Shishukunj

Let’s Call For A Change

Parth Goyal, Class VIII B

What is friendship? Is it just making friends or being with them till they are there in touch with us? I feel that is not friendship. Friendship is a bond that never breaks.

One thing I don’t understand is – What is the difference between a ‘best friend’ and a friend? Are ‘friends’ in any way less than best friends? We all have been together in all situations and found the solution as a team. I am a person who has experienced both, the time when I had no friends and the time when everyone in my class is my friend. Why such discrimination then?

One day, I questioned some of my friends about their idea of friendship. Some of them said, friends are the ones with whom they play, some of them said, friends are the ones they can talk to and have fun but none of them said that friends are the ones with whom they can share their deepest feelings!

I have another concern, are we living in a world where a person can be friendly only to a person of his/her gender because I’ve seen people behaving in an unfriendly manner when it comes to the opposite gender.

This happens even with me at times. I feel that we can be friends with both boys and girls. Friendship knows no bounds, and it doesn’t depend on gender, caste, creed or religion. Friendship is not about being partners in crime, it is more about learning and growing together.

So, let’s call for a change and take the decision that our friendship wouldn’t depend on gender, caste, creed or religion; that we will learn and grow together; that we will do something better. There are things beyond mischief, a world of knowledge, love and trust. Let’s not discriminate. The definition of a friend on Google is absolutely correct, that is – a person with whom one has a bond of mutual affection. Let’s be friends!

Timeless

Artwork by

Ishika Fatehchandani, Class IX

Artwork by

Koshika Jhavar, Class VIII D

Friends

Sameehan Trivedi, Class VIII B

When you’re feeling down,

And you don’t know what to do, to do.

Call up a friend,

And you’ll feel less blue, less blue.

Don’t sit around and mope,

When you start to get all teary,

Call up a friend,

And you’ll feel a lot less dreary.

Friends can bring us up!

Friends can make us smile!

So grab a phone and send a text,

Or better yet just dial!

Everyone Loves to Read Books

Agam Chawal, Class VIII C

Everyone loves to read a book,

From a sweet little child to a very evil crook.

It helps us improve our grammar skills,

It can be a thrill,

Or give us a chill.

So what if our milk spills!

A book can help us pass our time,

With some mystery or a crime.

Books can either make us sad,

Or even make us good or bad.

Everyone loves to read a book,

From a sweet little child to a very evil crook.

So please don’t judge a book just by its look!

A Peek Into The World Of Books

Soumya Tiwari, Class X B

I sit beside the fire

On wintery nights

And read lovely stories

Of beautiful fairies and fierce knights.

I enter a totally new world

Which is a unique creation

A brand new place

Which is filled with imagination!

I meet some great new people

And ones who are too vain

Some are very intelligent

While others are truly insane!

As I keep on reading

I find out more and more

About where these people come from

And where they finally go.

Books are always waiting

To be opened and read,

And when you open them you’ll find

They have stories to be said.

Trapped

Sneha Jain, Class X F

Everyone sat huddled together in the darkness as Shankar started taking stock of the situation. ‘We’ve got a few apples as food and it’s about -4 degrees Centigrade outside. We’re trapped in the basement and mum isn’t going to be back before 7 AM – that’s seven hours from now. We’ve got one flashlight and no other electrical appliance. Anything to add?’

Ram raised his hand in the darkness, ‘Yeah, this is all Kartik’s fault.’

‘My fault!’ Kartik yelled defensively, ‘Priya was the one who suggested we go artifact hunting.’

Shankar moaned, ‘You’re all hopeless,’ as they all started bickering. ‘Alright people,’ he yelled to catch their attention, ‘I’m pretty sure none of us will escape alive if we just wait here for mom, considering how moronic you three are.’

‘Hey!’

‘So, let’s find something sharp and cut the door open.’

It was the best and only idea that had struck any of them and so cautiously, they began to search in the dim light.

About half an hour passed with little progress. Priya had got side-tracked when she had found an old table football set and Ram and Kartik were taking turns to sit on the old rocking chair. Shankar was, as usual, working up a heart attack, yelling and acting the leader he believed himself to be. Priya had suggested trying to pry the door open but he refused to listen to her.

All activity ceased when they heard the sound of the front door creaking open. They could hear footsteps approaching.

‘Mom must be back early! We’re lucky.’

The door squeaked open. Happiness erupted in the group.

‘How did you manage to open it, mum?’ asked Shankar, bubbling with joy.

With wry amusement glinting in her eyes, she replied, ‘I pulled the door sweetheart. I guess that didn’t quite strike you! This door opens outside!’

Fear of Flying

Sneha Jain, Class X F

When I was younger, I used to be afraid of flying in an aeroplane. It wasn’t a fear I had from the start; my family flew relatively frequently – once or twice a year. So, I was accustomed enough to sitting in a flight to not start bawling at the mere thought.

Then, when I was probably six or seven, I watched this programme about plane crashes, which was quite gruesome for a little girl. Unfortunately, we had a flight the following week and the fear of crashing kept flooding my thoughts. I didn’t leave my mother’s hand throughout the flight.

In retrospect, it was quite silly of me and when I told my father about it, he laughed and said that plane crashes were freak incidents and relatively rare, especially when compared to accidents on land or at sea. I realized this myself and am no longer afraid of aeroplane rides.

Waiting Room Blockbuster

Riddhi Singhania, Class X D

It was dark when we got down from the train. The place was totally strange to us. Gopi, who had promised to be at the station, was nowhere in sight. The empty platform seemed to go endlessly in either direction and there was no sign of life, except for us, a bunch of mortals, standing sheepishly, waiting for their travel manager, Gopi.

The Shahpur Railway Station had a reputation as the least crowded station of all, yet our hopes were raised, as our eyes lingered upon an old sign board which read ‘Waiting Room’.

Immediately, I took the lead, sure enough to find a good place to sleep, unaware of how the situation would develop. ‘Meow!’ came that ominous voice of a cat from nowhere. The sudden rustling of leaves sent chills down my spine. Step-by-step, walking steadily, we reached the waiting room to find that empty too! I pushed the door open. Creak….. That reminded me of those haunted houses we talk about in stories.

‘Aaaaa….!’ A loud shriek came from inside the room. ‘I told you, don’t wear your purple shirt today. Now see, bad luck won’t spare us tonight!’ my superstitious aunt scolded my uncle. Suddenly, hurrying footsteps filled the whole room and a howling split my ears. Surely, there was someone in the room. ‘I won’t leave you… I am hungry,’ came the whistling voice of a witch!

‘Run!’ I finally shouted, but then I froze with my hands up in the air, my mouth wide open, and the lights switched on. a tall shadow came from behind the chairs, disclosing a weedy man with a laptop in his hands mumbling under his breath, ‘Sorry …. Fell asleep while watching a film…’ and we, dumbfounded, could say nothing but, ‘Gopi, you…..!’

Can You Listen?

Advika Singh Chauhan, Class X F

It was my summer vacation. I was staying with my grandparents in the village. One day, I woke up very early in the morning because of the cock’s alarming sound. I decided to go for a morning walk and then practise football.

I washed my face and got ready. The sun hadn’t risen yet. So, it was still dark. I plugged in my earphones and started walking through the cornfields. Suddenly, I saw someone waving at me and then moving towards me. It was a small boy, I think he must be seven or eight years old. He asked me what I had in my ears. I answered, ‘I’m listening to some music. Do you want to try?’

He nodded with a curious expression. I gave him my earphones and helped him put them on. When I pressed the play button, the boy’s body shook and he immediately took the earphones off.

I asked him about his spontaneous reaction. He replied, ‘This is so loud!’

I laughed and said, ‘I enjoy loud music. There is nothing better than feeling that I get while listening to it.’

He told me that he wanted to show me something. I agreed and we started walking. He took me near a lake. The scenery was very soothing and beautiful. He said, ‘Listen to the birds chirping, the sound of the cowbell as the calves feed themselves, the sound of the ripples when the wind blows the surface!’

I truly was amazed when I heard those sounds. I felt peace in my heart. He asked me whether it was better than my music. I smiled softly and agreed. We sat together and watched the sunrise.

I learnt an important lesson that day. Nature has the best offerings for everyone, but not everyone can receive it. I miss those days as I can’t listen to all those magical sounds here in Mumbai.

The Forest

Nandini Shroff, Class X F

It was my summer vacation. I was staying with my grandparents in the village. One day, I woke up very early in the morning, before the sky had lit up and the stars were still there. I don’t really wake up this early but today was special because today I was asked to do so by someone. I walked out of the house towards the forest to the East. The trees looked magical under the soft light of the now brightening sky. It looked serene, as if time had stopped for them. I walked to the lake which sparkled as the water splashed and I sat down under a tree nearby.

I waited for him and looked at my watch to check the time. He wasn’t late by a single second. I watched him as he majestically moved towards me. His eyes as blue as the lake in front of me and sparkling like the fading stars above. He had the brightest white coat with the softest fur I had ever caressed. His horn twisted elegantly over his forehead, adding to his beauty.

He came down and sat next to me without whispering a word. I had met him a few days ago right at this spot and had been shocked into stillness when I saw him and heard him speak not through his mouth but through his mind. I mean, who knew unicorns existed or could actually break through people’s mental shields?

After the initial shock, and a whole lot of strength not to scream and run for the hills, he managed to calm me down. He told me about his life and his origin which I cannot repeat since I swore not to. Why he chose me, you ask? Well, I don’t know and he still refuses to tell me. Today, he listened to my stories and seems to enjoy them. Before I could leave, he told me not to speak of him ever again. It was my last day there after all. Even after so many years, I still remember his last words – ‘You have a life of greatness ahead, don’t let it go in vain.’

The Girl in the Mirror

Anushka Gupta, Class X F

It was my summer vacation. I was staying with my grandparents in the village. One day, I woke up very early in the morning to a noise of something being hit against the wall of my room. I first tried to ignore the sound and go back to my beautiful sleep, but the noise kept getting louder.

Irritated, I huffed and went to the balcony to see what it was all about. It was a windy day and I realized that the sound was caused by an unlatched door that was opening and closing violently due to the wind.

How come I’d never noticed this door before? I thought as I started walking towards it. once I went over, I saw that the door opened to a room which was completely dark. Curiosity consumed me as I went in and switched on the small lamp kept near the entrance.

In the centre of the room was something like a portrait. It was very large and was draped with a thick black cloth. I slightly lifted it to see what it was. It was not a painting. It was a mirror. It was all the more odd because my grandparents, for some strange reason that they never told me, didn’t have a single mirror in the house. Both my grandparents claimed to detest mirrors, which was again very peculiar as they both were blind.

I tugged at the black cloth. It fell to reveal a large mirror with a beautiful copper border with intricate designs. I found myself staring at my reflection. My face was lit up by the faint glow of the lamp.

I stood there for a minute, staring at my reflection. Something about it was so uncanny that I felt a chill run through my spine. Then I realized that the reflection possessed eyes that were a shade darker than mine, and there was a sly smile, almost imperceptible, on its face. I was certain that it was not mine. I definitely wasn’t smiling.

Then, before I could move, the reflection shot out her hand from the mirror and its chilly fingers grabbed my arm and pulled me inside.

‘Well, well, well…. Look who we have here. Aren’t you that old witch’s granddaughter? Hmm… it’s been a while. That woman was one stubborn witch. Now, let me ask you a question, thrice. Do you want to go back?’

I nodded fervently, too afraid to let words spill out of my mouth.

‘Well, for that, you’ll have to give me your eyes. Only then will I set you free. Else, you will be stuck in this mirror forever.’ She smiled as she saw my eyes widen.

‘No, you can’t do that.’ I stammered.

‘I ask you the second time’, she said, ‘give me your eyes.’

No! I shook my head.

‘Okay, last time. Give me your eyes.’

‘You can’t do this to me!’ I screamed, ‘Help!’

She smiled as she slid out of the mirror into the normal world.

‘Have fun, reflection,’ she winked at me and I felt my eye winked too. She dropped the black cloth over the mirror and everything around me went pitch black.

My grandmother’s words echoed in my ears as I felt my tears stream down my face. ‘When freedom is at stake, go blind to get it back.’ I now realized what she meant and continued to weep. Forever….