THE VIEW FROM MY BEDROOM WINDOW

When I open my eyes in the morning, I see a picture of a beautiful dawn. The wind coming in sways my cobalt curtains and the dream catcher chimes. Holding my mug of coffee, I await the pleasure of seeing the mesmerizing sights from my window. While opening the window, the light creak of the wooden pane alerts my dog. I sit down on the comfortable sofa, and simply observe the passersby.

While I enjoy my bowl of cereal, I see women with bags of jute hurrying off to the market, little girls plucking daisies and kids chasing after the bubbles they blow. A group of introverts jogging, wearing earphones.  A bevy of elderly women, having their tête-a-tête under a canopy shaped dome. The fragrance of the resplendent flowers united with the aroma of mint plants rejuvenate my soul. Looking across the garden, the hustle-bustle of the road add a new aspect to the view. I can almost smell the delicacies being cooked by the vendors while the motor vehicles move at a quiet pace. The people greet each other and move forward. While the cars stop, men and women come towards the car and showcase their variety of wares. Some have garlands while the other have pretty cloth bags.

The sound of the environment is a mix of honking and the laughter of children in my building. The smoke coming out of the far away factory, spoils the look of the light blue sky and the whole picture. A Koel bird sits on the edge of my window pane and keeps cooing while my dog is fascinated to see a bird that close. A stray dog across the street has finally found a good place under a tree to rest.

As I observe almost every little thing, it is time for me to get on with the rest of my day. I leave the window ajar, sit on my study table and begin with the History lesson.

The next morning is still far away.

Forests and I

They say that forests are essential and support life on Earth. They are even great for tourism and other adventurous sports. However, I seem to oppose that fact.

Since an early age, I have an irrational fear of animals. The street dogs always haunted me when I was a preschooler. I really don't know why but I never liked animals. 
And lucky me, my family frequently planned trips to national parks. I do not know whether that was to help me overcome my fear or just simply annoy me.

My motto, when it comes to nature is " Let them live, let me live." Wilderness is not my cup of tea. 
The brown branches, rustling autumn leaves, sudden drizzles, roads that lead to places beyond imagination and then there is me with tension in my eyes, and a vein popping out of my head.

When I was eleven, I fondly remember my experience at one such park, Rajaji National Park.
 It was somewhere near Rishikesh, a beautiful hill station with mesmerizing temples and statues. The weather changed every now and then but the breeze was chilly and relaxing.

The park was fully secured and our ride was an open jeep. I spotted some leopard paw marks on a bark and kept looking up, assuring myself that no animal will jump on me. The only thing that could protect us was a gun. We were advised to wear light-coloured clothes and not to wear fragrance. The first half of the journey was very enjoyable and we saw a handful of animals. A herd of elephants came to a clear water hole to hydrate themselves. It was pretty humid that day, hence we didn't need any pullovers. The mother elephants sprinkled water on their little ones and others, simply licked their children. 

It is amazing that nature has it's own way of things. Nobody ever taught these animals how to take care of themeselves. Even though they have it all figured out. We encountered some peacocks,  a variety of birds, deers and lastly, two cheetahs.
That was a fine moment for me, although I didn't feel anything maybe because my heart stopped beating for a while. There were two of them, hidden by the bushes. Thinking that either of them could ambush me. The jeeps applied a sudden brake and asked us to remain quiet. I gladly obeyed that because I had my tongue in a knot. The duo was gawking at us and everyone had their cameras ready. We remained silent and stood in awe for a couple of minutes. It was dusk by then, and the sky looked brilliant with spasms of red and orange. 
We slowly departed and made it to the main gate by six. 
  
The experience was almost good, if the cheetah did not appear in the story. I would like to visit zoos where animals are kept in certain cages and cannot harm me. It sounds very odd and weird that I dislike animals, but that is true. 

I await for a day when animals will come to visit us in cages...

Rain here!

RAIN IN MUMBAI! 

Rain here is not a special word, unlike in Bengal. Mumbai has adapted itself from the torrential rain it receives every year. Although, people in many parts of Mumbai, still suffer immensely during this time of the year. Though, it’s a progressed city but rain here is a very decisive calamity. Surprisingly, kids enjoy themselves and so do adults. People intend to work casually in the middle of this season. 

Appreciating this, people here are also habituated in the scorching heat. Folks here are hardworking unlike in Kolkata. 

Rain here is unpredictable. The minute the sun shines brightly above you, you are supposed to expect rain in the next minute. Carrying umbrellas and raincoats here are no problem. The uncertainty gives people no benefit of doubt. 

Overlooking the rain, there’s no winter here! It’s just summer and monsoon. So the advantage of that is that you can swim in the month of December! But that comes later, most people worry about their lives in the month of July to September. It’s a monster worry here. 

Apart from this, monsoon brings a humongous amount of fresh water, which delivers potable water in the homes of most. The refreshing raindrops and light dark skies are a treat for sore eyes! The chilling breeze forces you to get up and arrange yourself a hot cup of chocolate and blanket! 

I myself, get wrapped up in a blanket and gape at the phone screen for latest updates of weather. 

Here’s a little something  that should provide you with a clear image of the famous RAIN here: 

Life In Mumbai

Well, it has been over a month now in Mumbai, and I seem to have managed well enough till now.
I have made a handful of friends here and doing well in my studies.
Mumbai seems to fascinate me. Its too weird that I have been living in Kolkata for thirteen years and now here I am. I am not saying that it is a bad thing, I appreciate being here. In fact, I was the most positive of all about moving here. People seemed to worry and panic a lot, I was calm and collected and thought about life here. And how I would manage in school.

 Will I make any friends, and will I miss my family and cousin? It wasn’t incredibly tough for me. On the other hand, Baba was the one to freak out!
He gave a lot of thought on this sudden change. And it would be better if I don’t speak about Ma.
She literally drove me crazy in March. I still remember her speaking in her sleep!

It has been a thrilling experience and I am perplexed that we all are still thriving against the monsoon.

Well, this is our home now and I have welcomed it with open arms. Ma is having a little difficulty, but she will settle down eventually, and if not, then GOD BLESS HER!!

The Fantastic Four

Friends are an important part in life.
To cherish all the joyous moments between my three close friends and me , I came up with a little poem for them.

This is for Disha, Rishab and Aryansh.

Here goes:

One thing, that's special about my friends,
Is that they all follow a unique trend.

I will always love you guys,
No matter, how you have told me lies!

Disha's the cutest,
Aryansh's the funniest,
Rishab's the coolest,
Well, not to boast, I am the smartest!

They play extreme pranks,
And always put me in ranks.

We are friends from the core,
Known as the FANTASTIC FOUR!

Saturday Breakfasts

Saturday mornings. Breakfasts are big! I probably eat the breakfast of three countries together! Relax, that's a hyperbole. Normally there is a ton of things on my plate. Some sweet, some salty, some large, some small - the plate looks like a buffet from a plush restaurant.

Sausages,scrambled eggs,bacon, toast,and...orange juice. There normally is everything. I take ages to complete the breakfast and normally skip lunch. Who can eat lunch after such a  monstrous meal!

Thanks Baba for making such wonderful breakfasts for me on Saturdays. 

This wonderful Saturday

It was a Saturday and I had a whole lot of plans!
I love Saturdays because I go out with my mom and dad and have fun.
This Saturday was so packed!
We went to a restaurant to have some Bengali food in the afternoon on account of my dads birthday celebration.
My friend will be there who I am meeting after a year .
My aunt will be there with her too.
In the evening...I got a wonderful birthday party. Not mine but my cousins and friends.
We are going to have loads of fun... I am gonna see all my cousins and have fun with them.
Well we are gonna play some games too but for me and my cousins, we chat a lot!

Oh! I don't want this Saturday to end!
No studies
No boring classes!....