LET PEACE LEAD
My grandfather received the Letter of Administration as the legal heir to my father’s assets a few weeks later. The next hurdle was to find out where my father lived before his demise. But it wasn’t easy for Grandpa, who became frustrated and angrier at some points. With the likes of aunt Adhira nudging him on, he persevered with his search.
Three months later, Adhira came with the news of figuring out where we lived, after sighting my mother at a supermarket and trailing her to my father’s house in Delhi. Seeing her going in and out of the house many times, she knew she had come to the end of her search. Soon my grandparents knew about it. Everyone was glad about the good news and flung into actio
The Power of WordsI relaxed on the bed, amazed at how many sales we made. Mum’s spoken words of positivity for good sales before we left the house had brought us good fortune. Unlike other days, I didn’t strive for buyers to patronise us. They just walked right to us, despite calls from other sellers with more attractive food items. ‘Mum is a rare breed!’ I thought aloud. Before we left for the market, she talked about taking charge of my thoughts, and not allowing Daddy's demise and loss of inheritance affect my t
The DreamOne morning, I sat on the edge of the mattress with my elbows on my knees and my face in the palms of my hands, as I tried to create the strange dream, I had last night…'I passed by a crowd of people inside and outside, crying and cursing God for taking the life of a man and his wife after the death of their four children who died mysteriously, six years ago. I kept wandering without stopping when I heard a loud voice say, "People are quick to call me many inappropriate names for something they think scares them. But the truth remains that I am the Alpha and the Omega; They are my children and I love them. Their work on Earth is finish
FAMILY COMES FIRSTNews about my scholarship reached me and I couldn’t contain my joy, as I screamed and jumped all over the place out of excitement. Months later, I was posted to Delhi Public School in Delhi. On getting my admission card, I was happy and sad at the same time.I was happy because of my admission, and sad, because of the distance of the school from Uttar Pradesh where we lived, but which was quit
THE VISITThe mission of reconciliation to my paternal home in Mumbai turned out in the manner we least expected. On sighting Grandma from afar, Mum knelt down, touching her ears as she moved on her knees from the gate to where she was, begging for mercy in tears. Her knees bruised as she moved along, desperately in need of peace. It would take the devil himself to be unmoved at the sight of this scene. Grandma never saw this coming, as she was motionless throughout and quite difficult to tell her next line of action. Mum was obviously in pain, and I hated to see her in that manner. I gently wiped away the tear that dropped my cheek. When she got to her, she bowed and touched her feet, kissing them
LIVING WITH MY AUNTThe unfriendly reception I got from my aunt gave me a hint that I was in for trouble. She showed me the way to my room and asked me to meet her in the kitchen after showering. It was too early to miss my mother, but I did it anyway. I compared her reception with what Mum would have done on my arrival - the embrace, the kisses, the pampering, the list would be endless. I exhaled to let out negative energies when I said, ‘I’m already here, and there is no going back. So, stay focused’.I joined my aunt i
MY FIRST EXPERIENCE IN SCHOOLDelhi Public School (DPS) was a famous society in India with twelve of its private schools spread across Delhi alone. My school, particularly, stood out of them all by strictly following its original mandate to set up higher standards of education, making conscious efforts to turnout outstanding scholars with balanced personalities. DPS, R. K. Puram, was the best in spicing up teaching with games, like Sports and other Extracurricular activities.My first time in school was fun-fil
THE LETTERMum received the letter and after reading its content she became uneasy with the message. She started making some preparations to visit my grandparents and intimate them about what was going on so that they would take necessary actions to help me. She wrote and sent a letter ahead to notify my grannies about her visit without letting them know the purpose of the visit.A week later, Mum embarked on her train journey to Mumbai. The journey would take almost an entire day to arrive in Mumbai, considering the transfers and intermittent stopping at various junctions. She boarded the first train departing from Bombel Patel station because there was no direct train from Uttar Pradesh to Mumba
The Suicide AttemptAll efforts to take my life proved abortive, as Grandma stayed glued to me with comforting words throughout our stay in Mumbai. She was just all over me with lots of pampering and making sure that I was alright. Frequently, she specifically prepared meals and fed me herself. The most embarrassing aspect of the pampering was to bathe me, even at almost age twelve. I permitted her anyway because as it was with me; I was ready to stink for all I care. Had she not insisted that I ate, I would