While playing in mud with her friends, thirteen year old Kalpana looked up and saw two children of her age coming out of a nearby building, wearing ironed uniforms and carrying a heavy bag of books. Instantly her heart leapt in joy as she realized that the holidays have ended and the schools have reopened.
Most kids of her age eagerly waited all year for the holidays, but Kalpana loved the school days. What if she couldn’t go to school like those children anymore? She still liked to watch them walk, talking animatedly to each other, sometimes fighting over trivial things, or worrying over a test that awaited them in school. She watched them as they ascended the steps of their school bus, and her eyes followed longingly as the bus took off, sped through the busy roads, forming a small yellow spot in the distance, and then disappeared among a sea of vehicles.
She was happy that the schools have reopened. It meant that her teacherji would also be back from her vacation, and that Kalpana could go to her house every Sunday and learn from her. The thought delighted her. Kalpana looked back at the little playhouse she had made with mud. She had modelled it on teacherji’s house, her favourite building in the world. She mentally pictured herself entering the house the coming Sunday and greeting her teacherji with a smile. Then they would tell each other stories of what they had done all summer. Kalpana had doubts to ask, from all the books that she had read over the past two months. Teacherji would be happy to know that Kalpana had read all the books she had lent her, and that she had finished all her assignments in good time.
Teacherji owned so many books that she lent to Kalpana sometimes, and she loved reading them. She also had many stories to tell Kalpana- stories from around the world, of great men and women who made it big in life through hard work. Kalpana loved listening to those stories. They gave wings to her dreams and hopes. They inspired her to work hard to fulfill her dreams of going back to school some day, and building a better future for herself and her little brother.
Those dreams were all she had, and she drew energy from them to keep going.
-Harsha Unnikrishnan
Originally posted here: https://www.facebook.com/redrawindia2014/posts/209662019225093
(Written for a Spin A Tale contest in connection with Redraw India 2014, conducted by Teach For India)
the pensive soul 