don't be afraid, you'll make it out of this mess, it's just 'hiss...story', baby you can do it". And then, suddenly, you feel confident again, you start it all again with a new ray of hope, 'cause "you know you're a firework, you've gotta show them what you're worth, you've to make them go oh-o-o". So you shout and challenge them to 'send it on'! And you do it all right, because you know that, "if you both were a movie, it would be the right thing, and you'd be the person singing a happy song".

And, when you've done it : I mean, yes, completed the exam, you get the 'best of both worlds' because you feel at the 'top of the world'. Then you go home "singing the same old song, though it's been so very long, there are raindrops falling on your head, but that doesn't mean that you're dead"! And even if you make any mistake, you know that the teacher won't cut any marks, 'cause, she hasn't got a 'wooden heart'. You'll not mind, whatever the result, as you know, "obla-di-obla-da, life goes on, brah"......!

When you get the result : You fly like a bird with joy, sing so many songs and enjoy a 'party in the U.S.A.'! You know that 'a new day has come'. Although first, you didn't like exams, now you couldn't live without them! "You miss them, sha la la la la, you miss the questions, and you still shed a tear every once in a while." But you know that a 'butterfly has to fly away' one day, after all, "it catches its dreams and just can't stay. All along, it knows just what to do". And then you remember the '7 things', bad and good about exams, and the 7th thing which you hated the most that it did, it worked for your benefit"! Now, you'll remember the 'spring of '11' when you had 'the best days of your life'!

The Major Environmental Problems Being Faced by the Citizens of Dehra Dun

Dehra Dun once had many forests and it was a beautiful valley. People loved to stay here because of the greenery, the environment and the climate. But now, all this is depleting and Dehra Dun is no more the beautiful valley although greener places like Garhi Cantt. are still surrounded by trees. Trees have been cut down to build houses and many more things required for the needs of humans. All this is because of the increase in population. Although there are movements which support the saving of trees. In the case of trees, the CHIPKO movement, first started by Sunderlal Bahuguna, tries its best.

Talking about villages, the farmers in the villages do not get proper crops due to environmental problems and the demand for village pulses is decreasing, on which the Beej Bachao Andolan is seeing. There are many movements which are trying to save the environment, but what about us? We should also give a helping hand to these NGOs, because only some people cannot save the earth, after all, we also live and use the resources given to us by our 'Mother Earth'. We should plant many more trees in place of factories and big industries.

The second problem that Dehra Dun is facing is global warming. Due to the deforestation, there has been a rise in temperature and rivers have been drying up, with people suffering from a lot of problems. Due to the cutting of trees, there has been a deficiency of oxygen and many people suffer from breathing problems because of the impurities in the air. This is  very serious matter and the Government should take an action against it otherwise Dehra Dun will be seen marching towards its end.

There is still time and we can still save our beautiful valley of Dehra Dun. You should plant more trees in your house and avoid cutting trees as much as you can and there will be a time when you will realise your contribution, because, by doing this little bit, you are making Dehra Dun greener than ever!

The First Sign of Spring!

My heart gets delighted when I hear the name of spring. It is the season of colors, the season of beauty and the season of flowers.

Talking of flowers, I would like to tell you of the first flower to bloom in our garden, which bloomed as the first sign of spring and so beautifully that I was amazed at its beauty. Yes, I am talking of the Californian Poppy, which literally ‘popped’ (as the name indicates – popped the poppy) in our garden just a few days ago. Its color was yellow and white. Others were purple with a yellow centre. I laughed when I saw the flower clearly. It seemed to be a fearsome cat’s face growling at us. A funny expression, ain’t it? It was introduced to me by my father who explained that unexplainable expression.

I think, you all would like to know the story of how the Californian Poppy came to have that face. Well, the story goes like this :

Once, there lived a cat named Poppy in California with its mistress. It was a very stubborn cat. And the cause of this stubbornness were the colors – purple, yellow and white. Whenever Poppy saw these colors, it would start growling and making weird faces. Their neighbor used to get really angry at the cat’s behavior and so, made a magic potion by consuming which, anything stubborn would turn into a something very sweet. This magic potion was very tasty and the cat really liked it. Poppy drank the whole of this potion and turned into something that on seeing, no-one would be able to tell of its stubbornness. It turned into a beautiful flower. Noticing the change, the neighbor took Poppy with himself and kept it at his home for many weeks. Poppy’s mistress noticed that her Poppy had been gone missing from quite a few weeks, so, she called the police, but, the police also couldn’t find it. At last, she assumed that her poppy was no more!

Meanwhile, the neighbor become so fond of Poppy that he wouldn’t let it go out of his sight for even a moment. He took it with him to the market and even to the hospital, wherever he went, Poppy would accompany him. One day, he had taken it to the market with him, and not noticing that Poppy had, by mistake, been dropped from his bag. Now, it was lying on the floor. At that moment, the mistress entered the place and saw this beautiful flower. It had a face just like Poppy, growling little face, and at once, it reminded her of her cat, and, she shouted – “Oh, my Californian Poppy!” She had no idea that it really was her Californian Poppy. She also got fond of this little, pretty flower and whatever seeds would drop out fro it, she would plant more of them, and, these cute little flowers became popular all over the world by the name - Californian Poppy!

So, my friends, this was the story of the Californian Poppy. These flowers look very beautiful when they bloom at the starting of spring. I just discovered a few in my garden and I am proud that I am the owner of such pretty flowers. From today, I will take care of them, so that, at least, they don’t growl at me!

Values : The things which Inspire!

First of all, I want to tell you all, that every year, at the end of the academic session, we have a special week in which we tell everyone how the year had taught us, the values we learnt through plays, skits, songs and sometimes even dances.

Last year, my friend, Disha and I composed a song for the Value Week, and everyone really liked it. I feel really proud that I could do that.

Now, as the academic year is coming to and end, we were asked by our class teacher, Ma’am Vimukta Unital to jot down the points on the values that they learnt in the past year. But, they forget to mention of what use these values are. Year after year passes and we learn so many things. The moments, the 365 days become a memory that can never fade. All these years, I have noticed a change in me. I have become a different person and a better human being. Perhaps, I will continue to become better and better every year. It has been possible of only two things. The values taught and the teacher of those values.

Some say, that values come from inside, it depends on the actions that we do or perform. But, if there is no one to teach us the importance of those values or if there is no one to record those values and good deeds done by us, how can we become a better person? How can anyone recognize us as a good person?

The teacher of these values plays a very important role. Those teachers can be anyone. Anyone, yes, even an illiterate person, on the basis of his experiences acts as a teacher to those who have never faced situations like him. A teacher is a person who influences us. And, as I said, anyone can be a teacher, anyone can also influence you, for, e.g., my dog influences me. It may sound a little awkward, but, yes, I’ve learnt a lot from my dog. I’ve learnt the art of concentration, obedience, loyalty, and the never-ending hope to just once catch a rat in life or, if this implies to me, my never-ending hope to catch my dreams…….

During this year, I learnt a lot of values from many incidents, some of which influenced me, others taught me a lesson. I hope to learn and catch some more of other values, which will really help me in my future. As for how much time I take these values truly into me, it all depends on the coming years……