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Content Tip |
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Children's
Story Writing is a good creative outlet and can be used to
inspire others. |
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Heaven - On The River Banks
It was usual for 12 year
young Batra to come to the banks of the river ‘Garv’ to share his small
little joys and the occasional disappointments. He used to unwind and
relax himself while wondering about and admiring the nature, as the waters
of Garv continued with their unusually consistent flow, with a rhythmic
rippling effect.
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Once when Batra stood
first in the class, he rushed to Garv and declared the reason of his joy,
to which the waters of Garv responded by flowing all the more
enthusiastically, enthusing his ears with their magical sound. At a time
when something was wrong between Batra and his closest friend Mitra, Garv
seemed to first patiently listen to Batra and then through its flow
advised both of them to be friends again. Joy or sorrow, peace or
pleasure, Batra had found the best way to live life- by sharing it with a
trustworthy friend. Batra also used to spend a lot of time with the small
shrubs and grass and many weeds at the river banks. He liked to know more
about them, how they grew so fast, how after the monsoons, the grass-wall
blocked his vision etc. |
It wouldn’t be untrue to
say that Batra had formed a bond with Garv. In Garv he found a common
friend, with whom he could be himself- a friend gifted to him by nature. Throughout his school
years, Batra shared numerous eventful moments with Garv and it seemed to
him that Garv supported him quite well.
Once his Class ten results
were out, Batra had to choose his college. Since Batra stayed in a remote
village in middle India called Sthanpur, it was necessary for him to move
out as the nearest colleges were at least 100 kms away. Batra’s interest
in the science stream made him move to Gyanpur, which had the nearest
science college. A day before leaving for Gyanpur, Batra came to Garv and emoted. He cried and one could see the
sorrow of going away from his friend of many years. He left a small
sapling, placed at the mouth of the river in such a way that it could be
easily watered by Garv. Batra immediately bid good-bye to his friend and
left for Gyanpur.
Many years passed and
Batra got busy with his studies. He went on to become a doctor, Initially
the separation from Garv bothered him, but soon he had left it far behind
him. Batra’s parents were still at Sthanpur and asked him to come down,
once his studies of five years were over. By now, he was 21. Batra wrote to his parents
that he will come soon. By now, Batra hardly remembered about Garv. He
returned, unaware about the sapling that he had left behind some years
back. He took a few days to settle, taking one day at a time. After ten days had passed,
when he was going through nostalgia-evoking charms of the past like his
old schoolbooks etc, he found in one of them, a leaf of the sapling that
he had planted years back.
He took no time in rushing
to his once-upon-a-time only friend. When he reached on the banks of Garv,
he was pleased to see that his sapling had gradually and steadily grown
big. As soon as his feet stepped on the banks, Garv seemed to extend a
warm welcome to the busy friend. Batra conversed with his friend for hours
together sharing his experiences at Gyanpur. The sun that was over the
head when Batra arrived near the banks was now getting ready to immerse in
the seas and Batra still had lots to share with is friend. It again became
a daily routine for Batra to make day-long visits to the river and spend a
whole lot of quality time there. When Batra’s results came
out and he scored good marks, he was pleased to break the news first to
Garv before sharing it with family and other friends. He was now a science
graduate. Batra now had the option of doing further studies or apply for a
job. He opted for the latter and after giving a spate of interviews, again
made his trips to Garv.
With such an unique bond
with the river, Batra had developed an inclination towards nature.
However, he felt that once he would get a job it would not be possible to
continue with this special bond. He thought hard as to how can he continue
with this soothing connection while also being responsible and practical.
On further introspection, he realized that his heart was at studying
plants and various other nature’s elements. Moreover, his studies had also
been about botany- about plants their various characteristics etc. He got a shot in the arm
when the Government decided that the area around the banks of river Batra
had to be enhanced with proper nurturing of the plants there. One of the
companies to which Batra had applied- Love-lea-nature was awarded the
contract of five years. Batra was selected and assigned the task of
supervising and taking the mandate for the enhancement forward. His joy
knew no bounds.
Batra got to spend five
more years with his friend Garv. Every day, as hundreds of stories got
shared between Batra and Garv, amidst the soothing melody of the ripples,
Batra had the realization of finding heaven on earth. His heaven- was – on
the river banks. Grav, it seems was his angel.
Contributing Story Teller
Saurabh Niranjan Turakhia is a 28 year young poet and has
lately been dabbling in short story writing. I would
appreciate if interested readers mail their comments at
saurabhturakhia@rediffmail.com I am also thankful to
Contentwriter.in
for providing a good platform for writers like me
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