Out of the plethora of festivals celebrated with grandeur in India, Durga Puja is the most anticipated one for me. It might be because the magnificence of Goddess Durga is awe-inspiring to me, generating an impression of her existence amongst us. It is equivalent to a never-ending era of celebration over ten days. It is that joyful time of the year when people leave behind their anxieties and congregate as one to celebrate every moment. For the last two years, due to this pandemic, events were generally low scale. This year, my exams were also scheduled in the same week as the Puja, but later they got postponed and I must admit, I was extremely delighted as I knew I could attend the celebration without worrying about my exam preparations.

Drenched throughout, I got into the car, grumbling about the rain. There were tiny worms in my hair, possibly a product of the deluge that I had just gone through. However, a tiny part of me could not help feeling happy. A corner of my mouth lifted, and I started to smile as I remembered the unique experience that we just had…

No Em! Lizards are not adorable! And no, I was NOT having a staring contest with a lizard! Sigh…

Oh! Hello everyone! As you can see, Em is TRYING to dig into my emotions by referring to an awkward incident (if I MUST admit) about me and a lizard. Let me tell you about it!

That Monday, I was lounging on my bed, reading Sherlock Holmes. It was quite an interesting read, and I was completely engrossed in it. Suddenly, I looked up. My concentration was broken and I was shocked and devastated. My head reeled and disgust seeped into my soul. The reason- A big, brown lizard with ugly spots was perching on a painting that I had created recently!

3 years ago, our trip to Langkawi was planned out of the blue. It was a short and memorable trip, might have been one of the best trips I ever had. Let me walk you through this trip to lively Langkawi!

COVID times! And all our plans for the celebration went up in smoke because of this pandemic. Usually, we would decorate our classrooms, organize events and surprise our teachers with gifts just as a small tribute to our teachers. For the last two years, the Teacher’s Day celebration has been a low-key affair. We could not host any events because of social distancing. The school canteen was desolate as we were not allowed to gather for a small snack party. Sigh! The conditions did dampen our spirits initially, but we rebounded.

For quite some time, I have been visualizing myself as a professional baker. Thanks to my mom’s obsession with following MasterChef episodes, her umpteen attempts to bake almost perfect cakes (not 100% perfect) and having a gang of amazing friends who are utterly meticulous in their baking skills, ignited my passion for baking. So, to pursue this passion, I finally decided that I would bake a simple chocolate chip muffin batch. My confidence was sky-high. I made an elaborate plan that involved collecting the recipes for a thousand varieties of muffins, listing down the required ingredients, and badgering my mom to buy the ingredients that would help me launch my dream baking project. I had been an assistant baker in my best friend’s kitchen and was able to grasp a few tricks and trades of baking. She loves baking, and she seemed even more excited than I was!

Welcome Secondary! Suddenly the world of academics had transcended into a haze of intricacies and perplexity. The concepts more entangled, the questions more elaborate, the teachers more specific and me more resilient. I had clearly miscalculated the enormity of Secondary and so when my term exams were announced, I was pretty relaxed despite the fact that my exams were just 2.5 weeks away. That put me into quite a precarious position when 1 week later, I experienced the true meaning of last-minute rush. I was up late studying, trying to finish the syllabus that had suddenly bombarded me.

Climate change has become far more concerning than anyone could have ever anticipated (or maybe everyone anticipated but did not act). Ever since the 1900s, the climate has been on the fritz. Due to our reckless actions disregarding the health of our Earth, the detrimental effects can now be witnessed, one of them being climate change. Melting glaciers and rising sea levels, recurrent floods and typhoons, earthquakes of greater magnitude and frequency are only a few of the effects changes in the climate are causing. Is it just the tip of the iceberg?

This poem was composed jointly by my mother and me. Today, my brain could not conceive any idea about what my poem would be about. I could say that my mind was blank. She helped me to organize my thoughts and frame this poem. However, the drawing is my own creation. We hope you enjoy this read!