There'sALetterFor-28Feb2021

85 Maddie found the papers and held it against the fire and the word ‘Santa’ was burnt on the paper. They both said ‘Santa’ three times, held their breath, closed their eyes and jumped inside the fireplace which had now become a cool one. The chimney sucked them and took them to a Christmas ornament gift shop. Clutching the letter safely in her hands, Maddie gave the letter to Charles to continue reading. “Good! Now find 3 ornaments: crimson, puce and melon-coloured inside the donation box.’ Where’s the donation box? “Over here! Follow me!” Maddie said and ran to the donation box. They fished around the box which overflowed with different coloured ornaments. They found their three coloured ornaments and continued reading. “Once you’ve found the different colored ornaments, crack open the melon coloured ornament. Read the instructions.”

86 “The melon coloured ornament’s instructions tell us to hang the crimson and puce coloured ornaments on the biggest tree in the store. It’s the one in the left side corner!” Maddie pulled Charles and hung the ornaments together on the tree. “It also says that I have to sing the word ‘is’ in the Middle C note, and you sing it in G for 10 seconds. Let’s sing,” Charles said. They sang the word ‘is’ for 10 seconds, and lo the tree swallowed the twins and they landed in a Christmas Tree forest. “This is the last challenge of this trip. You have to find two trees with the letters ‘m’ and ‘e’. If you check your pockets, you will find a nail. Once you’ve found the trees with the letters, nail the nails on the letters and read the next bit of this letter.’ “ I think there are about 10 trees, so let us check 5 trees each. Once we found the trees, meet back right here. Don’t get lost Charles!” Maddie warned. Charles nodded and ran around each tree, examining them closely. He found the letter ‘e’ on the 4th tree, and

87 acted as per the instruction in the letter. Maddie found the letter ‘m’ on the 2nd tree, and nailed the nail in the middle of ‘m’. They met back where they landed. “Now that you have found the letters, go to the tree that is in the right corner and hug it for 20 seconds thinking of all the things you love. ” They dashed to the right cornered tree and hugged it. All the things that were most important to them came inside their minds, bringing smiles to their faces. After 20 seconds, Maddie and Charles ended back on their cozy sofa near the fireplace in their house. Their parents came back home from their tour, and found their twins sitting like nothing ever happened! “Maddie! Charlie! I missed you!” Mary smiled as she gave them a big kiss. “We went on a treasure hunt dad!” Charles jumped.

88 “I see! Presents came in early from Santa this year!” David smiled. “We jumped into the fireplace, and went to an ornament store, which took us to the Christmas Tree forest and we came back home!” Maddie said. “I hardly believe you!” Mary said. “Believe us! We got a letter- here!” Charles said as he gave the letter to his parents. They took a look and it was blank. “Stop joking around, Charlie! I’m going to unpack,” David said. Charles took another look at the letter and it was blank. Suddenly, a red, glittery and cursive font started writing 3 words: Santa Is Me’.

89 “Maddie! The letter we got is from Santa!!” Charles gasped and looked at Maddie. She smiled and they ran to the tree to unwrap their early presents. Dhriti Sriram

90 Vijayalaxmi Buttu Vijayalaxmi is an educator with over 25 years of professional experience in various roles in the field of education. She has been associated with schools in UAE and is loved by parents and students alike. Vijaya/Viji as she is fondly called is an innovative educator whose priority is clearly her students’ well-being. She understands children and their individual needs, allowing her to easily adapt her teaching techniques to bring out the best in every child. Being born and brought up in Mumbai and having spent almost 18 years in UAE; this has been a second home to her. She truly believes that knowledge is one stream which grows once you start sharing and hence, she undertakes professional development initiatives for teachers. In her spare time, she likes to listen to music and read books. Anything related to Mathematics excites her. She truly loves outdoor adventures and enjoys hiking, backpacking, camping. Eating healthy food and most of all spending time with her family gives her a sense of satisfaction. Her family has been a pillar of strength and support through all these years. Finally this is how Vijaya would like to sum up herself….. “I gratefully cherish and uphold the love and care my mother has shown all these years in raising me and my sister by guiding us to be humble, considerate and understanding with our fellow beings. We have been taught - Ultimately it is not the Years in your life that counts; it’s the life in your years”.

91 UAE - My Second Home Dear UAE 18 years ago, with all the fears and smiles, reached an unknown land across the miles. Away from the comfort of family and friends leading a life to meet ends. New opportunities and challenges the journey brought, in the busy life that I was caught. Knowing people and going places built a memory of familiar faces. With progressive leaders at forefront taking decisions upfront. Making innovation its core building a nation never before. Fostering tolerance in its stride Seeing its glory, I pride. United it stands even during the pandemic fall With the front-line workers raising to the call.

92 In a country safe and secure with numerous things to lure, A Home away from home I find A final destination to unwind Vijayalaxmi Buttu

93 Niveditha Kannan is an aspiring child, aged 10. She has lived in Dubai for 8 years, Chennai in India for 1 year and currently she lives in Muscat, Oman. She loves reading science books and fiction books. She loves to write her own poems and stories. She is currently in 6th Grade. Niveditha is also in the process of writing a school story. Her favourite book series is ‘St. Clares’ by Enid Blyton. Her story is also an inspiration from that series. She loves learning more about nature and space. She also believes that she would become a doctor when she grows up. She loves playing with her brother. She is also a pianist. She loves playing chess with her father. She also likes to play cars and Monopoly board games. She likes to colour mandalas and bubble letters. She also does calligraphy and writes blogs. She also loves to do yoga and meditation. She really loves to write poems and stories a lot! Niveditha Kannan

94 Oh Computer!!! Thank You Computer! I didn’t know you were of so much value! I didn’t know I would spend a crazier Weird, academic year with you! Once filled with games, Now filled with projects! You were not of much use to me before, But now all I do is spend my time researching about dialects! My Geo teacher teaches me about Lahore. And all I hear is ‘karrr karr karr’. Yeah, it is your friend Internet’s work! Mum used to ground me for peering too much into my laptop! Now she grounds me for not touching my laptop! I can’t imagine my life without you now! No games, no school, no projects, It will bore me, To the core! Life is never easy without you nowadays, I thank science for making you! Niveditha Kannan

95 Rameswari Kubendran Rameswari is a retired Mathematics and Computer teacher whose experience has spanned 18 years across 3 reputed schools in Chennai. She began her career as a kindergarten teacher in Adarsh Vidyalaya, Chennai with a Pre School training combined with a PUC. While she was a teacher, she simultaneously pursued higher education earning degrees such as P.G.D.C.A; M. Sc ; B. Sc (Maths) and M. Sc (Information Technology) and M.Ed. That propelled her to teach higher secondary classes plus take up PGT position. She became the Head of the Department of Computer Science at Holy Angels Anglo Indian Higher Secondary School, Chennai. She also worked as a System Administrator in Stella Maris College, Chennai. In addition, Rameswari has authored and co-authored several textbooks (Mathematics, Computer Science) for Macmillan Publishers, India and Oxford University Press, India. She is currently living with her son in USA. Her passions include reading, drawing, painting to name a few in addition to foraying into creative writing recently.

96 Why? and Why? Dear Corona virus, Your structure and the name are incredibly beautiful. You are very colourful. You are just a protein cell. But when you enter human body, you become spiteful as you multiply yourself and spread like wildfire causing extensive medical complications or even take lives. Once you enter through the mouth nose and/or eyes you massacre the lungs, and at times many parts of the body too. Because of you, the livelihood of the people has become a question mark. I love you for your following qualities: You do not discriminate people based on caste, creed, colour, status or age, nor do you have prejudice based on the status quo of the nations. You made us stay together and bond as a family at least for a few months, which had become a rarity in the modern society. People have started giving importance to family, friends, health, and hygiene. They learnt to find time to grow spiritually. Telecommunication is the saviour in such times. It has given its helping hand to various sectors to enable them

97 to function smoothly. Vehicles are not on the street and hence pollution is minimal. Consumption of things only if necessary had a healing effect on the Earth. But I have a bunch of questions for you- Why are you bent upon killing so many innocents? Each person gets different symptoms. Why are you so unpredictable? Many could not travel and reach out to their near and dear even at the time of dire necessity. You are very contagious. You made us cover our mouth, nose and eyes, which is extremely uncomfortable. By staying at home, many have become homeless, jobless and penniless. Some have also been overcome by depression. Others have committed suicide. Going out to work to support our families has been hard as you infect us so easily. Why are you so cruel to us? In order to eliminate you, the whole world has joined hands to find a vaccine and they have succeeded. But you are mutating and adding to

98 our woes. Why are you making our life so miserable? Are you haughty and laughing at God as people are unable to enter places of worship? I beg to differ. I am positive that God is trying to tell you that HE made every home a worshipping place and people don’t need to go out to seek HIM. Even though I have put so many questions to you, I strongly feel that you are trying to teach us a lesson. We are suffering like this because our lifestyle has not been in harmony with nature. You are trying to teach us to be grateful and appreciative, and to take better care of our mother Earth. Yes, you have brought out the good side of humanity to shine though on the flipside you have created utter confusion. We will definitely eliminate you and will emerge ever stronger. We see the silver lining the clouds. Rameswari

99 My dear house finches, I am writing this letter to you to show my gratitude for entertaining us in the balcony of our sixth floor apartment during this pandemic time. The male finches among you are incredibly beautiful with orange or rose tint near your neck and other parts of the body. You also sing along with us. You have such a sweet voice and you continuously sing for nearly 5 minutes and expect us to sing along with you as I see you enjoying that. I appreciate your support for your partners while eating the food we keep in our balcony. You come in pairs and I love the way the male bird watches carefully so that his partner can eat peacefully. I admire you for this quality. At times 10 to 15 of you come and eat peacefully in an orderly way. I appreciate your patience to wait till I come out to the balcony and fill the food in the empty bowls. But I have few questions for you: Once in a while you never allow your other companions to eat. Why? Don’t you realise the food is meant for all of you?

100 Why are you making such a mess of our balcony? Even the chair kept there cannot be used by us since you make it so dirty. You have so much space yet why do you want to use my chair? Now and then you sit on the grid of the glass and peep inside, which is extremely cute. Most of you are incredibly careful. But one of you flew fast and hit yourself on the glass and fell down. My heart stopped for an instant and I was terribly upset. After some time, you managed to fly away, and I was relieved. Why can’t you be a little more attentive? I notice that your wings are broken sometimes. How do you manage to fly to the sixth floor? Why are you not prudent? At times, the dark eyed juncos come and eat with you. But you never allow them. Why are you doing that? You can be a little more generous and share with them. I feel sorry for them. But they are very clever. Whenever you chase them away, they do not seem to be affected at all and during that time they stand still like statues, which is adorable. We always enjoy watching you all through the glass window. When we try to get little closer to you, all of you panic and fly away quickly. Why are you so scared of us? Please allow us to come and touch you as we

101 love you all. Thank you for your wonderful company that brings in joy to our days. Rameswari Kubendran

102 Pooja Sant is an engineer by qualification and currently a stay-at-home mom living in the UAE. She has worked in the education services industry as a voice and accent evaluator and operations executive for over twelve years. She is passionate about cooking, reading, watching movies and writing. She also has a flair for learning new languages. Born in Ahmedabad, she is a total foodie. A happy-go-lucky soul, she loves cracking witty jokes and bringing a smile on the faces of her loved ones. Pooja has contributed to a few anthologies published by The Impish Lass Publishing House and cherishes this newfound love for expressing her creativity through writing and is thrilled to be a part of their first anthology by International residents. Pooja Sant

103 To God and Science Dear God/Science, Hope this finds you in the best of health and spirits! You are well aware of the situation here on Earth. I'm writing to you because I know, you must be tired of working endlessly, hearing our cries and prayers. While it is a universally accepted belief, that you are everywhere and that you always listen to our prayers; hoping that at least on festivals and days of celebration, you must be in receipt of our 'Thank yous' and 'praises'. This year however, has been different. Can you find out if some planetary position has changed unusually or are we on the verge of an apocalypse or an alien invasion? Because all this looks very unreal. People and animals, who are a major part of life on earth, are either sick, dying of illness or of frustration. It is for us that, you made this beautiful planet, right? And today, the situation is such that, we are all ‘locked-down’. Even birds who I felt had been spared, are dying of the bird-flu. Agreed, it is we, who have let this happen. But, we feel so helpless that even with our hearts filled with anger and anguish, we have only YOU to turn to. Scientifically speaking, April 2020 marked the 50th anniversary of Earth

104 Day and what a chaos our whole planet has been in. Ironically, it has been a year where a lot of scientific concepts like, ‘the virus may perish as the climate changes and temperature rises’, and ‘putting the COVID patients on ventilator will help them get better’, were challenged. But on the other hand, it is you (science) who has given us a deeper understanding of the dynamics of a pandemic and made us better equipped to deal with it. For example, the plague outbreak in the Middle Ages too led to huge number of deaths. A major reason for it being that back then people saw prayer and faith in God as the only means of salvation. People would frequently congregate in large groups for prayers, which further increased the spread of the disease. Nowadays, we believe both in science as well as God… Hence, with the development of science, we are able to e-congregate and pray to God from the safety of our homes adhering to maintenance of social distance. And, those who do not take these two (God and Science) seriously, end up paying a big price by losing either their dear ones or their own lives. So, I truly believe that you both (God and Science) go hand in hand. Today, You (God and/or Science) have become the only lifeline we humans have got. With the invention of vaccines and an increased faith in the supreme powers, we know that a day will come when we will be free from this virus.

105 But, what about issues like effect of climate change and dangers of other new epidemics emerging due to the irrational use of natural resources on earth? We should ideally balance our belief in God/Science by showing our gratitude to this beautiful planet we live in. Together we need to work towards making our planet as beautiful as we would like it to be. When we teach our children that ‘God/Science is everywhere’, it is our responsibility to work towards keeping our planet exquisite and flourishing for the future generations. Can you figure out a way to show a picture of this beautiful planet in every human’s dream, so at least 10 percent of them will work towards making it come true? Lastly, I would like to thank you God, for giving us hope and strength in these tough times; and also thanks to Science for vaccines, for WhatsApp/Zoom/Facetime… etc. to keep us all connected. And A BIG THANKS to both of you for LIFE itself! In the wise words of Franklin D. Roosevelt - \"When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on.\" Yours faithfully (…hanging on), Pooja Earthling No #7,881,234,567

106 Pradeepa is a down to earth person. She takes life in its stride and enjoys every moment. She is an ardent lover of Maths and Computer programming. She also loves to teach Math. She always has a positive outlook on life and its journey. She is a voracious reader. She enjoys all genres, with a special inclination towards Autobiography of great social leaders. She likes her Home Library a lot. Wherever she shifts, from country to country, she takes her books also. Maths and books are her big assets. She was born in a small town in India, but she worked in the world’s most happening place Silicon Valley. She enjoyed her work as a Software Engineer. She has taken a break from her career to nurture her kids. She strongly believes that human network is more powerful than Internet. She values sharing of knowledge the most. Pradeepa

107 A Life Lesson to my Little Princess My dear Ammu, In another few days, that is on 22nd Feb you will be turning 11! I am unable to believe my Ammu has grown up! Still, I can remember the day you were born. The doctor kept you on my chest and said, “See your princess!” Years have run fast! My little princess has grown. She is now asking me so many questions pertaining to various things! It is good to see you so inquisitive. Now a days you are asking me “Why are grades not important Amma? Why do you say so, while my friends insist that we must study hard to get good grades. You always reiterate – Study for gaining knowledge and not for mere grades.” Yes dear, I have always been saying this to you from your Kindergarten. One should study for gaining knowledge. It is the right time for me to explain this elaborately.

108 Studies are for learning concepts, gaining knowledge and how to apply our learning to solve the real-life problems. With the help for our knowledge, we can not only solve the problems, we can also innovate new things to tackle the social issues. Exams are for analysing our understanding of what we learnt, and how much we understood and what we didn’t understand. With the help of exam results, we will be able to assess our strengths and weakness. Once we know the weak area, we need to focus on the same and devise ways to strengthen the same. Now the same applies for the teachers. Once they assess you students through the exams, they get to know what the students have understood by and large. They assess themselves and work on methods to reach out to you all in a better way. It is a myth that exams are conducted for judging the students. So please understand the real purpose of studies and exams. Even if you are unable to perform well in any exam, you should not feel sad. Feeling sad does not resolve the issue. Instead delve deeper, put in more efforts and understand the crux of the subject. Amma is there for you always. Education is to understand our environment and live happily and safely.

109 When I happen to read news about some children getting dejected seeing their exam results and resorting to undue actions to the extent of committing suicide, I am really aghast. It pinches me. I feel shattered. Always remember that Life is very beautiful. All of us need to understand the purpose of education, studies, and exams. Once one gets to know it, no one will feel depressed when results do not yield, instead will strive to achieve the goal with more vigour and enthusiasm. Next time if you happen to see your friends sharing that exams are for grades, make them understand the real purpose of education. This way they will be relieved of the stress and will start enjoying the process. After some years, when someone asks you how much you scored in your class 6 Mid Term exam Science Paper? Do you think you would remember the scores and tell them? It is not possible to remember right. But you would remember the concepts learnt. The lasting thing is the concept. Hence focus on deciphering the concepts and not on the grades. As you focus on learning, the grades will automatically turn out to be good. If they do not, applaud your efforts, look back, review and re structure your methods to understand better and achieve better. This will help you a long way in all your endeavours.

110 One more point you should always remember is that - you need to compete with yourself and not the others. Each day you should see progress in your output. So, I urge you not to compare your scores with your friends. Amma has always been telling you to share knowledge. You ask me why should I share when others do not? I will answer this question also. When you share your understanding, if they ask you doubts in it, you are forced to think various ways to make your receiver understand the same. Your understanding is refined. The greater number of times you explain to your friends the more you tend to revisit the concept and strengthen the same. The end result is always yielding benefits to you and hence I regard sharing your expertise to others is a welcome one. This creates a good relationship with your peers and you will cherish it lifelong. One more thing, education is not only studying schoolbooks. To understand the world better, you should read variety of books. Books are like treasures, the more and more books you read, you will gain lot of knowledge. If you read Biography of Social Leaders and Scientists, you can experience their life. It is a wonderful experience of visiting their life. If you read fiction books, it will open your eyes to a new world. You can read some History Books also to understand how things were in the past

111 and how much has evolved. There are variety of books in this world to read and enjoy! Luckily, you are an avid reader. You have been showing interest in books from a very young age. You are also maintaining our Home Library. It is because of you now your little brother also has started reading story books. It is good to see you both like this. Amma is so proud of you both! My dear angel, understand the world in a positive way and live a happy life! and advanced Happy Birthday to you! Yours Loving Amma! Pradeepa Ramamoorthy.

112 Aarush Kumar is a Grade 10 student from the UAE who is extremely passionate about poetry and fascinated by the marvels of the human body. He has started his foray into writing books with his debut book, Poetic Anatomy, which is a compilation of 40 self-written poems on various anatomical topics published by the Impish Lass publishing House. Apart from writing, his hobbies include playing tennis and guitar too. He continues to blog about his experiences and write-ups in his blog at: https://aarushvoice.home.blog Aarush Kumar

113 A Letter To Myself Dear Me, Sad & weeping, I thought, Failure. Such a monstrous moment, such a disgusting stain Makes you feel like a surd (so irrational), You feel nothing but pain My reflection in the mirror, all wise and mature replied - Let your hopes not wary, as they say no pain no gain Cheer up, and don’t you worry, There will be sunshine after this heavy rain Yeah, but will I be there to see the sunshine? The flood might consume me, The pain might tear me, This failure does scare me Oh no, this happens all the time, failure is not a crime It’s just a step in life, it’s just some struggle, some strife

114 True, it might not be a crime, But I feel locked up I’m suffocating, feeling blocked up Where are those balloons that are supposed to fly me up? See, that’s the thing about failure, You hit rock bottom So, there’s nowhere to go but up Yes, if you say so, I’ll try to bear this one, But I have had enough, so not any more I’m charged up to the core and I’m out in the jungle, Like a wounded lion, ready to roar! Let there be life again, let my dreams soar Going to cut off this tail Leave this trail Learn from this fail(ure) Thank You, Best Regards Me

Kiron Khira 115 Kiron, a long serving NRI, born and raised in Kuwait went on to work in different parts of the Gulf. She is at present in Dubai UAE for around 20 years, and has made it her home with family. Kiron, stands for ‘’ Beam of Light’’, to be true to the name albeit the busy schedule as a Project Management Professional attending to the nuances of the demanding career; she manages to connect with the vast Universe to relax meaningfully and show light to the human kind with her short poems and snippets. As a speaker and guide, she imparts training on several Management aspects, where she leverages her management expertise gained by external training and real time experience by serving in a wide array of portfolios with top organizations. Travelling and Photography are other interests which enables her to expand vistas of mind. She constantly updates herself with developments in Socio Economic Political Geo Strategies in the ever-evolving business environment and serves as Advisor to few firms in the Gulf as well as India advising on Expense reduction, emerging markets, Brand Building, Strategic sourcing. Kiron would be writing more and one day dreams to be publishing her manuscript on her journey penned from one of the exotic natural locales of India. Her patriotism for India is strongly etched in her. She demonstrates this by strongly valuing her culture and traditions with a flavour of modernization.

116 There is a Letter for - The NRI woman There is a letter for…The (Non-Resident) Indian Woman She heard the slogan JAI HIND while the flag unfurled and once again felt the tears of joy of her soul, She was a patriotic to the country, to herself, and that was her only life's goal. She was the ORANGE which represented courage and sacrifice, She stood her ground with neither greed effecting her nor vice. She was the WHITE which represented truth and peace, She stood her ground even in adverse situations and didn't allow life to cease. She was the GREEN which represented fertility, agriculture and growth, She stood her ground be it while feeding her family, nurturing them or during childbirth.

117 She was the BLUE Chakra which represented the truth, the Dharma on 24 spokes of the wheel, She stood her ground to fight for her rights every 24 hours of the day, be it at work or her cozy homes feel. She heard the slogan JAI HIND and once again felt the tears of joy of her soul, She knew, SHE, the Indian woman, lived the Indian flag as a daughter, sister, mother, or in any other role. Kiron Khira

118 Alekhya is an Engineering Graduate. Currently she is a home maker who lives in Oman. She is an enthusiast believing – One can achieve what one aspires for. She takes a bold step into every opportunity provided to her. For few initial years of parenting, she had focused entirely on her child. She is now all set to carve a niche for herself. She volunteers to help and take responsibilities. She has mentored people in divine gatherings. This is her first venture into writing and is happy to have contributed for the same. Alekhya

119 Mom’s Unicorn Dear Vijaya, Vijaya, you have been my friend for almost nine years now. We both confide in each other. I always feel lucky and blessed to have a friend in you. In spite of this relationship, you might be wondering why I was just listening the day before when you were worried about disciplining your little one Vishwak. I felt you were not in a receptive mood then. I am writing this letter regarding that. I am sure this will help you come out of your worries. I am penning down so that you can re-read and allow my points to seep in. There are various ways of disciplining our children. I will now share with you my experience. I shall narrate to you in the form of a story. This happened in my life when chinnu was 5 years old. One day I saw the Unicorn whom I had been searching for quite some time. It was in my balcony. It looked as if it was waiting for someone in my house. As soon as it saw me, it started to fly away. I ran towards the Unicorn and asked her to wait and answer my questions. I told her it was only she who had the answers for them!!!

120 Unicorn looked at me puzzled and started talking “Dear Mom, I was actually waiting for your daughter. She had asked me to meet her today to play for a while. Your curiosity intrigues me. Shoot your questions. I shall see if I can answer.” I was waiting for that moment from long time and hence immediately volleyed questions fervently. “Hello Unicorn, my kid, my little one often dreams of meeting you. She loves and trusts you more than me!!! Whenever I try to discipline her, she never pays heed to it. If I use the trump card i.e you - she listens to me. As for instance “Unicorn will get angry if you don’t do this. Unicorn will not play with you if you don’t listen and so on…..”. “It did not bother me initially, but these days it troubles me as my kid has stopped listening to me. Things are done only when I use your name.” “My question is why are you trying to take my place in my little one’s heart???” I gave her birth. I focused on her rather than my dreams to raise her. I gave up my sleep, food, friends and what not.., just to give her attention and comfort. In spite of all these sacrifices how is that you have gained so

121 much of privilege from her?” Why does she love you more than me???” Unicorn patiently listened to my questions with a smile on her face and then she replied “Dear Mom, I am incredibly surprised to hear that your kid loves me more than you!! I will answer your questions but before that, I request you to think and answer a few of my questions”. Unicorn started questioning me “Who introduced me to your kid?? Who described me to her?? Who told the little one what I like and what I despise?”. The questions gave me a jolt. I started understanding something. I told the Unicorn hesitantly “It’s me of course, but I didn’t tell her that you are more important to her than me?”. Unicorn with a saintly look on its face replied, “Dear Mom, don’t be angry with me. Just ponder and understand. It is you who has introduced me to her. It is you who described my beauty to her. It is you who explained her about my magical powers. Whenever she did something good or

122 whenever she learned something new, it is you who brought my presence then in her life. And dear Mom don’t be sad whenever your kid denies you, but listens to you only when you say it as my word. The most important thing you forgot is - I am nothing but you and your thoughts.\" “You have helped your daughter distinguish good and bad. You have disciplined her by using my name, by bringing me into context. I am just the medium through which you have reached out to your daughter. The person behind everything is you. Even an ocean requires a medium to refill the lost water. You just made it easy for your little one to understand the things and grow, by teaching her in her own language, that is by introducing me”. “Dear Mom, never be perturbed that you lost your place in your little one’s heart, as your place is irreplaceable. You are nurturing your little one in a way she understands”. After having said all these, the Unicorn with a beautiful smile and with all the glittering magical colors vanished into the sky.

123 She had the confidence that she had pacified me with her answers. ………………and suddenly a loud music started playing. I opened my eyes with happy tears and as I looked around, it was my ALARM!!!! While nurturing little ones what plays major role is love and patience. I know it is tough to remain unscathed, but as said always - Nothing is permanent. Everything will change at the right time. Never judge your parenting ways, never compare your parenting ways with others. Not all the colors are same in the rainbow. So dear friend, what I want you to take away is - device your own ways with the only intention of grooming your child. You will find your own way. Never doubt your method. It will succeed for it is done with love. Loads of luck and wishes for your journey. I am sure in few years you will be mentoring a new mother. Alekhya

124 Balakirthika Jayakumar Balakirthika Jayakumar, the editor of this anthology is a Editor post graduate in Computer Applications from Presidency College, Chennai, Tamil Nadu. She did her graduation in Math from Stella Maris College, Chennai, Tamil Nadu. She has been studying in various places across Tamil Nadu and Karnataka as her father was a bank professional who had to shift every 3 years. This has given her the ability to adapt to new environment quickly and surge ahead with responsibilities there. Currently she is situated in Winterthur, Switzerland with her family. She had taken up teaching to have work-life balance and through her dedication and sincerity in work was soon given the responsibility of initially heading the department then additionally the primary wing of the school. She thoroughly enjoyed her teaching profession. Having shifted to Switzerland recently, she is freelancing in content writing and web development applications – her core proficiency. She is happy to be part of the vibrant Impish Lass Family and ponders the task associated with the same.

125 I Miss You…. Dear Letter, Have you ever received a letter? It is you whom we have been using as a medium to convey our message to our near and dears. I feel honoured to write a letter to you thanking you for the help you have rendered to me since many many years. I have been given this opportunity to thank you by The Impish Lass Publishing House as they chose the title – There’s a Letter for – for their International anthology. I have to thank profusely Ms Meena Mishra the CEO, who conceived this concept. With that note I would like to continue my thoughts for you. When telephone was a luxury, you were the only source to reach out to our friends, relatives or anyone whom we needed to communicate. I remember reading you from our aunts, uncles and grand-parents to my mother and father. She used to read aloud the content for us to know. Though our mother tongue is Telugu, having been brought up in Tamilnadu the language of communication was always Tamil.

126 It was not common to receive letters. When we saw you in the post box, we used to get excited. We picked you up with enthusiasm and now our task was to find out from whom it had come. Sometimes the hand writing was a clue, sometimes it was the sender’s details that told us who had sent and in rare cases it was a suspense until the seal was opened as the sender would not have written any of their details. In whatever form you reached us it was always an occasion to rejoice. Some letters were so close to us that we would read, read and read it umpteen times. Some letters were treasured for a long period of time, while some were discarded after a duration of time. You were a part of our life and not of much significant to me though I always enjoyed my mother reading it to us. There was not anybody writing you to me so I would be happy when my mother shared your content that were addressed to her. Sometimes, she shared the whole of your content, sometimes it might not make sense to us, so she edits and reads only those that had to be shared with us. In the evening, when my father came home from his office, she remembers to show you to him that were received if any on the day. Then there will be a discussion on your contents. It would kindle some memories and incidents and topic revolved around those and it would be an interesting evening.

127 The next important thing was to remember to send a reply. There were many chores to be routinely done. My mother would stitch, knit, weave bags, learn languages, teach me and my brother and I have never seen her rest. Now and then we would have guests coming in, who were definitely a delight to receive, but the work load for the day would be a little more than the normal days. With all the busy schedule, she had to remember to write a reply. The reply would usually be in the order of receipt of you from people, but sometimes the order changes for certain of you had to be given priority or some of you would arouse the spark to reply with zeal. After having responded, suddenly my mother remembers that it has been long since that one of the aunts has not replied to her version of you(letter). So, she remembers to volunteer to write one anxious to know what stopped her sister from replying. I have seen you come in various forms. For very small information, you have come in the form of card, for normal message, you have come in the form of in-land letters and for detailed elaborate sharing, you have taken the form of an envelope. When you come in the form of envelope, the greatest attraction were the stamps stuck on you. The stamps come in

128 various sizes and designs and it was my childhood hobby to carefully cut them and preserve them in an album. My father seeing my enthusiasm in stamp collection would bring stamps from official letters also which was a bonus in my collection. Your worth for me grew leaps and bounds once I got married. I have been never away from my parents for more than a couple of days and first time stepped out of house and was managing all by myself. It was through you my mother and my father would pour out their love in writing and each of you are a treasure to me even now. In every letter, there was a life lesson for me. My mother who used to write letters just like that would reserve a portion of time daily to share her thoughts to me through you. She will write one of you to me for a minimum of 7 to 10 days, read it reread it and then pouring all her love would post it to me. You would reach me in a week’s time and I will be reading you again and again until I receive another one from my mother. Once she posted you to me, she will start writing the next one to me reserving some space to reply to my writing. These memories of you in my life are immemorable and I take this opportunity to thank you immensely for the help you have been to me and would also want to tell you that I miss your presence these days. Though I

129 am able to communicate more often and promptly, your place in my life has been a cherishable one and will remain so ever. I feel my children have only had a feel of you in their curriculum. They missed the real bondage with you. I consider myself fortunate to have journeyed with you when you were in your golden period. Miss you dear letter... Yours affectionately Kirthika Jai

130 Yutika Bhansali She’s a Pandora’s box, loaded with talents galore Buddy Editor In every sphere, she creates a joyful uproar.” The lines above describe Yutika Bhansali, from Mumbai, who is a 17-year-old teenager, currently pursuing her Grade 12th from Jai Hind College, Mumbai. Sheerly dedicated towards her goal of writing and public speaking, this young journalist blogs for Times of India- students edition. As a student journalist, she has also interviewed many famous personalities at Chaupal 2018 by News18. Her first contribution in ‘You are my Valentine’ a kindle book won her the third prize. She has been a part of The Impish Lass Publishing House for the past two years and has written for more than 14 anthologies. Her journey with The ILPH went from being a writer to an editor (Rumour Has It!). She’s currently working on 2 anthologies as an editor and as a buddy editor for The Impish Lass Publishing House’s first International Anthology. In addition to this, she is also the PR head and the Graphic Designer for the publishing house, having designed cover pages for myriad anthologies and books that have been lauded by eminent personalities. She is also an inherent part of the tech team, using her skills to assist her fellow and senior editors, helping them engage in smart work over hard work. She has groomed herself in numerous oratory competitions and is professionally trained in Latin

131 American and Ballroom dance styles. She draws her inspiration from the obstacle and hindrances she comes across. She’s like coffee, intoxicating at times but an amazing mood booster. Contact her on [email protected] Check her writings out on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_.yutikabhansali._/ She’s a Pandora’s box, loaded with talents galore In every sphere, she creates a joyful uproar.”

132 Sole-Mate Dear Broken Chappal, It’s a long way and you don’t look that strong, You stumble a little when hit by the tiny rock, You look miserable and worn out, A tinge of fear from the nearing death on your face. You slow down and take a breath, You look around to check for potential threat, Every move of yours is poised and firm, Urging yourself to walk even in under the scorching heat of the sun. A symbol of broken hearts and mighty soul you are, Serving the purpose of life’s metaphor. Even your last breath was a teaching of willpower, Without this selfless essence of yours, this farmer wouldn’t have made his way! Yours forever grateful, A Farmer’s Foot

133 Meena Mishra Founder & CEO, The Impish Lass Publishing House MEENA MISHRA is an out -of -the box-thinker, inspiring hundreds of students , teachers and working professionals across the world, turn into published writers and poets.

134 She is an award winning author, poet, short-story writer, social worker, novelist, editor, an educator and a publisher. The Impish Lass Publishing House is her brainchild. Her poems, stories and book-reviews have been published in many international journals and magazines. She is the recipient of several prestigious awards. She is an active member of Mumbai English Educators’ Team and was invited by the Education Department of Maharashtra to be a part of The Review Committee for the new English text book. She has been invited as a judge for several literary competitions including the Lit fest of IIT Bombay and NM college fest. Her poems are published in many magazines, including the prestigious periodical Woman’s Era. She has been a contributing author and poet for more than 60 anthologies. Her contribution to the field of education and writing has received acclamation from the esteemed newspapers like Times of India and Mid- Day. Her articles published in Times of India’s NIE and a suburban newspaper and leading educational magazine of the country- Brainfeed Higher Education Plus. She is on the mission of publishing the articles of students and educators of various schools across the globe under her unique project, ‘The Young Bards’. Her autobiographical novella, The Impish Lass, has been converted into a web-series and can be subscribed on YouTube.