sanvit-blogs

[sanvit-blogs]

The Journey Of Success : Gayatri Preface This story revolves around a young teen girl  who has had a companion till date but when the companion has to relocate ..she goes through a number of problems and has only one option, that is, to overcome these problems which are firmly carved in her brain. Soon with the help of another pal who has recently moved to the neighbourhood, she finds new interests and has a dream to accomplish her goals. Let’s read on to find out if the young teen named Gayathri accomplishes her goals or not. Index Chapter 1- Chapter 2- Chapter 3- Chapter 4-                                        Chapter 1      It was a frigid overcast day in the month of October.         “Yeah”, replied Gayatri , “Who would even imagine such things?” pondered Gayatri. She was a 13 year old exuberant girl who studied in South Horizon International School. Off-center her pal Kareena was about 15, with her hands full,  swinging on social media. Dressed in a black dress with a lace collar and high heels. She was barely visible but the twilight did help a little.Though there was a two year age gap, it did not create any boundary for the two. They loved hanging out together.“You will like to sit here, I suppose” said the elder. The cool breeze blowing through their untied hair, the crickets chirping and the unpleasant smell  gave them a creepy feeling which certainly did not get the better of them. The two were having a tete-tete conversation,“I do remember the days, a few years ago curling in the mud, head to toe near the frog creak”,  with her friend, Kareena, in the park. She was a green panther and spent most of the time in the laps of nature.The twilight was deepening, the companions had hit the park in late afternoon to spend some time together after a long tiring day of school. They were trying to complete their homework as a duet to avoid the burden after arriving home. After all, doing any work between the four walls of a building would not give anyone motivation to do so. After completing their homework, they decided to play with their neighbor’s dog, Sandy, a golden retriever who used to come on his own in the evenings and return back home after sunset. They cherished capering with Sandy, which made their day blithesome. Sandy too loved it when they were around. They were summoned back home. Kareena’s mother and Gayatri’s mother were gossiping together, drinking hot tea and eating some biscuits,  just like a perfect kitty party. Both of them were in a deep conversation. Gayatri’s mother diverted the topic as soon as she saw them. She greeted them,“Welcome both of you. Had fun?” Gayatri raised her brows and in a very doubtful manner, she replied, “Umm….yes…” Her mother gave her and Kareena a batch of their favourite cookies. After gulping the snacks, Kareena and her mother left. Gayatri asked her mother, “Ma, what happened? You looked pretty disappointed while talking with Ragini Aunty.” Her mother replied,“ Well...I am not sure if I can tell you this or not but…...Ragini and Kareena’s father have decided to shift to Mumbai.” Gayatri was shocked. She ran to her room and stared at the ceiling. She couldn't shed any tears because she knew that Kareena wouldn't go. After all, she was her only best friend! She would rebel. She refused to have dinner and went to bed. The next time she opened her eyes, it was morning. She went to school and met Kareena. She ignored Kareena but after a lot of apologising from Kareena, she concurred to talk. Kareena heard everything and replied, “I will really miss you but my departure  isn’t the termination of our friendship, Gayatri!”          Months passed very rapidly in discomfort and unpleasant thoughts . After a very long goodbye, Gayatri went home and sat on her bed recalling all of her favourite moments with Kareena. This was very emotional and nostalgic. She realised how connected, we get to people and forget that there are a lot more challenges ahead. Later on, she never got attached to anyone because she knew that it would create a strong bonding. But that’s not true, just because someone left you doesn't mean that you shouldn't have friendly relationships anymore. Friendship means the world. Together forever never apart, maybe in distance but never at heart- the mantra of friendship. Gayatri's mother insisted her to mail Kareena, so that she would feel less lonely. After sending Kareena an email, Gayatri didn't expect the answer she had received. "I am busy right now, let's talk later!" Gayatri read out. She was disturbed. She  felt, since it had been a long time reciprocating with Kareena and the latter would be having a better time in Mumbai, the former had received such a response. It was that time, when Gayatri realised that she had lost a friend she never imagined she would. She started feeling depressed, started hating herself and always wanted to be alone. She was as quiet as a mouse. She locked herself in her room and didn't like going out. Seeing this behaviour of hers,  her parents thought that they had lost their old Gayatri who was always smiling and cheerful. They made all efforts to get their perky daughter back, but all went in vain. They even tried contacting Kareena but she had changed her phone number. Meanwhile, they learn that a family has shifted in their neighbourhood. Amongst them was a girl of 14, Saanvi. She was a radiant girl who was always optimistic. Gayatri’s parents took the arrival of Saanvi as a golden opportunity to make Gayatri’s mood better. They insisted and asked for help. She happily agreed. They explained Gayatri’s tale. Saanvi was keen to make a new friend. But for that, she had to console Gayatri to forget the past and begin a new life. Also, she had to win her trust to do so. This was an interesting task for Saanvi. She found out that both of them had one thing in common, they loved cooking! They baked and cooked everyday. Eventually, they grew really close to each other. Saanvi's company made Gayatri delighted and unaware of her past, but every night she was glum for some random reason. Her parents were impressed with Saanvi who had helped them, but seeing their daughter in a different situation, presence of mind and realised that she is imprisoned within her own thoughts, they decided to take her to a psychologist who guided her to build a strong character and not put herself down. The psychologist advised her,“If you don't forget your past, it will destroy your future. Live for what today has to offer, not for what yesterday had taken away.” She tried hard to follow the doctor’s advice but  just couldn't get rid of the thoughts of Kareena fluttering in her mind. They were held on so tight to her that she always felt she was accompanied with bad vibes.Her parents were more than terrified and had no hope; they felt like they were in a shadow which never ended but just grew larger in size day by day.“Huh!” murmured her father who couldn't stand Gayatri being depressed, but he also knew that some wounds run too deep for healing. Saanvi  always tried to console her. She too had a similar problem, a few years ago when her doctor had advised a few mental exercises which really turned out to be beneficial. Saanvi narrated the same to Gayatri. Saanvi had a lot of confidence in Gayatri but the former lacked to grasp things quickly due to the innumerable thoughts running in her mind. Once Gayatri came across a line that changed her life, it said,“Let go of the ones who have already let go of you!” These words echoed and reflected every second in her mind. This sort of gave her motivation whenever she felt distressed. Thus she began her day with a positive thought. This really did help her become optimistic ; it changed her mindset and she had new feelings and a new way of thinking that ran all through her body with enthusiasm. Her parents and everyone else were glad that she found out a way by herself. Her habit of reading positive quotes and understanding them led her to develop a new quote herself,“FORGET WHAT HURT YOU, BUT NEVER FORGET WHAT IT TAUGHT YOU!” Thenceforth she enjoyed her life to the fullest and lived every bit of it fruitfully. Growing up, she realised the importance of mental health. Younger or elder, mental health is very important. She knew that there were many people like her. She opened up her own help service called ‘Mind Your Mind’ where many people gathered and shared their sorrows and lightened up their mind. She wrote books about mental health. She gained a lot of fame through spreading mental health’s importance. After about 2 years of spreading the  word, the government recognised her and made her the head of the National Mental Health organisation. Many people were cured because of her and were grateful to her. She turned out to be a successful psychologist.                           Health is Wealth! Forgive and Forget the Past! AUTHORS:- Ananya Naga hansika Nirupaa Sakshi Tanvi Tulsi Vedika Vishruthi THANK YOU !!!

[sanvit-blogs]

The Journeys Of Success: Advika-Motivational Genre

                               Preface

This book takes us through the journey of a middle classed teen who had mixed emotions with an abounding ego in the beginning, she threw tantrums on her parents and did actions which were not supported. But later as she moves forward and starts a new life, she goes through an epiphany on what actually LIFE means. She took small steps for a new beginning . She along with her mother worked as a backbone for each other with the motivation to “never give up “. Let’s unearth into the story to find out the changes which Advika goes through and becomes one of the greatest leaders of the country. Hope it motivates the readers and also makes everyone in the society  capable of changing the direction of the future. Take small steps  and make bigger changes for a new beginning .

Index

Chapter-1 : Being the misery of her own life

Chapter-2 : The end of her diverted mind

Chapter-3 : The never ending success Chapter-4 : She meets her Idol

         Chapter-1  Misery of her own life !!!

A group of amazing friends did everything together. They had been friends with each other for almost their entire childhood. They had seen each other grow. They were like a four leaf clover for each of them, hard to find but lucky to have. They embraced every moment they spent with each other and enjoyed each others’ company. Ell, it was an age when usually kids choose friends over parents. Because friends can always relate to each other and have each other’s back in hard times. Advika, a genius girl of age 13, had just got out of her school bus. All of her friends were shouting and the driver couldn't keep them shut. Advika waved good-bye to her friends and knocked on her door. Her elder brother, who was in college, opened the door. He was studying for his exams. He took his thick book and hit it on her head. Advika shouted, “ Amma! I’m fed up with Advik! He hit me!I'd rather stay the whole day with my friends, I'd at least enjoy”. She spiritlessly freshened up and switched on her phone. The only thing she tried was to reflect the means of the  model actresses . So she went through the latest posts of her idol, Kritika, the famous model and actress. She ran to her mirror and tried imitating her but she looked nothing like her. She was really fatigued but it flew off her mind as soon as she spent the next hour or so surfing through the internet. She wanted to take part in the beauty contest coming up the next year but her family did not support her for such passions. The next day, she went to school and started daydreaming about random stuff. She was a person who was good at studies but nowadays stuff went in one ear and came out the other. She didn't have interest in anything anymore. Only fashion and the westernized culture making herself a great model was her new significance and sympathy. While her teacher called out her name and asked her to summarize the complete lesson, to which she had no answer or idea. She went home with a pale face and a head over-flowing with unwanted thoughts. Kritika, her classmate whom she had a great interest in her stupid talks was all because her name matched with her recent role-model , “ I have known you for so many years. How have you changed much?” As soon as she reached home with her overflowing thoughts she began to realize her mistake… Her mother who was always busy at work was at home the particular day. She had been cleaning up for almost the whole day while she had found way too many treasures which were in Advika’s makeup kit! Which were all used up! Now it is the most undesired moment for her when her mom found out what she had been doing behind the bush. Advika’s diary was filled with so many teachers' remarks which were written one above the other. She needed a big round of ratings and chidings. She had to rebuke for all what she had done. That day Ma’s lecture and dictation was the moment her epiphany began. What Ma didn’t know was she had a diary which didn't just belong to her, but her whole friend gang was behind this. The diary wasn't about hating the teachers. It was to share their bad days and remove their burden. After all, school distorts are times when people experience many hatreds and good friends make bad days a little more bearable. Advika, though very short tempered, stayed quiet all through the lecture. She decided to change her habits but, her ego got the better of her, she stopped talking with everyone and turned out to be disobedient. Her mom was now worried since they hadn’t spoken for days. Probably the first time ever, the house was so quiet but was enraged by cold wars. Finally, her father decided to break the silence by going through a circuit of his poetry which gave him great satisfaction. He was worried to see Advika predominantly engrossed with his gadgets. Subsistent to his poetic skills, he knew everything about feelings, from all the perspectives. When he loomed up near Advika, he stated, "Advika, I can interpret that you have a mindset where you don’t want to bear anyone else's feelings.” Before he could continue further, Advika with a very neutral face said, "Why doesn’t Ma understand that I have feelings, that I have bad days too. And anyways, I’m getting good marks… isn't that more than enough?” Father looked at her graciously and replied,“Advi, that's not all what we want from you.We don’t care for your marks as much as we care for your well-being and happiness. And you not talking to her would make her disheartened.”Advika burst out crying and realized how reprehensibly she had been behaving. This might have possibly been a moment that could change her life.

       Chapter-2 The end to her diverted mind

For herself, she very well knew her mind had been diverted already. She decided to bring a change in herself, before she could let anyone come close to her previous thoughts. She undisputedly started her mission to collect more knowledge and become a person who could change the world. She did it along with her mom, by giving duo speeches that could touch people’s hearts and help them overcome situations. It gave the two a feeling of pride.When her mother asked how she felt about giving speeches, she said it started teaching her what life was all about and the only thing that mattered was if the speech that she delivered touched the heart of people. If it did, then people would agree and would try to make a good impact on other people and before which they would change themselves .She also added saying,“Ma , don’t you think I have gained more confidence and also I have become courageous?.” Ma replied “Yes, sweetheart..that is what matters, when we set off on the path to teach someone something you go through many experiences and these experiences also do teach yourself something new.” Advika was also proud of herself because she had overcome  the fear of speaking for a large audience  and things that can distract herself. Her friends  had previously been asking her the reason behind her being so distracted and many more irritating questions, while in sometime they realised by themself that- once a person is getting diverted with unwanted things with which they shouldn't be, it would cause them problems for a time period or sometimes even for life-long if not considered, but if they realize their mistake and analyze it, there are complete chances that a person can improve to become one of the greatest leaders. In real life too there could be many, such as people who are addicted to smoking and drinks but later after people criticized it, they gave a second thought or perhaps even the tenth thought of improving their life and  themselves. As a result, they turned out to be renowned leaders.

               Chapter-3 : Never ending success!!! Even though she was a teen, she still thought about it as though she was three year older, her matured brain played an important and satisfactory role to her and her family which would prevent future shortcomings. Looking at what a young girl who had just been introduced to the world, began a new life, people were being persuaded and were competing with themselves and thinking what each individual could do for the betterment. Everyone, from a kid to adult would’ve surely learnt about keeping the environment clean, motivating people etc..but implementing small steps in life make a huge impact on people, society, state and the country gradually. Not everyone was ready to make a change in their life, most of them were just busy in the day to day chores, social media, publicity and showing off themselves.  No one was ready to give up some of their time, to clean the surroundings. They just couldn't do anything nor could they stand people receiving praises for their work ..they just sat being jealous, eating money with corruption, complaining about having no time to help, but they never realized the clock has only 24 hours , no one till date had even a second more than 24 hrs a day. After all,  the way they use their time matters. Every second and moment could be an important part of life to them,  just like Advika’s life, the moment was just a few minutes that led her into realization. Just spending their day with gaming and with gadgets, would never help them succeed in life.They had to do something ...something not big but impactful. It took time, hardwork and not just a few drops of sweat. To do this she had to change the mindset of people. It was a tough job and Advika knew this was worth it and wanted to achieve this accomplishment and make everyone following her proud. She gathered a few of her friends who were ready for doing this social service and to be the cause for the change. She had just one strategy in her mind- Not everyone agree to the Ever truthful leaders and their Versatile speeches’. But the latter leads to the Empowerment of the mankind and Reformation of the society God will certainly give rosiness In every decisive situation. Vanquishing never helps Even though you want to always be first. Utopia is something that is really needed and Positive thinking is eternally a must !! She respected it. She duly did things that would help her accomplish her goal. The privileged part was that her vocabulary skills were situated in every drop of her blood abundantly.While playing games with friends, people expressed their wishes of having hundreds of chocolates and some kiddish stuff but her only wish that she made on her birthdays was- she wanted people to understand that instead of partying at night,  it would rather signify something if they visit an orphanage and donate; if not money but atleast a pencil, book or anything possible within their budget. Her speeches were very inspiring but people just thought she was like a preacher who just did this for money. Well, if one person is not good in a particular field , then people think  everyone is similar but she was just a normal girl trying to make everyone's lives better. She always said in her speeches, to look at the bright side and to not dwell or ponder at the negative possessions. Invariably a pessimist can never change anyone’s mindset before they themselves have changed

Chapter-4 She meets her Idol

That fine day had now arrived, when there was a need for a tribute for a drastic change in herself and the blowing thoughts that were now forever engraved in the people's mind. On the beaches of Mumbai, she had been invited as a chief guest in a beauty contest where she met her childhood idol, Kritika who was a judge in the same show. She was excited but not like before. Kritika, her idol, looked at her from head to toe in an agitated way during the speech. After which Kritika herself presented her with a bouquet for the lovely speech. Advika was now on cloud nine, they both met each other after the commencement of the show. They both did have similar interests and had an out-stretched talk .She told Kritika that she used to imitate her fashion sense, the dance movement of hip - pop , disco etc.. and try to become an exact copy of her but she always failed. Kritika, being content, said,”Aiyye! Why did you have to imitate me? You’re too good in your own way. There is already a Kritika in the world, you must become yourself” Advika was glad to hear that. Now, she also felt that ultimate success is only when she finds people implementing her thoughts and not when she becomes a celebrity or a rich lady. To bring this change, she formed a Non-Governmental Organization called SMILE: Social Motivation for Indian Life towards Empowerment. Even after being buried with work, she never wanted a personal assistant or a  secretary, instead prefered no reliability in her NGO where people enjoyed working together for the betterment of mankind. She started up with cleaning water bodies where she saved 12 ponds and 2 lakes around Mumbai from drying in summer and also cleaned up the industrial wastes and garbage. Later with all the plastics she could collect from the water bodies,  she decided to recycle and use them for the construction of a road made of plastic. Advika later moves on by achieving greater achievements in her life that always made a sway in people's thoughts and actions. She later on gave up all the well paid jobs and pursued her career by helping the garbage city turn into a garden city by constantly giving speeches to change the perspective of people on different challenges. She was now known for this. She wanted to spread this message throughout the world. Advika’s  friend suggested her to preach to people on different aspects of life on the platform of social media like YouTube. She was highly fascinated by this idea. She started making short videos on motivation and tried to encourage people of all ages. She tried to develop a healthy and fresh foundation among the young minds of the country- from a student to a retired old man, this made her gain more prestige and admiration from people. She taught people how they could take proper measures to save the environment before mankind misses the last boat. She was awarded the Padma Bhushan and she also received many cash prizes. But she kept none of the fortune and gave it out to the people who needed it the most.

Soon after, she was recognized by all as the “Advisor Advika”. She was    renowned all over the world. She finally felt as though there was a ray of hope and she had accomplished something new and notable under her name.  

AUTHORS:- Ananya

Naga hansika

Nirupaa

Sakshi

Tanvi

Tulsi

Vedika    

THANK YOU !!!

[sanvit-blogs]

Together forever never apart, maybe in distance but never at heart- the mantra of friendship

SANVIT

[sanvit-blogs]

FORGET WHAT HURT YOU, BUT NEVER FORGET WHAT IT TAUGHT YOU!

SANVIT

[sanvit-blogs]

Goddelike Blom

                                                                  INDEX

  Chapter 1                       

 Chapter 2                      

  Chapter 3                      

  Chapter 4                        

Chapter 5                       

 Chapter 6                       

 Chapter 7                        

Chapter 8                        

 Chapter 9                        

Chapter 10                        

Chapter 11

                                                PREFACE

This story takes us through a coastline of two sisters, the younger Serena and elder Selena . The sisters lead a hardship life. Serena, as always being interested in adventures, finds vivid patterns on everyday objects near her hut .  Soon due to her hidden curiosity she insists on going to places to find out different treasures and what they meant,    

.

                                  Chapter 1: An unusual rock

In the deserts of Africa lived a poor stricken girl named Serena. She lived  with her mother and her elder sister, Selena. She was a genial and amicable girl, who cared about her loved ones. She helped her mom with the day to day chores.

Living in Africa was not an easy task; they could barely make ends meet; they struggled even for a two-day meal. She used to play with glee on her face all day long. She was contented with whatever they had. It was a blazing hot summer with scorching heat during April when she was in search of water. She looked high and low everywhere but could only see dry sand and parched land around her.  

After walking for a mile she decided to take some rest and sat down on a rock. She then saw that the rock had a different pattern on it. She wondered what it meant. Later she tried to move the rock a little bit and found out that the material of the rock was porous and had some ancient writings on it. She wanted to find out more about it so she decided to go on an adventure to the underworld where it led.

She did not let anyone know about what she had found, she went home and had a talk with her mom and sister and came back every day to the same stone. She used to study the stone so keenly that she was also known as the keen eye of the house. She had to find out what the stone meant. Soon she noticed that the rock had a map carved on it. She was exceptionally interested to know the message of the map. The map had a  cross mark on it which mentioned the name “Agrabah'' She thought it would be like the interesting treasure hunt which her mom used to narrate about, but she didn’t know where to start from until she found an ancient box made of wood half-sunk in the sand. On that ancient wooden box, there were depictions of ancient people. There were also multilingual writings which she couldn't understand. Out of curiosity, she opened the box, unexpectedly she found a clue written down on an old sheet of parchment in a language that she could read. She followed the directions given on the old parchment which led her to the lake of Scebeli. There were surely traces of vegetation and Civilisation there. In an enthusiasm to explore more she and her family decide to move towards civilization where there are enough facilities… But there arises a problem in their journey...the map depicted one place where it was completely safe to settle in where they would face no problems. A place full of rich undergrowth was like a dreamland for Serena. She would love to stay there but she couldn't leave her curiosity for the treasure behind. How could she forget the place where she had played, danced and kept wandering around all day long; enjoying the animals and pets? She felt as though it was the hardest decision she had to ever make. She had sleepless nights with various threads of thoughts running in her mind but the thought of getting educated never slipped a centimeter out.

After a lot of contemplation, she still had no idea. She loved learning new things every day, getting educated and being happy was her dream….but her dream also included her family, developing her native land, showing people the luxuries and not struggling like this. She wanted to have  innumerable petitions signed in her name to help her land and her people ...but all this just was not possible without education. Tossing and turning every single night was the only thing she did because she had no idea about the future.

                           CHAPTER-2: Grandpa arrives

 One fine night, when she went to bed, she overheard the conversation of her parents talking about her grandfather coming. He loved history and growing up he had education facilities. It was only after a drought that hit their land that it became underdeveloped. Serena prayed to God every night and decided to tell her grandpa Jonathan about her invention. Soon it was the day of grandpa’s arrival, this experience and thought of whether to tell grandpa or not was nerve-wracking to her. To sum up she made up her mind and decided to reveal her discovery. Her grandpa had mixed and reactive emotions and was quite astounded and dignified hearing this. He was pretty sure that his granddaughter would do something great and beneficial for society. He agreed to help her in finding the treasure. This made Serena delighted. She had so many ideas running through her brain she felt as though she had a brainstorm for a moment. Like making an artificial river; making sure that everyone has access to education no matter what their background was and much more. She believed that everyone should be given equal rights. She wanted to empower women but at the same time evolve the underdeveloped.

She talked with her grandpa the whole day and eventually went to sleep. One thing about her was that she was very bubbly and exuberant. She loved talking round the clock due to which many people loved her, but some people thought that she was annoying, bothersome and got on everyone’s nerves.

The following day, she went with her grandpa to show him the discovery. Grandpa was amazed and told that it looked familiar. He spent a whole night researching, and his efforts ultimately bore fruit. He found out that the map would lead them to an old monastery deep inside the thickets which was middle of nowhere from her venue. The path to the monastery was venturesome with wild woods having thick shrubbery.

Serena decided to take risks for the betterment of their habitation’s future, but she did not want to jeopardize her grandfather’s life. She was in a dilemma. Her mother told her not to go and told her that she could go only if an elderly accompanied her. Her grandpa was the only one. He exclaimed “ Don't underestimate me just because I am an old man. I’m still perky for these kinds of adventures”, laughing .He continued telling when he was younger and older he had gone through so many experiences and also added what life was without risks. Serena still wasn't pleased but agreed. But then came another problem. Her annoying elder sister threw tantrums that she also wanted to accompany. She acted like a little one at this moment. She got everything from her parents and Serena hated that. But deep inside she loved her and would protect her no matter what. But it should've been the other way around. Perhaps Serena was a woman stuck in a girl's body.

    The next day, they packed bountiful stuff, for their mother wouldn't leave them. Their mom started sobbing as they were leaving, but she was proud at the same time. After a lot of persuasions, they finally left. It was a pretty long journey. From foot to bullock carts, to camels, and then again foot. This was tedious. After about a week or so, they reached the charming forest. It was dense and vast. The humidity gave them a different feeling. The monkeys swinging from one branch to another, the mynas and birds singing with glee. The crickets had their musical concert, and of course, the beautiful butterflies flying around and one did sit on Serena's hair, it looked like she had a butterfly clip-on, and later sitting on Serena’s nose. They were being welcomed. It was an overwhelming experience.

          Grandpa unfolded his map, observed the map accurately and demonstrated the way towards the monastery. It was a pretty old map and was about to be mangled. It was perhaps from the 1940s. After a weary journey, they finally reached the monastery. It had intricately carved patterns on it which made it look quite timeworn. There was a board near the monastery which read ‘AGRABAH’

They stepped inside, the walls of the monastery had numerous paintings made by the tribals who had settled there, that also interpreted what they ate, what they wore, what their daily routines were etc... The darkness and cold breeze gushing around made both the sisters feel creepy. Also, a weird smell hit them. Her grandfather consoled them and told them that they need not worry, as he was standing like a wall of protection for them. They had a weird sensation as this monastery was very different from the ones they had been visiting. They marched forward towards the place where the deity was placed.

It was an astonishing view. The way the deity was carved was something special, something vivid from other monasteries. The head was carved from a comparatively different metal or rock in that case. The legs were the part that gave a whole pop to the deity. It was as though it was present but at the same time absent. It was carved in the form of an optical illusion. This deluded everyone. Serena perceived that in between the feet of the deity, there was a bizarre box that had the same pattern carved on the previous one. onfused, she asked her grandpa. But her stingy sister had to barge in, “Grandpa, I am feeling thirsty 💦. I need water now otherwise I’ll get dehydrated and faint . And of course you don't want me to faint right?” with her puppy face. The fact was, there was only one more bottle of water left. Meanwhile, Serena was manipulated by the fascinating adventure   they were going through.

Serena almost drank the whole bottle. Serena wanted to take the bottle and smack it on her sisters head. But she wouldn't do that. She loved her too much. And also her grandpa would reprimand her. So she thought there was no need to do such a useless thing. She continued after her kiddy sister finished drinking. She had to get her hand on the bizarre box. As she was completely impatient, it led her to take the wrong decision. She unknowingly went forward to take the box with the curiosity of knowing what was inside it. She was unaware of the obstacles. The ground had many cracks that were made to trap whoever entered the monastery. Her grandpa saved her from falling into the trap. She promised her grandfather that henceforth she won’t take decisions in haste. Now arrived another problem- how would they cross the hollow space in between and reach the bizarre box? They put their heads together and began to think of an idea. Though Serena’s elder sister had a pea brain, her mind struck with an amazing idea. She exclaimed, “We can probably take the help of the monkeys!”. But their grandpa shouted, “How would we make them understand about our miseries!?” Serena cried out, “Grandpa! I know how to reciprocate with them! I know their language! Playing with pets has been very beneficial for me.” Grandpa added, “Oh C’mon then! Serena, you know what to do, right? Make sure you do not act in haste again or else it would be the end of  the whole thing.” Serena nodded and tried being less scared and more friendly. She was scared for the very first time with animals. That was pretty much sure because she had sensed their ferocity while entering.

Because monkeys are territorial. She tried not busting a sweat from the fear because monkeys can also sense fear. She communicated with them, but the monkeys misunderstood. She tried being as brave as possible but after a lot of convincing them, they agreed to help .The monkeys then came with her. They had noticed a lot of people following a code and entering into the place .They scraped out some old dry leaves to reveal a button that the grandfather and Serena were amazed to see. Selena was in her own world. She had no idea on what's going on. The monkeys pushed the button and then the stone passage was completely covered with a layer of clean and plain cement. “That cleared the obstacle!” exclaimed grandfather and Serena was relieved. They gathered all their guts together and were ready to face a new challenge. Serena then took the path to the box and opened it to find a piece of gold underneath a note written in ancient Swahili. She then went back to her grandfather and together with her sister. They read the note which said that it turned out to be a monastery that was built a hundred years ago by the indigenous people of the forest who would visit it on every full moon day of the month and worship the deity after taking a holy bath in the nearby river. It was believed that by doing all this, their sins would be cured, but there was a difficulty in taking a bath in the river. It was filled with deadly and dangerous creatures and some spirits who would try to harm or kill anyone who bathes in the river. It was believed that only the strongest and the mightiest would be able to survive in the river alive.

It took them a while to read the whole note which made them terror struck for a moment. Grandpa soon understood why there weren't any more people living in this region. First, washing out their sins made everyone believe it blindly. Second, as many people went there, it wasn't clean, it caused many illnesses that perhaps, didn't have any cure. Many people must have died because of these diseases. And because of not knowing the actual reason, people believe this place was haunted and emigrated. Serena and Pa Jonathan had one more task- to find the enchanted lake which washed out the so-called “sins”.

Well now they had to ask the monkeys again. Though they were now friends, as we all know, monkeys are clever and asked for something in return. They didn't have anything. To lure them, they had to find something, perhaps some eatables like bananas. But they really had no idea from where they would get such things. Selena, pulled out her sister who was eating something in a corner, without letting anyone know. Serena spotted this and called out her sister. She pleaded with her sister, who had stolen the box of goods, to give it to her. And after a lot of persuasion, she gave it to the monkeys. The monkeys who were satisfied, swung through the forest and showed them the enchanted lake.

It was nothing like they imagined. It was the cleanest of the waters and there were no horrifying creatures. Perhaps they would have left as there were no people in the forest too. Pa Jonathan, still didn't understand why the note mentioned something else. The monkeys enjoyed their treat and left. The family had no idea what to do now. They spent the night sleeping of the bare rocks. Selena complained the whole time that it was disgusting to sleep somewhere like that. Though their family wasn't rich, Selena was provided by many luxuries which made her a brat. They actually did not sleep, rather they spent time just gazing at those elegant stars in the sky and enjoying the nature around them. After hearing Selena's annoying reprimands, it was finally dawn. Yawning, they woke up and clearly had no idea about what was to be done. They were simply clueless. Yet they were excited to try out something new and go on a new adventure.

Pa Jonathan and Serena were starving….they hadn't eaten anything since so long. They suddenly spotted out a few luscious berries on a tree. The wait was over. They finally felt that they would be having something good. Pa Jonathan tried a few of the berries but soon after, his hand started itching. He was in pain. Serena started freaking out. Selena, for the very first time, also started worrying about someone else. Tears rolled out of Serena’s eyes. She was furious and for the very first time shouted at her sister.  “You shouldn't have done so. If you wouldn't have eaten yesterday's edibles we wouldn't be suffering right now.” but it was not only Selena. Many factors led to this outburst.  Serena immediately ran towards the river where she could find some water. She grabbed her water bottle, filled some water and ran back to her grandpa who was weeping in pain. She sprinkled a few drops of water to the parts where there were blisters and reddish spots due to the itching. Selena looked at grandpa’s fingers and started complaining again” Ah!..Can't he just cut his nails”. Serena couldn't take it anymore. She was furious,  so was Grandpa. Selena had crossed her limits. Serena and her grandpa soon started ignoring Selena as she had just become annoying and none could tolerate it anymore .She burst out,” I just don't get it. We are stuck in a place where we don't have any supplies and the only thing you think is about Pa Jonathan’s nails. Oh wait and YOURSELF! I am so fed up with you! What have we done to you? We are also struggling. But way worse. We haven't had water nor food by the way which you ate! I wish you weren't even my sister!” The last line blurted out from her mouth. She didn't mean it in any way ,shape or form. Selena was heartbroken. She didn't know what to say….Serena immediately took back what she said. Selena immediately realized what she was actually doing and how worse her complaining had been in the last few days , she then apologized to her sister and grandpa for what she had done. Grandpa sighed with a sign of relief  . Selena didn't talk much for the next few days thinking that she might ruin it again and be a trouble to them. She was as silent as a grave.

Serena was now satisfied and happy with how her sister was acting though a little worried on why her sister isn't talking much. She dodged that thought out of her mind because they weren't here to think about her. They were here to find the mystery. Somewhere now closer to them.

They decided to cross the river, thinking that they couldn't stop now. But there was another problem. How would they cross the stream? They thought about swimming but the current was very strong. They thought about making a raft but how could they without the adequate resources? They thought for a while and Pa Jonathan remembered his childhood when they too had to cross a stream to go to their school. Well that was long, long ago. The village had made a bridge. But now another question….How would they make a bridge? Serena remembered her mother telling the story of Ramayana. But that wasn't practically possible. Ideas kept up flying from their mind. So at last they decided to walk along the river to see where it starts or ends. They walked for a whole day. Soon enough, though they didn't come to the end, they saw that they could cross the stream because it was very mild and was barely a trickle at this point.

Crossing it made everyone happy and filled with joy. Their pants were wet but who cared. Serena and Selena started dancing, showing off their native dance. Pa Jonathan started singing one of their folk songs and it was a whole new ceremony.

It was the next day, they were woken up by a weird sound. It brought pain in the ears. Almost like a siren going off. This usually happened back at home when water used to come from the cities. But this was way worse. Almost like blood oozing out of their ears. Pa Jonathan woke up and to his surprise saw a hyena screaming for its mates to come. Hyenas are very dangerous. Pa Jonathan woke up his granddaughters who were already awake and they decided to go to a safer place. But the hyena had already seen them and almost laughed with its ferocious teeth. Now even his mates had joined but by the time they could chase behind the family, they had escaped. Not exactly, they basically hid behind a Banyan tree. The family decided to stay there till the hyenas went but they were right there till dusk. After all, that was their home. They were stuck in a stingy situation. Neither this nor that. They climbed up the tree as soon as it was dark and decided to stay up there. The hyenas could still sense them, however they couldn't navigate.

       After a long wait, the hyenas left for hunting food. The family rushed to a safer place as soon as possible. What would they do now? There wasn't any place they could find.

They stayed there till they felt it was okay to leave but they were starving. Selena actually helped them in finding food and shared it this time.

       After 3 days of feeling safe, they started walking towards an unknown route. The place where they had been staying, on clumps of trees had camouflaged them. Now their homemade slippers were getting dirtier day by day. But their aim was finding the treasure.

   After a long walk of about 2 days, they found a cave. It was aesthetically pleasing compared to others. The placement was weird though, right in front of the enchanted river that had flowed with them throughout the journey. Selena ,who was now more interested in the journey than before, decided to go inside. Serena told her to be safe and that there might be traps, almost like a “bridge between life and death. In simple words, life-taking ones. They found that there were no traps at all. To their surprise, it was beautifully decorated with paintings, metal ornaments and proper “furniture” but it looked pretty dusty. Actually a lot! Also, there was a stench. Like something had died here. It almost felt like there was someone living there. Like someone of masculine or feminine habitat. They decided to stay there.

    The next day, Pa Jonathan was making food. They had found a proper fireplace as well as some edibles near the cave. Serena was having a chat with the beautiful birdies and Selena, who was now interested in geography, was studying the location. She suddenly heard a sound. Something like a human, who was talking from a distant place. She couldn't understand the language but it somewhat sounded familiar. She squinted her eyes and to her surprise, two men were walking towards them. She thought they were the native men of the land. But after they were clearly visible later, they realized that they were actually two policemen from their hometown, coming in search of them.

   Selena called out ,”Seri and Pa, two policemen are coming towards us. They probably seem like those of our town! How did they reach all the way here?”. As they approached closer, the two men informed the three that they had been sent by Serena’s parents to look out for her and the other two. They soon realized that it had been long since they were in the hunt of the treasure, and mom alone would be surely worried, they understood the reason for the two’s arrival. Pa Jonathan thanked both of them. They were all puzzled. They really wanted to go back to their residence but didn't want to leave the mystery of the treasure behind too. It was again a tough decision to make, the sisters cried out at once “Ohh, no!”, thought grandpa was surprised to see that even Selena was interested in the journey.

After a lot of contemplation, they decided to continue for three more days, and if they couldn't find any more traces of the treasure, they would set off to their town. They soon told the police to inform their mother that they would be back in a few more days, and there was nothing to worry. Grandpa also gave an idea on trying to write a letter to their mother with the help of a bark of a tree that would indicate they were safe. Serena then said, “Ohh yeah! We could perhaps write a short poem.” The sisters soon made a short rhyme in a matter of minutes as they had an abundant number of thoughts running through their minds-

Pa Jonathon exclaimed “Wow!! Now making good poems, eh?” The sisters then had a glee on their face, winking at each other, proving oneself better than the other in every way possible. All were now happy and satisfied. Pa Jonathan asked if anyone could sing a few oldies, though both knew they weren’t great at vocals, but to prove themselves, they agreed immediately as though they had taken some classes and mastered the skill.  

As Selena started singing, the birds started screeching, Serena could no longer control herself and burst out into laughter. Pa Jonathan had not paid any attention to what had happened, and when Selena asked how the song was,  Pa unknowingly said it was quite good. Selena and Serena realizing what had happened, rolled down a few tears of joy! The scene duplicated in their mind, numerous times and they kept laughing for around ten minutes straight. Meanwhile Pa Jonathan, being worried, asked if they wanted anything to eat, Serena jokingly said, “Could we have a few nachos?” Selena quickly said, “After I gave up my nasty habits, did you catch hold of a few of them?” Serena grinned .

Pa shortly spotted some succulent raspberries on a tree but he was doubtful, as he was aware of what had happened the last time when he ate those berries. They had to be cautious. They speckled a squirrel munching on the berries, that didn't cause any harm. This assured them that the berries were safe to eat. They picked a handful of berries, and had a great feast. Pa Jonathan also narrated memorable stories of his childhood, where he used to make the feast more luscious by adding vivid flavors and tried his best to not make his granddaughters feel homesick. Their stomachs were full, they smacked their lips due to the juice smeared on them. They were bored, Pa suggested, ”We can play hide and seek. But make sure you don't hide in faraway places. Be safe” But what was coming, no one had awaited for.

Selena was the seeker for the first game. So, Pa and Serena had to hide. Pa Jonathan decided to hide somewhere easy because he didn't want his granddaughter to feel sad if she couldn't find him. Serena, showing no pity, decided to hide in an unexpected place. She ran quietly to the other side of the river as the current wasn't as strong as compared to the last time. There were a bunch of bushes. She hid behind them. But soon later, half of her body felt hot and the other half felt cold. There were red spots all over her face and body and her eyes felt weird. She felt dizzy and fainted on the spot. Selena and Pa searched for her for quite a while and both started worrying. Soon later, they found her fainted. They woke her up.

Serena was unconscious. She heard someone calling for her and her body felt very itchy. She herself didn't know what  was going on in her body. There was immense pain in her joints from which her head started spinning and she burst out crying. It turned out that the bushes were poisonous. They had to cure her before it was too late.

Selena decided to put some of the enchanted water over her. She held some water in her hands and sprinkled it all over her. But nothing happened. Everyone was confused. How had it worked that time? Her situation was getting worse. She was sobbing with pain and time was ticking. Selena was confused on how it didn't work. Was the river not enchanted anymore? Or was there something wrong? She surely had to ponder on what was the error.

Pa Jonathan was freaking out. He consoled her saying, "It's ok Seri nothing will happen.” with a tensed tone. Serena was now out of breath. She was sweating  and exhausted. She fainted again.   Pa started crying. He didn't want anything to happen to her lovely granddaughter. She had a lot to live for. She wanted to develop her land; get educated; have a family, and so on.

After freaking out for a while, having no medicine, they decided  to feed her some food and water. They woke her up. She felt kind of better. They fed her some food and told her to go take some rest. Selena and Pa decided not to have food and went to sleep.

The next day, Pa and Selena, were woken up by the sounds of birds that were chirping and someone talking with them. They opened their eyes, and to their surprise, it was Serena. They were delighted to see this. Selena, jumped on her toes and ran towards her sister. She asked what had happened? Serena continued to tell that in the midst of the night, she had woken up due to the elegance of a weird flower. She went towards it and touched it though weak. As soon as she touched it, she felt better. It was nothing like the God’s Flower. According to legends, it was a flower which appeared once in 12 years. It is said to cure any disease and appears in front of a person who is worthy of being cured. It was called the “Goddelike bloom” in their language. But what Serena wanted to tell is, it grew on a stone, exactly like the pattern of which she had seen before. She pointed out to the stone which they hadn't noticed before, hiding behind a larger stone.

Pa Jonathan, moved the stone to reveal the coded one. Serena,  held it in one hand, and brushed her hand over it. She turned the stone and to her surprise….saw a bug and freaked out. She dropped the stone which was a huge mistake. It shattered into pieces. Both the sisters tried to join the pieces again but it was in vain. They both started fighting. Selena shouted ,“What is wrong with you? It's just a damn bug! Not a hyena?! And anyways it wouldn't have eaten you? GOSH!” Serena repented , “I am sorry. I didn't mean it”. Selena continued , “and i thought you loved talking with ‘animals’!” Serena replied again, “I did say sorry! How many times should I tell it? Like you don't do anything wrong.” Pa Jonathan gave a stern look at them. They both decided not to talk and thus kept quiet. Next to the broken stone was a weird object. No one could identify it. This time Pa decided to see what it was. It was a bizarre cloth wrapped around something. The cloth had red stains, dirt and ants. Pa Jonathan removed the cloth and to his surprise, there was a metal box. Made of iron. It was kind of rusted. He carefully opened the box. And there was another thing wrapped with a majestic, royal cloth.

Pa Jonathan and the other two couldn't hold in the suspense. He removed the cloth and there was an awkwardly shaped key. It was made of gold. The tip was in the shape of a flower. And on the tip was the same code which they had noticed before- ‘Agrabah.’ They had no idea what to do with this but what they didn't notice was, the shape of the flower was like the flower which had cured Serena. But with that was a rather dusty and almost torn paper. They opened the note and there was something written with a rather smelly ink. It was similar to the language which they had noticed before. They tried their best to try and understand what was written but failed.

They spent the whole day taking rest while Pa Jonathan tried encrypting. What he noticed was that it was quite similar to their language. It was the exact but the vowels were replaced with what numbers they were in the alphabetical order. For example let's take the word Apple. So in the code it was written as 1ppl5 but in their language. But by the time he got to know this, it had become dark and they went to sleep. The next morning, Pa Jonathan and his little helpers, encrypted it. And to their surprise, it was pretty easy. But even after encrypting it, the words were in the form of a riddle. It said,

        Near you might think

        But wink wink

        It isn't pink

   And not what you think

    You might think you are close

    But the one who we chose

    Is actually close

    Be Careful or else

    What you think might be a shelf

     Can lead to something else

Followed with that was another riddle:

If you found the top

Then find the bottom

And you can solve the problem

Don’t give up

You can take help from a pup

You might meet a soul

Who can easily console

   I am something unusual

   Don't think I’m something casual

  I have something which you might have in your hand,

 Though I’m something found in the sand.

They spent two nights searching for the answer and a pup, but couldn’t find one. Selena screeched with excitement, “A tree, perhaps!, we can't see their roots! and also people believe that they have souls in them” Serena replied, “Hey you fool, trees ain't found in the sand!” Selena couldn't agree on this one. She replied , “ Don't you know that there are a few trees in the sand.” Serena said, “ But that's not correct. Is it an oasis?”. Her sister threw her argument to the face, “ No idiot! Why would we ask a pup for an oasis!” after her sister shut her up. She thought , “ My sister is a professional at taking revenge. Hehehe”. Pa was confused. He had a thought but then forgot it. After a lot of contemplation, he replied, “Did you remember a Dog statue near the temple facing in an odd direction?”. “Yes!” Serena declared. “Surely, that's what it meant. How come we forgot about that?!”

But that also meant that they had to go back to the temple which was miles away. They had no other choice. But what would it lead them to? They could know where they were going to find the treasure through another clue instead of walking all the way back. So they thought and thought . They remembered that the dog was facing west. So one thing was sure, it was located to the west.

Pa Jonathon cried out in joy ,”I found the answer!!” ”It’s a grave” He further explained, “Look, a grave is found in the sand, it has souls, it can also be seen only from the top! This covers all the clues! I had spotted a grave when we were on our way to this place. It was in the west.” They were heading towards the grave. When they reached, they found more than a hundred burials. They had to find the unusual one. It was a tough decision. But suddenly Pa remembered, “Hey girls! They’d said about something that was in our hand, in the sense, something that is with us, maybe something like raspberries. Keep suggesting what we had all through this journey.”

For their surprise, Selena had found an unusual grave. Guess what!! It had the map carved on it. They were very happy. They exclaimed, “Ohh this was what the clue meant, something we had in hand- the map!” They tried finding the treasure around it but couldn't. The only thing they could do now was to dig through the cemetery. But Pa Jonathan, who was a man of old times, said that if we dig a cemetery then, something bad would be going to happen. The two girls said, “You and your superstitions!” Pa still wasn't sure. The girls didn't listen to him and started searching anyway.

They took a branch of the tree and started digging. There were a few bones here and there and the smell of a decomposed body. They dug and dug until they found a box.

It was a beautiful box. It was massive! Now another task was to remove it. After working too hard, they finally opened the box. But, there was no wealth. Though the box was big, there was a tiny book in there. All were shocked. Selena exclaimed, “ What? What  is this? We wanted money to help our land. And a book is what we got? Did we come all long till here with so much struggle only for this puny book!?”. Serena stared at the book. She wasn't surprised. She held the book and turned it just in case there was a bug again. She tried reading it. It was easy, it was written in their native language. She said, “ You know, a book has so much wealth. Reading a book makes one too rich. We must not underestimate knowledge. Also Don't judge a book by its cover.” But Grandpa was on Selena’s side this time. They both were upset.

They decided to leave the next day. Serena couldn't read. She knew that something was there in the book. After convincing her Grandpa who was literate, he read a rather small book. He realized the importance of the book. It was given on how to develop and help a town. There was a lot of wealth there hidden in the monastery. And if found properly, can be used. There were also a few number of people who lived here. But because the people misused it, people died. New people could shift here.

  The family had an idea. They walked back home, and told the village population about this place, that it's an enchanted place and it would be a great place for their development. Their mom was so happy that tears of joy rolled down. They were greeted grandly. Some people believed them while others decided to stay amidst the deserts itself.

It was a fresh start. With the wealth hidden and cleaning up the forest a bit, there was a whole new civilization. Homes were built, schools were made and much more facilities were available. There was also a monastery where they could go and worship. The enchanted lake was nearby. But no one kept in mind the fact that if they misused it, it would end.

   People didn't keep this in mind. And like Grandpa said, if a cemetery was dug, then something bad would happen. Probably the fact that misusing it could cause bad things was what the stereotype meant. Soon even that population went down because of the misuse…

Everything was destroyed. There wasn't any sign of their civilization anymore.

This did not indicate the ending, rather it was a new start for Amanda- A person who was similar to Serena. She too faced the same challenges Serena had faced, in order to live a contented life in a new civilization. She was aware of what would happen if the people of her habitat misused it as she could notice a few remains as if there already was an earlier civilization. Being aware of this, she and her people were hugely benefited. A poor girl could start a new life due to her courage and determination. Serena, from some or the corner of the world, would be glad to see that a number of people could get civilized because of her...

Save resources and use them properly!

                        Credits

Ananya Nikam - Director 

Naga Hansika - Editor

Nirupaa.S - Editor

Sakshi Kage - Editor

Tanvi Nikam - Author

Tulsi Naik - Author

Vedika Goankar - Author

Vishruthi Karanth - Illustrator