Bing-Bing- By Arathi Menon

Bing-Bing

 by Arathi Menon

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Tinker-Binkle was the biggest and only kid’s shop in the island of Gubbyland . It is a ten storied building and it is literally known as a child’s paradise. Books, stationary, mini cars, room decorators, dolls, clothes, teddy bears and many other toys were available here. About ten thousand workers worked here, and about fifty thousand toys were produced in a day. It was also known as Santa’s workshop.

                                      In this workshop, there was a boy named Jimmy, who was about nine years old. He stitched and made soft toys, which his cruel uncle claimed as has having made by himself  to make a living. He wasn’t kind to Jimmy and made him stay in a dusty little room.

                                      Jimmy was very lonely. He wanted to share his happiness and woes to someone. Atleast, a soft toy would be enough, he thought at times. Whenever Jimmy asked his uncle to keep a soft toy for himself, his uncle had the same reaction for it ;

“If you want soft toys,Go get thread, cotton and materials for yourself!” He screamed

 But how could he? He did not have any money for it. He often wished he had.

                                   One day, Jimmy saw an old and frail woman weaving thread in a corner across the building where Jimmy worked. . She was very busy with her work, yet she raised her eyes and looked at the trembling little boy walking towards her. Jimmy did not know why, but a strange force led him to this old woman. He had not planned nor did have have a reason to meet her. As he reached her,, he looked into her eyes and then the thread she was weaving with. It was special. Jimmy had not seen similar thread earlier. There was something special about it.  

 “Excuse me ma’am” Jimmy said “W……would  you m.mind  g…g…giving me s..s..some of t.that.. g…good thread?”

The woman smiled gently and handed him a box of soft and sparkling thread, cotton and materials. The boy’s face shone with happiness. But then, it faded away.

“How much does it cost?” he asked the old woman.

“Happiness is priceless” she replied 

“Thank you, ma’am!” Jimmy exclaimed with happiness.

“You may call me Aunt McCrinky” the old woman said, pushing her lock of snow white hair behind her ears. A strange wave of happiness engulfed Jimmy.

                                        From then on, Jimmy did not waste any time. After his work was done, Jimmy would be occupied in making his very own teddy bear. He stitched it with great care, filled it with cotton and joined the parts carefully. Finally, the result was a cute little bear with cute and sparkling brown eyes and a shining coat.

“I will name you Bing-Bing” said Jimmy, with happiness,  after months of hard work “Now I have a toy of my own!” he whispered into the Bing- Bing's ear. He looked into the bear's eyes. 

The bear gave him a cute smile. At first, Jimmy was puzzled, but then considered it as his own imagination.

That night, when Jimmy lied down to sleep, he heard someone sing. Whoever it was, he had sung sweetly, he thought. The song was simple, like this;

“My name is Bing-Bing

And I love to sing-sing

On this lovely holiday night

When the sky bunny laughs, and the pixies play

For the night is the time for their day”

Finally, Jimmy got up to see who the singer was. Then his eyes widened with wonder………

                                                                               To be contd……

If I had a sibling- By Arathi Menon

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If I had a sibling

the one with who I’ll be

I will tell them stories

explain to them, what is that they see
I’ll tell them “I’m your elder

you can always count on me”

I will let them wrap

their little fingers around mine

And step by step, they will

walk by my side
Thrilled will I be, when they speak out

names of papa, mama and mine

My toys will be theirs

and I’ll take them out to play

Together we’ll see the sun shine

and dance in the rain
I will be the one with whom they can

share their pleasure and pain

To my friends, about my siblings

i will talk most of the time
But oh, I do not have any

I’m the only child

My parents dote me

although I’m pampered and wild
I have all their love and care

I have all the books and toys

And I have no one else to share it with

Or fight for it and make noise
At moments, when I’m lonely

I wish to hear a voice

that of a sibling, who would ask

“Shall we go out and play

I want to hear your stories

And talk to you all day”
If you wish you were the only one

Then those who are will say

“How I wish I had a sibling

To keep loneliness at bay

For when you tell me about yours

i would wish for one again.

“The Curious Girls-The Twins”.]

The Twins

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‘Hi. I am Deepika. My friends call me Deepu. I am from Shalimar Colony where ‘anything’ can happen. I have had many experiences which seemed extraordinary since I shifted here. Well, this is one of them.

          That night, when it all began, I was home with my best friend Keerthi, my neighbor Razia, and my snooty cousin Shreya.

 “Do you remember our night shuttle challenge?” Keerthi asked me “The team who wins will get a box of chocolates and rise in their pocket money. This time, Razia is in my team”

“Okay then” I said “Shreya will be in my team”

                 Shreya might be a snob, but, I have to admit, she plays shuttle very well. Moreover, I knew she had other plans that night.

“I am not into any game tonight” Shreya said “I have to watch ‘Twilight’ tonight”

“It will come again on T.V” I said “Besides, you spend too much time in front of the television”

Shreya hesitated. “By the way, what is ‘Night shuttle’?”

“It is just shuttle!” Keerthi said “Played at night”

“Oh really” Shreya said “I am sorry, but my racket will not work at night”

               Shreya was used to make lame excuses. So she left me with no other option than to drag her to the backyard.

               We started the game very well, but Shreya smashed the cork, straight into Kumar uncle’s house, I mean ‘Terror-tory’. That’s where all the kids, especially I, fear to go. He will somehow get us grounded; by telling our parents some false complaints like ‘Sneaking into the kitchen’ or ‘Breaking the window’ or ‘Throwing a ball on his head’ (Even though they were all true for me).

“Shreya” said Keerthi “You smashed the cork there, you get it for us”

Shreya hesitated. Then we all forced her to go to the ‘Terror-tory’. So she climbed the wall and ‘Oops’ she fell.

                                                       We climbed the fence to see what happened. We found out that Shreya had fallen into a stinky compost pit.

“Urrgh!” cried Shreya “Get me out of here!”

“Not until you get our cork” said Keerthi

“Maybe it will be outside the pit” said Shreya.

“No, it’s not!” exclaimed Keerthi “It’s right there!”

Shreya picked the cork. At the same time, we heard someone laughing. It was a girl, about our age, laughing at us in the balcony of Kumar Uncle’s house, a two storied building chalked out by the moon.’

[This is just the first part of one of curious Deepika’s  experiences which she had with her equally curious friends.  For the remaining part of the story and her encounters with the unknown: Please wait until the next episode of:“The Curious Girls- the Twins”.]

Your Blessings and comments are welcome....

A story of kindness and sincere devotion- by Arathi Menon

Finding Lord Krishna
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After a seemingly long journey from his school, Madhavan poured some water on his feet from a kindi , and entered his home. His grandmother, who was busy reading The Bhagvad Gita.

“How was your exam?”

“Amma, I’m hungry”

It was easy for his mother to understand. Madhavan had his terminal exams, and that day, it was Mathematics,. It was not one of his favorite subjects, and that day too, the experience was unpleasant.

“ You must not get used to your exams being tough” said his mother “That is a bad sign”

“ What can I do, Amma? They always do this to us”

Madhavan’s  younger brother Mukundan was busy munching some appams.

“Kannan’s exam was easy” his mother said.

Madhavan looked at his younger brother again. Multiplication and division was still easy for him.

“How was it for your classmates?”

“It was tough for them too”

“Did you ask Shankar and Rahul?”

He expected that question. Shankar and Rahul were the toppers of his class. He actually used to ask them about their exam. They would tell him that it was tough, and then end up with some ninety five percent and above.

“Kutta? Will you accompany me to the temple?” Madhavan’s grandmother asked.

“I’m coming!” he replied, to avoid further quizzing by his mother. They went to the temple where his father worked as a priest. He was busy with his pujas.

“Bhagavane ! “ Madhavan prayed “I still do not understand how it would do any harm to me if the paper had been easier. And all that was asked were to ‘ integrate this’, ‘integrate that’!. I just hope that the evaluators show mercy while correcting our papers”

As he kept complaining about the exam, he noticed a frail, boy of about six or seven years old, praying. The innocence on the boy’s face gave it a pleasant glow, and then, Madhavan felt his voice being audible.

“Bhagavane! Bless the kind people who come here to pray. It is because of them that I got to pay my school fees”

Madhavan kept staring at the boy, who walked away in a slow, quiet manner.

As they stepped out of the temple, he saw his grandmother place a 100 rupee note in the palm of an old woman.

“Isn’t  100 rupees a bit too much to be given as alms?”

“Kutta, what do we have for dinner everyday?”

“Well, sometimes rice, and otherwise chappathis”

“Would it cost more than 100 rupees to buy rice, spices and vegetables altogether?”

“Well… yes”

“Then 100 rupees is very less. I’ve seen financially sound people give such small amount of money, like 50 paise, or one or two rupees as alms, as if they’d done a great work of charity, and then they go and buy useless trinkets. Moreover, that poor old lady has a grandson to feed”

That night, Madhavan’s thoughts were about the boy he saw at the temple. Paying his school fees was such a problem for him. Well, he did not know himself how much his father would pay for his studies every month. Then he brushed aside these thoughts, and lay down on his bed. The holidays have arrived, and it was such a relief.

But on the following days also, he saw the boy. As he helped his father with some work in the temple, he got to know more about him, who was orphaned when he was a toddler. The boy and his grandmother lived in a space between four dilapidated walls, which they called, their ‘home’.

But then, he noticed that the boy’s grandmother had not come to beg near the temple for a couple of days. What must have happened to her? Was she not well? The boy still visited the temple regularly.

He saw the boy again, one morning, as he poured payasam in small packets. The devotees would get a receipt for it and then receive it as their prasadam. The boy looked much weaker than usual, but still, his mind seemed to be much immersed in God.

Then, as though by some instincts, Madhavan got a receipt written for him and paid for it himself. Then he went closer to the boy and patted him.

“Come with me” he said.

The boy, startled, kept following him. Then Madhavan handed over a packet of payasam to the boy.

“But  Cheta, I haven’t paid for it”

“It’s paid already. Take it home”

The boy stared at Madhavan, with moist eyes. He walked away slowly, and on the way, turned back to look at him.

Poor boy, Madhavan thought. He must not have eaten for days, as his grandmother had not come begging for days. But, was a packet of payasam  enough for them?

He followed the boy quietly as he walked to his home.

“Ammama” he said “We’ve got something to eat”

“Who gave you this?” she asked.

“A boy in the temple” he replied “He gave this to me, and I did not have to pay for this”

He paused for a while

“Ammama, you tell me everyday that God would listen to our prayers, and help us in need.

I am sure, that it was Bhagvan himself who gave this to me. I found him today! I found our Bhagvan today.

Madhavan felt deeply touched by what he heard. Slowly, Madhavan smiled through the window, and knowing that he was far from their attention, quietly walked away.

Brother- By Arathi Menon

Brother

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“Bye Papa! Bye Mama! Love you both!”

She switched off her cell phone and looked at the evening sky. Lavender, she thought. Yesterday, it was a pinkish red. Perhaps it may be purple tomorrow.

“Hi!” came a voice.

“You came!”

“Well, its obvious. It’s my sister’s birthday, and…”

“They let you live! I thought they were quite strict about letting boys of your age enter”

“Such boys eventually grow up. Nobody is ever going to remain as the same age as he is today. I have come here to visit you, like any other visitor who comes here to visit. Okay now, what’s the matter?”

“Oh, nothing. Okay fine, its about…..”                                             

“It’s about what?” he asked.

“Well, remember our previous birthday? We were home with our parents, happy with a cheerful cake”

“Syrup soaked, splashed with a layer of cream, embedded with dark chocolate, with it we had mama’s warm and delicious payasam and sweets…”

“Okay now, it was far better than today, I’m sure. I don’t mind parties, or cake, but..”

“Parties!” he exclaimed “Who needs parties for being sixteen! We didn’t have a party last year!”

“That’s not my point. It’s our first birthday without our parents and….” She burst into tears.

He held her hand.

“And there you go again! You cry more often than a character in a soap opera! I wouldn’t like my baby sister to cry on our birthday!”

She wiped her cheeks with her palm and looked at her brother. He was tanned, and had the same curly hair and brown eyes as she had.

“Oh, besides, happy birthday!” she exclaimed and gave him a handmade card.

Then his face fell

“Oh, I’m sorry sis. I forgot about the gift”

“Never mind, you came here and that is more than enough for me”

Then they the bell ring, and she gave out a sigh “Oh, it’s time to study!”

“Well then, see you later, and yes happy birthday!” He smiled as he left.

She sat down, and glanced at the numerous and thick books piled on her desk. The day was in its last hours and, like any other day, meant to end in the same monotonous manner. Then her friend approached her

“Hey there, are you done with Botany?”

Then she looked at the card and read the text written with glittering blue ink

“Happy Birthday, dear brother… You had a brother?”

Before the exam- by Arathi Menon

Before the Exam

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Three hours before the exam:
You're at home. Dressed up, glancing through the pages of your textbook, and trying to memorize the facts in your textbook. The book stays in your hand and your eyes stay stuck to it, as you eat breakfast, as you tie your shoes etc.You give your book the love and attention you should have given throughout the year.Your parents try to motivate and advise you. They tell you to feel calm, though they wear a rather tensed face. Your relatives from distant places call you to wish you their 'All the best'. You pray, and so does your family, so that you may come back home with a smiling face.

Two hours before the exam:
You're in your vehicle, on the way to your centre of exam. Your eyes are still fixed on the book.
For a while, you try to memorize the facts you just read. If you'd remembered it, good. It must have made you feel better. You turn the page.

One hour before the exam:
You've reached the centre of exam. You see your classmates, in the same situation as you are in, preparing to fight a great war. The only difference is that they wield a pen of blue ink, and that too in a proper manner, so that it might not be struck by the examiner's weapon, the pen of red ink.

Thirty minutes before the exam:
Okay, now you're done. You are well prepared for your exam. You try to be calm, but the tense surrounding does not allow you to do so. Then you get into discussing the topics with your friends.

ten minutes before the exam:
You've cleared your doubts. You've done everything you needed for that exam., but still... that impending fear.....
Then someone asks you "What is watt-less current?"
You realize that you've forgotten it.

Ten seconds before the exam:
You are sitting in the seat allotted to you. You hear your heart beating fast. You feel your sweat trickling down your face and down your pen. Then you look up and say"Bhagavane! Help me out with this!"
The invigilator gives you the paper
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The Tree- Poem by Arathi Menon

The Tree
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Aeons ago, I emerged
Stretched myself to the world
Clutched on, with my fragile roots
As I felt the whiteness melt away
Then, I remember, the young Earth
My mother, and I the infant sap

I embraced the amiable breeze
And basked in the glory of the radiant
Wondered how, with eloquent ease
Flowed the water, with its clear grace
Nourished my roots, and strengthened

If I had eyes, I would have seen
How, emerged forms of life
Of various sorts, of various sizes
And many others of my kind
Holding fast and breathing out
Sustaining life

The breeze would tell me
All what he saw
The tales of east and lore of west

And yes, about the creature best
Set him apart from all the beasts

The species, destined to conquer the world
Though fragile, is gifted
But alas, their greed and thoughtlessness
And some sadist fancy induced the kind
To turn against their kith and kin
Do what they themselves call ‘sin’

The breeze himself, of chemical woe
Blurted out the terrible truth
Of how they turned out a foe
To us, who fed them, sheltered them
And from us, made a home

I hear the mourns of birds and beasts
And for our kind, a massacre
To build themselves
They say , a home
Of concrete and of stone

My kind, felled, one by one
Gasped through the grip of death

That with a sharp, gleaming axe
Piercing a slow, painful end

I see that nightmare, but still, hold on
And hope, a day, that they would see
And then, would come back to me
And I will keep waiting, day and night

With my wooden arms stretched wide.