Preeti, Santosh, and Ashok at their great grandpa’s place for the summer break. Great Grandpa was, after all, the kids’ favorite. He was gazing at a portrait on the wall. The man in the portrait was his father. Santosh and Ashok walked in just then. They sat around Great Grandpa as he began speaking. ’76 Read more…

Mother shook me gently. ‘Get up, Raju! It’s Ganesh Chaturthi today. We must go to the temple.’ ‘Oh! So, you’re going to make modaks, aren’t you, Mom? I love them!’ Even at twelve, I still loved Ganesh Chaturthi. Mom smiled. ‘Yes, yes. I’ll make plenty of them. You can eat as many as you want. Read more…

Mahima Miss put on her stylish glasses and turned to the class. The children in VI A gazed back at her. ‘Today, we will write a letter,’ announced Mahima Miss. ‘To whom?’ inquired Ganesh, who sat on the last bench. ‘”To whom” is incorrect English,’ said Aarti. ‘It should be “to who”.’ ‘To which to Read more…

Anyone who entered the sprawling lawn of the bungalow always stopped before the tall and majestic Gulmohar tree. The tree had a mystical aura about it when it was in full bloom with its scarlet flowers, which exuded charm and radiance. ‘What a beautiful tree,’ they said admiringly and marveled at it. The tree felt Read more…

Meghana was excited. She was going on a picnic with her cousins the following day. Ten-year-old Meghana was obsessed with everything foreign. Lately, she had become pretty conceited as well. She had little regard for Indian culture. Her mother had often tried to knock some sense into her but to no avail. ♦♦♦ The next Read more…

‘Just imagine!’ Ayesha exclaimed. ‘We’ll be seeing him in person in a few hours!’ ‘Ooh! What a wonderful day!’ remarked Ruth. ‘Keep your autograph books handy,’ said Vaidehi. ‘And pens, too.’ ‘Yes, there will be a huge crowd,’ said Balwinder. ‘I hope we can get close to where he’d be.’ ‘…and perhaps shake hands with Read more…