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2013House Magazine of Reserve Bank of India Officers Quarters, BKC

Residents Welfare AssociationReserve Bank of IndiaOfficers Quarters

Bandra-Kurla Complex, Bandra (E), Mumbai 400 051


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Number : 8February 15, 2013

EditorDr. Dipika Das

Co-EditorMr. Deepak Mathur

Technical AssistanceMs. Sonal Parab

Ms. Prerana Katkar

Cover pageDr. Dipika Das

PublisherResidents Welfare Association

Reserve Bank of India Officers QuartersBandra-Kurla Complex, Bandra (East),

Mumbai 400 051


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From the Editor

Its my pleasure to bring out the eighth volume of ABRACADABRA,

the House magazine ofReserve Bank of India Officers Quarters, BKC on the

auspicious occasion of Saraswati Puja -

the goddess of knowledge, music, art

and culture.

While the entire nation awaits justice for

the brutal assault and murder of a

helpless 23 year old girl in Delhi, and

given the fact that Human Development

Index in terms of gender equality isamong the worst in our country, I felt

that the role of women may be enhanced in all the activities of our society. In

view of this, I have introduced a new section Woman in our house magazine

ABRACADABRA where health, recipes and other areas for women are

covered. In the Woman section of the magazine readers can get health tips,

recipes of delicious foods and more.

The pages of this years magazine take the readers through a number ofstories, travel experiences, poems, paintings and more which are original

contributions, mostly from the little angels of our colony.

I thank Dr. A.S. Ramasastri, CGM-in-Charge DIT for his special

contribution for the magazine, who visited our colony as a chief guest on the

Republic Day 2013. I would also like to sincerely thank his wife Dr. Gayatri

Devi,having more than 24 years of experience as an Ayurvedic consultant, whohas contributed for the Healthsection within a very short notice.

Finally, I thank all the contributors especially, the children of our colony who

came forward in spite of their busy school schedule. Happy reading!

-Dipika Das

Kav a Ha ra


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CONTENTS

A Memorable Day at BKC Colony Dr. A.S. Ramasastri 7

Short Stories and PoemsStory Writing Competition

First : Std III V Group Neeraja Das 9First : Std VI VIII Group Suchetana Mitra 11

My Journey with Keiro Smaer Saggar 13

Invisible Me Aarushi Roy 16

Our Experience in a Haunted house Anisha Nandi 18

Its Better to be Friends Shreya Sankar 20

The Nature Neeraja Das 20

The New Year Dr. Dipika Das 21DrawingsEntries from Colouring / drawing

Competition

27

Other Drawings of our Children of BKC

Colony

29

TraveloguesThe Malvan Diary Ragamya Shekhawat 30

Bhu Swarg Kashmir Rajat Mathur 33

My Road Trip to Goa Manavadiyta Rajesh 35

WomanHealth

Hair Care -Ayurveda Dr. Gayatri Devi 37

Parenting

How to be a good Mother - 8 Steps 39

CookeryDelicious Recipes Mrs. Arti Mathur 40

Bengali CuisineRosgulla and Fish Fry Dr. Dipika Das 41

Major Activities in Our Colony 43Science Fiction Vacation in Space Sarthak Kanyal 45


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A Memorable Day at BKC ColonyDr. A.S. Ramasastri

ABRACADABRA is the word used by

magicians. They do wonderful tricks andproduce great experience to the viewers

through magic. Sometimes we find magic

happening in front of us without ever seeing

the magician. Of course the world is the

result of the Greatest Magician, invisible

always.

Jan 26, 2013 was a day of magic in my life. I

was invited to be the chief guest of the

Republic Day function at the BKC colony of

RBI. I had a commitment at Hyderabad but

I could not say NO to the invitation as it is

associated with two important aspects of life.

First and foremost is the national pride and

honour. The second, equally important

aspect, is to be with RBI families.In this connection, I remember an earlier

incident in my life. I studied in a relatively

less known school in Chennai. The reason

why my parents admitted me into that

school is because it had Telugu a language

to offer. As Telugu speaking parents, they

did not want their children to miss learning

the language. I developed a great degree ofinterest in the language, thanks to my Telugu

teacher in my tenth and eleventh standards.

I owe a great deal to him for my literary

pursuit in Telugu in my later years.

The Telugu teacher later became the

principal of the school. In the year 1998,

when I was working as a faculty member in

Reserve Bank Staff College, he invited me tobe the chief guest for Republic Day function

in the school. What a feeling it was! To go to

the school where I studied, as chief guest, to

hoist the national flag and to talk to the

students. I was a student for eleven years in

that school and saw eleven such functions.

The twelfth one in the school was different.

I had the pleasure and privilege to be the

chief guest.

The scene where the principal, who was my

erstwhile teacher, walking up to me to

receive me as chief guest was unbearable.

For me a teacher is always a teacher, the


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most respectable person in my life. And

particularly so with this Telugu teacher who

instilled interest in Telugu literature in me

during my early days. The day was

memorable in my life.

2013 was a repeat of 1998. I worked in the

RBI office of BKC for several years. I went

to the colony on a few occasions to meet

friends and colleagues. I never had an

inkling that I would go to the colony to

participate in the Republic Day function as

chief guest. What an experience it was!

It was so nice to see a well organizedfunction. The best part of the function was

the show of talent by children. Children,

with all their innocence, are the fountains of

joy. Whatever they do, it is a great pleasure

to watch. I thoroughly enjoyed the day. I was

amazed the way an introduction was read

about me by one of the young girls, whose

first birthday I attended just a few years

back.

It was a fulfilling day in my life, filled with

flags, dances, songs and finally great food.

I wish the residents of the colony many such

wonderful events. I am happy to express my

thanks to all residents for giving me a

wonderful day through their house journal,ABRACADABRA.


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Story writing competition

Topic: My funniest Dream

Neeraja Das, Std-III: First - Std III to V GroupMy funniest dream was when I dreamed that

I was a frog jumping all around. I would

splash water on whoever I would see and

would make fun of them. They would reply

How silly you are, jumping all around

and splashing water on others and making

fun of them? And saying this they would

laugh and giggle. And we all would laugh. I

had a friend the tortoise and his sister.

Whenever I would get sad, they would make

me laugh. One day I met a fairy and the

fairy said - I can fulfil three of your wishes.

I asked for three wishes which were:

i) I should become a swan

ii) I wanted that I can be a talking swan

iii) I wanted that my neck would become as

long as of a giraffe

The fairy fulfilled all my wishes.

First, I went to the tall coconut trees and ate

the coconuts and invited my friends - turtle

and tortoise and gave them some coconuts.

After that, I was feeling very hot, so I went to

the nearby pool and swam there. There I

met a crocodile and he said - How foolish

you are that you are swimming in a pool

instead of flying in the cool air!

Hearing this I went to fly in the cool air.

There my long neck got stuck in the clouds.

I tried again and again but I couldnt get out

of that clouds. Then a balloon came and

stuck into my neck which made me fly in the

air, like a heavy hot air balloon.

After that, I came to a nearby village wheresome kids were playing cricket. They saw

me and (I forgot to tell you that I had golden

feathers) they threw the cricket ball at me

and it hit my golden feathers.

I got very angry and screamed at them - Are

you crazy? Cant you see that my beautiful

golden feathers are getting spoilt!

They were amazed and because they had

never seen a golden feathered talking swan,

they started making fun of me.

On the other side, my friends turtle and

tortoise were carelessly eating some fresh

and ripe peaches and plums. I was getting

frustrated with this kind of life but was still

excited to know what would happen next.

I got tired and went to a nearby farm to take

rest for some time in the horses stable.

When I woke up, I found that I was in a

cage in a girls hand. I got frightened and

began to shout - Please help me,


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somebody, anybody! However, I was in a

cage. I looked outside the window and saw

that it was raining outside. I was sad that I

could not go out of the girls house because

of two reasons- it was raining outside and I

was inside a cage which was locked.

I looked out carefully and I saw that my

friend turtle and tortoise were having fun in

the rain. I thought- how careless friends are

they!

I tried to shout to them for help but the

sound was not reaching them. Mildly

somehow, they heard my voice but, sadly,

the girl also heard it. I heard her footsteps

and quickly pretended to eat the food she

had given. She came inside the room, but

did not notice that the voice came from me.

I soon fell asleep.

When I woke up, I saw that I was with my

friends - turtle and tortoise. Soon when we

were playing in the rain, I saw the fairy again.

I asked - I am getting bored with the kind of

life and she made me frog again. I woke up

from my deep sleep when I heard my

mothers voice and found that I was just

dreaming.


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Topic: How I saved the plane from getting hijacked

Suchetana Mitra, Std VI: First - Std VI to VII Group

25th February is our flight to Kolkata.

Mother said. That is a month away, I

scowled. Before going to Kolkata, I had my

final exam taking place. Mother said that I

must get full marks in every subject so that I

could get praise from everyone and a

surprise from her too. Every time mother

promises me about a surprise gift, if I get

full marks, teacher gives such a tough paper,

that my head becomes an empty nutshell!

I am a vivid and voracious reader. I have

read detective stories like Nancy Drew,

Sherlock Holmes etc. In these stories the

detective solves a difficult mystery and

becomes a hero.

I have finally given up my hope of getting

full marks in exam, because that is nowpractically impossible. How about solving a

difficult problem like these people! Well

you must be thinking that what kind of

moron I am, thinking of being a detective is

a childs play! Well, I gave it a try anyway.

Mom, I am going out, I said. Only if you

have finished your homework, she replied

and gave me a lecture on how important it isto do well in studies. I guessed informing

her was a blunder.

The next Sunday afternoon it rained

heavily. I sneaked out with my raincoat and

my dog fluffy. Thankfully, she didnt bark

too much. I called two of my friends

Aarushi and Anisha and told them my idea.

They both laughed but finally agreed, It is

certainly worth a try, they said.

Sometime later, I found them both near

the banyan tree (our meeting place), few

yards from our building.

So how do we start, Anisha asked while

Aarushi was playing with Fluffy.

Well, I said trying to sound like a leader,

We are not professional detectives that

mysteries will walk into us, we have to

explore mysteries.

Just explore the place while hiding I

mean, dont walk out into open. All right

leader.

Fluffy no barking. I said, she seemed to

understand which was satisfying.

The three of us, sorry, the four of us (how

could I ignore Fluffy!) crept behind the

bushes to do some sleuthing.

Robert, you sure, no one around? asked a

gruffly whisper.

No one is sight till now, Boss, a meeker

voice said.


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Four pairs of eyes watched intently from

behind the bushes.

Good!, said the boss, Discussed the

highjackplan with the rest of the crew?

Yes Sir.

Tell them the changes which I am making

now

From behind the bushes we caught the

glimpse of the boss. A fat dark skin brute

with black clothes which didnt fit him (he

was adjusting his clothes frequently.) He waswearing a black hat and black sunglasses,

practically looking just like a villain would

look. His companion was also looking just

like him with a slightly lighten skin and

thinner body.

The flight of the 25th February to Kolkata

will be hijacked, the boss continued.

What!, I almost screamed out. That is the

plane, I am going to board! If Anisha had

not clamped a hand over my mouth, I

would have practically shouted.

The boss kept discussing the plan and I

took in every word as in how to catch up

with the plan and hijack it.

When they finally left, I burst out my

shocking discovery.

Thats terrible! my friend said.

I had forgotten about Fluffy before she let

out a soft bark.

On the day of the flight I was troubled a lot!

My mother enquired but in vain.

I need to have an urgent talk with the pilot

I told myself.

I told him everything and he was

dumbstruck. What! He said and told that

he will take another route.

Oh I forgot to tell you that they were

supposed to come in a helicopter.

From far away we could spot those people!

James, you have failed again!

This girl has overheard your whole plan

I just saw the boss give Robert a bump on

the head. We caught the villain and they

were put in the planes junk side.

I anyway got a lot of praise and the surprise

Nancy Drew and the Moss Covered

Mansion (though I know that worth

something more like an iPad!)

So this the way I got what I could get by

getting full marks.

I am so happy


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My Journey with KeiroSmaer Saggar, Std VI

My journey with Keiro began a few weeks

ago on December 15, 2012. I was returning

to Mumbai after attending a wedding in

Pune. Just at the start of the expressway we

stopped at a Honda car showroom to see the

colour of our new car. My mother and father

got engrossed, while my driver and I started

playing with a tennis ball. Initially, we were

trying to play on the either side of the road

but the dust and noise by the passing cars

made that difficult. We retreated to a safer

narrow street, but our ball went in a bush. As

I tried retrieving, the spectacle of six cute

hiding puppies greeted me! They were so

cute that I wanted to take all six of them with

me. One of them came near me. As I bent, it

tickled up my arms and started licking me. I

was on the seventh heaven. I cuddled him. I

wanted a puppy at my home and was aftermy parents. Now I wanted him desperately.

He was of light brown color. I thought he was

the cutest and the bravest among the six.

After my mother and father came outside the

showroom, they found me playing with a

puppy. I requested and begged them to take

him home. My mom refused at first. She

informed that she had planned to get a

Labrador on my birthday and asked me to be

patient. She enquired in the neighborhood

and locals urged us to take the puppy with us

saying that her mom wont miss as she has

loads that cant be taken care. I added that if

everyone wants a good breed, then what

would street dogs do? This was a clincher

with my mom and my father who never was

in favor of a dog at home melted when I

handed over the puppy to him. So a family

member was added as we resumed our car

journey.

We were happy and tensed at the same time

It was getting dark and we knew nothing

about handling dogs. My parents madefrantic calls to NGOs and vets who assured

that was safe to adopt a stray puppy. On our

first visit to a vet, we came to know that he

was a male dog. We were thrilled when the

vet opined that he was not a usual stray dog

but instead was a crossbreed. However, he

was smelly and scratchy. In our first few days

my mom sponged him, put an anti flea and

tick powder on him. Meanwhile, my sister

arrived from her hostel in BITS Pilani. To

her delight and my chagrin, my mom gave

her the right to decide the puppys name. She

took no time in naming him KEIRO, as if he

was her Japanese boy-friend. She explained

that she had named the dog after the

Japanese cartoon she used to see when she

was my age.

Our daily life changed. Me and my sister

woke up early at six in the morning to take

Keiro to the terrace. He would chase us in

round and rounds as we dodged. My dad


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started running with Keiro and patted him for

his sprints. First few days my mom was

scared to touch Keiro. Every time he neared

her, she would let out a scream and run away.

It was lot of fun. Sometimes I would lift

Keiro and quietly place him right behind

mom to make fun of her. We went to our

hometown, but my father stayed back to take

care of Keiro. My mother missed him dearly

and on return started loving him more than

us. Her fears waned. It was a small newly

born baby to her. Keiro bonded with my

family as I can never describe. He seamlessly

became one of us. He would lick endlesslywhenever I returned from our school or our

parents from office.

My friends were equally keen to play with

him. But his vaccinations had just begun and

had a long schedule of two months. So he

was not allowed to mix freely with others.

Nevertheless, it was a sight when in morning

my neighbours fed dozens of crows with

cooked rice, while we fed Keiro with his milk

and cerelac on the same terrace in close

proximity. He had no liking for the dog food

and wanted the human baby food and even

to eat with us or with crows. There is place

for everyone to coexist, live and let live, I

thought! Days went by the same way. I went

to school, my sister went holidaying toremote villages with an NGO. Only my

father remained active to help Keiro with his

terrace outings. Then one day I left Keiro

and went overnight at my friends place. The

next day I went to Essel World and Water

Kingdom with my friend. I forgot about

Keiro, but he and me had tears in our eyes

when I returned. Keiro was very active on

that evening of January 5, 2013. I was looking

forward to the next day to celebrate my

birthday with my friends. We could not get

Keiros second vaccination done because the

vet told us he was still not 45 days. So mom

decided that Keiro would have to be locked

inside and not join my party. This subdued

my enthusiasm for the next day.

That night we woke up from the noise of

Keiro. This was not unusual. Mom said he

wants to pee, so I put Keiro in the washroom

and closed the door. He continued to wail

somewhat unusually. I opened it after five

minutes. I lifted him but we noticed that

Keiro was limping. He could neither stand

nor walk straight. My mom scolded me for

having hurt him while closing the washroom

door. By the morning Keiro started behaving

strangely, circling with wobbly gait. Keiro

vomited four times. Meanwhile, my cake

arrived at my home. My friends also arrived

but my parents left home for the vet. My

father was told that Keiro was not hurt in leg

by door closing but by some disease. He

should be hospitalized as quickly as possible

as he may not survive. My father held back

this news till after I had cut my cake, butbroke down thereafter. My parents rushed to

the SPCA Dinshaw Animal Hospital and

admitted him there. They confirmed that our

puppy was suffering from a dreaded viral

disease called canine distemper. It is a


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highly contagious viral amongst canines but

does not transmit to humans. Keiro may have

caught infection before we lifted him or later

because his vaccination was still incomplete.

We were told Keiros survival chances are no

more than 2 per cent given the deterioration

that has already occurred. Furthermore, the

progression of disease cannot be reversed

and there is no real treatment. Keiros parts

were already paralysed and brain was

damaged. Our lives went topsy turvy.

My mother was inconsolable. My sister

rushed back and went straight from train to

hospital all by herself. A week long struggle

ensued as we visited Keiros daily morning

and late evening. Our vet Pooja, a true

animal lover, also visited him twice daily. She

spent her own time and money. It was a pain

for all of us to see him confined to an

isolated cell. He suffered pain and the

dedicated vets and medication could do little

to help. We played as much with Keiro as

possible during our visits. He seemed to

improve initially, but a week down the line

the highly qualified vets of the hospital told

us that he is as good as no more. We had to

confront with reality. Our vet had confirmed

the same. My dad was in hospital on January

12, 2013 when Keiro breathed his last in his

lap. My mom could not bear to see him and

was in trauma. My father and Rawat uncle

cremated him on a pier in the hospital and

our journey with Keiro ended. Ourmemories have not. While there cannot be

another Keiro to take his place, most in our

colony are now taking care of the several

small street puppies that abound our

neighbourhood. May his soul rest in peace

Amen!!...


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Invisible meAarushi Roy, Std VI

On Sunday mornings, my mom usually

wakes me up by eight oclock. But today, no

one interrupted me till nine (for a change!). I

was surprised. I thought for a while. Had my

parents gone out? I dont think so. Were

they hiding, waiting to jump on me? I crept

out of my bed, half afraid that they might

pounce on me. But, from the keyhole of my

bedroom door all I could see was my parents

and my brother having breakfast at the dining

table.

I was confused, why didnt they come and

wake me up? As I went towards the hall, I

was expecting my mother to start scolding me

for getting up so late. But no one even

looked at me! As I sat next to them, I heard

the conversation was about me. They said

that my uncle (who is a scientist) had brought

some vanishing liquid. Accidently, he spilled

it and a few drops of that had landed in my

drink. I was puzzled because my drink tasted

the same. Nevertheless, I went to see myself

in the mirror. I looked into the mirror and I

saw.....nothing! I was terrified at first. Then I

decided to take an advantage of it. I strolled

into the hall again. I sat down on a chair,

picked up a sausage from my brothers dishand started munching on it! My brother was

staring at the flying sausage. First there was a

full sausage, then a half and then nothing!

Then I reached for another but my brother

was ready for it. As soon as I picked up a

sausage he screamed, Mamma...look, flying

sausage. My parents, who were arguing on

whose fault it was, looked up in surprise

They really thought it was a flying sausage! I

slipped away quietly from the room and went

outside to play. As I was skipping towards the

lift, I saw my friend Hansini coming out of

her house as well. She had a basketball and

was dribbling it while waiting for the lift

Suddenly, I thought of playing a prank on

her. I took the ball from her and he stoodstunned for a moment and then smiled. I

knew she was surprised because she had

never seen a ball dribble on its own, but I

know she took it as a challenge. She neatly

took the ball from me and tried to dodge

from everywhere. When the lift came up

finally, I tugged at her hand to let her know

When we reached the ground floor, I tookHansinis hand and stopped her. I found that

I could still talk. So I told Hansini whatever I

knew. She was a good listener. Though she

was astonished at first she believed me. Later

she wanted to play a prank on our colony

bully, Rea. We met her in the basketball

court. She and her side-kicks were bullying

another kid. Hansini came up to the kids

defence and Rea came up and turned on her

Hansini was finally challenged to a game of

basketball. She accepted it immediately. I felt

as if she had a plan and decided to go along

with it. I went up to her and asked in her

ear, What are you doing? She got startled


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at first, and then she grinned and told me that

she needed my help to fool Rea and the

idiots. The start was taken by Hansini and

she had to dribble the ball all the way to the

other side. My job was to tackle the players

one-by-one. I started off with Nina, who waseasy as I only had to trip her. Hansini scored

a hoop! Then came Aarthi who shoelaces I

had tied earlier. She stumbled in such an

amusing way she fell head first, her face in a

mingled mixture of horror and confusion.

Hansini stopped in her tracks to make her

balance while she was laughing. Big mistake!

Rea rammed into her taking the ball. Hansini

recovered and tore after her. Meanwhile, to

cause a distraction, I hurried up to them and

tapped Reas shoulder. It worked! Hansini

took the ball from Rea just when she looked

back and scored a wining hoop. The match

ended as 2-0. Rea and her group looked

really dumps, but they deserved it. Hansini

and I were walking down the footpath on the

lane outside our colony, when she asked me

a question, When do you think you will be

visible again? I mean youre not going to

stay like that forever, are you? Her question

took me by surprise. But if I had to admit, I

was thinking about the same thing. I was

really getting fed up of Hansini looking at

London and talking to Tokyo, (just because

she didnt know where I was standing.) It'sreally weird. I told her may be by evening at

most. She didnt seem to be convinced. So

we decided to ask my parents. When we got

home my parents didnt even know that I was

there until I spoke. They almost jumped out

of their skins. When they got used to it they

said that uncle had prepared a weak solution

so that within an hour or two I am supposedto be visible again. They actually shouted the

sentence, probably thinking that I was

invisible as well as deaf. I was tired of my

parents looking around suspiciously, half

expecting me to appear out of thin air, so I

went into the kitchen. Our cat, Tabby, was

sitting on the kitchen slab, purring

contentedly, when I went up to her and said

Boo. She screeched and leapt up and out

of the room! Well! I didnt mean to scare

her. Later on, while I was stuffing my face

with cookies, my Mom came into the kitchen

and started scolding me for sitting on the slab

and eating cookies straight out of the box. My

Dad hurriedly came into the kitchen, looked

at me and gasped. Yes, looked at me square

in the face for the first time today. I realised

that I am visible again. I was so happy that I

hugged my mother (while she was still busy

scolding me!)

To be honest with you, I would really prefer

being visible rather than invisible. I also

promise to check on what I am drinking

before I take a sip. But my experience was

good, really good!


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Our Experience in a Haunted houseAnisha Nandi, Std VI

Finished!, I screamed out as my paper was

over. Everyone stared at me as if they had

seen me for the first time in their life.Everyone but Anita and Amita, my best

friends concentrated on their paper. My name

is Ananya. My last exam has ended and a long

holiday extends in front of us. Me, Anita and

Amita, have plans to go to the Sundarbans.

On the next day we along with our families

reached the airport at noon. We took our

boarding passes and after around half anhour, the airplane arrived at gate number 9.

We boarded the airplane and after all the

passengers settled down, the plane took off.

After two and half hours, we reached Kolkata.

We took a car to Sundarban. We were

accommodated in a hotel in which we had

planned to stay. Next day early morning, we

went to visit the forest on an open roof jeep.

We sat on a trench and from a safe distance

from the ground; we kept a watch on the royal

Bengal tiger. It came after 15 minutes

quenching its thirst from a river. The tiger saw

us, but it did not feel threatened so it just

ignored us and went deeper into the forest.

Soon we went to a river bank to spot

crocodiles. We were instructed by the guide

to climb the trees to not only have good view

of it but also to be safe from them, because, if

we stand on the ground and spot them, they

might also see us and attack on us. We

spotted a good number of crocodiles and

headed back to the hotel. On the way, we

spotted some other animals and unique birds

We had enjoyed ourselves thoroughly. While

returning we stopped at the road side for awhile in a small tent. We three met an old

lady who had fully covered by cloth. The old

lady said, There is typical magic here; I will

show you three in case you come without

family. Her voice had some influencing

magic. We ignored.

We returned to the hotel and had our

breakfast. During breakfast we three decided

to go to the place where the old lady had

invited us for showing magic. Our parents

were busy chatting. So we started for the place

and planned to return before 12 p.m. We

took all our necessities and we set off.

We reached the place but could not locate the

tent and the old lady. So, we decided to

explore the nearby jungle instead. As we went

deeper and deeper into the forest, it grew

darker and darker. We were getting goose

bumps. Suddenly, I heard some barking

sounds right behind us. It seemed as if wild

dogs were behind us. Without looking

behind, we ran deeper into the forest. We had

no track of where we were heading to. We

suddenly saw a worn out house in front of us.

As we headed towards the house withou

thinking, the dogs stopped chasing us. The

dogs barked and soon they went away. It was

surprising but at least we were relieved as the

dogs disappeared. As we went inside the


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house, the door of the house closed

automatically. When we looked behind, the

door was not to be found and we were inside

a dark house. We went further inside. It was a

spooky house with cob webs and dust all

around. Some bats were flying over our heads

with typical sound. We heard a loud noise

behind us and we started to run but

unfortunately in three different directions.

I ran and ran and ran and ran. I wanted to

stop but my legs seemed to be running on

their own. The corridor was quite long with

right side open and series of rooms at left

side. I heard a loud magical sound and could

see that the floor parted with a dead end. I

came to rapid halt before reaching a dead

end. I saw a rope dangling down as if it was

hung down for me. I climbed up the rope and

popped my head through an opening in the

ceiling. I switched on the torch but uh! There

were skulls and bones lying around. I almost

fainted. At that moment I felt somebody is

rescuing me by holding my hand and dragging

towards some direction. But I did not feel to

get up. When I gained strength and got up, it

was an old lady dragging me. She led me on a

table. She gave me food and water. The lady

resembled with the old lady we met at the

tent. So, I thought that she came to rescue and

I started whispering to her the incidents thattook place. Also, I complained why she was

not there at the tent since we went there on

her request to see the magic. After a while, I

asked her many questions but she answered

none. On a sudden she took off her scarf and

it was a skull standing in front of me with a big

smile in its bonny face. I ran out of the hall

with terrified scream. I was running as fast as I

could and collided with someone crying for

help. I discovered my friend Anita. We

hugged and whispered that we did a mistake

of doing this adventure. I said let us find out

Amita first and then we need to do something

to get out of here. I informed her that I met

the old lady who had invited us. It was a skull

Anita said that we might be under the

influence of the magic of the skull and

therefore we came here. There must be

some way out, I thought. I put on the torchand could find out that there was a small

window on the left side. We entered and

luckily found our friend Amita lying

unconscious on the floor. We woke her up.

We shared horrific experiences amongs

ourselves. Anita narrated that the room where

Anita entered there were bloods strains. As

she entered the wash room she saw aDraculla. She ran out of the room with a

scream. Amita went to a kitchen and spotted

bottles of parts of humans, she got terrified

and ran out of the room. Meanwhile, we were

looking all around us. We started to find a

way out of the house. Suddenly, I spotted a

crystal along with a book of spells. Inka

makamasapel inacra lam pel cam hom des ton

thru e habris ton haofbit, we chanted in

unison. In a flash, we were back in the place

where the tent was. We were so happy and

thanked god for saving our lives. We took an

oath that we would never venture in such a

deserted place in future without the


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permission of our parents who would be very

anxious of not finding us in the hotel. We

rushed to the hotel and re united with our

family. We had to answer lot many questions

with manipulated answers.

It's Better to be FriendsShreya Sankar, Std II

The cat, the dog and the rat

were not best of friends,

The dog chased the catThe cat chased the rat.

One day they decided that

enough is enough,

and they sat together

to have a friendly chat.

"Why can't we be friends

and stop this ugly fight,"they said to each other

and so they became friends.

They continued to chase each other

while playing "hide and seek,"

and "catch the thief"

and no longer were they afraid.

They played all the games

under the sun,and found that friendship

was great fun.

The NatureNeeraja Das, Std III

It is the garden full of Tulips and Roses

The children are dancing and

The elders are working.

The plants and the flowers

Make the planet pretty,

The children of the planet

Bringthe planets beauty.

The world is full of our beautiful dreamsAnd, I think that the world is

Made of chocolate creams.

It is like, we are seeing a picture

It is only our beautiful nature.


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The New YearDr. Dipika Das1

Subhendu was an Air Force pilot. He had

died accidentally when the Air Force plane

crashed leaving his wife Shanti and four-

year-old daughter Ishita. When the charred

body of Subhendu was brought home, Ishita

was taken to one of their neighbours house

and not allowed to see her fathers dead

body. She did not know that her father had

died and would never come back.

Subhendu used to come home after a long

time. When coming home, he used to bring

lots of toys for their only daughter Ishita. He

used to go to visit many places with her and

tell many stories to her. Ishita was very fond

of listening to the story ofThakumar Jhuli.

When her father did not come home for a

long time, Ishita asked her mother

Mummy, why is daddy not coming home?

When will he come?

Shanti used to say My darling, your father

is not getting leave. His new boss is very

strict and not sanctioning leave for him.

Ishita used to get a strong resentment

against her fathers boss and say Mummy,

daddys boss is very bad, I will beat him.

Shanti was a teacher in Air Force school on

the military campus. She continued to stay

1This story is published in the January (First) 2013

issue of Womans era.

on the same campus with her daughter after

her husbands death in spite of her parents

frequent request to come and stay with

them at Kolkata. Shantis parents wanted

her daughter to get married again. Butwhenever they asked her to get married, she

used to reply Ishita is very unfortunate to

lose her father at a very young age, I will not

let her lose her mother too. I have seen how

neglected the children are when their

mothers remarry.

It was not an easy task to bring a child up

single handedly. One has to play the role of

both father and mother. The most difficult

part for Shanti was to answer Ishitas query

about her father. Every day Ishhita used to

ask her mother when her father would

come home and every day Shanti used to

tell her the same lie. So far, Shanti did not

tell her daughter that her father had died.

How suddenly, could she tell her that herfather would never come back?

Shanti had never thought that this lie would

make such a serious problem in her

daughters life! Since Ishita was expecting

that her father would come back every day,

she became very depressed when her father

did not turn up. She had stopped playing

with others and almost stopped eating. She

was becoming very ill. The family physician

told Shanti that unless her father was back,

it was very difficult to make Ishita well.

Shanti had started blaming herself for her

daughters condition.


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Whenever, Shanti used to feel very lonely,

she used to visit the social networking site

for single parent -Solo mate. She had made

some friends who were also single parents.

She had one Indian friend Balaji who livedin California, USA with his 10-year-old son

Dev. His wife had died of cancer five years

back.

Since Shanti was feeling very lonely, she

opened the Solo mate site and saw Balaji

online.

Shanti told him that she is very upset sinceIshita was depressed and not keeping well.

She told him how guilty she was feeling

about telling lies continuously to her

daughter that her father would come back

one day!

You must be knowing, how much I have

struggled to bring up Ishita single handedly.

How can I see my daughter in such acondition? The doctor has said that unless

her father is coming back, Ishitas condition

will be deteriorating. I am really feeling

helpless. Dont know what to do. Shanti

said.

Balaji said Since I am also a single parent, I

understand all your feelings. Dont get so

upset! We have to find out some ways to

make her normal. Can I help her?

How? Shanti asked.

You tell her that her father will be coming

to see her during the next Christmas. I am

coming to India during Christmas. I will visit

her as her father.

One more lie? To cover up a lie, how

many lies havewe to tell her? Shanti broke

down.

The immediate need is to make her well.

Is there any other way out? Balaji asked.

But she remembers that her father used to

narrate her Bengali stories from Thakumar

Jhuli. How can you learn Bengali in a short

time?

I will give a try. There is Bengali school

run by Bangladeshis here. I will learn

Bengali before this Christmas.

Balaji had learnt Bengali and used to chat in

Bengali with Shanti to practice it.

Ishita ekhon kemon ache? (How is

Ishita?) he wrote.

She is much better once she has learnt that

her father is coming during Christmas. She

has started taking food. Shanti replied.

***Cring Cring..! On 24th December evening,

the doorbell of Shantis house was ringing.

Ishita ran to open the door. She saw a tall

Santa Claus standing in front of her.

Santa Claus extended his hands towards

Ishita and greeted her, Wish you a Merry

Christmas, my darling! Then he said Can


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I come inside? I have a very special gift for

you!

Then Santa Claus told Ishita, Now I will

give you the very special gift! Now, will you

close your eyes for a few minutes?

Ishita kept her eyes closed.

Balaji removed his Santa attire. He was tall,

dark and quite handsome like Ishitas father

was.

Now open your eyes Balaji said. See,

your father is in front of you!

Ishita opened her eyes and saw her father

in front of her. She had last seen her father

three years back when she was four years

old. She could not remember his face fully.

Balaji took Ishita in his lap and said Ishita,

amar opor khoob rag kore acho? (Ishita, are

you very angry with me?)

Ishita said Yes! Why did you not come to

see me before? I am very angry with you!

Sorry, my child. I did not get leave from

my work. My boss is very bad! He did not

allow me to come home!

Ishita put her tiny hands around Balajis

neck and said, Papa, I love you. I missed

you so much.

Balaji said, I also missed you, my darling!

and gave Ishita many toys a Barbie set,

magic set, Jwellery set, and lots of

chocolates. Ishita was very happy to get all

the toys.

Ishita asked, Tell me papa, you will not

leave me again!

Balaji said, This whole Christmas vacation,

I will be with you, my child. Then, I have to

go back to work. Otherwise, how can I get

money to buy toys for you?

I dont need toys, papa, I need you! Ishita

said.

Also, I have one more child with me to

take care of.

Who is that? Ishita asked.

He is your brother Dev.


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Let him come and stay with us too! Ishita

said.

Balaji visited with Ishita many places with

Ishita. He narrated many Bengali stories

from Thakumar Jhulito Ishita.

***Next day, Balaji brought Dev to Ishitas

house. They became friends in no time.

Both of them used to feel very lonely at

home and were deprived of love from one

parent and had no sibling. Dev used to

spend most of his time in day-care centre orschool. He did not play with friends and

became an introvert. He used to spend

most of his time playing computer games

and watching TV.

Balaji was surprised to see his son playing

and enjoying life with Ishita.

Shanti also felt very happy to see her

daughter jolly and happy after a long time.

Shanti touched Devs head and asked him

Dev? Do you like India?

After a long time Dev got the feeling of a

motherly touch.

He said I hate my home in America. Its

very lonely there!

If you wish, you can come here every day

and play with Ishita Shanti said.

Shanti prepared Devs favorite dish - puri,

halwa and kheer by her own hands.

After seeing the menu, Dev asked Aunty,

how do you know that these are my

favourite dishes?

Shanti replied I am like your mother.

Every mother knows what her son likes.

Dev got very sad and said Ishita is very

lucky to have a mother like you. You must

be preparing Ishitas favourite dish every

day! I dont have my mother.

I am here with you, my child. I will

prepare what you like, Shanti said.

Dev spent the whole day with Ishita and left

Shantis house in the late evening.

Shanti called Balaji and said This

Christmas was my daughters best

Christmas. Ishita was so happy to get her

father back. I cant express my gratefulness

towards you. I dont know how to thank

you!

Shanti, have you noticed how happy our

children were to get their lost parents

back? You must have realized that children

need both the parents - single parenting

cannot fulfill their psychological need.

Do you know? I had always dreamt to

have a daughter like Ishita? Today, while Iacted as her father. I was really feeling very

happy, Balaji said.

Like you, I also wanted to have a son of my

own, Shanti said.


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Cant we become Dev and Ishitas real

father and mother for the rest of their

lives? Balaji asked.

I was always skeptical about second

marriage. But now I realize that Ishita needs

her father. Perhaps, this will help, Shanti

said.

***The old year passed and the New Year

came bringing new hopes, new happiness

and new love in Shanti and Balajis life.

They got married in court and became Devand Ishitas real parents. In the New Year,

both Shanti and Balaji made a New Year

resolution that they would treat Dev and

Ishita equally and would not cause any

misery to anyone.

Where do you want to go for our second

honeymoon? Balaji asked Shanti.

Can we go to Hong Kong? Shanti replied.

Why do you think about Hong Kong?

Balaji asked.

I would like our children to be with us on

our second honeymoon.

As you say, honey! Balaji replied.

They had reserved a room in Hong Kong

with a king-size double bed.

When Ishita and Dev come to know about

the trip to Disneyland, they were very

excited. Ishita had never been to

Disneyland. Although Dev had visited

Disneyland at Los Angeles, he was eager to

visit Honk Kong.

Both children enjoyed all the rides together

in the Disneyland. Balaji took special care

of Ishita and was always holding her hands.

Shanti spent more time with Dev. They all

enjoyed Mickeys parade in Disneyland,

took photographs with Disney characters -

Goophy, Mickey and Minnie and enjoyed

special shows at Adventureland,

Ancientland, Futureland and Fantasyland.

After the Disneyland trip, all were very tired

and wanted to sleep. Both the children

demanded that they be allowed to sleep

beside their mother Shanti. Ishita had

always slept with her mother. And Dev also

insisted on sleeping beside Shanti, enjoying

mothers affection. Finally, Shanti slept in

the middle, with Ishita on one side and Dev

on the other. Although, Balaji got a bit upset

to be apart from Shanti on their second

honeymoon, he felt calm to see that his son

had got his mother back. He realized that

sacrificing personal happiness was nothing

for the sake of childrens happiness.

Next day, they visited the Ocean park in

Hong Kong and enjoyed the roller coaster

ride, balloon ride etc. The park was very

thrilling and adventurous and both the

children enjoyed it very much. They also

visited Victoria Peak, Long Buddha and sea

beaches in Hong Kong before returning

back to India.


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Six months later

Shanti and Ishita left for California. Ishita

got admitted to a school in California and

Shanti remained as a housekeeper to look

after both the children. Since Dev and Ishitadid not get proper care earlier, Shanti

decided not to join work to take proper care

of both the children. Instead of teaching

other children at school, she took the

responsibility to look after the studies of her

own children. While going through their

notebooks, Shanti came across Devs writing

in an essay, Your most memorable day. He

wrote, My most memorable day is the day

I got back my Mummy.

She is the most caring and affectionate

mother in the world. I love her the most.

She had inspired me a lot. I wish everybody

gets a mother like her!... Tears welled up

Shantis eyes while reading the essay.

In English creative writing, Ishita was to

write five lines about My best friend. She

wrote My best friend is my father. He

always plays with me. He tells me stories

from Thakumar Jhuli. He takes me to many

places to see. I love him the most.

Shanti looked up and thanked goodness forgiving her a wonderful family back!

_____________________________________________________________Drawings of the Children whose father takes care of Security of our Colony

Poonam Tanaji Gade Ravindra Tanaji Gade


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Entries from Colouring / drawing CompetitionNursery

Abantika - First

Std- I&II

Apoorva

Tanvi-Second

Shreya- Second

Pratush Mitra - Third

Kaveri- First

Aditya Roy

Manav- Third


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Std- III-V

Devangi- First

Std- VI-VIII

Sarthak- First

Neeraja- Second Gaurav

Anisha- Second

Gupta

Suchetana- Third Arushi- Second


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Other Drawings of our ChildrenNeeraja- Std III Kaveri- Std-II

Abanita- Nursery

Anisha- Std VI

Apoorva- Std-I

Shreya- Std-II


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The Malvan Diary

Ragamya Shekhawat, Std - VII

December 15, 2012 - It was just anotherFriday night, the same type of night that we

can call A Family Night. Sid and I am

watching the film Hugo, Dad and Mom

are surfing on the net looking for a nice and

quiet place, where there is no rush or the

type of crowd found in Goa. After a bit of

search, they have zeroed in on Malvan,

Tarkarli in Maharashtra.

December 21, 2012 - Today had been anexciting day at school as we had the eventPanache, which has a number of activities

and we are asked to choose any two to

three. I had taken Ad Mad and Cook It

Up and though there were prizes, I was not

so lucky. When I told my friends of my

Christmas vacation plans to go to Malvan,

they seemed quite interested in the place

but none of them had been there.

December 22, 2012 - There is one moreweek for our vacation to end and days seem

too long. Its the same old Monday - wake

up, brush your teeth, eat, go tuition return

and then watch T.V. and sleep and then the

next day. It seemed that this week wouldnt

end.

December 24, 2012 - I just saw mompacking clothes and I asked her why; she

said we are leaving for Malvan on 25

December a long trip by car!!! For her it

meant packing, packing and packing but for

Sid and I, it means super-exciting vacation is

about to start. Dad has come early from

office to help Sid and me to buy snorkelling

equipment. Its a bit expensive and we

decided that it may be better to hire one at

Malvan. In any case, Sid was not too excited

with the idea of swimming in sea water.

Tonight I will not be able to sleep because

of the excitement of the trip that would

begin tomorrow but dad said we need to

catch some sleep for the long journey in car.

December 25, 2012- Ahhh, it seems that Iam car sick. We have started the journey at6a.m. now it is around 1 p.m. and still not

half way!!! We have decided to stop at a

hotel for lunch but I have no idea when we

will reach there. Ahhh at last, we have found

a nice place to eat. They have limited menu

and I have opted for dosa, Sid has opted for

his usual pav bhaji and Mom and Dad are

still scanning the menu. After the quick

break, we hit the road again.

Its 7:00 pm and we have reached Malvan

but arent able to find the hotel. I thought

that we will reach by 10 p.m. but then using

the GPS we found it by 8 pm. We are so

tired that we cant even walk. But Dad is

forcing us to go and have a walk on the

beach which is just besides the hotel. The

waves are sounding like the roar of a lion

and we are all thinking that the sea will run

after us and drench us. Sid is so sacred that

he is about to cry but Mum has finally

convinced him to come closer to the sea.


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We order some typical malvani food and

then hit the pillow to sleep like babies.

December 26, 2012 We had been wokenup by a rooster who was crowing so loudly

Aaaahhh!!!!! We went to the beach to have

a morning swim. The water was so cleanthat we could even see the sand and shells.

We had swum so much that we were very

hungry. We changed our clothes and had

bread, milk and omelette for breakfast. Dad

said we are going to the Sindhudurg Fort

built by Chhatrapati Shivaji. This fort was

the first fort built in sea. Shivaji had done so

much hard work that the fort is worth seeingand the guide explained the history. It was

amazing. After seeing the fort we went to a

restaurant and had our lunch and guess

what . It was delicious Malvani fish and

prawns again. After that we went to the

village for a walk and then again went for

swimming till it was dark. What a day! But

there is another day waiting for us.

December 27, 2012 -We were again wokenup by The Mr Rooster. After some talk with

the hotel owner, we were off to the jetty

from where we were to go for scuba diving.

We shared a boat with an uncle and aunty.

Dad and I went for snorkelling; they told us

some signs which we can use under water.

Dad and the uncle went first. Dad did not

come up for a long time but that uncle didcome up like 20 times. Then it was my turn

first I practiced and just took a deep breath

and went in with the guide. I got scared first

time but then it was awesome to swimming

with the fishes. There were colourful corals

and many underwater plants too. After

about 20 minutes under water, we went

back to the boat and went to the jetty.

We then decided to go the Devbaug for

water sports. On our way to Devbaug, we

met some people on wayside, whoorganized water sport and we selected one

of the packages. They gave us a motor boat

that first took us to the crocodile point

where a rock looks like a mouth of a

crocodile. Then to a beach and the

lighthouse, after which we went to the

Tsunami Island for the sports.

I first opted for the jet ski and whooooooo.

It was an incredible speed and then Sid

went for it too. Next was Sids water scooter.

Not too fast but he managed to do some

small stunts like making it jump out of

water. And then Dad, Sid and I go onto a

bumper ride and as expected it was

bumpy!! We walked around the island and

had some snacks and coconut water.


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Walking on beach we saw hundreds of

crabs and I was basically horrified!

We left the island to return to the beach at

Devbaug. On the way back, Dad suddenly

stopped the car. We all got out to see why

and saw him gazing at a hut in a smallschool. They had decorated it for Christmas

with baby Jesus with mother Mary, wise

men, the sheep and shepherds. Then we

moved back on the road, when the boatman

met us again. He took us to his Bhabhis

restaurant on the beach. It was a very

frustrated place and the food was average.

We walked on the beach next to therestaurant. We were like a star fish saver we

had saved seven star fish which were lying

on the shore. After that went back to the

hotel and went for swimming on the beach.

Then more Malvani food and hit the bed.

December 28, 2012 It was the friendlyrooster again in the morning (I wanted to

ask for Chicken for lunch!). We changed

and went down for the Dolphin Safari. We

waited for a long time but there was not a

single dolphin but then all of a sudden, 10

dolphins jumped out together, what a sight!

We chased the dolphins for over an hour

and saw many more. Then we came back,

kept our bags in the car and left for Pune.

We had travelled a lot before we reached

Kholapur, where we had lunch and visited atemple.

After that we were travelling non-stop. I was

feeling too hot and then Dad asked

someone and they told that there was

waterfall nearby. So we went and bathed in

the waterfall and got refreshed. It was like

10 p.m. when we reached Pune. It took us

about an hour for getting in and go to sleep.

December 29, 2012 Today we are stillsuper tiered, after a boring bath in thebathroom, we went down for breakfast and

there we found one of my friends who lived

with us in Ahmedabad. Dad and mom

chatted and we also had a little chit-chat.

After a hearty morning breakfast, we went to

the Kayani Bakery - one of Punes best

bakery, from there we bought some cakes,

cream roll and bread. Then we went to theAga Khan Palace, the place where Gandhiji

was imprisoned. There are the things which

he used and some newspaper. Then we

again hit the road for Mumbai. On the way

our ear drums were drumming because of

change in air pressure as we descended

from the mountains. It was evening by the

time we came back home. It was a real

holiday!


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Bhu Swarg KashmirRajat Mathur

The mere thought of going to a hill station

with family, makes one so excited and that too

Kashmir seems to be the cherry on the cake.

During this summer vacations we went to

Kashmir. Even the air journey was good as

snow capped peaks of the Pir-Panjal range

could be seen from the aircraft. As we reached

Srinagar, we could see mountains and lush

green areas and the scenic beauty was

awesome.

At Srinagar airport we were received by

Kesari Operators. From the airport we

were taken to a houseboat in the Nigeen Lake.

Shikara ride to the houseboat made us feellike royal as they were decorated profusely

and the surroundings were very beautiful.

The view from the houseboat was magnificent.

The boat had well furnished common rooms,

lake facing balcony and deck. The rooms were

nicely decorated and had a lot of woodwork

Even after such a long journey, we were still

energetic and stress free due to the excellent

weather. Next day we headed to Sonmarg and

saw the last village in the Kashmir valley-that is

before entering the Laddakh valley and also

the starting point of the Amarnath Yatra. There

we encountered some breathtaking views of the

Indus valley with some small glaciers still

surviving the mild summer of Kashmir

The day after we moved our base to Pahalgam,

some 200 kms from Srinagar, passing by the

ruins of the 1St Century Avantipur temple. The

Lidder river which flows through the heart of

Pahalgam is a joy to see and to relax. The

crystal clear water and high currents of the

water is a delight to see. We had our cottage

by the riverside and a huge garden attached to

the cottage. Mall Road is a shoppers paradise


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especially for people looking for woollens and

thats what kept my parents busy that day.

Next morning we headed to Aru valley and

Chandanwari some 17 kms. from our hotel .

The Aru valley are lush green slopes of thelesser Himalyas. The road trip was quite

picturesque but has some really deadly curves

on the narrow road. Countless coniferous tree

cover, fast currents of the Lidder river, rocks

and pebbles on the banks, mountains touching

clouds gave everyone a breath-holding views.

We later went to Gulmarg to experience some

real snow. We left early for the Gondola

(Cable Car) ride to the highest point in

Gulmarg which is some 4100m above sea level.

The Gulmarg Gondola system is really efficient

and it is The Worlds Highest Cable Car. We

enjoye skiing and sledging in the snow on

reaching the topmost peak of Gulmarg.

The sub zero temperatures and the noon sun

glare combined gave a very harsh weather

experience; but it was worth every penny

We spent only 7 days in Kashmir, but the

memories are to stay forever. It has been

correctly said that if there is paradise on earth,

it is in Kashmir.


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My Road Trip to GoaManavaditya Rajesh2, Std-II

I always wanted to go on a road trip as I used

to see my fathers friends go on road trips.When my father told me that we will go on a

road trip to Goa and would be in Goa on New

Years eve, I was very happy. Then I sat with

my father and checked out the various routes

to Goa. We started packing our bags, mom got

some yummy foods, my grandmother made us

some really good lemonade and by the time it

was Friday evening, I was very excited. Mysister Tanvi, loves to play with sand and so my

father got her a new set of beach toys.

We packed all our stuff in the boot of the car

and started from Mumbai at around 5.00 p.m.

on 28.12.2012. We stopped overnight at Pune.

From there we started early next morning and

took the Mumbai-Bangalore National

Highway, NH-4. We were using google maps.We went through Satara, Kohlapur, Belgaum,

Castle rock and reached Goa. I saw lots of

sugarcane fields on the way. I was asking my

father and writing down the names of all the

places we passed by, in my small notebook.

The drive was fun. We had stopped for

breakfast and lunch on the way and we

reached Goa at around 7.00 p.m. First we went

to Sri Mangesh temple which is at a place

called Ponda, near Goa. It is a very beautiful

temple. We went to our rooms, which was

right next to a beach and freshened up. Tanvi

2Thanks for help fromAmma

wanted to play in the beach. However, as it was

a long day, we had a small walk on the beach,

had our dinner and went to sleep.

Next day morning, both me and Tanvi woke

upAmmaandAchanand all of us went to thebeach with our toys. We did some digging with

our spade, made sand castles and had lots of

fun. Since I love playing in water, afterwards all

of us went and played in water for a long time

After breakfast we went to old Goa to see old

churches. We saw many churches including

Church of St. Francis of Assisi, which has the

body of St. Francis preserved for the last 400

years! I cannot imagine how that was possible.

The next day was the best day for me. We

went to Dona Paula beach, where there are all

kinds of water sports. The minute I saw the jet

ski, I wanted to go on it. I asked my father and

he agreed. First my mother did it, then it was

my turn. They put the lifejacket for me and I

climbed on it. The instructor asked me to holdthe handle tight and relax. We started and as

we went deeper into the water, it was slightly

bumpy. The breeze was hitting my face and we

were zooming. It was real fun


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36

After I came back, Tanvi also started saying

that she wanted to go. Achanallowed her and

go, within minutes Tanvi had put on the life

jacket and she was ready. The instructor, who

was accompanying Tanvi took her for two

rounds and she had real fun. Ammawas a bit

scared for her. In the meantime my father had

gone para sailing. I had seen para sailing on the

television and told Achanthat I too wanted to

go. Achan agreed and we left for parasailing.

They took us in a boat to deep sea. From there

we climbed into a speed boat which had a

parachute and other equipment. Tanvi also

came on the boat with us. There were 4 of usfor doing parasailing on the boat and I was the

first to go. They put on life jacket and sling to

attach the parachute. A instructor also came

with me. After that the boat started going fast

and they started releasing the rope. I was

excited going, but once I left the boat, I was

very scared and kept looking at the boat which

kept getting smaller and smaller. Once I wason top, the uncle with me kept telling me, oh!

look around and then I slowly turned my

head and it was a beautiful view of many boats,

building and water. After spending about 20

minutes, we started to go down and at this

time, I wanted to stay up for some more time,

but I had to land on the boat. This was

definitely the most thrilling moment I have

experienced till now, it was really amazing.

That day evening there was a party and dinner

in the hotel that we were staying, since it was

New Year Eve. We wished everyone Happy

New Yearwhen it was twelve oclock.

The next day we went to see an aquarium,

where was saw many fishes, lobsters, turtles

and Piranha. We also went to a scary house

which was slightly scary for me and Tanvi. In

the afternoon we were taken to see the inside

of a ship. It was a great event. In the evening

we went for a cruise in a ship, where we saw

some dances, danced with other children and

had dinner.

On Wednesday we went to Tarkarli, which is

near Goa. There we stayed at a beautiful resort

next to a beach. As soon as we reached there

we took our toys and ran to the beach to play

There were a few children already playing. We

played in the sand. After some time we started

collecting shells. My father showed me crabs

and we played in water for a long time. There

were people offering camel and elephant rides

The ride was fun. However, the uncle over

there asked me to hold tight while the camel

got up and came down, it was really jerky.

In the night we had dinner at a restaurant

where they made really tasty food. I loved the

prawns there. Early in the morning we went on

a boat ride to see dolphins. We saw lot of

seabirds. They took us to a point where the

river (Karli) meets the sea. When we entered

the sea the ride turned bumpy. After that we

had breakfast and left for Mumbai. We took

the Mumbai-Goa highway, NH-17 via Ratnagir

on the way back. We passed through many

small towns and beautiful beaches and reached

Mumbai at 9 p.m. The road trip was a great

experience. I enjoyed my trip to Goa and

liked parasailing the most.


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Hair Care - AyurvedaDr.Gayatri Devi

IntroductionHair is the bi-product of Asthi dhatu(Bone tissue) according to Ayurveda.

It gets oiliness from Kapha dosha,

softness from pitta and dark colour

from vata.

Nourishment from Rasadhatu.

Healthy Rasa and Asthi dhatus +

balance in Tridoshas healthy hair.

Types of hairVata NaturePitta nature

Kapha nature

Combinations

Vata hairDry- vary from dry to oily in different

spots

Thin

Dark in shade

Coarse, rough in texture

Curly, tangle easily.

Dull, lusterless.

Prone to dandruff and split ends

Pitta HairOily

Thin

Light colored

Straight, fine and do not tangle easilyProne to premature graying and

baldness

Kapha HairOily

Thick and firm

Dark brown or brown-black

Curly

Lustrous

Hair careSystemicnutritious diet to nourish

the rasa and asthi dhatus

Localoiling, nourishing and cleaning

Mind-stress free and peaceful

Exercise

Herbs for hairlocal and systemic use

Exercise-Yoga for Hair careExercise improves-general health,

improves circulation to the scalp.

Yoga all poses with head bending

down improve circulation. Yoga gives

relaxationMind-Stress

Stress is injurious to color of hair.

Minimize time related pressures.

Practice relaxation techniques

meditation, music.

Adequate, good quality sleep helps

the natural process of rejuvenation.

Herbs to de-stress-Tea with jatamansi

and brahmi-2-3 times a day.

Some hair problemsHair lossDandruff

Graying

Alopecia

Hair fall-CausesSevere illness

Hormonal Imbalance.


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Autoimmune disorders.

After delivery.

Local inflammatory conditions.

Low serum iron anemia

Un-controlled diabetes

Medicines the causes hair lossanti-coagulants

anti-gout

chemotherapy to treat cancer,

vitamin A (hyper vitaminosis)

birth control pills

antidepressants.Improper hair care

Tight hair rollers that pull on hair

Hot oil hair treatments or chemicals.

Other causes

Mental stress, poor nutrition- lack of

proteins and iron

What we needNutritious diet, exercise, relaxation,

proper hair care with herbal hair oils

and herbal hair wash.

TipsMassage the scalp gently with coconut

or almond oil daily for 10 to 15

minutes.

Boil Neem leaves in water. Cool,

strain and rinse hair with it.

GrayingExternal-Hair pack

henna powder 2tsp

curd 1tsp

fenugreek 1-tsp

coffee 1 tsp

mint juice 2-tsp

basil juice 2-tsp

InternalGrated fresh ginger + honey store in a

fresh jar. Eat 1-teaspoon every day.

Dandruff1 Tsp camphor + 1/2 cup of coconut

oil store in a air tight glass container,

massage scalp before going to bed.

Add a spoon of castor oil, mustard oil

and little coconut (or neem) oil and

massage scalp every night and have a

herbal hair bath the day next.Herbs for HairB

hringaraja

Brahmi

Amla

Methi

YashtimadhuNeeli

Jaswant

Rose

Lemon

Coconut

Sariba


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8 How to Be a Good Mother - 8 stepswikiHow

Step 1: Be patient. Keep your cool and tryto stay patient. Stay calm, explain the

practical reasons not to do something, and

then why YOU don't want them to do

something.

Step 2: Take an interest in your child'sinterests. If your son likes music buy him aguitar and watch him play. Ask questions,

like what is your favorite type of music, whatis your favorite song, etc.

Srep 3: Don't be tight about money. Okay,so blowing money day after day isn't the best

thing to do, but don't automatically say no to

everything your kid asks for. Buy something

small every now and then. Even offering to

purchase some candy or chips at the store

can make a difference. And be generous atbirthdays, maybe buy them something they

have been hinting they want for a while.

Step 4: Make sure you are an approachableperson to talk to. Try your hardest to alwaysbe understanding and a good listener. Not

having someone your children can talk to

can cause kids to retire into a shell, so make

sure you talk to them about how they feelregularly.

Step 5: Be supportive, and never laugh atyour kids hobbies, interests or friends.Understand that it's okay if your child thinks

differently from you. Don't get mad because

they have a different opinion to you, or your

son wants to become a doctor and not an

engineer. Don't laugh at them, or their

friends.

Step 6: Be able to admit that something youdid may have been wrong and don't beafraid to apologize. It might be hard, but it'sbetter for everyone if you just admit to yourmistakes and apologize. It teaches your kids

that it's okay to make mistakes, as well as the

importance of an apology.

Step 7: Respect your child's love for theother parent. You should not be jealous of

your child loving their Dad.

Step 8: Lastly, love your children more thananything. Whenever you love your child ornot, somehow deep in your child's heart,

they will love you forever whenever they are

loved, or not.
http://www.wikihow.com/Be-Patienthttp://www.wikihow.com/Be-Patient


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Delicious RecipesArti MathurKaju Burfi

Ingredients:1. Kaju-50 g2. Sugar-50 g3. Kewra Essance-few drops4. Fat- 1 tsp

Methods:1.

Grind kajus to a fine powder

2. Prepare sugar syrup-adding a littlewater to sugar till the syrup is thick

3.Add powdered kaju and essence4. Mix well and remove from fire5.Apply a little fat on hands and make a

ball of above mixture

6. Roll it immediately on a greased thalito 1/6 thickness

7. Cut into diamond shaped burfies.

Spinach And Channa Dal Cutlets

Ingredients:1. Potatoes-100g2. Chana Dal-20 g3. Spinach-25 g4. Green Chili-5. 6. Salt-1/2 tsp7.Amchur-1/4 tsp8. Garam Masala-1/4 tsp9. Red chilli powder-1/4 tsp10.Egg-1/411.Bread crumbs for coating12.Ghee for frying

Methods:1. Boil, peel and mash potatoes2. Cook chana dal till tender and dry off

excess water

3.Wash and chop spinach and greenchilli

4. Mix above ingredients with spice5. Shape into cutlets6. Dip in beaten egg and coat with bread

crumbs

7. Deep fry in hot fat


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Bengali CuisineDr. Dipika DasRasgulla and Fish fry are the two most

favourite Bengali dishes taste heavenly.Every wedding feast had either a Fish

Fry or Rasgulla or both in their menu.

Although, I am writing this, the recipes

are not mine. Both my mother and

mother-in-laws are great cooks. While

my mothers expertise is in namkeen

food, my mother-in-law specialises in

making Bengali sweets. I am proud tobe daughter of Mrs. Mira Sur and

daughter-in-law of Mrs. Bithi Das.

Recipes of Fish Fry and Rasgulla are

from my mother and mother-in-law

respectively

Rasgulla / Rosogulla

Ingredients: Milk 1 litre Flour 1 tea spoon Sugar 2 cups Sour whey 2 cups

Methods:1. Make chena (paneer) of the milk and

whey. The chena should be very soft. Use

whole cream cows milk.

2.Add 1 tea spoon flour to the chena andknead it with the palms of the hands until

it is smooth and pliable (knead for 15-20

minutes).

3. Divide the dough into twelve or sixteensmall portions.

4. In each portion put a grain or two of sugarcandy and roll to form a ball.

5. Make thin syrup by combining 2 cupsSugar and 8 cups water and cook over low

heat.

6. Drop the rasgulas in the clean boilingsyrup, and boil for 5 minutes in high heat

and next 15 minutes in medium heat.

7. Sprinkle water on the boiling syrup every2 minutes, if rasgullas get dry.

8. Remove from the heat and cool.9. Flavour with rosewater, if desired.


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Fish Fry

Ingredients Fish Fillets 8-12 pieces (Bhetki fish) 1 onion 2 fat cloves of garlic 1/2" piece of peeled and chopped ginger

Methods:1. Put the fish pieces in one single layer in

a shallow bowl. Sprinkle saltto taste onthem.

2. Make a paste of onion, garlic and ginger

with little water

3. Marinate the fish pieces for at least one

hour with thepaste in step 2, 1 tbsp ofvinegar or lime juice, 1 tsp of Roasted

Cumin Powder and 1/4 tsp of Garam

Masala. All of the fish pieces should be

nicely coated with the marinade.

4. Before start frying, take each of the fish

pieces out from the marinade and drainthe excess liquid.

5. Have a flat plate of bread crumbs

seasoned with salt.

6. Take a shallow bowl and whisk 2 eggs

to a smooth consistency.

7. In a small Kadhai or Frying pan

(suitable for deep frying) heat enough oil.

8. Take the fish piece, roll it in bread

crumb, dip it in the egg liquid, roll in

bread crumb again gently rolling off any

excess and fry.

9. When the fish has nicely browned on

both sides take out and drain on a paper

towel.

10. Serve it hot with some mustard sauce

or Maggi Hot and Sweet sauce. You may

add chopped onions and cucumber that

works wonder.

If you are a vegetarian don't be

disappointed, you can make just the same

with Paneer fillet which is equally tasty
http://www.bongcookbook.com/2009/11/bengali-fish-fry-anglo-bangla-fry.htmlhttp://www.bongcookbook.com/2009/11/bengali-fish-fry-anglo-bangla-fry.html


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Sara

Major Activities in our Colony during the Year1

2

3

4

5


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1. Republic Day Celebration 2013: Chief Guest Dr. A.S. Ramasastri; 2. IndependenceDay Celebration 2012: Chief Guest Mr.Bazil Shaikh; 3. Medical camp arranged byThyrocare in July 2012; 4. Medical camp arranged by S.L. Raheja Hospital inFebruary 2013; 5. New Year Celebration on 31st December 2012 ; 6. Ganapati Puja2012; 7. Saraswati Puja 2012; 8. Drawing Class for kids in the Colony and 9. YogaClass for ladies in the Colony.

6

8

9


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Vacation in SpaceSarthak Kanyal3, Std VI

Mankind has progressed a lot.

Technology is making us superior in every

way. Spacecrafts are being developed to

search for life on other planets. My dream

was to vacation in space and finally it came

true one day.

The year 2015. The famous lucky draw

had started all over the world. I slowly

approached the lucky draw machine andentered my name. For some days I had to

spend sleepless nights. At last my phone

rang. Desperate to find out the results I ran

like the wind and picked up the receiver. I

could not believe myself. I had won the super

space trip and stay in resort on Mars! I

slapped myself but no it was real. I was

informed that first I had to attend training

classes for a month. Time flew by and I

passed the training and became the perfect

astronaut. Finally the day came and I reached

the rocket launch station. After bidding

goodbye to my family members, friends and

well wishers I sat on my seat and waited for

the launch sequence to start 10,8,6,4,2,0..

Whoosh! As the rocket went high up in the

air I felt both nauseous and homesick. Soon

I got adjusted to the environment and felt

better. After having a look at most of the

3 This science fiction essay written by Sarthak

in school for inter-house competition stood

first.

celestial bodies, we started for the resort on

mars and reached. I entered my magnificent

suite and quickly took out my astronaut

apparel.

I was so tired that I slept like a log for

some time. Suddenly, I woke up by a high -

pitched noise. It was a UFO! I quickly

entered in it and found a jocund, playful

alien. I went to his home which was on Mars

only. As soon as I entered his home, I was

shocked to see that it was upside down! The

place was perfect for a gadget geek as it was

filled with gadgets. Suddenly I started to feel

dizzy and the alien quickly went in the

interior of the house and brought me a cup

of coffee which was labelled as oxygen.

Finding it tasty, I quickly drank the whole

thing and felt strong enough. I introduced

myself and he introduced himself. His name

was Jaran. Then we played a game called

Toffee with Jaran which was all possiblewith the help of translation gadgets. I could

only pass seven levels and got a gift hamper

full of gadgets. We ate wonderful puddings

and jellies with which we could change our

colour. Finally it was time to say goodbye to

my best Martian friend. He dropped me in

my resort and bade me a tearful bye.

Finally it was time to go back to Earth. I

wished to stay there forever but for the sake

of my family I wanted to come back. As we

were approaching the Earth our Prime

minister Pranab Mukherji asked that how

India looked from there and I answered,


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East or West India is the best. After

reaching India I was welcomed with garlands

and I had become the first child to visit Mars.

I will never forget the stay at Mars and my

alien friend.

By Snehadeep

Documents

Abracadabra 2013