Rahul Writes

(Story)

पोखर और प्रकृति

पहाड़ों के पास एक छोटा सा गाँव था. गाँव मे एक पोखर था. सुबह स्नान करने से ले कर पीने के पानी की जरूरत हो या गायों को नहलाना, सारी ज़रूरतें वही पोखर पूरी करता था. एक छोटी बच्ची हर रोज अपनी गुड़िया ले कर पोखर आती. खुद नहाती, उसे भी नहलाती. फिर उसके बाल बनती, उससे बातें करती, गाने गुनगुनाती. ऐसा करते जब समय गुजर जाता, फिर एक तेज दौड़ लगा कर घर वापस चली जाती. पोखर हर रोज उसे देखता, और उसके आनंद की कोई सीमा नही होती.

एक सुबह एक बड़े साधु उधर से गुजरे. उन्होने गाँव वालों की दिनचर्या देखी. खेत देखे, पोखर भी देखा. शाम को जब सब उनकी शरण मे आए, तो साधु महाराज ने अपने मन की बात रखी. “ये गाँव सच मे आदर्श है. लेकिन एक कमी है जो दिल को कचोटती है.” सब लोग चिंतित हो गये. जब कारण पूछा गया तो साधु बाबा ने कहा, “गाँव मे जल देवता का उचित सम्मान नही है. आप सब उस से इतना काम लेते हैं, बदले मे उसे क्या देते हैं? जल देवता अगर नाराज जुए तो प्रलय आ जाता है.” सब गंभीर हो कर उनकी बात सुन रहे थे. “जल देवता की पूजा होनी चाहिए!”

उनका यह कथन जल्द ही सत्य हो गया. गाँव वालों ने पोखर के पास एक मंदिर बनाया. बड़ी धूम मची, बड़ा मेला लगा. लेकिन छोटी बच्ची जब अपनी गुड़िया ले कर आती, तो शोर और भीड़ देख डर जाती. दूर खड़ी पानी को देखती, फिर वापस चली जाती. पोखर सबसे ज्यादा परेशान हुआ. उसकी दोस्ती उसे प्यारी थी. पूजा से भी ज्यादा… पूजा के कारण एक और समस्या थी. पूजा के बाद बचे फूल और बाकी समान सब उसी तालाब मे फेकने लगे थे. और लोगों की भीड़ के कारण भी प्रदूषण बढ़ गया था.

एक सुबह जब लोग सो कर उठे, तो सब बदला हुआ था. पोखर का पानी गाँव तक आ गया था. पोखर ने अपने दोस्त के पास पहुचने की कोशिश जो की थी! मगर इस कारण पूरे गाँव मे पानी भर गया. लोग फिर से साधु बाबा के पास गये. लोगों ने सोचा कि शायद पूजा पद्धति मे कोई गलती हुई है इसी लिए देवता नाराज हुए हैं.

मगर साधु बाबा सारी बात समझ गये. उन्होने फिर लोगों से कहा, “प्रकृति भगवान की देन है, और हमे इसकी रक्षा करनी चाहिए. पर हमसे गलती हुई. हमने रक्षा के बदले उसकी स्वतंत्रता छीन ली. ऐसा हमारे साथ कई बार होता है. हम जिसे अच्छा देखना चाहते हैं, उसकी सहायता करने के बदले हम उसे ही नुकसान पहुचाते हैं. प्रकृति स्वभाव से स्वतंत्र होती है… आज से हम पूजा तो करेंगे पर ये भी ध्यान रखेंगे कि नदी या तालाब को हम किसी तरह नुकसान नही पहुचाएं. सबने ये बातें सुनी और अच्छे आचरण का वचन दिया.

छोटी बच्ची भी बड़े ध्यान से ये सब बातें सुन रही थी. लोगों के वहाँ से उठने से पहले वो बड़ी तेजी से घर की ओर भागी. अभी पोखर का पानी वही था. उसने पोखर को बड़े खुश हो कर ये अच्छी सूचना दी. पोखर भी बहुत खुश हुआ. अब से उसे ना तो अपने दोस्तों को खोना होगा, ना ही उसे प्रदूषण का डर रहेगा!

फिर सब पहले जैसा अच्छा हो गया. हमे भी ध्यान देना चाहिए. प्रकृति और सारी प्राकृतिक चीजें सबसे सुंदर तब दिखती हैं जब वो स्वतंत्र और शुद्ध रहती हैं. हम कई बार जाने अनजाने अपने ही हाथों अपनी पसंद की चीजों को नुकसान पहुचा बैठते हैं.

(Rahul)

One evening, I saw a cute little frog near my house. It was standing in front of an ant, as if lost in some thoughts. This story is inspired by that cute little frog, chhota medhak

(Story)

छोटा मेढक

बड़े घर के सामने फूलों की तीन क्यारियाँ थी. बाकी जमीन पर पहले घास हुआ करती थी, पर अब ईटें बिछा दी गयीं थी. उन्ही ईटों के एक बीच एक छेद मे छोटा मेढक अपने पापा मेढक और मम्मी मेढक के साथ रहता था. अब वो इतना छोटा तो नही था क्योंकि वो एक महीने का हो गया था. शुरू के दिनों मे उसे अंधेरे जगह मे रहना पड़ा था और मम्मी मेढक उसके लिए खाना लाती थी. अब वो दौड़ने कूदने लायक हो गया था और मम्मी उसे शिकार करके खाना खोजना सिखा रही थी. अब वो एक ही छलांग मे अपने घर से निकल बाहर आसमान के नीचे आ जाता और उसकी शरारतें दिन पर दिन बढ़ती जा रहीं थी…

जब भी पापा और मम्मी दूर होते, छोटा मेढक कूद कर ईटों के बीच से निकल बाहर आ जाता. उसे उँचे पेड़ बहुत पसंद थे क्योंकि वहाँ से बड़ी दुनिया दिखती थी. लेकिन उसे ये समझने मे बड़ी परेशानी होती कि कौन सा कीड़ा उसे खाना है और कौन सा नही. मम्मी ने उसे खाना पहचानना सिखाया था, और स्मेल से भी कीड़ों को पहचानने की ट्रेनिंग दे रही थी. पर छोटा मेढक अभी छोटा था और गलतियाँ करता था. एक बार उसने एक छोटे से लेकिन जहरीले कीड़े को खा लिया था और उसे बहुत उल्टी हुई और पेट भी खराब हो गया था :) आज शाम लगता है बारिश हुई थी. या फिर उस घर मे रहने वाले बच्चे ने नल से क्यारियों मे पानी दिया था. छोटा मेढक बाहर घूम रहा था और मम्मी की बहुत दूर ना जाने की सलाह को भूल गया. या फिर उस चीटी के कारण ही ऐसा हुआ होगा…

छोटा मेढक लाल चीटियों को बड़े चाव से खा जाता था. पर वो चीटी अजीब सी थी: काली और बहुत बड़ी. इतनी बड़ी चीटी से शुरू मे उसे बहुत डर लगा. फिर जब उस चीटी ने उसे खड़ा होकर सोचते हुए देखा तो उसे शरारत सूझी. उसने छोटे मेढक के पैर को टच किया और भागने लगी. छोटे मेढक को बहुत गुस्सा आया. वो अब उस चीटी को खा कर ही रहेगा! पर वो चीटी बहुत शरारती और फुर्तीली थी.
कभी इधर जाती कभी उधर. कभी घास के पीछे तो कभी सूखे पत्तों के नीचे गुम हो जाती. पर छोटे मेढक ने हार नाही मानी. कई बार अपनी जीभ निकाल कर उसकी ओर दौड़ा, पर चीटी पकड़ मे नही आई. ऐसा करते करते काफी समय बीत गया और वो दूर तक आ गये. तभी उसे एक अजीब सी स्मेल आई और सामने सारी घास हिलने लगी. उसे एक अजीब सिहरन महसूस हुई और डर भी लगा. उसके सामने एक बड़ा सा साँप आ रहा था. पर छोटे मेढक को नही मालूम कि साँप मेढकों को खा जाते हैं. तभी चीटी वहाँ आई और उसने माजरा समझा. उसने फिर से मेढक के पैर को टच किया और भागने लगी ताकि मेढक वहाँ से बच कर निकल सके. पर छोटा मेढक साँप को देखने मे खोया था; साँप का लंबा शरीर चमक रहा था, एक अजीब सी आवाज़ थी, और रास्ते मे जो भी घास आती वो उसके नीचे दब जाती… अब तो साँप छोटे मेढक के बहुत पास आ चुका था. तभी चीटी ने पास के सूखे पत्तों के बीच भागना शुरू कर दिया और साँप उधर देखने लगा. साँप को लगा कि पत्तों के बीच कोई बड़ा मेढक है और वो उधर ही उसे खोजने के लिए दौड़ा. तभी चीटी जल्दी से छोटे मेढक की तरफ आई, और इस बार उसने उसके पैर पर एक डंक मारा. मेढक को दर्द हुआ और गुस्सा भी आया. वो चीटी की ओर लपका. फिर चीटी का पीछा करते करते वो अपने घर के पास आ गया. इसके पहले कि चीटी कहीं गुम हो पाए, मेढक ने ऐसी लंबी छॅनालग् लगाई कि उसने चीटी को पकड़ लिया!!!

(Story)

The Girl and her Birds

Once upon a time there was a cute little girl in a small village in the mountains. His father was the doctor of the village and was highly respected. She being the only daughter in the family was very much pampered and she got whatever she wished. The mountains were always laden with greenery and lots of flowers. She had special affection for birds. Every morning she would go near the forests, some times alone and some times with friends, to talk to the birds. Therefore, all the birds in the region knew her and would come to see her daily. If she didn't go near the forest any single day, flocks of birds would come to her home and her mother would get scared. With time, her parents had come to know about the bonding between her and her birds.

Whenever any storm would come, she got very anxious and worried about the birds. Some times the birds would know that a storm was coming and many of them who won't have proper nests would come to her house. She would open the outhouse where the birds would take shelter. In the return, the birds would bring for her some exotic fruits from inside the forest, and some divinely beautiful flowers. Her father too took help of the birds to search for some rare herbs when needed urgently.

Time passed and without her being aware, she grew up in to a very beautiful young lady. One day while she was playing with the birds, suddenly she saw a bird lying dead near a tree. She started crying. Other birds too got to see that and they started making rotations in the sky, thus covering the whole sky and making it look as if it was a night. Who killed the bird? Shedding tears she started singing a song As she sang, all the birds came down to sit on the ground besides her. It became bright again. Flower buds started to blossom, and there was a nice breeze that was gently brushing aside the trees. And suddenly the bird that was taken to be dead moved and started flying! That was a magic moment!

When she returned home after some time, she found an unusual guest inside. What had happened was something that she could never imagine! The bird that she had found was injured by that young man at her home ' none other than the prince of the state. He had watched the magic moment and heard her voice. He was sorry for his habit of killing birds as a sport But there was more in store: he wanted to marry her

She went back to the forest side to say final good bye to the birds. She won't be able to come to the village very often. How will she live without the birds? All the birds in the region came there to meet her. They surrounded her and they were crying too. Some of them were restless and started hitting their beaks on the stone in deep sorrow and helplessness. When she saw this, she started crying more. She decided that she will never marry and will never go away from them But birds felt differently. The chief of the birds group came in front and addressed all of them. He said that today or tomorrow, she had to marry. And what a suitable match for her than the future king of the state himself, who was in love with her! It would be selfish for the birds to make her stay there

The birds agreed. But for her not to miss the birds, they decided to give her a gift. They gave her about a dozen cute little baby birds, which she could keep in cages and take to her new palace with her. This was a sacrifice; the birds knew that it was harsh for the baby birds to remain captive in the cages. But there was no other way. The girl knew this, and was overwhelmed with the kindness shown by her friends

One year passed while she was in the palace. The prince had become the king. People were very satisfied with his rule. But there was something that made her unhappy. He always asked her to remain in the palace and didn't encourage her to go meet the people. He had made everything available in the palace itself, but didn't encourage her to go visit places and mountains and didn't even feel well when she came to attend the court. And this was not limited to her alone.

While people were happy in the state, the condition of women was not great. Girl children were not educated like the boys and women didn't hold any positions in the government. The system of dowry was prevalent where the parents of the bride had to give out a sum and gifts to the groom's family. Even if the men didn't treat their wives properly, the women had no rights to approach the king's court. The king himself had announced that matters inside a home should be solved inside the home only. She knew that something was wrong.

That morning again, she was with her birds. The birds had grown up and were strong and naughty. The king too came to her and they started talking while the birds twittered. He became annoyed at them. The birds were talking amongst themselves aloud and didn't notice that the king was getting angry. All of a sudden, the king got up and opened the door of the cage and hit the cage so that the 6 birds came out of it. He came back to the queen and both of them watched the birds coming out of the cage. They tried to stretch their wings and to fly. But they were not able to. Finding themselves free for the first time in their life, they wanted to escape: it was very evident from the efforts they were making to run away from the place The queen anyhow controlled herself from breaking down

The birds went out in the open and jumped from the balcony in the open sky They were now able to fly at some height from the ground level. Suddenly an eagle came there from somewhere. He attacked one bird and finished her in a moment. The queen came running to the edge of the balcony: the king followed her. But to their horror, by this time the eagle had finished all the six birds; and their feathers were lying all around along with blood The queen couldn't control herself then and started crying She was inconsolable Tears were running from her red swollen eyes The king was helpless at this time, because the birds were no more. He knew that something very wrong had happened. He had known her love for the birds in the mountains.

At that moment, their Raj Guru came to see them. The royal family had always gone to seek his blessings and guidance though he used to visit the palace only on rare occasions. He seemed to have watched the whole episode that happened just now.

Both the king and the queen touched his feet out of respect. He asked them to get seated and he brought the open cage to them.

He said, "Nature has made us to be open. When we captivate someone in four walls, we restrict their development. The birds had wings but they didn't have strength to fly. They had beaks but didn't know how to protect themselves. They had legs which had not walked in their lives. Is it surprising that all of them were finished by another violent bird in a moment?"

"King, you should learn a lesson from what happened just now. Nothing in this world happens by chance. If we don't learn a lesson now, God will make us learn the same lesson in a very hard way another time."

"Think about the state of women in your state. They don't get education; they can't read religious texts; and their parents have to bring them up like a burden. People keep them inside cages in the form of their homes. Think about your own home: your queen always have to remain inside the palace, she can't go to see the people and help them in some ways. She has not gone to her village in the mountains since she came here (Guru ji could read other's minds), and she even doesn't have the courage and confidence to tell what she feels to you. The last time when the bird was injured, she sang a song and the bird became well. That is the power of nature that flows from developed souls. Don't you think that the women in your country deserve the same rights as the men? Why are they made to live in cages and forget all their strengths, when the all powerful nature herself is feminine?"

The king was stunned and couldn't move. Something so true had hit him just now. While still looking down with respect to the Guru, he vowed to do something very soon. He looked into the eyes of the queen and said sorry to her. She saw something in his eyes

The king himself took her to her village in the mountains. They also took all the remaining birds with them. She took all of the birds to the forest side and king also followed her. Birds had supernatural sense: thousands of birds kept coming to the place to see her. The whole sky became dark again. The king took rest under the neem tree, while she talked to the birds. She asked how they were, and also told them about her life. That how big the palace was and how many kinds of trees were there in her garden. The birds were so happy to see her again. Then she also told them the incident about the six baby birds and the lessons that Guru ji told them. While the birds cried for the lost babies, they were happy that something positive came out of their loss.

They told her that the birds never made the female birds suffer: in fact it were the female birds which were more powerful in their household. The male birds respected the females and made nests so that the female birds can lay eggs in them and live with comfort. That evening, the girl from the mountains felt so good after a long time

When they returned to the capital, the king made some announcements to the public. Education to the girl child was made compulsory and some exclusive schools and ashrams were opened for them, giving them complete education. Women were promoted to read religious scriptures and to debate with men. Also, some jobs in the government were reserved exclusively for women, and anyone asking for dowry from the brides would be punishable by law the changes went a long way into creating an equal state. The learned women in the homes resulted in bringing up bright children who had respect for all and were compassionate. The state was on its way to become an ideal state for all other neighbouring ones to follow

The little girl from the mountains and her birds were able to make such a change that no one had thought possible. Every year, the girl who is the queen visits her village and takes back the wisdom of the birds to the state, to create a better and brighter life for all

By: (Rahul)

(Story)

And a plant

Having finished it in one go, he put down the glass on the table and didn't care if it made too much of sound. He felt as if his throat would burn, he didn't enjoy drinking it. Just five minutes before, he was trembling in a fit of rage. How could she do this? Didn't she care?

He rushed out in the open and didn't care when the motorbike zoomed too close to him It started raining and he didn't care to protect papers in the front pockets. Water was dripping over the tip of his nose and then from his chin. It doesn't taste tasteless today, it was bitter. Someone waived from below the bus stop, he couldn't care anymore.

All the money, all the cars, the big family, everything was looking worthless today. All because of her

Two sparrows flew from very close… he avoided falling down; the grass had become too big he was passing though a playground now It had stopped raining and there was a rainbow in the West, which he didn't notice. An elderly couple laughed aloud as the old man got his umbrella flying behind him there was a wind blowing now

How could she do it? Why didn't she listen to him? He was feeling bad, very bad

He hit a can, it went away far, rolling all over the road, making a sound but not louder than his heart which was beating fast By this time, the sky had become a bit red but not more red than his eyes which were swollen in anger The wind made the leaves dance and some small birds were floating in the air like his plans for the evening that were carried away "I should finish it fast", he thought and rushed at seeing something He brought out a piece of plastic from his pocket. And then a device which had a sharp end

He did it really fast. After hiding inside his shirt, he rushed back towards home On the way back, his pace was faster and heartbeat more regular. Coming back is always like this, as there is no fear of the unknown.

He smiled… No one would know what he did. Everything looked as it was before Only the money-plant and its bottle knew that it was a new one. She thanked him and promised to give him one ice-cream every month from her pocket money. Now his gussa was gone. He was happy, for his sister, for mother who would not know that there was something destroyed and then replaced in her bedroom, and for the money-plant which was green… She didn't have to say "sorry" His baby sister

By (Think Tank)

(Kumar Rahul Tiwary)

Story

mother bird… 

Your comments on the previous story had a pattern. You all felt sad very sad But you didn't look beyond the obvious… Did you wonder how the author felt while writing it? :)

The story was not that gloomy. In fact, it raised so many questions

When someone hurts you, you can fight back. But when someone who is a part of you hurts, what do you do? When your left hand looses from your right hand, how can we say who lost and who won?

Could the mother bird get satisfaction from the fact that she did manage to bring the juicy fruit for her kid? That she did get to do her duty well. And it was not that she loved him because she did so much for him; she did all that because she loved him so much… And her love didn't fail even the ultimate test

How could she show her kid that she loved him so much? How to show anyone how deeply you love them? How do you feel when they don't understand? Are such feelings to be proven? Don't you feel we all have been the mother bird at some point or the other?

Could she die in peace knowing that her kid won't ever be thirsty again? Though perhaps he won't ever see the sky, he won't have to face the wild birds or the fatal bruises from the kite strings

The kid was a kid; in a different world; with different priorities and infatuations. He didn't understand her love. He didn't know the difference. Is there any difference between happiness and peace? Between ecstasy and comfort? Yes, there is but not all can know

Can a writer be detached from the character he writes about? Can he touch the readers' souls without going through the same fire?

Don't worry. Will get well soon :)

Came here to say cheers!

:B

Story

my kiddo

It was 4 O'clock in the morning. She got up, shook her feathers. Her kiddo was sleeping in peace. He was such a lovely kid. Her two other kids were killed by vultures two days back, only this one survived He was the weakest, so he didn't move out of the nest when they attacked And hence he lived Her love ' her life ' her kid

Her kid had not have water for last two days The summer was scorching… She fed him with some juicy fruits that she brought in the evening… But no water

She starts off fast. She will bring something very juicy for her child this evening

She is returning back, with a red fruit in her beak. Her kid would be happy

All of a sudden, a group of wild birds attack her She fights and tries to fly away They are many They injure her She bleeds She bleeds

She manages to save the fruit She is fine, injuries are not that deep She is happy that the fruit is intact

Ooff! There was a string in the air, some boys were flying kites from the ground It nearly cuts one of her wings She cries in pain She bleeds

She survives She still has the fruit in her beak. She is in pain But she is happy

At last she reaches her nest Oh my God! Seems a storm had visited there My Kid! She searches for him Where is he? She makes sound she cries She still has the fruit in her beak .

The storm had made a mess of the place Many branches of far away trees were scattered there

She finds some young boys there. They are leaving now. Wait! They have something in their hands

She finds her kid The boys have caged him and they are running fast towards their home She chases them She is still bleeding

They go inside the house and vanish She makes round and round of their house. Still, the fruit is in her beak She will give that to her kid It is dark now

Next morning, the boys hang the cage in the verandah. Her kid is there. She reached there, making no sound. She still has the fruit in her beak, intact. She gets to see her kid

He has so many things in the cage for him Lots of fruits, water, and what not

She looks at him But he didn't recognise her How can this happen? Her heart sounds She puts the fruit inside the cage He doesn't even look at it

Her fruit was no longer red It was no longer fresh

Her blood was still red And the wound was still fresh

He didn't eat the fruit She lied there below the cage dead.

Ek kahaani

Ek chhota sa khargosh tha. Us din woh thoda der se so kar utha. Uthne ke baad usne ghar ke bahar jhaank kar dekha. Suraj kafee upar aa chuka tha. Bhookh bhi lag rahee thi. Woh jumping jumping karta hua Joggers' Park ki taraf dauda.

Good God, ghaas abhi bhi bhingi thi ' oss se. Woh sabse green wale potion me gayaa, aur khana shuru kara. Tabhi uski najar gayee ik titli ki taraf. Woh uski taraf dauda. Titli ne use dekh liya tha, woh bhi udne lagi. Titli upar upar udti, khargosh neeche neeche daudta. Ab titli thak gayee. To woh unche daal par ja kar baith gayee. Khargosh ne use neeche bulaya ' kai baar, lekin titli ko shayad neend aa gayee, aur woh neeche nahi aayee. Khargosh bore ho gaya aur fir green green grass ki taraf chala gayaa.

Tabhi ek bandar aaya. Khargosh bhaag kar ek jhaadi ke peechhe chhup gaya. Last time jab bandar aayaa tha, usne khargosh ki poonchh kheech kheech kar bahut pareshaan kiya tha. 10 minute beet gaye, tab jaa kar bandar gayaa. Khargosh ka pet ab tak bhar gaya tha.

Ab school ka time ho gayaa. Khargosh ne school bag uthaya, aur school chala. Aaj to Thursday hai, aaj Neeli aankhon wali mam ki class hai. Are, woh to home work karna bhool hi gayaa. TV jyaada dekhne se yahi hota hai. Aaj fir use lambi chooti wali khargoshni se maangna parega ' homework copy karna parega. Ok, uske lie badle me gift bhi lena parega ' tasty tasty gazar J

Tabhi raste me ek motorbike se Salman Khan gujra, aur usne khargosh ko nahi dekha, aur uske just bagal se bike daudaa di. Uii maa! Aaj to gayaa hi tha! Jaan bachi Ab woh Bandra wale area me jaa raha tha ' kafi film stars yahin rahte hai. Armaan Malik bhi rahta hai, dus baje tak to jogging hi karta rahta hai ' usko school nahi jana padta hai na, islie. Kaash, khargosh bhi kisi celebrity pariwaar me paida hota ' tab usko bhi TV wale dikhaate TV par ' aur bahut majaa aata!

School aa gayaa. Prayer ho rahaa tha.

Oh God, reform thy world .

Are, ye kyaa? Lambi chooti wali ke eyes bhi neele ho gaye? Ye kaise hua? “Contact lens buddhu!” ok ok.

Are, ye kyaa? Mam to aaj bilkul patli ho gayee, Sushmita ki tarah! Cosmetic surgery karayaa hai ' mai jaanta hoon; buddhu nahi hoon main. J

Ab saari duniya badal rahi hai. Par mai kya karoon? Khargosh confuse ho gayaa. Kyaa use bhi Salman Khan bananaa chahie? Kyaa use bhi conmetic surgery kar ke slim and six-pack walla bananaa chahiye?

Khargosh ne bahut sochaa. Bahut. Kyaa Salman Khan ghaas khata hai ? nahi. Kyaa six-pack wale school jate hain ? nahi. To mujhe nahi bananaa woh sab. Mai khargosh hi achchha ! Kyonki I love my grass. And I love my school.

:B

Reality or Dream

Kumar Rahul Tiwary

He got up at 6. In fact, he was forced to wake up because of a pain in his stomach. He could see around him. Mother had just returned after bringing drinking water. Sister was packing father's tiffin.

Four hours later .

"Thank you sir", he rushed out of the office. These babus take so much time in just taking out two coins from their pockets. He doesn't understand how they work throughout the day. Seeing the stack of files in the state electricity office, he could understand that everything was not fine there. Why should he worry, he had just to deliver tea and run out.

Four hours later .

"Hey Sunil, can you load those items in the van? Brother will give you 20 rupees for that."

He runs, and starts putting the packets into the mini-van. He knows the value of 20 rupees.

Four hours later .

"Betaa, bring the wooden pieces that Rahim chacha had promised."

Oh! He had just returned come back home when he had to take this order from mother. He runs out to finish that.

Four hours later .

"What happened?" he shouts, seeing chaos outside his home. He had just taken a small nap. Incomplete sleep is very bitter.

Mother was weeping. Father was sitting in a rickshaw, holding grandmother in his arms. She had slipped and was unconscious.

Four hours later .

He is running. His friends are running behind him. He is always the fastest. His face shows the signs of the fun ' white marks of maakhan. They run into a house of Leela. Leela was on the first floor. They rush into the kitchen, and after a moment come out with two matkaa full of butter. They have it plentiful. It is so tasty! Today he was feeling hungrier than ever, he finished one full matki. Suddenly Yashoda maiyaa comes running. She has his bansuri in her hand. She had been looking for Kanhaiya for long and now she has found him She tries to catch him, he runs around. She tries to hit him with the flute to teach him a lesson.

"Oh Maa! Why did you hit me so hard?" Kanhaiya cries in pain That was a huge blow. He has immense pain in his back.

"Uth jaa! Grand mother is no more You are sleeping like an animal!"

Dreams are beautiful

China as I know

Kumar Rahul Tiwary

Here are some real life stories that I heard from my friends and colleagues who have first hand experiences with China:

1. Managers know all:

In Indian factories, we often take feedback from our fellow workers. Managers regard the experiential knowledge of the shop-floor workers. But in China, the manager is expected to know all.

One person from India was deputed to China, and when he tried the same approach there, it was a disaster. When he asked something from the workers, they thought that he didn't know! His image suffered a lot. After some time, he came to know the realities.

In India, even a rag picker will give you tips on your car, or a worker will know much more than a manager on the technicalities. But it is different in China.

2. Look-alikes:

Chinese are very good in replicating. One of our technical experts saw a bizarre practice. For industrial fans, there are inbuilt vein anemometers installed in the fans so that they can send the feedback to the CCR. That looks like a vein on the periphery of the face of the fan. In China, there is very less automation in the cement plants. The fans are locally manufactured. The manufacturer fabricates a vein like arrangement on the faces of the fans, so as to look like that from international companies! They don't know or don't need the feedback of gas velocity, but they want their fans to look like the international fans. Therefore, they fabricate a similar structure in industrial fans! Nothing can be funnier than this!

3. No English:

Some of my friends were taking training in a Chinese cement plant. This local plant was taken over by our (MNC) company. The language problem was so chronic there that they suffered a lot. Forget the workers and technicians, even the engineers and managers were not able to either speak or understand in English. All plant manuals were in their local language.

4. Anything that moves:

Chinese eat a lot of creatures. You can spend your entire life if you start listing them. In general, we can say that Chinese eat anything that moves! Nothing can be creepier than this.

Thankful

Kumar Rahul Tiwary

The child was born with a silver spoon ' literally. His family was among the richest in the region. He grew into a talented young man. But one day, there was an earthquake and his family lost almo st all their property. They had to live like common people for three years. After lots of hard work, they earned some property and were well off again. But one day, there was a robbery in their home, and all the family jewellery and precious articles were looted. But they kept their heads up. Father had grown old by this time, so the young man had to take up the business. But he was too kind hearted, and just too mush idealist. His subordinates cheated him. Competitors surpassed him. Luck was also not in his favour and he lost some critical deals too. But his family supported him and he went on for higher studies. After his studies, he got a very high paying job at some big firm. But he had to live separate from his family. Because of the same qualities which had made him an unsuccessful businessman, he earned a great reputation at his company. After several years of work, he had more wealth than his family ever had. He returned to his elderly parents and requested them to come with him to the city. They agreed. They left their ancestral property in the care of some relatives. In the mean time, he married with the daughter of his father's childhood friend. Unfortunately, the young man developed some disease that the doctors were unable to diagnose. His condition deteriorated day by day. His father and mother also lost health seeing their only son in helpless condition. The disease made him incapable for his job, and they lost much money in the unsuccessful treatments also. They decided to return back to their old home town. One day, two trucks stopped in the small town and in a white car came the whole family. This evening, the daughter-in-law made a delicious meal. They all sat on the floor and took the dinner together. The cackle of the young children, the smell of earth in the drinking water, the sound of birds on the Peepal tree, all made them comfortable. Then the old man said: "No matter how much we lose or earn; no matter what good or bad happens with us; we are happy till we are together. I am so grateful to God that He has allowed me the greatest joy of the world ' of being at my home with my children and being a help to them."

[Mumbai, 19 Jul. 07]