Matilda

As the ripples of the holy Ganges kissed my feet, I saw each drop sparkle in the sunlight. Letting my eyes reach as far as they could, land wasn’t visible on the other side as if the river’s expanse was beyond infinity. There is something so magical and mystical about nature: The more you approach her,  the more she whispers to you! Despite the blot of urbanisation and dangerous levels of environmental exploitation, some vestiges of nature’s bounties are still pristine.  The residents of the area told us that heavy rain and storm in the past two days had left the river in an overflowing condition with lot of mud and silt. Despite the cautious warning, my grandmother, my mother and my sister turned a deaf ear. First, they put their feet in water, then they tried to splash water on each other and in no time we all were taking ‘dupkis’ in the ‘not-so-clean’ river. My grandma proudly proclaimed that Ganga Mata is the mother of all rivers, so she can’t harm us! My grandfather w...

My sister and I were taking a stroll in the neighbourhood park. Ahead of us was another dog owner who had got their pug for easing out in the park. Just then something absurd happened which left me with mixed feelings.  A 11-yr old boy came up to the dog-owner and said, " Uncle, Modi ji toh jhaadu laga rahe hain aur aap ganda kar rahe hain .” We both stopped. I was ashamed because we would often get our own dog to the park. But, I was also glad that Mr. Modi’s speeches could mould the mindset of a young boy. We have actually come that far when children know as much about Mr. Modi as we do. A glance through most dailies tells us that everybody expects our PM Modi to stay for a little more time in India than abroad! Most editorials recommend the PMO to now focus on domestic policy after foreign policy extravaganza in the last 365 days. But have we ever reflected on what all he achieved just staying in India for the “little” time he did? I am neither a Modi fanatic nor a propagat...