<p>“How come she keeps doing this to me? She's SO mean!" Maya sobbed. "Nobody will remember this tomorrow!" consoled Sheila, her best friend. <br /><br />"It was so humiliating when everyone laughed" Maya whispered. <br /><br />Bina, the most popular girl in school, was also a bully picking on Maya, her classmate, since the school year began. <br /><br />"Village freak!" Maya still remembered the first time Bina had taunted her. <br /><br />"So the little villager is crying?" Bina walked in with her friends. <br />"Haven't you done enough damage for one day?" Sheila burst out. <br />"You'd be so much more popular if you didn't hang out with a slob like Maya!" retorted Bina. <br /><br />The next day when Maya met her friend, she could barely contain her excitement.<br />"Are you sure Maya? Why not forgive and forget?" Sheila said. <br /><br />"If I don't do this I'll regret it for the rest of my life!" Maya said vehemently. <br />"What's that you have? Looks like a lunch box" Sheila looked curiously at the box that Maya had brought. <br /><br />"It's a spring-loaded box. When you open it, whatever is inside will spring out and fall over you!" Maya couldn't suppress her smirk.<br /><br />"This is Bina's lunch box,"<br /> Maya brought out a similar box. "I am going to swap it with this box!" <br />Maya opened it and put the lone chapatti and dhaal from it into the spring box. <br /><br />"Aaaaaaaah! There's food all over my face!" Bina screamed, even as Maya laughed.<br />"You dirty litle village girl! How dare you do this to me?" <br />"It takes one to recognize another!" Maya sneered. Hadn't she practiced this line a million times?<br /><br /> "Now, what will I eat? I don't have any lunch!" Bina sounded beaten. "After so many days I finally get lunch and now this!" <br />For some reason Maya felt uncomfortable.<br /><br />"But why would she have said that?" Maya asked Sheila. <br />"I don't know. You need to find out for yourself!" Sheila said.<br /><br />After school Maya followed Bina home. She saw Bina going inside a small house off a dusty lane. When she peered inside, she saw a frail woman lying on the bed. <br />"Ma, ma! I'm back. How are you?" Bina went running to her side. <br /><br />"I'm fine. How was your lunch, dear? I was so glad that I could actually cook something for you today."<br /><br />"It doesn't matter, Ma. I just want you to get well soon. It's been nearly a year since you fell sick."<br /><br />Maya learnt an important lesson that day. Never judge a person too harshly. Bina was going through a lot in her life. At the same time trying to stay Ms. Popular. <br />Aren't there always two sides to a coin?<br /><br /><em>Malini Srikrishna<br />VII-A, SKCH(CBSE), Bangalore</em> <br /><br />You must read this poem</p>.<p>The Cat</p>.<p>You need your Cat.<br />When you slump down<br />All tired and flat<br />With too much town<br />With too many lifts<br />Too many floors<br />Too many neon-lit<br />Corridors<br />Too many people<br />Telling you what<br />You just must do<br />And what you must not<br />With too much headache<br />Video glow<br />Too many answers<br />You will never know<br />Then stroke the Cat<br />That warms your knee<br />You'll find her purr<br />Is a battery<br />For into your hands<br />Will flow the powers<br />Of the beast who ignore<br />These ways of ours<br />And you'll be refreshed<br />Through the Cat on your lap<br />With a Leopard's yawn<br />And a Tig er's nap.<br /><br /><em>Ted Hughes</em> </p>
<p>“How come she keeps doing this to me? She's SO mean!" Maya sobbed. "Nobody will remember this tomorrow!" consoled Sheila, her best friend. <br /><br />"It was so humiliating when everyone laughed" Maya whispered. <br /><br />Bina, the most popular girl in school, was also a bully picking on Maya, her classmate, since the school year began. <br /><br />"Village freak!" Maya still remembered the first time Bina had taunted her. <br /><br />"So the little villager is crying?" Bina walked in with her friends. <br />"Haven't you done enough damage for one day?" Sheila burst out. <br />"You'd be so much more popular if you didn't hang out with a slob like Maya!" retorted Bina. <br /><br />The next day when Maya met her friend, she could barely contain her excitement.<br />"Are you sure Maya? Why not forgive and forget?" Sheila said. <br /><br />"If I don't do this I'll regret it for the rest of my life!" Maya said vehemently. <br />"What's that you have? Looks like a lunch box" Sheila looked curiously at the box that Maya had brought. <br /><br />"It's a spring-loaded box. When you open it, whatever is inside will spring out and fall over you!" Maya couldn't suppress her smirk.<br /><br />"This is Bina's lunch box,"<br /> Maya brought out a similar box. "I am going to swap it with this box!" <br />Maya opened it and put the lone chapatti and dhaal from it into the spring box. <br /><br />"Aaaaaaaah! There's food all over my face!" Bina screamed, even as Maya laughed.<br />"You dirty litle village girl! How dare you do this to me?" <br />"It takes one to recognize another!" Maya sneered. Hadn't she practiced this line a million times?<br /><br /> "Now, what will I eat? I don't have any lunch!" Bina sounded beaten. "After so many days I finally get lunch and now this!" <br />For some reason Maya felt uncomfortable.<br /><br />"But why would she have said that?" Maya asked Sheila. <br />"I don't know. You need to find out for yourself!" Sheila said.<br /><br />After school Maya followed Bina home. She saw Bina going inside a small house off a dusty lane. When she peered inside, she saw a frail woman lying on the bed. <br />"Ma, ma! I'm back. How are you?" Bina went running to her side. <br /><br />"I'm fine. How was your lunch, dear? I was so glad that I could actually cook something for you today."<br /><br />"It doesn't matter, Ma. I just want you to get well soon. It's been nearly a year since you fell sick."<br /><br />Maya learnt an important lesson that day. Never judge a person too harshly. Bina was going through a lot in her life. At the same time trying to stay Ms. Popular. <br />Aren't there always two sides to a coin?<br /><br /><em>Malini Srikrishna<br />VII-A, SKCH(CBSE), Bangalore</em> <br /><br />You must read this poem</p>.<p>The Cat</p>.<p>You need your Cat.<br />When you slump down<br />All tired and flat<br />With too much town<br />With too many lifts<br />Too many floors<br />Too many neon-lit<br />Corridors<br />Too many people<br />Telling you what<br />You just must do<br />And what you must not<br />With too much headache<br />Video glow<br />Too many answers<br />You will never know<br />Then stroke the Cat<br />That warms your knee<br />You'll find her purr<br />Is a battery<br />For into your hands<br />Will flow the powers<br />Of the beast who ignore<br />These ways of ours<br />And you'll be refreshed<br />Through the Cat on your lap<br />With a Leopard's yawn<br />And a Tig er's nap.<br /><br /><em>Ted Hughes</em> </p>
