5 – Squiree And Me

I had taken a day off to consume the accumulated earned leave. So being lazy for the day was imperative. I was sitting idle at the breakfast table contemplating my next move. Something that stirred beyond the curtains and outside the window caught my attention. I knew the perpetrator so decided to wait for the next move. A snout featuring eyes full of mischief and a smile wider than the whiskers with a trailing furry tail made its presence felt. I did not offer any instant response. Huffing and puffing it announced “Hey! You there! I am back with sensational breaking news!” The furry bundle swayed its tail to stir the ambiance. I had to admit the squiree had arrived. Squiree struggled to gain a foothold on the window sill. It flashed a victorious grin and queried, “I presume, you remember the deal we have?” I nodded in silence to indicate acknowledgement.

It received my acknowledgement graciously. In the next move it looked sideways – took a few sidesteps towards right, to be exactly at the bottom centre of the window. It looked at me expectantly to seek my approval. I waved at it meaning – just continue. It raised its right paw and drew an imaginary square in the air. All this meant that - Squiree had taken a position at the news desk at the TV studio. It was for a while busy preening the whiskers. Further it rolled the tongue sideways, darted it out in different angles, opened and closed the snout a number of times, obviously she was carrying out some snout maneuvers. I had little difficulty in stifling my laugh. I seized the opportunity and made the routine in studio announcement – 15 seconds to go – for Breaking News at Breakfast – final call for the crew - live we go now. Instantly Squiree took over.

“Good Morning Viewers – Breaking News at Breakfast Hour – Presented by Squiree J. T.

“Silver Oak Towers suffers unusual flooding in the scorching summer.” Last Friday night the staircase at Silver Oak Apartments was plunged into a deluge. Chaos prevailed for the next half an hour throughout the seven story building. Sheets of water flowed down submerging colonies of ants under the tiles and uprooted cobweb moorings. Alert watchman Hari Singh was the first to reckon the danger. Courageously he took the lift and reached the top floor to alert residents. The residents joined probe. Water was jetting out from a closed flat on 5^th floor. Finally someone got hold of the keys and opened the door. Hari Singh rushed in and closed all the taps. Further tragedy was averted by timely action of Hari Singh. That is all we have for the present edition.”

The mock telecast was over and Squiree looked a lot relieved. Thereafter she said emphatically – “Haven’t I qualified for the reward as per the deal?” I nodded sideways at her to indicate my displeasure and added – “Squiree that was a stale piece. The incident happened last week. Can any stale news be called a Breaking News?” Squiree almost lost its cool and retorted – “You are shrugging off the responsibility. The deal does not lay any qualification as such for breaking news.” I added, “This isn’t a fair play. Yet I will dole out the reward as per the deal.” I doled out handful of peanuts. Squiree got busy with the nuts. I added, “I want to modify the deal to make it more transparent and less prone to manipulation.” Squiree grunted happily to indicate approval. I said, “Hereafter only unreported fresh news shall qualify to be called a Breaking News. So the qualifying requirement for an award stands modified.” Squiree added, “You have modified the first part of the deal. I have a right to modify the last part. The rewards shall be a handful of almonds.” Instantly it turned around and wagged its tail vigorously to convey a kind of thumbs down. As usual squiree had once again beaten me at the game.

4 - I Am Abdul

My name is Abdul. I am the youngest in the house. Everyone in the house loves me. I just love to talk continuously. My mother chides me when I talk more. Others laugh at me when I talk. Sometimes others do not understand me. Usually I ignore my mother and the others. My mother smiles at my talk. My sister calls me ‘an idiot’.

I attend a big school. School is such a fun. I go to the school even before my father goes to office. I chat with my friends before the teacher arrives. At the school I am learning to draw letters. In the class I draw them very fast. I am always the first to draw them. I run to the teacher. She looks at it and says, “No! Never draw this way. It is upside down.” Then she draws a big cross over it. I know how to rub them off. Sometimes I tear my note book pages as I rub them off. My book pages are full of holes. Teacher makes me draw the same letter many more times. Sometimes I draw them upside down for second or third time. Then she walks up to my desk and says, “You poor child look at the book. Please don’t keep the book upside down.” Then she turns the book to bring it to the correct position

Some times my mother tells me stories from the books. The stories are very big. There is a moral at the end of the story. Mother says, “I must learn the moral.” Mother does not allow me to handle the book. She says, “The book is too heavy for you. You don’t know how to hold it. You will certainly drop it. I will give you the book when you go to 2^nd standard. That is three years from now.” I do not understand most of the stories. I can
read only the words from my school books. Mother makes me learn many new words. I repeat the words after her. Many of the times the words are too big. I struggle with most of the words. She corrects me whenever I go wrong. The book has many good pictures. I have drawn some pictures in the book.

There is a tall stool in our house in the kitchen. Sometimes mother calls me to the kitchen to help her. I like to sit on the stool and observe her.

When I sit on the stool I see everything on the kitchen platform. My father does not like this. He says it is dangerous. But the stool is far away from the kitchen platform. My father does not agree. I sit there because I can chat with my mother. I also get to taste my favourite Pakodas before any one else.

I know many stories. Every Sunday is my story day. At 11.30 a.m. father calls me to his room. He listens to my stories carefully, as he reads the news paper. Father prods me every now and then if I go wrong. He does not ask too many questions. Even if I tell him the same story he listens very carefully. He stretches his legs. He drags the stool with his toes while I am sitting on. I dislike this dragging of the stool. I do not like the screeching sound. I find it difficult to keep my balance as he drags the stool. Then he rests his legs on them. He is relaxed and is in the holiday mood. At times he closes his eyes. In few minutes he starts snoring. I try waking him. Usually it is of no use. I stop my story because he is asleep. I take this opportunity to run out of the house. I run out and simply join my friends.

My friends are very noble. They do not sleep when I narrate a story. My friends invite me to their houses for narrating the stories. I love this opportunity. My friends enjoy my stories thoroughly. Many times they start laughing before I start the story. Nafisa is the first one to start the laugh. I join their laugh. We laugh a lot. We stop because our stomachs ache.

After the story it is time to play roll over. All of us love to play the game of roll over. We use the pillows to roll over. Nishad is the first to grab a pillow. We like to roll over each other also. But this is difficult. We throw pillows at each other. Nafisa has a big white Teddy. The teddy is called Golu. Golu has only one eye. Nafisa says Golu is sleeping with one open eye. I find this very funny. I call it a blind teddy. Sometimes I tell bad stories about the teddy. Nafisa does not like this. Sometimes we fight. Nafisa’s mother scolds all of us.

My grandfather enjoys my stories. He even corrects me. He teaches me new stories. Grandfather says I can read any storybook when I go to 5^th Standard. I like stories of flying horses and beautiful princes. Grandfather has many such stories. Grandfather says it is just an imagination. But I like them the most. I share my secrets with my grandfather. My grandfather stays alone in the village to look after goats, cows, buffalos and two dogs. I want him to stay with us.

There is no running water i.e. taps in the village. He draws water from the well in the court yard. He waters the trees every morning. There are many flowering trees in the yard. Then he takes a big broom and sweeps the courtyard. He collects dry twigs and leaves. He stacks all the dry sticks and twigs. He uses the dry twigs as fire wood. Once I asked him “Why do we not send the goats and the cows to stay in the forest? All animals do stay in the forest. So you need not stay in the village.” He was silent. Quietly he wiped his eyes and said softly, “Never, They are our cattle. The wild animals will attack them. Besides who will stay with me? They give me good company.”

My grandfather is an excellent cook. He kneads the flour into small balls. Then he rolls the flour balls between his palms. He pats them and tosses them to make rotis. He makes perfect round rotis. He does not use the rolling pin. He bakes many rotis at a time. He makes them very fast. He also knows to cook many vegetables. Whenever there are guests he cooks for them. Mother says, “Grandfather’s ways are different.” My mother admires him. My grandfather even teaches our watchman and the driver to make rotis. My mother says, “Grandfather is too friendly with servants. He does not understand city manners. His actions are embarrassing.” The servants respect him the most. They look forward to his visit. Servants say, “Grandfather knows so many things.” My mother does not like this. Father and mother talk in whispers when they disapprove his actions. My mother gets angry with him. My grandfather never gets angry. He just winks and smiles away. My grandfather is mischievous. Once he was very ill. My father took him to the hospital. The doctors advised some operation. Many relatives came to see him. The relatives wished him good health. The relatives said, “We want to meet you after the operation.” My grandfather said, “Please do not bother. Doctor is going to put me to deep sleep for the operation. This sleep is very similar to death. Definitely, this is a good opportunity to talk to the God. If the God agrees I may go with him.”

3 - Pinky Enjoys The Rain

It was Sunday morning. Pinky was sitting at the window. She was watching the rain through the window. She said to herself, “It is so funny, the fat smoky clouds are masking the Sun. Today is a holiday. It is raining so heavily.” She put her hand outside the window. A few rain drops fell on her palm, “Hey! They look so nice! They have a nice shape. They are so cool. They shine like pearls when I wave gently.” She casually leaned out and saw some of her friends playing in the rain.

Instantly she called out, “Mummy, My friends are playing in the rain. It is raining in big drops. I want to join my friends. I want to enjoy the rain.” Mother said,
“You can certainly join them. Please do not go outside the main gate. Do not go on to the road.” Pinky shouted, “Yes! Yes! Mummy, I will not go out of the main gate. I need the cap.” Mother added, “No! You will not enjoy the rain with the cap.” Pinky rushed out of the front door. In a hurry she slipped off the wet slippery steps and landed in knee deep water in the courtyard. A strong wind ruffled her hair. Within minutes she was drenched to the skin. She looked at the sky and felt, “Even the sky is hanging low. The next moment she realized - No it is the puffy grey clouds that are hanging low. The trees are wearing a fresh look. The birds with their wet feathers are looking funny. The buildings appear a shade darker. The road is nowhere in sight. Two dogs are swimming through the muddy water. Occasionally they bark at the sky. A bus and few cars are stranded in the flood water. A few people are trying to push a laden truck.” She looked around. Her friends were playing in the turbid stagnant water. She waded towards her friends. She joined the game of splashing. She happened chance upon a spot where tiny bubbles were rising. She was curious. She even tried to look under the water surface. It was all dark. She figured out that something was moving just below the surface which was letting out the bubbles. Suddenly it jumped out and next moment went under the water.

She was a little unsure of the animal, “This isn’t a fish. It swims and jumps. Looks like a dangerous animal.” Pinky called aloud, “Mummy, I am scared. There is some animal in the water. It is approaching me fast. It does not look like a fish. It jumps in and out of water. Yes! It is a crocodile.” Mother peered out of the window and replied, “Splash some water at it. Looks like the animal wants to join your game.” Pinky cried in panic, “Mummy, come here soon. I am in a great danger. There is a small crocodile in the water.

It is blowing bubbles. It is going to attack me. It is coming near me.” There was no reply. Mother was no longer at the window. Terrified Pinky called out once more, “It is very ugly, green in colour and fat. It has a large stomach. It has four legs and two big eyes. The front legs are short. It has oily and slippery skin. It is staring at me with two big eyes. Oh! There are many more such animals around me.” Pinky ran for her life. To her horror, the animals swam even faster. She quickly got on to the step. To her discomfort, she found a much fat and large animal was already sitting on one of the step. She tried to give it a miss but in the confusion lost her balance. She fell flat on her stomach, just a few centimeters from the animal. Just then mother walked in. She casually said, “It is just a timid frog.” Mother fondly grabbed it and placed on her palm. Pinky was mystified at her mother’s confidence.

2 - On The Way To School

Morning is such a good time. Mother is busy in the kitchen. My father is on the way to his office. My sister is busy with her homework. I am free to do anything I want. No one is free to keep a watch on me. I gather my toys and go to the balcony. This fun doesn’t last for all the day. My grandmother says, ‘now a days things change too fast’.

“Abdul! It is school time. Where are you? Come here! Let us get ready for the school”, calls my mother. I take a quick look at my toys. I tuck the large toys under my arms and hold them against the chest. I hold some more with my hands in the front and drag a few by the thread behind me. I take unsteady steps, one at a time and walk like a machine.

It is a difficult walk. Sometimes everything falls off and I have to start all over again. I stand a little distance away from her. She points to the rack and says, “Will you please leave the toys in the rack?” She realises my discomfort and grabs toys one by one and shoves them away in the rack.

Thereafter every thing happens at high speed. A quick jerk and a twist and my shirt is over my head. My ears get warped, but who cares. She escorts me to the bathroom. I sit on the wet wooden stool. A quick wash followed by rapid combing of the hair, fresh uniform, the blue tie, shoes everything is over in flat ten minutes. Thereafter she points to the stool in the drawing room and says, “Will you please sit on the stool near the door?” I
run to the drawing room. She follows me with the school bag. She helps me to climb on to the stool. She sits down in front of me on the floor. She drags the stool near her. I do not like this. The stool makes bad noise. It shakes me badly. I am short. My feet do not reach the floor. Some times I loose my balance. She holds out my shoes and says, “Abdul! Do not move your legs. I am putting on the shoes.” She slides the socks and then the shoes. With a swift jerk she pulls me off the stool. Takes a good look at my uniform and says, “Stand here. Don’t go out.” She checks my school bag. She arranges everything in the bag. I carry one ABC book, a note book and lots of pencils and rubbers. She slings the school bag on to my shoulder. She hands me my blue basket. I carry lunch box and the water bottle in the basket. Then she shouts, “Will you please stand on the steps.” I walk to the steps and sit there. In a few minutes she comes out from the garage on the scooter. It is a red and blue scooter. There is a mirror on the handle. It is high up. I jump high in the air to see myself in the mirror. Mother shouts, “Abdul! Do not be naughty.” She places the basket in the carrier. I stand in the front. She drives the scooter towards the main road. As the scooter starts to move I open my mouth. The air flows in but it has no taste. Mother shouts, “Keep your mouth shut. The dust on the street will enter your mouth, along with the air. This is bad for your health. You better stand away from the handle.” Some times I look up in the sky. I like to see the clouds. The clouds follow us all the way to the school. They always reach the school before us.

One day as usual I was watching the clouds. Few dogs were running across the road. Suddenly the dogs stopped right in front of the scooter. Mother applied breaks. The scooter stopped suddenly. My head bumped in to the handle. I felt a sever pain. My nose became red. My cap fell off. One of my shoes fell off. For a moment I was tossed about in the air. I lost my balance. I almost fell off the scooter. My basket rolled away. The water bottle, lunch box, my hand kerchief lay scattered on the road. Tears rolled down my cheeks. I was crying. I was covering the nose with my palm. Many people gathered around our scooter. Mother helped me to get down from the scooter. People carried me to the footpath. A small crowd gathered around us. Mother parked the scooter by the road side. She came near me. She looked at me for a few seconds. She quickly pulled away my hands and held it away. She looked at my nose. People said, “He is scared. His nose is swollen. Take him to the doctor.” She said, “It is a small matter. He will be alright in a minute.” She opened her purse and took out a kerchief. I knew what she was going to do.

I said, “No! No! Please don’t do it to me. It is paining.” She held my head by the chin. She un-folded the kerchief and held it between the fingers. She wiped my face gently and squeezed my nose badly. It was very painful. I was standing on my toes and crying at the top of my voice. She said, holding the kerchief in front of me, “Look how dirty you have become. Your friends will tease you. The teacher will send you home. Good boys do not cry. Now stop crying. You bumped into the handle because you were not holding it firmly.” I said, “No! You stopped the scooter very fast. I want to complain to the teacher. I will tell this to the teacher. She will punish you.” She asked me, “Do you really want to complain?” I said, “Yes! Then she will punish you. She will make you stand on the bench.”

Mother looked surprised. Mother said, “Your teacher is not present here.” I said, “I know it. She is at the school.” Mother asked, “Do you want to go to the school to speak to the teacher?” I said, “Yes! I want to go.” She once again asked me, “Isn’t your nose paining?” I said, “Yes it is paining, but I will go to the school.” She looked at the watch and said, “OK! We are getting late. Let us hurry!” I said, “My nose has become longer. It looks dirty. It is because of you.” I saw that she was smiling. She said, “Now I will drive slowly.” I climbed on to the scooter. We reached the school. The main gate was closed. The watchman was standing at the gate. Mother spoke to the watchman. The watchman looked at me for a moment. Then he opened the gate to let us in. The class doors were closed. Mother knocked at the door. I was standing behind her. Teacher opened the door. I saw through the door that all the children were standing. They were singing a poem. My mother spoke to the teacher. The teacher said, “You can take him home. Is it very bad? But where is he?” Mother turned around and pointed at me and said, “It is a small thing. There is not much pain. He will forget everything in a few minutes.” All the students were looking at me. They had stopped singing the poem. Some were even standing on the desk.

Teacher led me inside the class. She asked me, “Do you want to sit near my table.” I raised my hand and pointed to my seat. The teacher led me to my desk. She helped me to climb onto my desk. I pointed to the door and said, “She did this to me.” Teacher leaned forward to adjust my tie and whispered, “Don’t you worry. Don’t go home today. Just stay with me. She will miss you very much. This will be her punishment.” I nodded happily. I looked at the door. My mother was not there. She wasn’t standing at the door any more.

Suddenly the teacher said, “Everyone back to your seats. Children let us sing the next poem.” The class started singing the next poem. I did not sing the poem. I sat quiet, yet the teacher did not punish me. I felt my nose every now and then. After that it was story time. Teacher told us a funny story. I enjoyed the story. I was laughing and clapping. Teacher came to me and asked, “Abdul! How do you feel? Are you alright?” I just nodded. She carried me to the big table in the class. She made me stand on the table. She said to the class, “Abdul is a brave boy. He hurt his nose while coming to school. His head banged accidentally against the scooter handle. Yet he did not cry. Three claps for the brave.” The children clapped happily.

Soon the school bell rang. I felt it was too soon. Teacher said it is half day today. We ran to the corridor. Outside the class as we were waiting in the corridor. My friends were curious. They asked me many questions. I told them all that happened this morning. Some wanted to touch my nose. They touched my nose and said, “Your nose has become soft.” I asked them, “Does it look worse?” They all said, “No!” A little later I saw my mother talking to my teacher in the ground. I ran down the steps. I shouted, “Mother! Teacher called me brave. All the children clapped for me.” She said, “I know you are bold.”

1 - Sunrise

I am a native of this village. I visit this place throughout the year a number of times. I like to visit some places in the village. This hillock is one such place. I come here mostly in the early morning. Sometimes I come here with my friends. We sit here on the ground and talk on various topics. The hill top gives a top of the world feeling.

Right now I am standing on the hillock. This is a gently sloping hillock. The villagers refer to it as a flat hillock. I feel it has a shape like a rain drop. My friends do not agree with me. They say, “It has a shape like a pea.” We argue over this topic often. I like the rain drop shape so much that I often visualise myself standing on a huge raindrop. ‘I jump a little in the air on my toes. As I land, the drop surface takes the impact and vibrates. The drop bounces me off in the air. I jump up and down like a ping-pong ball.’ I dream of this possibility quite often.

I walk along the path starting from the school ground to reach the top. The hilltop offers clear view of everything till your eyes meet the horizon. In fact you don’t need a path. The slope is very gentle. You can walk from any point you wish. The forest cover is not so dense. You just have to avoid those thorny bushes. It is fun to walk among the bamboo bushes. If you are lucky, then you may spot a rabbit family playing under the bushes. As you climb you come across many white lumps. You always find monkeys sitting on these lumps. These are the white feldspar mineral rocks. They look like hardened salt lumps. Due to the constant exposure to Sun, rain and the weather they break down very easily. You always find pebbles around the rock stumps. Many a times I gather large white pebbles. I throw them one after the other along the slopes. These pebbles role down the slope at a great speed. It takes more than an hour to reach the top. I start my walk in the dawn when the entire village is fast asleep. Another structure you are sure to come across, are the tall anthills. Watch them from a distance and you are sure to spot army of ants marching in rows. They are busy carrying grains. Occasionally a slithering snake may come out from one hole and enter the other hole. This is their natural habitat.

The time is early morning. The Sun is rising in the east. The horizon is slowly lighting up. The nature is emerging out of the dark blanket. The rising Sun looks like a soft Crimson Red ball. Shafts of rays are spreading out towards the sky. The shafts are colouring the eastern sky. The puffy clouds at the horizon are the first to slowly absorb bright colours. There are countless shades in the shafts of the Sunrays. The colours are changing every moment as the Sun rises. As my searching eyes meet the clouds at the horizon, they smile back and say, “You have to climb higher than us to see beyond.” A little higher the clouds are still wearing the darkness reluctantly. A few stars are lingering in the sky. I feel they are lingering to welcome the Sun. As the daylight spreads the lingering stars loose their shine and fade away. The ground is becoming visible. A few red and yellow treetops are visible. These are the trees in bloom. The birds in the trees are awake. They are busy preparing for the day. Some are preening the feathers. Others are chirping merrily. They are eagerly waiting for the day to break.

A few of them are already flying in the sky. A few birds are sitting on the electric lines hanging over the valley. These early flying birds are calling other birds. A few birds fly past my position and remind me, “Keep moving. The world never waits for anyone.”

Flock of parrots is flying out of the hollow trunks. Occasionally you see the young ones peering out of the nest. Thin white strands of moisture are lingering over the river. From the hill top everything appears small. There are many large black rocks in the riverbed. There are few trees among the rocks in the riverbed. Large white storks and bats prefer these trees. The storks are getting ready for the day. Some storks are flapping their wing as a warm up. There is very little water in the river. The storks hunt for the insects staying in the rock-cracks. Occasionally they swoop down the river water to catch a fish. The bats are returning to the trees. Their working night is over and they are returning to the trees for a day of rest.

There are a few small huts among these rocks in the river bed. A man is driving the cattle herd up the river bank. A few people are walking about the rocks. These are the people who break the rocks and collect sand from the river in the summer. Few places along the river the smoke is rising lazily in the sky. These are brick kilns. These brick kilns provide employment to the villagers for six months. A little farther down the brick kilns a few donkeys are waiting for their masters to command them. A few sadhus in a group are walking along the river. A villager is guiding them. They are looking for good spot to bathe in the river. There are a few flags fluttering atop some bushes. These are the spots where the villagers sacrifice goats or hens after the harvest to express their gratitude to the God. Occasionally youngsters come to the hillock to enjoy serene atmosphere. Shepherds feel it safe to graze their herds on the gentle slope. School children come here when they bunk the school.

There is a cluster of tall trees with big leaves to my left. In summer many leaves dry up and fall to the ground. The dry leaves drift for some distance around the trees. The leaves finally fall to the ground. Such dry leaves accumulate under the tree and form a layer. This is a loose layer with ample space in between the layers. The dry leaves are crisp. Many insects and ants build colonies in this layer. The insects use the hollow space. The layer protects them from the scorching sun and other enemies. Many insects feed on the decaying leaves. This is an underground world in itself. A few black birds are searching through the layers of dry leaves. They walk in circles to cover the entire layer. These birds are looking for insects below the leaves. A few birds put their long beaks under the dry layer and quietly shake it. The insects are disturbed and they run out. They quickly grab as much insects as possible. They call out to other birds when they see a colony of insects. The other birds flock there and join the search.

As the day rises more and more birds join the hunt. The competition increases and birds scramble for the insects. Sometimes fights break out among the groups. The stronger group drives away the weaker group. This is the law of the nature. I like walking under such trees. As I march on, with my every step I crush a few dry leaves. The dry leaves produce a crackling sound as they crumble. This mild sound alerts many birds. A few of them fly out and hover over you. Squirrels peer at you as you crush the dry leaves. Sometimes you come across a colony of land flowers. The flowers stand erect in the grass. There are certain creepers that run across the ground.

These creepers bear flowers round the year. Watch carefully, you are sure to spot chameleons and the garden lizards basking in the Sun. To my right little down the hillock a small group of monkeys is sitting on the rocks. One of the monkeys is facing the rising sun. The other monkeys are searching something in the grass. They walk a few steps into the grass and comb the grass and look carefully. There is very little light there and hardly anything is visible. It is a mystery as to what the monkeys are searching.

It is the harvest season. The standing crops look golden yellow. The rest of the field is chocolate brown. The farmers burn the stumps of the crop. The remaining ash produces gray patches in the fields. To my right there is a field with a different patch. It is a patch of off-white colour with black spots. Occasionally there is some mild movement in the patch. The colour patches seem to stir for a moment. This is a sheep herd sitting in the field. The farmers herd them to the fields at night. The sheep dung serves as good manure. In addition to this the sheep eat away the remnant stubs of crops, wild growth etc and clear the field of all unwanted growth.

The daylight is advancing further and the darkness fading away. The early rays are reaching the hilltops. It is still dark in the valleys. In the village a few people are awake. Some of them have already set out for work. Few bullocks and cows are going out to the fields. I see few bullock carts in the tracks through the hills. They are carrying the harvest to the markets. The river divides the village in two parts. The village is a cluster of small houses and big houses. The courtyards are littered with round hay stacks. Some roofs are dull and some are shining. There is a cluster of mango trees by the side of the road. A small crowd has gathered there under these trees. This is our village bus stand. This is the only transport link to the world outside. The people are waiting for the morning buses to arrive. A few students are walking towards the school. Three people are waiting with their bicycles. They are the local newspaper vendors. They are waiting for the newspaper van. They ride the bicycle to the nearby villages and sell the newspapers. It is broad daylight now. It is time for me to climb down before it gets warm. This is like watching a natural cinema. Watching Sunrise from the hilltop gives me immense pleasure.