‘Bag’ it all

Knowing Bags Inside Out

Anshika Pandey, AIS Mayur Vihar, X B

Rashi was excited on her sixteenth birthday. It was also because this was the day she was going to buy a bag of her choice. Spring in her step, she reached the bag store, perplexed by the wide array of options that lay before her. Just then her eyes fell on a brochure hidden under the big bags: ‘Bag-o-phile Resume.’

The Overloaded
Life Philosophy: Less is never more, only more is more
Contents: Hungry? Here’s a perfect snack. Bleeding? On with a bandage. There may even be a sachet of instant hot chocolate in one of the inside pockets. In short – everything.
Pet peeve: The inability of the owner to differentiate between a bag and a luggage bag.
Belongs to: Those who like to carry the world with them.

The Health Freak
Life Philosophy: Hunger can strike the strongest, and gorging on junk is not an option
Contents: Protein bars, shake powders, an extra pair of gym clothing, it’s only a wonder that one can’t find dumbbells
Pet peeve: Sweaty gym clothes. Need I say more?
Belongs to: Anyone who is a member of the ‘I love Salman’  and ‘lifting’ club

The Bibliophile
Life Philosophy: Life is nothing but a story.
Contents: Lots of books.
Pet peeve: Hardbound. As if I didn’t have enough weight already.
Belongs to: Those who remove their slippers before entering the library.

The Gypsy
Life Philosophy: Zindagi milegi na dobara
Contents: A wanderlust keychain, sleeping bag, extra sweaters, travel journal and even a spare rope.
Pet peeve: Black holes fare better in comparison.
Belongs to: Those who sit on their desk googling pictures of Ladakh for the next trip.

The Techie
Life Philosophy: Hit and refresh, and refresh again.
Contents: iPhone. Check. iPad. Check. Macbook. Check. Chargers, earphones and speakers. Check.
Pet peeve: Life is a puzzle amidst those entangled cords
Belongs to: Silicon Valley aspirants

The Stunner
Life Philosophy: Every step is a ramp walk, and every moment – a Kodak moment
Contents: Contour palette from NYX, Gigi Hadid’s Maybelline lipstick, oversized glares, organic face wash etc.
Pet peeve: Between foundation and concealer, I have lost my original colour.
Belongs to: Anyone who likes Instagram!

My favourite person

The Tale Of A Single Parent From A Happy Child

Aadithya Aravindh, AIS MV, XII G

The trail of coffee wafts from the kitchen and into my sleepy nostrils. The scents of the delightful dishes cooking in the kitchen are enough to get me up and running. A neatly ironed set of the school uniform is hung in my closet and my brush with the tooth-paste pre-applied is ready for me at the bathroom basin. What is this if not bliss? Only a superhuman could do so much in so little time.
As you dress me for school, I look into your weary eyes. Those eyes that slept late last night and still managed to make me two perfect meals for the day before I could even open my eyes. How are you such a perfect parent? How do you never falter?
While driving me to school, you put on the same song that you do every day – my favourite one. Either you really like the song or you love me too much. Either way, it’s win-win for me. This is one time of the day that I have my two most favourites by my side. As I get off the car, I catch you looking at your watch. You’re late for work. Again, but you put on your best smile and wave me a goodbye.
School is fun. Before recess, you’re hungry and after recess, you’re sleepy. There’s never the right time to study and before I know, I’m walking home.
I come back to an empty house and cold food waiting for me. If it wasn’t for your cute little sticky note on the fridge, I’d never eat it. Half hour later, I lay down for a long nap. After what seems like an entire year, I wake up to the sound of kids in the playground. I look out of the window, the sun is almost set and it’s almost time for you to come home too.
I hear a car honk, and I know it’s you – my favourite person in the whole wide world! After a tiring day, it’s time for both of us to finish our chores. You prepare supper while helping me with my homework with  unsurpassable patience that I find hard to comprehend.
As the day draws to a close, you tuck me in so that I can wake up to another beautiful morning. “Don’t you get tired after all this work?” I say as I notice those weary eyes once again. “Your smile makes it all worth it.” My father, indeed, is the best parent in this world. There is none I would trade for you. I think, I will call up Kiran aunty tomorrow and tell her, “It’s tough without mom, yes, but beautiful with dad.”

Of days bygone

Ek Machchar Can Bring Back Truckloads of Memories

Vrinda Sethi, AIS Mayur Vihar, IX C

I was taking a stroll in the park as usual, when I spotted Tukku, the kid next door. Bright kid, Tukku, but it was the even brighter yellow patch on her tee that caught my fancy. Intrigued by what seemed to be a coming-of-age fashion, I went up to Tukku to satiate my curiosity. Excerpts:

Me: Hey kid! What is this you are wearing?
Tukku: (rolls eyes) A mosquito repellent patch. Haven’t you seen one before?
Me: Umm… no. So, it keeps mosquitoes away?
Tukku: Duh...of course! Why do you think I am wearing it on my t-shirt?
Me: So, you don’t use Mortein anymore?
Tukku: Murr….what?
Me: The coil that you burn to drive away mosquitoes?
Tukku: Um...no...sounds pretty ancient…
“…ancient…” I thought to myself. It was then that it dawned on me that it had been pretty long that I tried to balance that fragile green thing on the silver stand. But not one to accept that I belonged to the old times, I quickly retorted…
Me: Call it what you will, but they were pretty fun. We would swing them around when we didn’t have beyblades!
Tukku: Sounds so lame! Still got them?
Me: Oh no! We stopped after dad got us nets.
Tukku: What nets? You went fishing for mosquitoes?
I gasped. This girl didn’t even know about those fancy nets. And once again, it struck me that it had been pretty long since I had used one of them myself. Yet again intent on proving myself as the cooler one, I continued…
Me: How do you not know about mosquito nets? They made the room look like a royal chamber.
Tukku: So, did you carry those nets everywhere you went?
Me: We had Odomos for that.
Tukku: Which planet do you come from? And what are these alien things you talk about?
Me: Now don’t tell me you don’t know Odomos too! That cream   you’d apply on your body to keep mosquitoes at bay.
Tukku: Disgusting! You smelled of a repellent all day? Who would want that?
I did not want to accept it but Tukku was right. Boy! That Odomos did smell horrible.  Thank God mom stopped pestering me to use it. Odomos too, like other things, was a thing of the past, one of the many memories of my childhood. I was still reminiscing my old days when I heard “Tukku…”
Tukku: Yes mummy! Coming!
She took off her patch and put it on my shirt. With a smirk, she said…
Tukku: Try this! It’s what we use these days. It is the new ‘cool’ thing!
I looked at the yellow patch, and thought of the numerous things that had made my childhood, the numerous things that had now become memories. Funny, who thought that the mosquitoes we battled as kids would one day make for such a significant part of our childhood tales. Someone truly said, memories are most often found in the most unexpected things; I bet she wasn’t thinking of mosquitoes.