Storieo

Category: Children’s

  • Humanity

    Humanity

    A short story with a moral about the truly important things in life. 
     

    I live in a small town called Alek. The population is less than five hundred and we are crammed in a small area. So basically almost everyone knows everyone. Or at least everyone knows of everyone.

    The incident I wish to share happened on a quiet Sunday morning. It was still early – around 7 am. Most of the inhabitants of Alek were still asleep, as they deserved to be. The people of Alek are hard working. It is a mining town, with rich deposits of coal. So most of the people are into mining of coal or transportation of coal – both of which are gruelling tasks. I work as a journalist, the only one in the whole town. I report news happening in Alek to news stations outside town. Usually, I have nothing new to report. Just maybe, the discovery of a new mine, or an injury down in a mine. The last story I wrote was about how the lorry carrying coal outside Alek had broken down and missed its deadline delivery because of that. A lot of people suffered a lot of losses due to that. Not a very intriguing story, but enough to get published and help me keep my head above water.

    I was at the local market. The fruit and vegetable stalls had just opened up and I looked with marvel at the fresh fruits and vegetables neatly stacked up in boxes. I bought my necessities and I was about to leave but something brought me to a halt in my tracks. A man with tattered clothes was staring dead straight at me. Alek had very almost no people who were forced to live on the streets. After all, if you couldn’t get any other job, you could always become a coal miner. There were never ever too many coal miners in Alek.

    I walked up to the man and asked him if he needed help. He continued to stare at me, seemingly not comprehending what I was saying. I slowly asked him if he wanted me to buy him some food. He still didn’t reply.

    By now, quite a few people had come to the market to buy their necessities. A young couple joined me in my attempt to help the lost man.

    “I.. want..” the man said in a wheezing voice. “I.. “ He patted his stomach. I understood that he was hungry and passed him an apple. The young couple gave him a fruit salad box they had bought. The man looked in appreciation and with a little wonder in his eyes. He scarfed down the food we gave him and I passed him a water bottle and he took a deep swig. He cleared his throat. I realised he couldn’t talk before because he was parched. I felt immense pity for him.

    “Thank you” he managed to say finally.

    “Are you from Alek?” I asked.

    “No, I am passing through. And I’m glad I decided to pass through. I passed through many big cities, busy towns but I was invisible there.  You people were able to see me. And more than eyes that requires a big heart. Thank you.”

    We live such busy lives that often we don’t see the most important things right in front of us. So stop and look. Humanity and love are sometimes more important that a fat salary in your pocket.

  • The Art of Sharing

    The Art of Sharing

     

    Tyler opened the door and ran out into the garden. After a long wait, summer had finally arrived and Tyler was extremely excited. He loved the summers because it meant that it was now time for him to go visit the ice-cream parlour. Ice-cream was something, Tyler could not live without.

    So if someone wanted to win little Tyler’s heart, all they had to do was gift him a small bucket of ice-cream and you would be his new hero. Tyler hated that he had to wait for such a long time before summers arrived because his mother never let him have ice-cream during any other season as he was prone to tonsil pains and the cold flu.  But during summers, he could have ice-cream twice a week and that was enough to keep him happy.

    The day for his first ice-cream parlour visit this summer had finally arrived and Tyler was bobbing up and down with excitement. He couldn’t sit still for one more minute, but his mother seemed to be taking a very long time to lock up the house. Tyler’s father had left for work early in the morning. But before he left, he had given his wife some money for Tyler’s ice-cream outing. So when his mother announced about their trip after Tyler woke up, he almost fell of the bed in happiness.

    He wished he could take his best friend, Brian, along with him.  Now that summer break had started, they wouldn’t meet every day at elementary school for the next two months. Also, Brian had gone to visit his grandmother and wouldn’t be back before the end of next week.

    ‘Mummy! Hurry Up! I want ice-cream!’

    Tyler yelled as he stood beside his mother’s car and waited for her to take him to the parlour. Just then, his mother came out the door with her purse and car keys in hand. Tyler could be very difficult to handle when he was made to wait for his ice-cream.

    The trip to the ice-cream parlour consisted of Tyler’s constant excited chatter and his mother’s repeated warnings for him not to move too much in his seat. Finally they reached the ice-cream shop and Tyler almost tripped on his feet as he ran towards the shop with his mother in tow. He couldn’t wait to order his favourite, the chocolate cup ice-cream with choco chip and sugary sprinkles on it.

    As Tyler and his mother made their way into the shop, they were followed by another little boy, who looked to be around Tyler’s age and his mother. Tyler overheard the boy say to his mother how excited he was to have his first ice-cream this summer. He continued to tell her how he had saved every penny his father gave him every day has a gift of his hard work at school.  Tyler was surprised to find that the boy liked the same kind of ice-cream that he did. He smiled a little.

    But the moment he entered the shop, Tyler was shocked to find that there was just one chocolate cup left. He had to get that. He wouldn’t be happy with any other flavor on his first ice-cream outing of this summer.  So he made a run for the counter. He wouldn’t let the other boy have his ice-cream. He hurried to the counter asked for the last cup of chocolate ice cream before the other boy was even halfway to the counter.

    The man at the counter placed his ice-cream before Tyler with a smile as his mother made the payment. He quickly grabbed the ice-cream and hurried to a booth. He was very happy that he got his favourite. But when he turned back to look at the counter, he saw that the other little boy had tears in his eyes. Tyler felt wretched. He didn’t want to hurt the boy. He had just wanted his favourite ice-cream and now he didn’t know what to do.

    So he turned to his mother and told her everything he had heard and what he had done so that he would get the remaining cup of ice-cream.

     ‘What should I do Mummy? I don’t want him to cry or be sad.’

    His mother smiled and patted his head.

    ‘I know you didn’t want to hurt him Tyler. But you shouldn’t have done what you did. But it’s not too late. You can still fix the mistake you made’

    Tyler looked at his mother expectantly. He was ready to do anything to see that boy smile. So his mother told him to share his ice-cream cup with that boy. Tyler looked thoughtful after his mother made the suggestion. He had never shared his favourite ice-cream with anyone before. He wouldn’t be able to enjoy the whole of it. But if it made the other boy smile, he was ready to do it.

    So he got of his chair and ran back to the counter. He took another spoon out of the tray and made his way to the crying boy. He smiled and held the spoon out.

    ‘Hello. I am Tyler. You can share mine. I heard this is your favourite too’

    The other boy looked overjoyed and hugged Tyler tight. He said is name was Reggie. Then they both sat down and dug into the ice-cream while their mother’s looked on with happy smiles.

    Tyler had made his mother proud, that day, because he had learnt the valuable art of sharing.

     

     

     

  • The Magic Words

    The Magic Words

     

    ‘Sarah! Time to wake up honey! Or you'll be late for school!’

    Sarah moaned and groaned as her mother tried to get her to go to the bathroom. She hated Mondays. She would have to go to school again. But Sarah also hated being late. She was always the first to be in class. Miss Parker always greeted her with a warm smile and added a pretty sticker to her diary. It was a reward for her punctuality.

    All the other kids in her elementary school were lazy. They always came in just a few minutes before the bell rang. She wondered what their mama and papa would say if they got to know that they never reached their classes early because if she were ever late, she would get a sound scolding from her mama and papa for sure!

    Sarah hurried to the bathroom, rubbing her eyes groggily, trying to get rid of the remaining sleep in her eyes. She wouldn't dream of being late. Also today's star shaped sticker from Miss Parker would fill the tenth page of her diary. She couldn't wait to show it to her parents.

    To mark the celebratory day, Sarah decided to wear her favourite pink dress to school. It was frilly and had butterflies all over it. Her grandmother had given it to her last year and Sarah had thought it her most prized possession since then. She had also begged for matching shoes with the dress and after a lot of whining and nagging, her papa had got them for her as a Christmas present.

    She was very excited. She couldn't wait to get to class. How happy Miss Parker would be and mama and papa would be so proud of her. She hugged her mother and dashed to class. It was a wonderful day and she couldn't wait for it to start.

    But just when Sarah stepped into class, she was faced with a horrible sight. Sarah could not believe her eyes, because there in the front seat, sat Jason Walker, the one person Sarah very much disliked in her class. And what was worse, Miss Parker was now giving Jason a star sticker to stick into his diary. The sticker that she deserved. Sarah couldn't be angrier.

    She had disliked Jason from the moment he had stepped into class. He had been a new student, who had transferred from another city and everyone liked him from that very first moment. Well, everyone except Sarah of course. It all started when Jason stole her best friend Ruby Wilkins. Sarah and Ruby were inseparable before Jason came. But the moment he stepped into class, it was like Ruby had forgotten her. But Sarah never complained. But Jason didn't stop there. He stole her title of a star student as well!

    He sang better, danced better and was a master at colouring. He even knew how to draw pretty roses, something which Sarah herself was trying to learn very hard. She was very sad to learn that she was no longer Miss Parker's most favourite student. But she didn't complain.

    But now, Jason had crossed the line. He was trying to outshine her in every way. But enough was enough. Sarah was furious. He couldn't do this. Not on her day of celebration. She wouldn't let him. So Sarah did what she had to do. With tears running down her cheeks, she ran straight to Jason and pushed him off his chair and threw his diary away.

    Miss Parker was horrified. She hurried to Jason and helped him stand up and scolded Sarah sternly. She couldn't understand why Sarah would do something like this. Sarah had had enough. She couldn't hold it in any longer. So she burst into a sob and told Miss Parker of everything Jason had stolen. That he was a bad person. That he was the cause of all her sadness.

    After Sarah finished talking, Miss Parker looked very amused. She couldn't believe that Sarah had taken all of this so badly. But now that she thought back to it, there were signs of Sarah's sadness. She had seemed very quiet and grumpy lately. But now that she knew, she would fix things immediately.

    So she took both Sarah and Jason to her desk and sat down in front of them.

    Before she began with the explanation, she turned to Jason. He had been very quiet since the incident. He looked confused in the beginning. Now, he just had a sombre expression. She asked him if he was alright.

    'I am okay Miss Parker. But I promise that I didn't steal anything. I am a good boy Miss Parker. My mother and father say so. I have never stolen. I don't know why Sarah says so.'

    The moment Jason completed his sentence, Sarah looked like she was ready to pounce on him again. Miss Parker quickly intervened before something happened again.

    She told Jason that she knew he hadn't done anything wrong. She then turned to Sarah. She explained to her why she thought Jason had done nothing wrong. She told Sarah that it wasn't his fault that Ruby chose to become his friend. Sarah could just share her best friend with him. It didn't mean that Ruby had forgotten her. She would still love to be Sarah's friend. And as for the other things, Sarah could always learn to be better than Jason. What if Jason was better at colouring, singing and dancing? Sarah was better than Jason at Math, English and elocution. Also, she could just work harder and maybe in time, she would beat him at it. Jason could also learn to work harder and get better at the things he couldn't do perfectly.

    Sarah had stopped crying by now and both she and Jason looked as to be deep in thought after Miss Parker's speech. Miss Parker smiled and took both their hands into hers. She told them that it was okay to be imperfect. Not everyone could do everything. But they could become the best through hard work and with help from friends. So instead of being angry with Jason, Sarah could just become his friend and work together so that they could both learn new things from each other.

    By the end of it, Sarah seemed very ashamed of her act. She couldn't believe she had hurt someone. She looked really sad. She knew Jason would never forgive her. But Miss Parker just waved her hand. She taught Sarah the three magic words. They would heal all wounds. She was sure, Jason would agree to be Sarah's friend if she said the word.

    So Sarah turned to Jason and said softly

    'I am sorry.'

    Jason looked at Sarah for a long moment and then smiled.

    'It's okay Sarah'

    Sarah broke into a big smile. She was so happy. She was glad he had forgiven her. She would never hurt anybody again. She promised herself.

    'Will you be my friend now Jason?'

    Sarah really hoped he would agree.

    'Yes Sarah. I will'

    He smiled at her and held out a hand and Sarah shook it excitedly. She not only learnt the three magic words today, but also made a new friend. She couldn't be happier.

    And because Sarah had learnt such an important lesson today and proved to be a 'big girl', Miss Parker awarded her the prettiest star sticker to add to her diary.

    It looks like her parents would be proud of their little princess after all!

     

  • Crushed aspirations

    Crushed aspirations

     

    Anil was running late, as usual. The list he had been handed over was so unrelated, that he couldn’t help it.

    He was trying his best to reach on time: walking briskly or even running at times. Finally after gathering every item, he moved with quicker steps, though the weight of the things was restricting his pace. Just when he was taking a final look at the small list he had been handed, he rammed into car. He fell hard and all his things got scattered on the ground, just like his dreams and desires had been. He was saved just by a second by getting run over. Somebody shouted from inside the car:

    “Aye! Are you blind or what?”

    He stammered, “SS…Soorry saheb, I apologize.”

    “Huh, fool!”, he concluded.

    Vegetables, fruits, biscuits, surf packet, oil and a dozen other things got dispersed. But determined he was; he rose up and recollected all the things one by one. No one came to his aid, but he needed none.

     

    Not the bruises but some of the smashed tomatoes were what pained him more. Not his broken arm but his broken chappals brought more difficulty. Scared to death he recollected himself and ran to home.

    With his hands shivering, he rang the bell. A lady answered the door with unwelcoming looks.

    “Oh, so our hero is home finally”, she said sarcastically. “What’s your excuse for today?”

    “Memsahab, my mother’s was running a high fever. That’s why.”

    Anil was too afraid to tell him of the accident. He didn’t want to have any punishments yet again. But how could he hide his clothes that had got dirty, the purchases having a bit of dirt over the packets!

    The unwelcoming woman gave a look of surprise, demanding an explanation. Anil had to explain everything. He wasn’t left with his any choice. She was her master, after all. The woman was completely pissed by now and cancelled his dinner for the night as a punishment for his carelessness.

    Little did she notice the poor plight of Anil who’s dried up blood was screaming his pain. Only if her gold rimmed spectacles gave her the power to see all.

    Maybe had she been brought up without those curtain slippers, she would have known how it was for Anil to run in those worn out chappals who had finally  took their last breath after that small accident.

    That poor Anil, just 11 years old, had to pack up his dreams, lock them and throw them away to place unknown when his father died of an accident while driving an auto rikshaw and left him nothing but debts. The car ‘crushed his aspirations’ too along with his dad.

    At the tender age of 11, he had to bear the responsibilities of his family on his shoulders rather than the school bag.

    The boy, who should have been playing with toys, had to clean up toys of kids at other’s home as a servant.

     

    The boy had been brought not by kisses or hugs, pampers or gifts but by scolding or beatings; only by bad fate.

    With an ailing mother at home who was suffering from TB and two younger sisters, he had to not only forget about his dreams and aspirations but also had to work hard like a man to aid his family.

    He never felt bad about anybody’s harsh words. He had been going through worse situations that somebody abusing him didn’t even count as something to be reacted at.

    Life taught him such hard lessons that he had been forced to grow up way beyond his age.

    An innocent soul had been trapped in the net of child labor. An aspiring pilot’s wings had been broken by the weights of uninvited troubles and no way out.

    His flying of paper planes was the only planes he could ever fly.

  • RJ RACHEL

    RJ RACHEL


    When Rachel left to school, she thought it was a normal day. She didn’t expect any surprises. She entered the class sat there looking out of the window completely blocking out the lecture. She didn’t realize Jess was calling out her name and when she finally came back to reality she saw that the lecture was done and it was recess. She gathered her books and came out of the room taking to a bunch of friends.


    The next lecture was the last lecture for the day and everyone was excited, partly for the lecture and partly because it was the last one. This professor, Mr. Ruben was a happy chap. He always greeted everyone with a big smile and he comes up with new and crazy ideas to make the class interactive. All was us were waiting for him, he entered coolly and began,

    “Today we are going to do something you will enjoy”

    and continued as the class attentively grabbed his each and every word. After ten minutes he finally revealed that we were about to organize a radio show.


    Wow!!! This is huge! Everyone was bouncing in their seats. There were many ideas from the class on how to do this task and there was complete chaos. Mr. Ruben had suggested brilliant ideas himself and advised us to form teams of 6 students each and coordinate the show.

    Now he called out, “Is anyone interested in being a team lead?”

    a few hands were in the air and among them was Jess.

    These team leads had to choose five members. Well Rachel was looking at Jessica, obviously she would pick her. Jess also picked the guy from the bowling alley. By this time Rach got used to being around that guy and it always took extra effort to actually make a conversation with him. Rachel thought, “We’ll see how this goes” and glared at Jess, who was happy looking at her team.

    Rachel put her thoughts aside and noticed that Jess picked each person with a different talent. Mike, Ty, Sarah, Joe along with Jess and Rach were responsible for the first ten minutes of the show. The show was exactly on the same day next week. So all of us agreed to meet after the class. The rest of the lecture went smoothly but Rach was busy thinking of how the week will go. She was nervous about the fact that Joe was in her team and Jess would do almost anything to make her talk to him.


    Jess was always pushy considering the fact that she knows everything about her crush on Joe. The first time Rach saw Joe, she stared at him for moments which passed like decades. Rach thought Jess didn’t notice and tried to act cool but this was Jess we are dealing with and she notices everything. Rach thought to herself that she could do this. She did it once, she focused on her bowling the other day, so she repeated to herself stay cool, stay strong.. and the bell rang .

    So now they meet…
    More about Rachel coming soon…..

  • HAKUNA MATATA : Family Drama

    HAKUNA MATATA : Family Drama

    CHARACTERS

    SWATI – PROTAGONIST, 18 YEAR OLD GIRL.

    SUCHI- SWATI’S YOUNGER SISTER. IN 5TH GRADE

    RAJ- SWATI’S DAD. AROUND 35 YEARS OLD.

    SWATI’S GRANDMA-IN HER 60’S

    AUNT SURI- SWATI’S MATERNAL AUNT. SHE IS 30.

    ALIA- SWATI’S CLOSEST FRIEND, 18 YEARS.

    ADITYA- SWATI’S COLLEGE FELLOW. 18 YEARS.

    JIA- AUNT SURI’S FRIEND WHO IS A BACHELORETTE PARTY. SHE IS 26 YEARS OLD.

     

    STORY:- It was not a normal day. The petrifying winter air coming from the door slits touched my feet, telling me its time. It was already 7.00 in the morning and my stomach was aching badly. The chaotic noises of my dad listening to radio, my younger sister watching Timon and Pumbaa, her favorite cartoon and granny praying to god with her bells tinkling incessantly, it was all driving me crazy. But all the torturous sounds fainted when I shouted arrogantly.

    Me: Why didn’t you wake me up, dad? I’ll get late.

    Dad: Don’t worry child, everything’s ready. You buck up fast.

    He answered me nonchalantly. How he can be so relaxed every time, I wondered. Trust me it’s a herculean task to get out of bed in winters. But I collected all my strength and got ready just in time. I got in the hall for breakfast and asked my sister arrogantly to switch off the television.  She didn’t obviously. It’s the sibling rivalry, you see.

    Granny: SWATI, come here honey, pray to god for your wellbeing and light this AGARBATTI as well.

    Me: Well yes, if not a cigarette I can smoke an AGARBATTI for sure.

    I giggled to myself.

    Me: I am sorry granny I am in a hurry right now. Tell god to be on hold.

    Granny gave me a stern expression and went muttering angrily. I will never be able to please her. We are very different. The morning was not pleasant at all, I was grumbling about everything and throwing tantrums on everyone. Weird.

    Dad: That time of the month, right?

    Me: Right dad, it’s awful. Why? Don’t you think it’s unfair? Why we women have to deal with it?

    Dad: Because women are elegant warriors. They manage everything with so much ease and grace.

    All of a sudden SUCHI came pounding towards dad inquisitively.

    Suchi: Dad, what does Hakuna Matata mean? I just heard it in TIMON AND PUMBAA.

    Dad: No worries.

    The apt answer that my dad gave couldn’t really satisfy my sister’s curious eyes.

    Dad: it means, whenever you are in crisis, you have to keep calm and chant Hakuna Matata.

    He picked her up and tickled her. The loud crackles of laughter made me smile somehow.

    Granny: Aren’t you getting late for college now?

    She taunted me. We can never be on the same page. I let out a loud burp as it irks her a lot and went out.

    Granny: Tell them how to behave like ladies, Raj. You are spoiling them.

    She said scornfully to my dad. But neither I nor my dad pay attention to what she says. For me she’s just an old woman blabbering in her 60’s. During the 15 minute journey between my home and college I thought about my family. My dad is a widower with two daughters planted on him like bombs, that’s what my granny thinks. She always pities him. Because let’s face it we are girls and he is doomed.

    I can never be on good terms with the misogyny existing in our society. Suddenly I am intervened by a voice .That’s my friend ALIA.

    Alia: Hey Swati, what’s up? Where are you lost?

    Me: Cramps.

    She grinned softly as she understood. She is my best friend. We both are very similar. Thorough feminists. And to top it all she takes Krav Maga classes. So nobody dares to bother us. We have this very nasty mantra to deal with bad guys “hit where it hurts the most.” And voila guys we know that point. We both giggle and gossip and share almost everything.

    Alia: Swati, what would you do if you turned into a man?

    Me: I’ll walk around topless, probably. HAKUNA MATATA

    We both laughed hysterically and entered our class. Soon a cacophonic throaty voice interrupted us. It was Aditya. I always hated that guy. He is a jerk and a pervert. He came to me asked me kinkily,

    Aditya: What’s the thing that all women have, it starts with V and they can use it to get anything?

    Me: It’s the voice, you pervo. Our voice that you are intimidated of. Now shut your filthy mouth before you get to know what my cramps are capable of. Stop objectifying women. Do you understand?

    I roared out loud like a lioness on prey. The crowd inside was mumbling and giving me incoherent stares.

    Alia: Come on girl, don’t spoil your mood. Everyone knows he’s sick. Keep calm.

    She cheered me. After the college was over I went home and to my great surprise, my lovely Aunt Suri was there. She visits us regularly to perk up our moods and to ensure that we are not depressed due to some jerks in our society. A sturdy and chubby woman, boycotted by granny due to her drinking and smoking habits, considered to be a headstrong lady by the society as she is a self-reliant spinster enjoying her 30’s,if you know what I mean. That’s my Aunt, Aunt Suri. There she was munching and chomping popcorns, wildly. I mocked her

    Me: Watch out, aunt, your arms register as my legs. The fat clinging to your arms is not gonna help you find a good husband.

    Because let’s face it a girls gotta look good for a handsome husband earning handsome money.

    Aunt: I don’t think I need one. I’ll get myself a compassionate and caring wife.

    We both laughed and ate popcorns.

    Me: What brought you here aunt?

    Aunt: My friend’s getting married. It’s her bachelorette party. I want you to accompany me. It’ll be fun.

    I could see my grandmother fuming with anger giving growling stares enough to tell me that she doesn’t approve of me going with my aunt whom she never liked. But little did I care.

    Suchi: I’ll go with you as well. Please.

    Me: That’s not a place for kids, honey. We can’t take you.

    But you see Suchi has this power of getting her things done by crying which drives me crazy. We dressed up I wore my lilac dress with a cardigan. In no time we reached our destination, the world of goddesses. These ladies smelled heavenly, it was chilling in the evening but the ladies wore halter necks, fancy dresses, because let’s face it a girl doesn’t feel cold, she’s hot. They spoke in really soft voices like the angel is sleeping on their tongues which kind of annoyed me and they walked swiftly like air. I didn’t expect the party to be like so soft and elegant. It had to be a bit naughty after all it’s the bachelorette party. But it was a total downfall, utterly boring, romantic jazz playing on and a child crying endlessly, ladies talking in a hush-hush manner, my sister pointing fingers at ladies with fancy dresses, literally total torture. But then there was a silver lining FREE BOOZE, yes there was a mini bar counter having all sorts of mock tails and drinks.

    Aunt: Control Swati. Excess will be bad.

    Me: I am not a drunkard but who cares if it’s free.

    We both chuckled and then Aunt Suri went to greet her friend and I made myself comfortable with the drinks. I already had two Cosmopolitans and was up for Royal Tennessee when I saw a lady carrying a little monster who was of course crying. Babies are monsters for sure. I felt sorry for her.

    Aunt: What on the earth are you doing?

    Seeing that woman I said

    Me: Being a woman is tough. I mean the lady could have gone for PLAN B when she got THE NEWS. Why carry a monster like that and be tormented for the whole life?

    Aunt: Being a woman is pride. We are fighters, we don’t worry about the problems,we just solve them with beauty and never think of PLAN B’s. Remember Swati we are warriors.

    Suddenly the baby stopped crying and I realized something very important. My mind was working really slowly, it was all calm then. Jia who was the host of party, the eligible bachelorette went to the stage and announced that we are going to play a game.

    Me: What a suicide pact? I’ll go first. Your party is damn boring.

    I joked. To which she replied softly

    Jia: Don’t worry, it won’t be now. The game is: Each one of us is going to admit something on stage. It has to be something naughty and funny for sure.

    Now the crowd was gaining heat. Everyone was excited.

    Jia: I’ll go first. Once I farted in front of my in laws to be. It was embarrassing.

    The crowd went hysterical. Everyone was laughing hard. Then my sister went on and said piously

    Suchi: Once I peed in a pool.

    ME: OH sweety, it’s a big pool of water your contribution won’t be acknowledged.

    I shouted. We all were in tears, we laughed really badly. The crowd was howling and screaming. Everything was merry. Then I went with another shot down, a cocktail in my hand and my tottered walk attracted everyone’s attention. I stood on the stage to make my confession. The crowd was cheering me.

    Me: Hello, beautiful ladies. First of all Jia, thanks for being so brave. I mean farting in public is a big deal.

    I took a deep sigh and carried on

    Me: I really want to admit that we ladies are warriors. We paint our faces like warriors with tons of makeup, lips painted blood red, the war dress that drapes around, and our looks enough to leave anyone dismantled and to top it all we walk around with these 5 inch heels on. Only a warrior could manage all that. Despite all this we don’t worry, we don’t complain but just shimmy our way through adversities. Cheers, to all the strong women who don’t worry. Cheers, to all the elegant warriors.

    Next I remember being pulled off the stage, my mind was blank but my body was still in a Rock On mood. This happens when you are really drunk. I woke up the next day and there were hammers thumping in my head. Hangover, probably. My dad sitting next to me. I could hear granny mumbling her prayers right through walls. The faint sound of the theme song of Timon and Pumbaa was playing. ***Hakuna Matata, what a wonderful phrase…It means no worries for the rest of your days …..Hakuna Matata….. **. It was a normal day.

    Me: I am sorry dad. We commit terrible mistakes when we are really drunk. I am sorry. I got really drunk.

    Dad: No sometimes we do commit sweet mistakes. We got you when I and your mother were really drunk. But she said don’t worry, HAKUNA MATATA.

    We both smiled.

     

     

     

    CHARACTER SKETCHES

    SWATI-She is an 18 year old girl pursuing her graduation. Coming to her persona she is a liberal minded girl who tries to find reason for everything. As a sibling she is really arrogant towards her younger sister but then she calls it sibling rivalry. She believes herself to be feminist. Complains a lot about the life and the hardships faced by a woman. She is on the face and quite blatant which adds to her humor sense. Very strong and courageous, fierce and rebellious. She does not appreciate her grandmother much and is sometimes rude to her. She has a very cynical view of the image of women in society. She considers that being a women is tough but in the end she embraces her womanhood.

    RAJ (SWATI’S DAD) – He is a doting father and an obedient son. His wife died soon after the birth of their second daughter. He is the most understanding father a girl could ever get. He is very open to his daughters, pampers them and teaches them to be grateful and content. He does not really act as per his mother but listens to her patiently. He loves his daughters unconditionally and gives them full freedom to choose what they want to be. Being a widower, he manages his family, his two daughters and their upbringing single handedly. He surely is his daughters’ SUPERMAN.

    AUNT SURI– She is Swati’s maternal aunt, that’s why she has that motherly affection towards Suchi and Swati. It was mentioned that she is a bit healthy but loves to eat, which shows that she doesn’t really care about her figure. She eats what she wants and enjoys life in a carefree manner. She is self-reliant and independent woman living on her own. Being in her 30’s she is still not married. The society calls her headstrong which does not really deter her from leading the life that she wants. She drinks, she smokes and does what she wants while turning a deaf ear to those who say ill of her. She is not really on good terms with Swati’s granny but that doesn’t mar her from visiting their house. She is the inspiration of Swati who is deeply impressed by her way of living.

    GRANDMA-She is an old lady in her 60’s who is seemingly very religious. She considers Swati’s thinking to be fatal as it is not the part of our culture. She believes that women are the homemakers and they need to behave in a graceful manner. As a caring she feels that her son’s life is ruined as he is a widower with two girls. But being a mother she prays for the wellbeing of her family and their happiness. She really thinks that his son should control his daughters before it’s late. Having that traditional and conventional thinking she considers smoking and drinking as taboo. This orthodox behavior of hers is not really appreciated by Swati that’s why they are never on the same page.

     

     

     

     

     

  • RACHEL’S NEW FRIEND

    RACHEL’S NEW FRIEND

    Rachel and Jessica started hanging out together since the first day they met. Rach felt connected to Jess like they were sisters. Jess was a lovely girl with a very energetic spirit. Actually Rach was glad she meet Jess at school, since Rach just moved to the neighborhood and she didn’t know anyone else.

    As luck would have it, Jess came as a package, she was a popular girl at school and had many friends. Rachel initially didn’t like the “new girl at school” status but she got along fine with most of the students.

    Apart from school work Rachel was full of zip in extracurricular activities too. She was fond of many outdoor sports, she enjoyed tossing a ball with her dad every now and then and never back down from a challenge.

    So there was this one time when Rach and Jess set off walking around and ended up in a bowling alley. Though Rachel never tried it before in her life, she didn’t feel apprehensive, she was a little nervous, but Jess made her feel comfortable. As it happened both the girls began, their sphere wasn’t even going through the lane, but as they did it, they improved. They began to hook the sphere as they became better. Rach and Jess were totally in their world, when a few guys entered the alley. Jess recognized some of the guys from school and told Rachel that there was going to be a competition.

    So the girls buckled up for some action and took the dare head-on. The guys were on roll too. At the end they were on equal scores, Jess was in the best form and so was Rachel. If they wanted to win, they need 270. The boys were really good at it, one of them comes up and makes fun of Jess, he says something mean and it pisses off Rach, it’s her turn now and with all the adrenaline rush, she approaches and lands it perfect and smooth. She did what she hasn’t done before. She ties the score with the guys. The boy who was laughing falls silent. Jess jumps with joy, she grabs Rach and twirls her for what seems like a long time.

    It might look like “just a game” but Rach felt a lot more deeply connected to Jess after it was all over. She lay in her bed thinking of the events of the day, the guy who she thought was cute, the wonderful time she spent with Jess, the first experience, and how Jess forced her to eat a huge dessert as a treat. Turns out Jess and the guys weren’t enemies in spite of everything, they just were trying to beat Jess as she was the best, and what’s more, Jess was happy that she had Rach on her team. Rach felt happier that she moved, though she missed her old friends and the familiarity, she was happy here. She began to like this place too and she was going to tell her dad that she found a friend she could cherish for life.

  • KASHI BAN GAYA SETH!

    KASHI BAN GAYA SETH!

    Once upon a time, there was a super rich Marwari named “Lala Rai”. He owned a huge restaurant in the city of Champalan. He started up as a poor man but soon turned to be the owner of a restaurant. As he started earning a lot, he took to wrong doings. He started using material of inferior quality, took no care of his restaurant kitchen’s cleanliness. All he cared about was money and means to gain more and more money.

    One fine summer day, a poor man named “Kashi Lal” opened up a thela infront of his restaurant named “KashiLal k Kulche”. Lala Rai paid no heed to Kashi Lal initially, but as days passed, the thela started affecting his restaurant business.  This bothered him as money was most important for him and he thought Kashi was taking away his money from him. He started frightening Kashi. But Kashi stood brave. Now that Lala thought that water had passed his head, he called up his men to throw him away along with his thela.

    Phone rings…..

    Tajju Bhai: han seth, tumhara kaam ho jaega bas hume humari payment time pe mil jaaye..

    Lala Rai: paison ki fikar mat karo. Uthwa do uska thela aur aisi jagah phenk do jahan uss ka bap tak na dhund paaye

    Lala starts laughing Huhahahaha.

     

    SCENE 2:

    Thele vala and his child fallen on the ground and surrounded by Tajju Bhai and his men.

    WARNING: Agli baar waha dikhaa toh ma behn ek kar dunga

    Par unke jaane k bad bhi thele vala vaha se uthte aur bolte: “Mein thela laga kar rahunga!

    Next day Kashi again sets up his thela infront of the restaurant. In full rage, Lala comes to him and starts insulting him badly. He picks up a hockey stick and tries breaking up the stall. A lawyer, Amit was having his meals nearby. He gets up and comes to his protection:

    Lawyer: Aree yeh aap kya kar rahe hain, har kisi ko apna dhanda chalane ka haq hai, agr aapne inhe dhamkaya toh aapko dhara 420 k tehat andar kara denge.

    Lala keeps mum and is frightened and leaves the place.

    In the meanwhile, Kashi hath jodh k lawyer k aage khada ho jata hai aur kehta hai “Aap humare liye bhagwan ho” . Amit is a young lawyer and is in search of some cases which actually kick starts his carrier. He feels this one would actually help him. So in favor of Kashi, he files a case in the court against Lala.

     

    Lala calls upon his own renowned lawyer, Mr Jagat.

    Mr Jagat has fought many cases and all to his victory.

     

    COURT SCENE

    (On one side there is Lala Rai and Jagat and on the other side Kashi and Amit. Kashi is quite tensed as he didn’t want to file any case against Lala knowing his powers.

    Jagat: Mere client Lala Rai, jinka restaurant kai saalon se humare Champaran k top restaurants mein se ek hai, pura tax dete hain, time pe dete hain. Aur yeh kal ka thele vala jiska koi astitv nahi hai who saamne aakar apni dukaan khol kar baith gyaa hai aur..

    Amit: I object your honour. Har insaan ko apne jeevan kunji chalaane kaa haqq hai

    Jagat: toh kya iska yeh matlb k law k against ja kar kahi pe mooh uthaa k apna dhandaa khol liya jaaye? Yeh sahi hai, koi bhi kahi bhi apni marzi se kuch bhi khol le bina kisi permission k kyoki paise kamana uska haq hai. Waah

    Judge: Order Order. Aisa lag raha hai jaise chal rahi ho film Border!

    Amit: Mein Lala Rai ko witness box mein bulana chahunga.

    Lala Rai enters the witness box.

    Amit: Han toh Lala g, aap toh kai saalon se iss restaurant ko chala rahe ho.

    Lala: Hanji bilkul. Itnaa swaaadisht khaana hai k ungliyaan chaat te reh jaoge.

    Amit: fir toh aapko iss chote se thele vale se kya hi problem ho sakti hai, yeh thele vaala kaha aapki tarah khaana bana sakta hai. Aur iss thele vale k paas toh itne paise bhi nahi k wo apne aadmi bhej k aapko pitwa sake!

    Lala: G! Yeh aap kya bolre hain. Meine koi aadmi ni bheje ise pitwane ko.

    Jagat: Judge Sahab! Yeh mere client pe jhoothe ilzaam laga rahe hain.

    Judge: Objection overruled! Sab rahe cool cool.

    Amit: sir mein inke mitra Tajju bhai ko bulana chahunga.

    Judge: Ijazat hai!

    Amit: hanji aapko kitne paise mile the inka thelaa uthaane k liye?

    Tajju Bhai: Are bhai kaunsa thela aur aap kya bolre hain.aapne paise diye the k yaha aakar acting karni hai par dialogues toh aapne bataye hi nahi. Kamaaal karte hain!

    Amit: tum jhooth bol rahe ho. Sach kya hai tumhe bhi pata hai

    Jagat: Lagta hai mere sathi vakeel jitne k liye kuch bhi karne KO raazi hain. Jhoothe gawaah tak le aaye

    Amit: Aisa kuch bhi nahi hai.

    Jagat:  Sir Mein witness box mein thele vale KO bulaana chahta hun

    Judge allows.

    Jagat: Hanji Mr. Aap toh Bharat k president hain Jo kahin bhi apni marzi se apna business khol liya.

    Kashi: Sahab mujhpar Taras khaayein. Mein inn court kachehriyon k chakkar mein nhi padhna chahta. Mein 1 gareeb aadmi hun!

    Jagat: toh tumhe lakh mana karne par bhi tumne WO thela kyo nahi hataya k aakhir case court hi pahunch gya! Jab tumhe Lala Rai ne khud aakar bhi mana kiya!

    Kashi(crying): Hatt jata sahib mein waha se par mere 1 laalach ne mujhe rok liya, k agar 2 paise zyada aagye toh mera bacha bade school mein jaaega. Khoob padhega, khoob likhega, apne baap jaise har din thele par khad k 2 waqt ki roti k liye nahi ladega. Nahi laga tha mujhe darr unn gaaliyon se, uss maar se, USS zillat se, unn gundonnn se, sirf apne bache kaa aane waala swarg dikh raha thaa. Par abb pata chlta hai. Bahut galat kiya meine apne laalach k liye. Bahut galat!(Breaks up)

     

    Court room in silence.

    Amit: Sab seth ki tarah kismet vale nahi hote (points towards Lala Rai). Aap agar apni pichli zindagi yaad karein toh aap bhi 1 thele par hi kaaam karte the jo usi restaurant k bahar tha jahan aaj aap hain. Agr uss waqt koi Lala Rai aakar aapko rok deta toh aaj shayad aap bhi sadkon par hote.

    Lala Rai in shame, and Mr Jagat sighs.

    SILENCE

    Amit: Sahi hai k kashi ne law todhaa. 1 restaurant k saamne apna 1 thela kholaa. 1 bahut amir aadmi se uske paise cheene aur apne ghar k liye 2 waqt ki roti kamayi unhi paison se. apne bache k liye sapne dekhe unhi paison se! That’s all I would say your honour.

    Judge: Case hogya hai bada senti, abb mein dunga badhiya commentary.

    Judge finally acquits Kashi. And Lala Rai has to pay fine for beating Kashi.

    —————————————————————–END—————————————————————–

     

     

    CHARACTER SKETCH

    LALA RAI: Lala Rai is a Marwari. He is a shrewd businessman of 50 years of age.  He grew up in a village as a poor boy and came to the city of Champaran to turn his future. He started up as a thele vaala near a restaurant and with his luck, strong will power and intelligence, became the owner of the restaurant and grew his business. His stars shined. He took to wrong doings when he had a lot of money. Started using inferior quality material in his restaurant, sometimes expired material, poor cleanliness. His only aim was to earn more and more money. He forgot all about his past how he grew. Always thought people to be inferior to him.

    KASHI: Kashi is a thele vaala (stall owner) of 30-35 years of age. He is uneducated and has a poor living. It is quite difficult for him to earn money. He wants his children to be educated. He has a strong will power and is even ready to get beaten for his children. Even when Lala sends some people to frighten him, he doesn’t step back. He wants to earn his living by fair means. He has always seen poverty but never wants his children to see the same. He wants his family to be happy.

    Mr JAGAT: he is a renowned lawyer of 45 years of age. Ever since he started being a lawyer, he has seen victories, sometimes by fair means and at others by unfair means. He is now over confident. He is rich and charges heavily for his cases. He doesn’t see the difference between right and wrong. Although he knows at heart that the case of Kashi is that of humanity, he still goes against him just for money. In the end, he is left with no answer when Kashi finally breaks up.

    Mr Amit: he is a young lawyer of 28-30 years of age. He is in quest of a chance to kick start his carrier. When he finds Kashi, he feels it is the right point to kick start the carrier. But at this point he doesn’t connect with Kashi’s emotions and doesn’t understand that it would be difficult for Kashi to face the court. But later he turns serious and understands the depth of the case, that it is not just a case but a question of humanity. He fights for Kashi and finally lends him justice.

  • USTAD NAGAR KE POPPATS

    USTAD NAGAR KE POPPATS

    There was a village “USTAD NAGAR”. The name was truly sarcastic for the people living in the village.  Village members were illiterate and don’t even had basic knowledge of science. Their life was as normal as they used to earn some money by working in nearby factory. They were living an ordinary life.

    Different from the other people in the village there was a man “SURSURI SINGH”. He was ambitious and used to think that he is the most intelligent person than anyone else in the world. His thoughts were raised to the seventh heaven not only by his attitude but also by other village members who were illiterate. Unlike others he didn’t like to work in factory. So he had his own laboratory.

    Sursuri Singh had three son alpha, beta and gamma because of his different lifestyle so he named them in symbols of science and used to teach his sons himself in his laboratory.

    The teaching was mostly grasped by his son gamma. He (γ) was intelligent and fast learner. This man’s (Sursuri) wife was “DOLLY SINGH”. She was the only one from whom Sursuri Singh was afraid of. Dolly Singh loved his son alpha who was chubby and fun loving.

     Beta was the neglected child. He was loved neither by mother nor by father. Beta was the slowest learner among the three.

    Alpha, beta and gamma loved a girl DELTA who was a beautiful girl with mesmerizing eyes, silky hair and pretty face. But the only problem was not that they all loved a single girl but the main problem was that she was the only daughter of ROCKET SINGH. Rocket Singh was the competitor of Sursuri Singh in the scientific field. He also had a laboratory and but had a problem (in his yard) of having stars in the swimming pool.

    Three sons once told their father that they loved a girl DELTA who was the daughter of his rival and they all wanted to marry her and want their father to choose the most suitable groom for her from the three of them. Firstly, he got angry but after seeing his favorite son’s curiousness he went to meet Rocket Singh in the morning and put forward the marriage proposal of his sons. Rocket Singh didn’t even want to see the face of Sursuri but he somehow controlled himself and called his daughter and asked her about the marriage. She was also ready but she wanted that her father should choose the most suitable boy.

    Rocket thought that it was the right time to have solution of his problem.

    Rocket Singh declared in front of other village members that his daughter will marry the guy who’ll solve his major problem. Alpha, beta and gamma accepted the challenge but were nervous too. They were told to come at night to Rocket Singh’s house because the problem used to occur at night only. The problem was that there were stars in swimming pool as per Rocket Singh and he wanted to get rid of them. The three of them started finding the solution. Gamma was using scientific techniques but all were in vain because they were not applied in the right way as the knowledge given by his father was not that much correct. Alpha was applying desi format techniques which were also useless. Both of them went back to their house and leaving beta alone.

    Beta was thinking about stars and sky. Then the thought came in his mind and he removed all the water from the pool and instantly called Rocket Singh. Rocket Singh was happy to see that there are no more stars in the pool and confirmed beta β as his son in law.

    Early morning Rocket declared in front of all the village member beta as his son in law. Sursuri and Dolly were also shocked. Then beta was asked that how he had done this then he said that the only problem was the reflection of the stars. Sursuri also got impressed and was proud of his son.

    The sarcasm was that being most intelligent persons of the village. Sursuri and Rocket Singh didn’t even have the knowledge of fundamentals of reflection.

    So, children be like beta because beta was a smart kid like you and he used his knowledge and presence of mind and found his love of life.

     

     

    Characters Sketch

     

    1.Alpha α– Age-24

                    Roly Poly kind of person.

                    Perfect Butterball.

                    Cutest and Mumma’s Boy.

                    Fun loving and Cheerful nature.

                    Chubby Cheeks.

    2.Beta β– Age-24

                  Skinny type of person and neglected by both mother and father          

                  Never happy and find something wrong in each and every topic.

                  Always had sad face and next to impossible to make him smile.

    3.Gamma γ -Age-25

                       Loves doing stunts.

                       Highly intelligent so loved by father.

    4.Sursuri Singh- Age-50.

     He used to think he was the most intelligent person in the world but actually he was not.  

    Supercilious and father of alpha, beta and gamma.

    His favorite son was gamma because he was fast in grasping the scientific stuffs.

    5.Dolly Singh- Age-45

           Typical Mother of three sons.

           She loved to cook food especially for her son alpha.

           She was a housewife so she don’t had any interest in scientific stuffs.

           For her husband’s work is useless.

    6.Delta δ- Age-22

                       Pretty girl with beautiful eyes and hairs.

                        Crush of alpha, beta and gamma.

                        Hottest girl in the village.

                        Daughter of Rocket Singh.

    7.Rocket Singh-Age-50

      Opponent of Sursuri Singh

      Ambitious person

     He wanted to do better professional works than Sursuri Singh.

     He had a problem which was mere reflection of stars on the swimming pool which he considered to be a big problem.

  • Kids Learn Sign Language For Their Deaf Classmate

    Kids Learn Sign Language For Their Deaf Classmate

    Six-year-old Zejd, a resident of Bosnia-Herzegovina in Eastern Europe, is deaf and she decided to go to normal school. Her biggest problem is to communicate with other kids in school. But her teacher found out solution and started to teach all kids sign language. After success for initial attempts, teacher now came up with whole curriculum for sign language.

    Incrediable Teching & Learning!

     

    Here we present you some beautiful pictures presenting incrediable story.

    Kids Learn Sign Language For Their Deaf ClassmateKids Learn Sign Language For Their Deaf Classmate Kids Learn Sign Language For Their Deaf Classmate Kids Learn Sign Language For Their Deaf Classmate

    Photos: Amel Emric / AP

    The teacher also trying to teach Zejd to read lips so that she can live normal life outside classroom too. Everyone in classroom welcomed efforts of teacher with great enthusiasm and started learning sign language.

    Most of the time, we discuss so many 'huge' ideas to make our school system responsive to differntly abled students but we ignore simple things, like the teacher did at school. Really grassroot shouldn't be ignored as it is place from where whole tree get nourishment and also the place where all the fruits fall!

    If you have some ideas to make teaching-learning process more friendly to differently abled person, please share by commenting at this story.