The walking laptop

Akanksha Narayan
AIS Mayur Vihar, VII

It was just another day when Riya, having given her students the scheduled online lecture, was indulged in the household chores. She was a school teacher in the city of Jaipur where she lived with her husband, two kids Daksh and Ayana, and her extended family in a two-storey building.
This being a working day, Riya was engaged in making PPTs and quizzes for the online classes the next day. At five in the evening, she decided to take a break and prepare some tea and snacks for everyone. Having done so, she came back to her room, only to find her laptop gone.
Scared witless, she tried looking for it everywhere in the house and asked everybody about it. But to her utter dismay, nobody knew where the laptop was. “How is this possible?” she yelled, almost on the verge of tears.
Watching her panic thus, everybody in the family started looking for the laptop. “If it’s a prank, you all better stop now,” she said in a stern tone, for she was tired of looking for it by then. “Why would anyone try to prank you, Riya?” retorted her husband, tired of all the commotion. “But then where did the laptop go; it’s not as if it walked out of the house on its own!” said her father-in-law all worried and genuinely concerned about Riya.
“But it is also entirely impossible for some stranger to barge into a house filled with people,” responded her sister-in-law. “One can never be sure though,” said Riya with tears in her eyes. She wasn’t crying for the laptop, but for the fact that she had lost her only way to connect to her students. “Let it be. We will buy a new one for you first thing tomorrow,” said her husband in order to pacify the situation.
“Yes, let’s do that. Also, let us all be extra careful, for if at all the laptop was really stolen and not lost or misplaced, it’s dangerous for the kids to be left alone even inside the house,” said the mother-in-law out of concern. At that, everyone nodded in approval. “Wait, where’s Daksh though?” asked Riya, having suddenly realised that her six-year-old wasn’t with them in the hall this entire time.
This realisation unleashed chaos as all of them started looking for him in a frenzy of fear. “Daksh, Daksh?” shouted all in unison, trying as best they could to locate him. “I’ll look for him on the terrace; he loves being there. Ayana, you go and search the first floor,” said Riya trying to make sense of the situation. And just when she was about to climb the stairs, she saw the laptop walking towards her, wearing a green capri pant. “Hi, mom, do you know how to shut this thing down. I am done playing cake palace and was trying to switch it off,” asked Daksh as he popped his head out from behind the screen that hid his tiny body, barring his legs and arms, and made it look as if the laptop was walking on its own.
Though furious, Riya could not help but be amused at the sight. So, she took the laptop from him and hugged him tight.

Crispy Maggi  bhel

Lavish Kaur, AIS Vasundhara 1, X

Ingredients

Maggi ........................................................1 packet
Onion (finely chopped)  ........................................½
Tomato (finely chopped)  ..................................... ½
Red chili powder .............................................½ tsp
Salt ............................................................... to taste
Maggi masala .................................................½ tsp
Lemon ..................................................................½
Sev ..............................................................optional

Procedure

• Take a Maggi cake and crush it with your hands.
  
• Now, place a pan on the stove and dry roast the crushed Maggi until it turns golden brown.
  
• Transfer the roasted Maggi in a bowl, and add chopped tomato, onion, chili powder, salt, and Maggi masala seasoning in it. Mix all the ingredients together.
  
• Now add lemon juice to the bowl and give it all a good mix.
  
• Garnish the dish with sev if you like.
  
• Your scrumptious Maggi bhel is ready!
  
•  

Benevolent nature

Ayden Sharma
AIS Gurugram 46, XII
 
Have you ever heard the nature’s sound
As it bears the swindle of it being abound
Of course, it’s feeble than our own chatter
When we slash down the trees that matter

Effluvium of the chimneys pollutes the air
And our silly vehicles disturb the polar bear
Our Mother Earth cries to leave her aside
But we humans perturb every single life

Gone are the days when jungles used to thrive
For lush green landscapes are no longer alive
The nightingale’s melody has turned all around
Now we only listen to the horns blaring out

The creator of mankind is seen to be in jeopardy
For his own children are now ruining his beauty
He stands alone in fear while being barbecued
By the hot and massive bonfire of our overuse

It is now time to stand up and stop this trickery
Or else we will see an immense pyrrhic victory
Where our selfishness will take the ultimate crown
And the world we live in will one day drown
 
Let us rejuvenate the forest and plant more trees
Let us transform it into what it has always been
With our tiny steps we will aim for a giant leap
Let us now make earth a happy place to live!

My pride my tiranga

Raghav Sharma
AIS Saket, IX
 
Orange, white, and green stripes
Remind us of our painful past
How the shackles were broken
How the tyranny couldn’t last

Tricolour symbolises our pride
Utter greatness and self-sacrifice
Reminding the valour of millions
Martyrdom we always recognise

Ashok Chakra for constant change
Tiranga for the cultural exchange
The flag unites all states anew
Binds together with its vibrant hue

Waving our flag with utmost pride
Taking an oath to never let it fall
Taking a pledge that we will have
Justice, liberty and equality for all.

The walking laptop

Akanksha Narayan
AIS Mayur Vihar, VII

It was just another day when Riya, having given her students the scheduled online lecture, was indulged in the household chores. She was a school teacher in the city of Jaipur where she lived with her husband, two kids Daksh and Ayana, and her extended family in a two-storey building.
This being a working day, Riya was engaged in making PPTs and quizzes for the online classes the next day. At five in the evening, she decided to take a break and prepare some tea and snacks for everyone. Having done so, she came back to her room, only to find her laptop gone.
Scared witless, she tried looking for it everywhere in the house and asked everybody about it. But to her utter dismay, nobody knew where the laptop was. “How is this possible?” she yelled, almost on the verge of tears.
Watching her panic thus, everybody in the family started looking for the laptop. “If it’s a prank, you all better stop now,” she said in a stern tone, for she was tired of looking for it by then. “Why would anyone try to prank you, Riya?” retorted her husband, tired of all the commotion. “But then where did the laptop go; it’s not as if it walked out of the house on its own!” said her father-in-law all worried and genuinely concerned about Riya.
“But it is also entirely impossible for some stranger to barge into a house filled with people,” responded her sister-in-law. “One can never be sure though,” said Riya with tears in her eyes. She wasn’t crying for the laptop, but for the fact that she had lost her only way to connect to her students. “Let it be. We will buy a new one for you first thing tomorrow,” said her husband in order to pacify the situation.
“Yes, let’s do that. Also, let us all be extra careful, for if at all the laptop was really stolen and not lost or misplaced, it’s dangerous for the kids to be left alone even inside the house,” said the mother-in-law out of concern. At that, everyone nodded in approval. “Wait, where’s Daksh though?” asked Riya, having suddenly realised that her six-year-old wasn’t with them in the hall this entire time.
This realisation unleashed chaos as all of them started looking for him in a frenzy of fear. “Daksh, Daksh?” shouted all in unison, trying as best they could to locate him. “I’ll look for him on the terrace; he loves being there. Ayana, you go and search the first floor,” said Riya trying to make sense of the situation. And just when she was about to climb the stairs, she saw the laptop walking towards her, wearing a green capri pant. “Hi, mom, do you know how to shut this thing down. I am done playing cake palace and was trying to switch it off,” asked Daksh as he popped his head out from behind the screen that hid his tiny body, barring his legs and arms, and made it look as if the laptop was walking on its own.
Though furious, Riya could not help but be amused at the sight. So, she took the laptop from him and hugged him tight.