I used to walk home from the bus stop with my sis, during school. When school started, it would bring along the cool showers, followed by the muddy pools and fast-flowing streams. Consequently, if it rained heavily, our parents would come and pick us up.

Once it so happened that I was walking home alone without my umbrella, and it was raining pretty hard. I decided to forgive my parents for not coming, and enjoy the rain instead. And so it was.

By the time I reached home, I was soaking wet and dripping with water. I greeted my shocked mom with a happy smile. Dad wasn't at home. I was never scolded for the incident, and neither did I fall sick. The incident continues to remain one of my most treasured memories.

That was more than a couple of years ago. When it started drizzling this year, I had the privilege of getting my clothes wet a few times. Finally, I woke up one morning to find it raining. I donned my new raincoat bid my Mom goodbye and set off.

The rain slapped me rudely on the face as I drove on, and sharp drops hit my lips painfully. I tried my best to concentrate on the roads.

It was a beautiful morning. The skies looked heavenly. The roads looked like polished black marble and reflected the skies and trees that hovered over them. The view was breathtaking. It gave that sense of peace and calm, which one does not experience very often. There were barely any vehicles on the road, and that made the drive more fun.

I sat in the class with a frequent glance towards the window, to admire the falling sheets of water. Two hours later when I had to head home, it was still raining. I wore my raincoat hurriedly and headed outside. I was mentally prepared for the whip lashing that the water was to give me. The water was hitting harder than the morning rain, but it was still tolerable.

The roads had lost their early-morning beauty, because there was too much water to reflect anything now. There were pools of muddy water everywhere.

The moment I reached home, I stripped off my raincoat and changed my clothes. I slipped a cassette into the stereo and switched it on. It seemed perfect for such a day. I settled on the couch with a book. A little later, I noticed that my Mom was not in the room. I wore something that would dry easily, and slipped out from the door. The water was soothing. There must be some magic in the water that the Heavens throw at us. They succeed in relaxing our mind like nothing else, and leave us with a sweet feeling that lingers through out the day.

When I went to the door after soaking contentedly, I found my Mom waiting there and frowning at me. I held in front the flower, which I had plucked for her from our garden, and smiled sheepishly till she started laughing.

Welcome to India!

Dear tourists,

Welcome aboard our flight to India. We shall be reaching New Delhi at five o' clock in the evening. The weather is about 40 degree C or 100 degree F. Though it is very hot in Delhi, you could go to cooler places where the temperature will be comparatively lower.

India is a beautiful country. The land of mythology, the land of culture, beauty, the land of population, of poverty and of mobile phones,.. name it. Welcome, once again.

Even though it has so many facilities, the tourism in India is very low. Despite that, the tourists are held responsible for the change in Taj Mahal's colour. Well, who cares! What we need is the money tourists bring in.

The people of India are very hospitable. At railway stations, some casually dressed people offer to carry your luggage. They are so hospitable that they often go home with it.

We Indians fail to understand why the Space Mountain in Disney World is so famous. The roads in India are very good. If you take an auto rikshaw ride, you will get a roller-coaster better ride than any-where else in the world. Never fear about your life. Here cyclists ride in the middle of a busy road and escape unscathed. They even scream at you if you get too close.

There is also no need to go to the moon to study its properties. You can study Indian roads. If moon has any living creatures on it, they will be like Indians. They will be able to navigate through the small portions of road remaining between the craters. They will also have perfect balance in case they happen to fly when they come out of a crater.

Education has a hand in the population of India. The educated like to have children to pass their time. The more, the better. If you stay in their house, all the kids will squeeze somewhere else and you will have a room to yourself.

Indians have great faith in foreigners. They learn ancient Indian culture from them and also worship them for it. For example, they are learning yoga, ayurveda, and alternate therapies from them. They pay thousands of rupees to learn it and then believe it originated from Japan/Thailand, etc. That's because worshipping teachers is also a part of Indian culture. Somehow, they seem to know this already!

Never pity poor people and beggars, because Indians are very contented people. Give them flourished houses, and they sell it and return to their slums in no time! They even have TVs and dish antennas in their tents. Who knows, they may even be having washing machines and air conditioners!

India also has high levels of literacy. In places like Kerala, there is high dignity of labour also. BA graduates often become peons. Check out a beggar over there and he may be a diploma holder! Since most of India is educated, they can see clearly how useless educated people are. This is the reason why, Indians have decided to let the rulers be uneducated. After all isn't ignorance said to be bliss?

This is a little about the beautiful land of India, where people worship the ground and wear foreign clothes. We hope you really enjoy your trip to India, and come back, so tourism can flourish, and we get more money.

We sincerely hope you had a pleasurable and enjoyable flight. Please come again, and we'll be glad to meet you again on your way back. Thank You, Have a Happy Journey.

Birds of a Feather

When we first discovered a nest in our garden, there were newborn babies in it. The nest became the topic of many discussions in our house, and the cause of our excitement, too. The nest was in a bush close to a window, and we would often sneak up close and take a peek. Watching them during their mealtimes was our favourite pastime. The parent would bring a worm or an insect and feed it equally to all the babies. The little bulbuls grew faster than we knew.

When we found the dead body of one little bulbul on our driveway, we were heartbroken. Nature had brought us face to face with the harsh realities of life. The little one had apparently fallen down while learning to fly, and met with its cruel fate. It hurt to think of the incident, but as they say, only the toughest survive.

When nature takes away something, it gives something else. A couple of pigeons decided that my parents' work place was a good enough place to settle down. And there, one day, in the narrow gap near the window, was a shabby little nest. We would be there almost every other day, to see if the eggs had hatched. The newborn birds were small balls of yellow, and refused to open their eyes. The parents took turns to sit on them, and the other would go in search of food for its family. Soon, they grew up and then it was time to say good bye.

There is a small opening in the acrylic roof of our indoor garden. A pair of sparrows once sneaked in, and then started making a lot of noise, since there was no way out. They flew about till they got fed up, and then started exploring the place. They liked the mirror very much, and spent a lot of time looking at it and chirping as loudly as they could. They probably thought that there was another pair of sparrows in front of them.

We put a little rice on the floor and watched them feed joyfully, all the while trying to capture them in photographs. When my mom arrived, she insisted that they had to go. We opened the door reluctantly and chased them out. They still come in once in a while, and the pleasure is ours. They make their nests wherever they can, in ventilators or other closed spaces.

The birds come and then go away. Each one leaves an unforgettable memory. They have their own subtle ways of teaching us so many lessons. Lessons, which are learnt, better than the ones taught by humans. Lessons, which are learnt for life.

Un-depress Yourself!

After innocent childhood, teenage is the most beautiful part of one's life. Atleast, the adults seem to say so. Come teenage, and it brings with it something everyone detests-mood swings. You're very active, bubbly and cheerful one day, and depressed, lethargic and unhappy on the next.

It happens to everyone. Moodswings are something none of us can avoid. It happens to you before you know it.

Depression is one of the most common forms of a mood swing. One feels insecure and terrible, and doesn't even know why. Most want to be left alone in such a state. If this is not possible, we end up fighting with our closest friends and later brooding, that no one understands us.

Combating depression is not easy for most of us, but there are ways you can succeed in doing it. The first and foremost step is to understand yourself. Write a diary if possible. It helps you analyze yourself. Do all those little tests, which come in magazines and tell you more about yourself.

Contrary to the normal belief, depression rarely happens without a reason. It is caused when you put behind a suppressed emotion. It is usually a forgotten one, and you won't realize the reason unless you understand yourself. Go back one week in memory, and recollect if anything that happened upset you. This way you'll find the reason sooner.

After this step, there are several remedies. Different people use different methods. Choose carefully which suits you, or it may have the undesired results.

Listen to your favourite music and dance to it. Sing along if you wish. Paint, draw, do something you like. Stay with your friends and keep smiling. Read a good book. You could do all the pending homework or complete all the notes. Read aloud and study. The objective is to immerse yourself and forget that you're depressed. Try reading joke books or watching comedy serials. If you think that this method doesn't suit you, here's another.

Do just the opposite (seriously). Listen to very sad music. Close yourself in your room and cry as much as you can. Think about the incident, which upset you. Think again. Brood. Write all that you want to, on a piece of paper. Swear, curse and put down whatever you wish. (Make sure that you tear or burn that piece of paper later on. It could create trouble). Try to get as depressed as possible. You'll start feeling lighter slowly, and you'll wonder whether it was worth being upset for. This method may not suit the type of people who could brood forever.

Most importantly, never say anything mean to anyone, no matter how much you feel they deserve it. You may repent for it all your life. Tell your friends in the beginning itself, that you are upset, and ask them to excuse any bad behaviour. It often makes things better.

So stick a smile on your face, and move on. You're equipped for the emotional 'ups and downs of life' now. Don't forget to hope for a better tomorrow. Remember, dark clouds are always followed by a rainstorm, sunshine, and a rainbow!

Save the world today

'What about sunrise, what about rain
What about all the things you said we were to gain?
What about killing fields, is there a time,
What about all the things
That you said were yours and mine?'
. Michael Jackson, Earth song
As a child, every time I saw a friend pulling at the branch of a tree or hurling stones to bring down some fruits, my heart ached. It still does, but now I just look away. I know from experience, that no one listens when you ask them to be kinder to plants.

We have already seen the effect of deforestation on the environment. The summer lasts much longer, and monsoon comes very late. Some places are affected by drought while some are ruined in floods. Why?

If we take care of nature, nature takes care of us. Man has been playing havoc with nature, and he definitely has to pay the price for it.

Improving the environment is not just the duty of the government and voluntary organisations. You live on this earth and so it is your responsibility to take care of it too. We've heard this statement so many times, haven't we? But why don't we apply it to our lives? We don't have to do much. If you do the little to set an example, the others will follow suit.

We're told repeatedly, not to waste electricity, paper and water. If you wonder what difference you could make by saving a few handfuls of water, think again. If you saved a little every day it would make a big amount by the end of a year.

The next time you wear or buy leather, remember that the skin was pulled off the body of an innocent animal to provide you an unnecessary luxury. Think again. Is it really needed?

The cosmetics and creams that we pat so happily on our skin often contain various kinds of fungi. They also contain animal fat, and so do foreign soaps. Some cosmetics are tested on animals, which sometimes die out of torture. Isn't it better to wash our skin as many times as possible and be the proud owner of glowing skin? Or would you prefer applying fungi and animal fat, and get still more freckles?

Don't wait for vanamahotsava to plant a few saplings. A small plant can be kept anywhere. To me they are my world. I have plenty of them and they've probably given me more happiness than any of my best friends ever have. Plants are the best gift you can give yourself, and to the world too.

We need the earth, and remember, the earth needs us too. We have to do our part to improve the present condition. The earth is crying and there is nobody to wipe her tears. You can be the first one. Afterall, you have nothing to lose.

Concluding with a couple of lines from a famous song,
'We are the world, we are the children,
We are the ones who make a better world,
So lets start giving'
giving by taking care of the world!