VIBGYOR

Story telling is an art. It is much more than simply narrating a sequence of events or reading aloud from a book.

Mariyam Hussain of Grade VI is an avid reader and shares one of her favourite stories with us.

In this podcast Mariyam has chosen a heart-warming story form the book 'How I Taught My Grandmother to Read and Other Stories ' by Sudha Murthy. There are 24 short stories in this awesome compilation, all of which give us something to think about, or to cherish in our memories, or something worth learning. They are all based on the writer's experiences and which, in their own ways, enriched her life (as she says in her foreword).

Heart of Gold is a story which the writer had heard about an incident in New York. It ends with the moral “Help people without expecting anything in return”.

Suddha Murty stories by Fun Stories For Children With Mariyam Husain • A podcast on AnchorStories written by suddha Murty

Click here to listen.

Recasting Homes Amidst Gaiety

Sanjana took a final glimpse of her house before entering the caravan. She entered and flopped beside her brother who was already lachrymose. She embraced him and conjectured that he required solace.

‘Don’t brood Mano. I expect the new house to be better. It is apparent that it is supposed to be much more luxurious.’ said Sanjana. ‘But di, it’s certainly not about more luxury, it is about our adulation for this house, our sentiments. We both are here since birth and we are rather attached to it. I just can’t swallow the fact that the next day it would just be a pile of stones.’

‘You have to Mano, you have to! It’s our parent’s verdict. We can’t deny, and the matter of fact is that Pa is getting an increment if we reside in the new place.’

‘Ahem, I think you are right’, said Sahil morosely.

They reached the new residence and were nonplussed to discern the chic and luxurious surroundings, furniture and misc. commodities. They perched on the sofa and deemed as if it was a cloud.

The house had lavish amenities and a surreal view from the balcony. It had everything that a common man needed but yet something was astray. ‘Feeling any better? I mean, this house is the state-of-the-art, eh?’ asked Sanjana.

‘I am feeling like the kid whose father has procured him a new toy and he has obliterated the old one.’ replied Sahil in an anguished tone. There was a cumbrous silence. ‘C’mon! Perk up, ease. Just try giving an eyeball to the vistas out there.’

He got up reluctantly and went to the verandah. Sanjana was anxious about the situation. She thought about talking to her parents but dropped the idea, thinking about her father’s increment in his salary. She was certainly unsure about what to do. Out from the verandah, Sahil no doubt saw the beautiful landscape but he also saw misery, dreadfulness, fright and terribleness. He saw deplorably the sight of small children sitting on the footpath eating small crumbs of bread contentedly and the immortal glee which he saw on their faces was tranquil. Without analyzing any thoughts, he advanced towards the galley and got them some food.

The moment was propitious, the most propitious of his life. He felt that he was on cloud nine. Looking at the blissful faces, he was as pleased as punch.

He went indoors and called out to Sanjana, ‘Think nothing of it, Di. No need to be concerned about our old house!’ ‘But why?’ asked Sanjana. ‘Because one thing is for sure now, rather than a restaurant, our house will be replaced by an orphanage for impoverished children.’

Shravan Zoad

Grade IX B

LOVE IN HEAVEN

It had been three months since my terrace workout had started. Every evening I would follow a routine which wasn’t exquisite as professionals but enough to give me night-long pain throughout my body.

It was for my parents who had dragged me into this; I could realize its importance now after I had seen the issues faced by a few of my lethargic friends.

The long period of working on the laptop had given me a prickly headache. The soothing refreshing air which brushed my face on the terrace often relieved me from the headache.

I usually worked out in the blind evening to hide from the eyes staring. I had noticed a few of those spies and always tried to block their view, yet couldn’t escape the eyes on the balcony on the top 5th floor of the building facing our house.

It stood before the well lit room which made it impossible for me to see his face, but through the way he stood and his height I could make out that he mustn’t be more than 25 years. The figure was a well maintained one and was about five feet tall. By whatever of the hair outline I could see, I could tell once it used to be trendy.

He stood like a black mannequin for hours, sometimes I doubted whether it was an optical illusion but when he moved, my doubt vanished.

I usually hid behind the high walls around the door opening to the terrace, where no one could see me, but had to come out of it for taking walks.

I wasn’t sure whether the spies had the eyes on me or the beautifully lit night with stars and moon. Once my friend had told me that if someone is staring at you uncomfortably, and if you stare back with a serious face it would act as a repellent. So I tried it out, a few faces turned away ; but the eyes which I willed to be averted, didn’t give a slightest motion. I moved to my fortress and started working out.

A thought floated in my mind, telling me to tell my parents but I feared what would happen next. I wasn’t kind of a bold person; instead I was afraid of getting in fights. So I did my usual and walked around the house.

For a few weeks, I couldn’t go up to the terrace as frequently I did because of my exams. The day I went up, found the balcony empty but the lights were lit; a sense of relief is what I felt at that moment.

My eyes searched the dark, empty balcony with doors and windows closed. It didn’t concern me much till days after days passed and there was no sign of the black figure that once stood there; ‘So that it, when he couldn’t see me anymore he moved onto next girl ,How predictable some people are?’, I murmured angrily. But somewhere in a small dark corner a question arose, did something happen to him?

Weeks passed, my daily routine was again in shape and order; the memory of the black figure became vague and faded.

One particular morning, when I was walking my dog, I saw my good friend Rahul’s father with his dog; I greeted him from a distance. He turned to me and greeted back, we went to a corner of the footpath. Keeping distance and lifting my mask,

I spoke, ‘ It’s been a longtime I last saw you, uncle’,

‘Yeah, it’s just the lockdown’, he looked nervous .

‘So how is everything at home and with Rahul?’

’Y.. y...yeah, it’s okay’, he murmured.

Nervous and hesitant..... his replies made me deeply concerned, so I asked again,‘Things aren’t okay, right uncle? Please tell me’.He stared helplessly for few moments, then said,

‘Look I'm getting straight with you now’, he came closer and handed a paper to me. Stepping away, he continued, ‘This is the letter my son wrote before he passed away.’

Confused, I asked,’ For me?’

‘Yes’, his eyes moistened.

I put the letter in my pocket, and with the promise to read it waved him bye. I paced up my walk. When I finally reached home, I rushed to my room, closed the door, sanitized the letter and sat in a corner reading the letter. It said:-

Hi, hello, wassup… I don't know how to start this Sailee; I tested positive and was quarantined in a room. During the day, the room was awfully lonely. I tried to pass the time by reading a few books , scribbling on paper, trying to be a writer like you….. Regretting to miss the chance to pour out my heart; so I decided to start writing this letter which was difficult to write at first but then I caught on.

I want to tell you that whenever you smiled, my heart missed a beat and my lips widened too, I couldn’t take my eyes off your big and shiny eyes. You understood me and helped me in every way and all I could do is to get mesmerised by your beauty. I think this was because I feared what happened would happen. I was afraid of you being with other boys, I wanted to ask you about it but didn’t want to sound suspicious. I wanted the evenings we walked to last longer as I always felt that time flew.

Do you remember asking me about my clothes? I thought if I could dress as cool as the other boys it would get you to notice me.

All the jokes, pranks and laughs we had were the moments I miss the most. I wanted to scream to the world my feelings when I stood on the balcony and you walked on your terrace. The room in which I was quarantined overlooks your house. I think you thought I was a stalker , I apologize for that. I saw you notice me and stare at me, thought that you would recognize.

I wanted to say sorry but my throat was burning at that moment, I tried hard yet I wasn’t capable. Suddenly, when you stopped visiting the terrace, it made me realize how uncomfortable it must have been for you. I had your number written on the wall, in front of the telephone but never had the guts to call you. I stopped looking out of the balcony and lay on the bed hoping that death will find me soon. I just wanted a last chance but there is no future.

I just want to ask, had I asked would you have accepted my feelings for you?

Your best friend

Rahul Tulkar

Tears rolled down my cheeks and touched the sad smile on my lips. I couldn’t believe what I had just read. The faint image of Rahul floated around me -sweet and supportive. We had been good friends for two years. I had my feelings for him but couldn’t ask as I feared disappointment.

Memories flooded my head and I let the tears flow over them. How wonderful were those two years. We both waited too long and the clock ticked its last.

If there was a postal service to heaven, I would have replied that I loved him for who he was.

Ishika Mazumdar

Grade IX

Some Funny Idioms

IDIOMS ARE FUNNY, TRICKY BUSINESS. Literally translated, they’re a bunch of gibberish, but to native speakers, there’s often no better way to express a particular feeling or sum up a situation. English speakers use idioms constantly, which can be amusing or frustrating for those still learning the language. To help you improve your fluency, or even just give you a chuckle, here are some of the wackiest, most commonly used expressions and their meanings.

1. Cool as a cucumber

Meaning: calm and composed, especially in stressful situations

Example: She was as cool as a cucumber during her job interview.

2. Hold your horses

Meaning: wait a minute; be patient

Example: He still has to shower before we can leave — hold your horses.

3. Blue in the face

Meaning: exhausted from great, generally futile, effort

Example: You can beg until you’re blue in the face, but you’re not having ice cream for dinner.

4. Piece of cake

Meaning: very easy to do or accomplish

Example: She was nervous about her driving test, but it ended up being a piece of cake.

5. Out of the blue

Meaning: randomly or unexpectedly

Example: My grandmother came to visit out of the blue.

6. Raining cats and dogs

Meaning: raining extremely heavily

Example: We can’t go to the park today because it’s raining cats and dogs.

7. Under the weather

Meaning: feeling slightly unwell

Example: Billy stayed home from school today because he was under the weather.

8. Thick as thieves

Meaning: very close friends

Example: My teammates and I are as thick as thieves.

Some RIDDLES for You

What starts with a P, ends with an E and has thousands of letters?
Three men were in a boat. It capsized, but only two got their hair wet. Why?
If everyone bought a white car, what would we have?
What occurs once in a minute, twice in a moment, and never in one thousand years?
If an electric train is travelling south, which way is the smoke going?
They come out at night without being called, and are lost in the day without being stolen. What are they?

(Answers to these riddles are on the In Touch page)

Page updated

Report abuse