An original rags to riches story, written by our student Aashna Suvarna.

Aashna is 13 years old young writer from Mumbai. She loves music, reading and writing. We are proud to have her as a student of the Little Writers Program, an Online Creative Writing Program using Applied Storytelling & Theatre tools under the mentorship of Trainer Khusshbo Chokhaani. We congratulate Aashna for this exemplary true self-expression.

Riches

On life’s journey, we meet someone or learn about someone whose success story touches us to the core of our bones and deep in our hearts. Last month, I went to Chennai to attend a cooking and food presentation workshop. It was a long journey, and I often carried a book to pass the time.

The passenger in the second seat was stunned to see me reading, which was quite different from popular opinion. As the plane took off and settled in for the 3-hour flight, I settled into my seat and started reading, which is essential. My travel companion didn’t hold back and started a conversation with me. I closed the book and began to enjoy his eccentricity. I could read from his words that he was a great admirer of people who especially loved books. He shared with me the story of one of his friends.

“Twenty years ago, when I was in class 10 and had a classmate who belonged to a generally low-income family. I often saw him delivering newspapers in the colony where I lived. He always wore old ragged clothes with shoes that needed constant repair.

He always was buoyant, resolute, and focused on his goals. From the age of 7, he delivered newspapers. Despite his struggles, he always looked at the brighter side of things. His family consisted of him and his mother. His father died in a car accident years ago. He was an excellent chef, and anyone who ate his food would say it was scrumptious.

Fortune indeed favours the sanguine. One day, his employer seeing his devotion to work and excellent skills, called him into the office and asked him, “Would you like to study at college? I will pay the entrance fee and also your kind of monthly fee. But there is one condition. You will always have to pass the exams and tests with the best grades.” The boy was over the moon at this request. He replied, “Sir, I always wanted to study.” I am very accepting of your condition. I will quit college the day I score less than 80%.”

He took a course in culinary. He worked hard to impress his teachers. He spent all day trying to bake or cook the best dishes. Since then, people have always seen him with his food,

cooking, or baking books. Even when delivering newspapers, he carried his books. He studied, studied, and studied whenever he had free time, assiduous for his studies. As a result, he did exceptionally well in college. His employer was proud of him.

After many struggles, He appeared for the university examination required to join the best university for the upcoming MasterChef. The exam stressed him out. Thought of him failing and his mother’s and employer’s disappointed face circled his mind. But He passed the exam. He went to his employer, touched his feet, and said, ‘That’s all because of you. I can never thank you.”

After that, all that came his way was a success. From winning every cooking competition to getting an internship in the best restaurants in the world. This boy is now a gourmet chef in the best restaurants in the world. I’m going to attend his wedding.”

I was so excited and inspired to hear this rags-to-riches story. I didn’t feel like I was wasting my time. It was more overriding than the book I had planned to read. The plane landed smoothly. We reached our destination.

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An original story on dreams and fantasy, written by our student Tanvi Dash.

Tanvi is 13 years old young writer from Hyderabad. Dancing is her passion. We are proud to have her as a student of the Little Writers Program, an Online Creative Writing Program using Applied Storytelling & Applied Theatre tools under the mentorship of Trainer Khusshbo Chokhaani. We congratulate Tanvi for this exemplary true self-expression.

Man-eating Giraffes!!

Lilou was sleeping peacefully in her bed on a peaceful, starry night. She closed her eyes and the next second, she was in a completely different place! Lilou found herself standing in the middle of the jungle with her sister, Flo. The trees were quite long, about twenty meters. There were creepers on many trees. It looked as if they were surrounded by the color ‘green’.

Lilou saw as many as seven giraffes, the yellow and brown, peaceful, tall giraffes who were feeding upon surrounding leaves.

Lilou, in his night suit, was sleeping in a cozy bed just a minute ago, and was suddenly standing in the middle of the jungle with completely different clothes, making her look like a dinosaur trainer! Conversely, Flo looked like a Hawaiian woman on a holiday with a pair of binoculars!

Something did not seem right about all this, like a ‘Spidey sense’ tingling. Lilou saw a giraffe walking towards them. She thought that making wild giraffe friends, in the middle of the jungle, where she appeared all of a sudden was not a great idea. She decided that running was the best thing they should do.

She pulled Flo’s hands and started running. Astonishingly, when the jungle ended, they saw a planned, maintained, magnificent city before them. It was completely surrounded by forest. They could see a taller building at the other end of the city, it looked like a palace.

They heard a rustle of leaves behind them and both turned to see what it was. It was then that they remembered that they were getting chased by a giraffe. The giraffe came out of the forest, they hid behind a house nearest to them. After the giraffe had passed by, they came out and saw a few people who were not at all amazed to find a giraffe in the city.

After talking to them, Lilou discovered that this city was a bit different than those they lived in. The people here had ‘Giraffe forecasts’ like we have weather forecasts. It tells when and where a giraffe will pass on that day. The people there had ‘anti-giraffe’ crops, and houses and they had gotten used to giraffes.

In the meantime, another giraffe had emerged from the forest and this one started chasing them! Lilou and Flo ran as fast as they could. They jumped on the roof tops, bumped into people, but ran as fast as they could. As they went deeper into the city, they found many more people and a kind old lady even told them when the next giraffe was coming.

Lilou started ignoring the giraffes but when she saw one picking up a man and gobbling it down its long throat, she could not ignore them anymore. They were not giraffes; they were man-eating giraffes!!

When they saw the next giraffe coming, Lilou and Flo started running again. They ran as far as they could, trying their best not to get in its way, but somehow it felt as if it was chasing them. They were soon out of breath. After a long time of running, bumping, tripping and falling, they reached the palace. They had run through the whole of the city! Behind the majestic palace, the green, dense jungle started again.

Finally, Lilou and Flo found some help. The king himself ordered his men to help them. The brave soldiers went straight toward the giraffe with their shining armor and swords sitting on well-groomed horsebacks.

They held a big net and heroically captured the giraffe inside it. The giraffe started shrinking! Soon the giraffe shrank to the size of a human being! Lilou and Flo felt quite relieved. Their clothes were dirty because of all the running and Lilou’s energy was drained. Flo was dog-tired after all the running.

But at the end of the day, the tiny giraffe was returned again to the woods. Even after all the running, they did that day, they were happy and in good spirits. It had always been Lilou’s dream to have such an adventure and she completely enjoyed it. The only thing that disappointed her a bit was that she could not talk to the king personally because everything suddenly went blank when she went to find him.

When she opened her eyes again, she was back in her cozy little bed, in her bedroom. Her stomach was rumbling with hunger and she was thirsty. It was just a dream, a dream of man-eating giraffes!!

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