Child Labor.

I see them on the streets.

Walking bare-legged

with a frown on their face

in the hot sun.

I see them knocking

on the windows of sleek cars

selling articles

with a helpless face.

I see them picking up

the enormous vessel

full of soil and bricks

heavier than their own weight.

I see them running.

No, not in a playful manner,

but, carrying the eatables

to the well-bred people.

I see them cleaning.

Cleaning the roads, the houses.

Picking up things from the ground

in hope of finding something better.

I see their little blackened hands

working interminably

to shun the poverty

that they are stuck with.

I see their intense desire

a streak of hope in them

to live, to dream, to learn

to read, to write....

I see them,

you see them,

we all see them,

So, let all of us help them remain childlike.

Peace.

The Ladies' Compartment.

Delhi Metro is truly a saviour. One can travel a real long distance quite comfortably. Well, it really is a saviour especially in the scorching heat of Delhi. The ones who have to travel a long distance each single day for either their work or school and college can rely on the metro. Recently, the Delhi Metro has been made even more comfortable by reserving the very first compartment entirely for women.Most of the men really got paranoid after this alteration. A friend of mine had entered the last compartment of the metro just so that she does not miss the train till the time she reaches the first one. Then when she saw that the train was not very much crowded she dropped the thought of walking all the way to the ladies' compartment. She asked a man to move a little so that she can sit. And he replied "Aap logon ke liye toh pura ek compartment hai, aap wahan chale jao naa" (There's a whole compartment reserved for you, why don't you go there).

Well, I just want to tell such men that yes we do have a compartment reserved for just us but that does NOT mean we cannot travel in the other compartments. And, we have a whole compartment to ourselves because few men are just too desperate.

Few men have deliberately tried not to move from the ladies' compartment. I just want to tell them that it is of no credit to enter into the ladies' compartment and sit proudly and refuse to move. Men are THAT jealous.

The ladies' compartment have surely made traveling for girls quite easy but here's the catch. It isn't as extremely comfortable as you think it is.

The ladies' compartment can be horribly crowded during the peak hours. Of course, that's not an issue, we do not have to bother if someone's groping us or falling on us. But, after a tiresome day of work when you fortunately get a seat, a not-so-aged aunty will stand in front of you and will breathe heavily and will make such facial expression that if she does not get to sit she'll faint. And, eventually there goes your seat!

The ladies' compartment is half full of kids. Kids are very sweet but they can be annoying too. Just when you thought of taking out a book and enjoy the metro ride reading all the while, a kid will start crying as loudly as possible, or would start running around stepping on your feet or would stand with the dirty shoes on, on the seats and look out of the window just beside you. Also, there's always the giggly group of teenager girls who scream and laugh loudly, so much that it is ear shattering. Well, you cannot even sit peacefully now let alone reading.

There's always that group of ladies who travel together and reserve seats for each other. Even if you have an empty seat in a close proximity you cannot sit there because a woman is reserving it for another woman who's walking lazily and is yet to reach.

"Adjusting" can be really irritating sometimes. I understand that we're all women and can sit closely to each other so that more people can get space to sit but that doesn't mean that you'll sit so freakin' close to me that your hair is poking my nose and I can't breathe. Ugh!

But, whatsoever problems we have, of course, the ladies' compartment is comfortable and we can travel safely.

Peace.

I Rushed to the Hills.

To get rid of the scorching heat and usual life of Delhi, I rushed to the Hills, Kausani-Ranikhet-Nainital. It was an eventful and unexpected journey. To start with the train tickets were not confirmed till the last moment. What happened next was, the tickets didn't only get confirmed but also were upgraded! A real good start indeed. I t took a whole night to reach Kathgodam Station. And the moment I stepped out of the train I saw a big hill with it's tip covered with clouds. Mesmerizing!

I was still a little sleepy. The car was ready, and we drove through the giant hills covered with lush green trees till we reach Kausani. And, in between we stopped by Ranikhet, Chaubatiya Garden. The garden was large and full of apple trees. Bright red luscious apples were hanging down from the branches of the tree.We climbed hills, hills which were absolutely green, saw beautiful and eccentric butterflies, monkeys, tents and what not!

We then continued the drive and finally reached Kausani in the evening. The first thing we saw after reaching Kausani was the heavenly view of the Himalayan peaks, clear and perfect.

The rain had stopped and the sun was shining bright which made the Himalayan peaks look even more clearer. We booked the rooms, freshened up and headed to the large balcony and stared at the himalayan range till the sun went down. There was this silence, not eerie, but a peaceful silence which made me calm.

The next day, all fresh and ready, we drove down to Jeolikot. I captured the hills, quaint waterfalls and streams, all of it, in my mind. We were heading to Jeolikot just spend a day in the huge bunglow, Inspection Bunglow, built in 1871. Jeolikot had no places to visit in particular. The bunglow was the only attraction. And, this bunglow was going to be all ours for a day! I was inquisitive about how the Bunglow will be. We reached the Inspection Bunglow. The Bunglow was huge. It had big royal fireplaces and the wash rooms, they were of the size of my bedroom. Also, it had this beautiful mirror just outside the wash room. Everything about the Bunglow was royal and luxurious. The garden was full of mango trees and colourful flowers and fresh lush green grasses with the foggy view of the hills.

Next day began with the showers of rain. We were headed to Nainital finally. It took us probably 3-4 hours to reach Nainital. And then, began the struggle to find 'good' hotels to live in. Nainital is just like another city, over-crowded and busy, the only difference being it has beautiful hills and a long vast lake.I stepped in, it was enthralling. It had royal fireplaces and it was really huge.

Our voices echoed there, which made a little creepy though. The wash rooms were the size of my own actual room. It had a dressing room right outside the wash room with a beautiful stool in front of the big mirror. Everything in the bunglow was royal. Jeolikot was even more quieter. It had a deafening silence. I again enjoyed the hills as much as I could till the sun went down. I explored the lawns. The trees were heaved down with mangoes, peaches, apples and what not!

Finally, with a help of a friend, we landed up in a decent hotel. Without wasting any moment, we quickly were done with lunch and went to Bhutia Market, also called Tibetan Market. The market had everything to sell, clothes, shoes, food, decoration pieces, candles, umbrellas and the list can go really long. After looking around the market for bit, I picked up momos from

the very famous momo shop in the market and sat beside the lake with my friend. Sitting beside the lake and chatting endlessly was such a bliss. It made me realize that, petty little things can make people happy, it's all about emotions rather than materials. We covered almost all of the Nainital walking for it was a tiny city. In the evening, I was called for this dinner at a hotel by a friend. The hotel was absolutely on the top of the hills away from the hustle-bustle of the city down there. Though it took a lot of energy to climb those steep hills and reach the hotel but it was worth it. The hotel was a totally different part, there were cottages, bon fire, live music, food, fountains and was decked up with beautiful lights. The whole Nainital city was visible from the Hotel. The shops and restaurants down there looked like little twinkling stars at night from the balcony of the hotel.The next evening, we walked a long way from Mallital to Tallital, called the Mall Road. We explored the various shops and restaurants that came on our way.

I shopped for my friends. Then we took the most awaited Rickshaw ride. The Rickshaws were super-fast, faster than the ones in Delhi and were more comfortable. They looked good too! On the final day, we went to the snow view by a ropeway. The ropeway was the best part. I could see the clouds falling on the lake and on the city covering them up. After reaching snow view, we saw lots and lots of rides, cafeterias and shops. It was like an amusement park. There was free-fall, go-carting, cable cars, etc. Also they were providing us with binoculars to get a clear view of the Himalayan range. While coming back by the ropeway, we were all surrounded with white clouds!

The evening arrived and we were all ready to head back to Delhi. But, the catch was that our tickets weren't yet confirmed and few hours were left for the train to depart. Traumatic! I know. The driver who drove us till the Kathgodam Station turned out to be quite amusing. And, he shunned away all the trauma with his shayeris, jokes and singing. He kept telling us not to worry and that our tickets will positively get confirmed. And well, there we were, our tickets were eventually confirmed and we reached the station an hour and a half early. The driver was like an angel! We bade him goodbye. And, an hour and a half later we bade Nainital goodbye.

Super-Cool things. \m/

I've seen quite a variety of people around me. Some are decent, some are naive, some are weird, some are fun, some are cool and some are super-cool \m/. Yes, the word "super-cool" always makes me feel like adding \m/. These super-cool \m/ people often show their super-coolness \m/ in the over-populated social networking websites.

• LOLing or lolxxx or lolzzzz : LOL. The word itself is a little weird and adding the super-cool \m/ ing, x's or z's makes it miserable. Also, ing? Isn't it grammatically wrong? Laughing out Louding.
• Hi!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : Using extra exclamation marks. Really, are you always that excited? Or is there something wrong with your fingers?
• If yoU WriTe LyK thIs TheN dO mE a fAvOUr, dOnT taLk tO mE. Because every time I see it, my eyes go through a seizure.
• f9 is not fine. 4n is not phone. 10x is not thanks.
• H'py B'dy is NOT Happy Birthday. If you were THAT busy you would not be on facebook at the first place.
• Fake accent: can be only used when you write it and, trust me, it is disgusting. He's is mah boi. Hey, fanxx.. God, tough to tolerate. Sowiee That's sorry btw, in case you haven't figured out which is pretty normal. Nice pichha. No, really. I didn't need that comment. :| Thank uh. Sorry? Did you mean YOU? Welz! welcome is MUCH better.

P.S : This piece is NOT aimed at any particular person. If I've hurt any of your sentiments, trust me, it is unintentional. And, of course, no offence. But please, there are much better ways to write you see.

Peace.

Soul Sister.

Siblings, are the best part of our lives. And, am glad that I have one. An elder sister. Well, it will be unfair to call her just an elder sister for she is sometimes as sweet as a best friend, sometimes as insane as a little kid, as protective as a boyfriend or husband, as helpful as a mother and the list can go endless.

I've always heard stories of her feeding me or caring for me when I was little. And now, when I come to think of it, I feel very contented to have a sis like her. She has always stood by my side, helped me, she has a solution to almost every problem of mine. Be it academics, spat with a friend, heartbreaks or any hell thing. And, I find her the perfect being to discuss my problems with and I will admit that am very much dependent on her. She, on the other hand, has never really discussed much of her problems with me, maybe I wasn't the right person. She says I was too young to understand. But, I desperately wanted to know about her life, her dilemmas. I had also scrutinized all her diaries and her phone and what not, but I was unsuccessful. She is very secretive about her problems. She never really lets anyone see the agony or even a frown behind that angelic smile of hers.

Without her, I wouldn't have been able to pass 11th and 12th standard. Phew! She is the best teacher. I could never really digest the countless reactions in chemistry and the numerous theorems in physics and anything in maths. I still remember those all-night-long studying sessions, the last minute touch up and what not! I also remember that night when she had made me dance a day before my chemistry exam at 2:00 a.m because I was horribly nervous. Yes! She is that insane.

I hold her responsible for cultivating a taste in me for music and movies. She recommends the best. Also, I've always wanted to be like her when I was little. I did! She's just so good at almost everything. She has done well academically, she looks pretty, she has got so many friends, she drives (driving a car has been really tough for me. Hmph! Hopefully, I'll be good at it someday.), she's independent, she dances, she sings, she has also written poetry though it always remained beneath the sheets of paper. She is truly the best when it comes to shopping and I suck at shopping. I, generally, send her to shop for me because I detest shopping and find it boring and the clothes, shoes, accessories, bags or anything that she buys for me turns out to be the most fashionable and gets compliments.

It is close to impossible to cheer her up if you have, by any chance, offended her. Also, she doesn't apologize that easy. That one thing really bugs. Sisterhood is no fun without few fights and arguments. So, we do argue a lot! We have endless conversations. We have talked so many nights away whenever she was home for few days during her holidays.

It is her birthday on the 18th. And, this piece is dedicated to her. She's one of my favorite persons on earth. Happy silver Birthday! <3

Here's a surprise for you, sis! :P

Peace.

Things that I miss...

I've lived for some 18 years now. Well, quite a long time I must say! Life has made me experience diverse emotions. I cherish all of them. I felt like penning down the things I truly miss. Lets see how long the list will be....:)

• My colony and the beautiful two dwellings that I've lived in for quite a long time. The cheerful evenings in the colony. I used to play gallery and hide n seek and football and badminton and stapoo and pitthoo and what not!
• SDIPA dance sessions.
• The friends I made in colony. This circle of friends included people from all the age groups, from a kid of first standard to a college student. We had an amazing time each day.
• Volley : A puppy that I had found on the streets and had kept it home for more than a week. I was totally in love with it.
• The festivals celebrated in the colony. We just needed a reason to get together. Be it Christmas, Durga Puja, Ganesh Chaturthi, rakshabandhan, Dushehra, Diwali, Holi or any hell thing. It had to be celebrated in the colony.
• Dance rehearsals before Durga Puja. Preparing a dance performance in just 48 hours. Phew! Some hard work! Singing with the orchestra a day before the performance.
• The birthday parties with over 50 people invited. And, dancing in the over-crowded, noisy room.
• Spending hours sitting idly in my beautiful little garden watching the colorful flowers and the mesmerizing peacocks.
• Exceedingly long walks in the huge ground with my girlfriends and watching the people play football or cricket.
• Walking down the perplexing lanes of Subroto Park.
• Watching the aeroplanes from the roof and basking in the sun.
• Radio jockeying online and the friends I made there.
• The crazy dancing for hours at a marriage party with friends and not having dinner but continuing to dance like crazy.
• The congested Mahipalpur roads and cursing the traffic there being one of the major reasons of me getting late for my tuitions.
• Gorging on momos in between the tuitions at C-10 market. Eating at KFC often, after tuitions.
• Interminable tuitions for learning physics, chemistry and maths though I couldn't really learn anything. It all just passed above my head.
• Travelling in the EATS bus early in the morning and in the afternoon. It was helluva fun with the other friends. This bus picked up students from some 5 schools.
• Getting up early in the morning in the chilling weather. That was such a torture. And then dozing off in the bus a million times.
• The very famous Supreme bakery nearby my school.
• Reaching school way too early and switching on the numerous lights in the corridor.
• Spending time in the school washroom during some class.
• The labs!
• My classroom, just beside the Principal's office. :D
• Carrying cellphones in school
• Watching my brilliant friends imitating every single teacher.
• Dozing off in almost all the classes because of lack of sleep the previous night.
• Vice-principal's horrible shrill voice. The morning prayer. The P.T and yoga in the scorching heat. Bunking the assemblies when we finally were the prefects and driving out the other children out of the classrooms to attend the assembly.
• The time when my swimming skills were put to test by my lovely coach, pushing me into 15ft deep water, all of a sudden, just to see if I can cross the 50 meters length, swimming.
• The never-ending conversations.
• The annual picnics.
• My school uniform.
• Him.

Peace.

Reality.

She knows the reality.

She knows the truth.

It is hard-hitting.

So much that it takes her breath away.

She surmises.

Anticipates.

But, she does not stop.

She moves towards the ocean of gloom.

She moves towards the black and blue world.

She goes on with good hopes.

She expects things to turn up beautifully.

That was where she went wrong.

Everything's not pleasant.

Especially this.

She shouldn't go on.

However admirable it all looks

she should not.

For it is going to break her into pieces.

She's not sure of it.

Yet she goes on.

Where there are sugar-coated words

with venom inside.

Where there is immense love

but sadly, it is fake.

Wish I could tell her that.

Wish I could stop her.

Wish I could bring her back.

Back to reality.

And then, away from it.

Far, far away.

You don't even know what the reality is.

It is only I, she and the Lord who does.

Peace.