ABRACADABRA 2013

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

Residents Welfare Association

Reserve Bank of India Officers Quarters Bandra-Kurla Complex, Bandra (E), Mumbai 400 051

ABRACADABRA 2013

Number : 8
February 15, 2013

Editor Dr. Dipika Das

Co-Editor Mr. Deepak Mathur

Technical Assistance Ms. Sonal Parab Ms. Prerana Katkar

Cover page Dr. Dipika Das

Publisher Residents Welfare Association Reserve Bank of India Officers Quarters Bandra-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 of Reserve 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 is Kavya Hajra among 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 of stories, 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, who has contributed for the Health section 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
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CONTENTS

A Memorable Day at BKC Colony

Dr. A.S. Ramasastri 7 Neeraja Das Suchetana Mitra Smaer Saggar Aarushi Roy Anisha Nandi Shreya Sankar Neeraja Das Dr. Dipika Das 9 11 13 16 18 20 20 21 27 29 Ragamya Shekhawat 30 Rajat Mathur 33 Manavadiyta Rajesh 35 Dr. Gayatri Devi 37 39 Mrs. Arti Mathur Dr. Dipika Das Sarthak Kanyal 40 41 43 45
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Short Stories and Poems

Story Writing Competition First : Std III V Group First : Std VI VIII Group My Journey with Keiro Invisible Me Our Experience in a Haunted house Its Better to be Friends The Nature The New Year

Drawings
Entries from Colouring / drawing Competition Other Drawings of our Children of BKC Colony

Travelogues
The Malvan Diary Bhu Swarg Kashmir My Road Trip to Goa

Woman Health
Hair Care -Ayurveda

Parenting
How to be a good Mother - 8 Steps

Cookery
Delicious Recipes Bengali CuisineRosgulla and Fish Fry

Major Activities in Our Colony Science Fiction Vacation in Space

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

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 of interest 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 to be 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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ABRACADABRA is the word used by magicians. They do wonderful tricks and produce 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

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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.

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 2013 was a repeat of 1998. I worked in the back. RBI office of BKC for several years. I went to the colony on a few occasions to meet It was a fulfilling day in my life, filled with friends and colleagues. I never had an flags, dances, songs and finally great food. inkling that I would go to the colony to I wish the residents of the colony many such participate in the Republic Day function as wonderful events. I am happy to express my chief guest. What an experience it was! thanks to all residents for giving me a wonderful day through their house journal, It was so nice to see a well organized ABRACADABRA. function. The best part of the function was the show of talent by children. Children,

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Story writing competition Topic: My funniest Dream Neeraja Das, Std-III: First - Std III to V Group
My 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 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 where some 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 iii) I wanted that my neck would become as never seen a golden feathered talking swan, long as of a giraffe they started making fun of me. The fairy fulfilled all my wishes. On the other side, my friends turtle and tortoise were carelessly eating some fresh First, I went to the tall coconut trees and ate and ripe peaches and plums. I was getting the coconuts and invited my friends - turtle frustrated with this kind of life but was still and tortoise and gave them some coconuts. excited to know what would happen next. After that, I was feeling very hot, so I went to the nearby pool and swam there. There I I got tired and went to a nearby farm to take met a crocodile and he said - How foolish rest for some time in the horses stable. you are that you are swimming in a pool When I woke up, I found that I was in a instead of flying in the cool air! 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 now practically 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 is to 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 highjack plan 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 was wearing 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 Keiro Smaer 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 after my 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 made frantic 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 endlessly whenever 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 to remote 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, but broke 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. Our memories 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 me
Aarushi 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 dish and 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 stood stunned 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 took Hansinis 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 was easy 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's really 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 supposed to 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 house

Anisha 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 an hour, 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 a while 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 without 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 that took 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 torch and 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 amongst ourselves. Anita narrated that the room where Anita entered there were bloods strains. As she entered the wash room she saw a Draculla. 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 family. We had to answer lot many questions anxious of not finding us in the hotel. We with manipulated answers. rushed to the hotel and re united with our

It's Better to be Friends

Shreya Sankar, Std II
The cat, the dog and the rat were not best of friends, The dog chased the cat The 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 Nature
Neeraja 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 Bring the planets beauty. The world is full of our beautiful dreams And, 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 Year

Dr. Dipika Das1
Subhendu was an Air Force pilot. He had died accidentally when the Air Force plane crashed leaving his wife Shanti and fouryear-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 of Thakumar 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
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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. But whenever 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 her father 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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This story is published in the January (First) 2013 issue of Womans era.

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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 lived in 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 since Ishita 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 a condition? 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 have we 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!

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. 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. 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 Jhuli to 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 or school. 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 I acted 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 Dev and 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 Ishita did 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 for giving 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 Competition

Nursery

Abantika - First

Tanvi-Second

Pratush Mitra - Third

Aditya Roy

Std- I&II Apoorva Shreya- Second Kaveri- First Manav- Third

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Std- III-V Devangi- First Neeraja- Second Gaurav Gupta

Std- VI-VIII Sarthak- First Anisha- Second

Suchetana- Third

Arushi- Second

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Other Drawings of our Children Neeraja- Std III Kaveri- Std-II

Abanita- Nursery Apoorva- Std-I

Anisha- Std VI

Shreya- Std-II

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The Malvan Diary Ragamya Shekhawat, Std - VII

December 15, 2012 - It was just another Friday 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 an exciting day at school as we had the event Panache, 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 more week 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 mom packing 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 I am car sick. We have started the journey at 6a.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 woken up by a rooster who was crowing so loudly Aaaahhh!!!!! We went to the beach to have a morning swim. The water was so clean that 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 seeing and 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 woken up 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 did come 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, who organized 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 small school. 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 the restaurant. 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 friendly rooster 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 a temple. 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 still super tiered, after a boring bath in the bathroom, 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 the Aga 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 Kashmir Rajat 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. 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.

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 feel like 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,

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 the lesser 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 Goa

Manavaditya 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. My sister 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
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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 up Amma and Achan and all of us went to the beach 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 hold the 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.

Thanks for help from Amma

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After I came back, Tanvi also started saying that she wanted to go. Achan allowed 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. Amma was a bit scared for her. In the meantime my father had gone para sailing. I had seen para sailing on the television and told Achan that 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 us for 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 was on 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 Year when 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 Ratnagiri 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 - Ayurveda

Dr.Gayatri Devi Introduction
Hair 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 hair Vata Nature Pitta nature Kapha nature Combinations Vata hair Dry- 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 Hair Oily Thin Light colored Straight, fine and do not tangle easily Prone to premature graying and baldness Kapha Hair Oily Thick and firm Dark brown or brown-black Curly Lustrous Hair care Systemicnutritious 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 care Exercise improves-general health, improves circulation to the scalp. Yoga all poses with head bending down improve circulation. Yoga gives relaxation Mind-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 problems Hair loss Dandruff Graying Alopecia Hair fall-Causes Severe illness Hormonal Imbalance.
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Autoimmune disorders. After delivery. Local inflammatory conditions. Low serum iron anemia Un-controlled diabetes

Tips Massage 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. Graying External-Hair pack henna powder 2tsp curd 1tsp fenugreek 1-tsp coffee 1 tsp mint juice 2-tsp basil juice 2-tsp Internal Grated fresh ginger + honey store in a fresh jar. Eat 1-teaspoon every day.

Medicines the causes hair loss anti-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 need Nutritious diet, exercise, relaxation, proper hair care with herbal hair oils and herbal hair wash.

Dandruff 1 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 Hair B hringaraja Brahmi Amla Methi Yashtimadhu Neeli Jaswant Rose Lemon Coconut Sariba
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8 How to Be a Good Mother - 8 steps

wikiHow
Step 1: Be patient. Keep your cool and try to 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's interests. If your son likes music buy him a guitar and watch him play. Ask questions, like what is your favorite type of music, what is your favorite song, etc. 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 you did may have been wrong and don't be afraid to apologize. It might be hard, but it's better for everyone if you just admit to your mistakes and apologize. It teaches your kids that it's okay to make mistakes, as well as the Srep 3: Don't be tight about money. Okay, importance of an apology. so blowing money day after day isn't the best thing to do, but don't automatically say no to Step 7: Respect your child's love for the everything your kid asks for. Buy something other parent. You should not be jealous of small every now and then. Even offering to your child loving their Dad. purchase some candy or chips at the store Step 8: Lastly, love your children more than can make a difference. And be generous at anything. Whenever you love your child or birthdays, maybe buy them something they not, somehow deep in your child's heart, have been hinting they want for a while. they will love you forever whenever they are Step 4: Make sure you are an approachable loved, or not. person to talk to. Try your hardest to always be 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 feel regularly. Step 5: Be supportive, and never laugh at your kids hobbies, interests or friends. Understand that it's okay if your child thinks
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Delicious Recipes Arti Mathur

Kaju Burfi

Spinach And Channa Dal Cutlets

Ingredients: 1. Potatoes-100g 2. Chana Dal-20 g 3. Spinach-25 g 4. Green Chili5. 6. Salt-1/2 tsp 7. Amchur-1/4 tsp 8. Garam Masala-1/4 tsp 9. Red chilli powder-1/4 tsp 10. Egg-1/4 11. Bread crumbs for coating 12. Ghee for frying Methods: 1. Boil, peel and mash potatoes 2. Cook chana dal till tender and dry off excess water 3. Wash and chop spinach and green chilli 4. Mix above ingredients with spice 5. Shape into cutlets 6. Dip in beaten egg and coat with bread crumbs 7. Deep fry in hot fat

Ingredients:
1. 2. 3. 4. Kaju-50 g Sugar-50 g Kewra Essance-few drops Fat- 1 tsp

Methods:
1. Grind kajus to a fine powder 2. Prepare sugar syrup-adding a little water to sugar till the syrup is thick 3. Add powdered kaju and essence 4. Mix well and remove from fire 5. Apply a little fat on hands and make a ball of above mixture 6. Roll it immediately on a greased thali to 1/6 thickness 7. Cut into diamond shaped burfies.

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Bengali Cuisine
Dr. Dipika Das
Rasgulla 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 to be 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

1.

2.

3. 4. 5.

6.

7. 8. 9.

Methods: Make chena (paneer) of the milk and whey. The chena should be very soft. Use whole cream cows milk. Add 1 tea spoon flour to the chena and knead it with the palms of the hands until it is smooth and pliable (knead for 15-20 minutes). Divide the dough into twelve or sixteen small portions. In each portion put a grain or two of sugar candy and roll to form a ball. Make thin syrup by combining 2 cups Sugar and 8 cups water and cook over low heat. Drop the rasgulas in the clean boiling syrup, and boil for 5 minutes in high heat and next 15 minutes in medium heat. Sprinkle water on the boiling syrup every 2 minutes, if rasgullas get dry. Remove from the heat and cool. Flavour with rosewater, if desired.

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

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 drain the 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

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 salt to taste on them. 2. Make a paste of onion, garlic and ginger with little water 3. Marinate the fish pieces for at least one hour with the paste in step 2, 1 tbsp of vinegar or lime juice, 1 tsp of Roasted

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Major Activities in our Colony during the Year

1
Sara

ABRACADABRA 2013

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ABRACADABRA 2013 6 7

8 9

1. Republic Day Celebration 2013: Chief Guest Dr. A.S. Ramasastri; 2. Independence Day Celebration 2012: Chief Guest Mr.Bazil Shaikh; 3. Medical camp arranged by Thyrocare in July 2012; 4. Medical camp arranged by S.L. Raheja Hospital in February 2013; 5. New Year Celebration on 31st December 2012 ; 6. Ganapati Puja 2012; 7. Saraswati Puja 2012; 8. Drawing Class for kids in the Colony and 9. Yoga Class for ladies in the Colony.
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Vacation in Space
Sarthak 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 and entered 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 This science fiction essay written by Sarthak in school for inter-house competition stood first.
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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 possible with 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

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