Our school was closed for a week due to the monsoon rains. Unlike other holidays, children during the monsoon holidays are expected to remain indoors. But then, kids at home can be a real menace, especially for working parents as these little devils tend to make their homes a play ground - and needless to say, you’re left with shattered window panes, mirrors, broken crockery... and the list just goes on.

Well! We were no different. One such day pappa left for work and we had the whole house to ourselves. So off we began to explore!

After a series of search sessions in pappa’s room, our eyes fell upon his colourful lungi and voila! We hit upon a brilliant idea! All we needed to execute it was a pair of scissors, a pen and a bit of creativity. We quickly got all necessary things and soon settled down to ‘work’.

First, we spread the lungi lavishly on the bed. Then we clambered onto it. I then drew geometric patterns on it - triangles, rectangles, circles.... My sister who until then was watching me exhibit my artistic skills, got impatient and demanded that she too be given a chance to exhibit hers’. “Fair enough!” I thought and gave her the pen. She then sketched cute little flowers on the lungi-as many as she wanted to. Now came the cutting part. Slowly and carefully we cut out all the patterns. “Wow! they look perfect!” We exclaimed and complimented each other for the excellent team spirit. After all that ‘hard work’, a stretch, a yawn and off we dozed away.

At noon, there was a loud knock. We woke up with a start, quickly scrambled out of bed and opened the door. It was pappa. We gave him a sheepish grin. He returned a confused smile and went into his room to change. “Eeeks!” He shricked in horror as he saw the distinguished bits of his favourite lungi. “Preeti!” He screamed. I ran to him. “Whoo did this!?” A blank look was all that I could give him in reply.

Pappa was visibly upset. I sensed that from his arched eyebrows and the many wrinkles that had appeared on his forehead. “Strange!” I thought as I slowly slid away. “How could such an excellent work of art go er ... unappreciated?!”