Scribbles on the Skies: Of Stories Waiting to be Told, Short Story by Juveria

Juveria Tabassum

The students of Klemine High decided to perform a play that was centered on a controversial subject. The play dealt with the issue of child labor, and was about a hard working, homely little girl, whose family was assaulted by her employer.

The story was considered inappropriate for the students of tenth grade to present. The teachers felt scandalized by the thought of a packed audience witnessing such outrageous behavior. However, Sam, the creator of the play, knew that some stories just needed to be told.

For her, and her bunch of friends, this tale mattered more than just a few outraged spectators. Quite a few days were spent by these determined tenth graders in convincing their teachers to come on board. Between all the arguments, pleas and compromises put forward, Sam hadn’t yet divulged the truth. That would need courage of a rare kind, and she had yet to discover that within herself.

The green signal was eventually won, and the students started their preparations. The casting of the little girl Nina was a tough job. In the end, it was quite a surprise when Laila was selected for the role. The boisterous, sometimes broody Laila was quite a contradiction to the subdued, sincere, mellow Nina. Their teacher Ms. Asha’s, however, pulled Laila aside, and convinced her to try and portray Nina’s character of an illiterate servant girl, on stage. Sam played Nina’s best friend Bani, who was the local politician, Mr. Bulend’s daughter.

It was the bond between these two characters that had appealed to Ms. Asha the most. She had been instrumental in convincing the rest of the staff to give the go ahead for Sam’s play.

Nina’s straightforward innocence complemented Bani’s outgoing nature. Although Nina and her family worked at Bani’s house, the two girls had always drawn towards each other. They saw each other’s life through their eyes, and couldn’t help but marvel at the pomp and the poverty coexisting together.

When they lay side by side by the verandah, and watched the clouds scribble stories on the sky, they talked, and they forgot about Bani’s big bedroom, which she said could fit Nina’s entire family’s little shack inside it, and still leave room for her big doll house. This always made Nina giggle because she pictured her shack next to Bani’s doll house, and her eyes always stuck at both of their chimney stacks- the same rusty gray color. “Ironic,” said Bani, and smiled when Nina asked her what that meant.

One day, they were called out from their verandah side storytelling by a scream from within the house. They rushed inside to find Nina’s mother Shaila sat on the floor, weeping, while Mr. Bulend stood over her, his hand raised. The ruckus had also brought Nina’s father, Balu, into the house. Despite the incredible scene, and the hysterical screams from the girls, his eyes just found his wife’s, and thousand words seemed to pour out from Shaila’s helpless ones into Balu’s dumbstruck brown ones. The only words that passed between them were Balu’s cry of, “Why didn’t you tell me?!” and Shaila’s silent tears that hit the floor as she looked down. Sarika, who played Shaila, and Manu, who played Balu, had to be specifically, explained what this scene was, and Ms. Asha took the responsibility of easing then into these difficult roles. She knew life wouldn’t be the same again for these kids, but she also knew that facing such realities was simply a part of the growing up that they all had to do.

After Balu had dragged Shaila and Nina into their small shack, and Mr. Bulend had shut himself in his room, Bani went back to her room, turned her face towards her window, and tried to let the clouds tell her their bedtime story. Eventually, she did drift away into a deep sleep. When she woke up, the sun was bright in her eyes, and there was not a cloud in sight. She left her house to find Nina, and, on the verandah, she saw Nina curled up, fast asleep. Out of all the scenes in the play, Sam seemed to find this one the hardest to act out. She somehow either forgot her dialogues, or missed a beat, or simply couldn’t say her words out loud enough. Laila on other hand seemed to have no trouble slipping into Nina’s shoes. Her acting skills surprised everyone, and although she looked like she was taking it with her usual devil-may-care attitude, Ms. Asha could see that this discovery pleased her immensely. Laila could make Nina curl up on that verandah in the most heartbreaking way possible. And when Bani’s voice wakes her up, Laila could make Nina sit up exactly like the frightened child that she was.

“Why are you sleeping here?” asked Bani.

“I couldn’t stand my dad’s words,” a tearful Nina replied.

Bani put a hand around her friend’s shoulder. “What happened yesterday? Dad wouldn’t tell me anything.”

Nina’s face twitched at the mention of Mr. Bulend. “I think my mom is going to have a baby.” Bani looked confused. “Isn’t that something to be happy about?”

“You know Bani,” said Nina, “the clouds don’t always tell us the truth. I thought a new baby was a good thing too, but my dad says it will be monster. Last night, I heard him tell my mom that she had ruined our family. She only kept mumbling that she couldn’t help it, and something like, ‘He forced me, I couldn’t do anything…’ I couldn’t understand why it was such a bad…”

A scream once again interrupted their conversation. This time, it came from Nina’s shack. The gardener’s tools were lying at the open door. The girls followed his footsteps inside, and were met with Balu and Shaila lying side by side. Around Shaila’s neck was Balu’s turban, and in Balu’s hand was a bottle of pesticide. The gardener carried the screaming girls back into the house, where they were locked inside a room.

The scene shifted to Mr. Bulend’s room. All the servants of the house were huddled in there, and despite the warm summer night, they were shivering. “The bodies of those ungrateful fools have been cremated,” said Mr. Bulend. “I forbid you from ever speaking about this incident again. I will not allow two worthless servants to blot my reputation.” Mitty, a burly boy who played Mr. Bulend, had quite a hard time getting his eyes look as cold as Ms. Asha said they must.

“If the police dares to interfere, I know how to deal with them. I don’t want any of you opening your mouths. Now, leave.”

The timid servants all started moving out.

“Oh, and fetch me their orphan,” barked Mr. Bulend

Bani never saw Nina again.

A few weeks later, Bani lay outside her verandah, looking up at the clouds. They no longer scribbled stories for her to read, and yet, she kept looking for them.

Her efforts finally paid off. The clouds seemed to be speaking to her again. But, this time, they only conveyed a single message-

‘Bani, it’s time to tell our story now.’

The applause in the auditorium sounded too loud for Sam’s ears. The actors were all lined up on stage, bowing. The battle still raged in her head.  Was she brave enough to do this? Her eyes drifted towards the cardboard cloud props they had used in the play, and for one heart stopping moment, she thought she saw the face of a little girl stamped on them.  She looked back at the crowd and spotter her father. He was the only one who hadn’t stood up to applaud. Instead, his face was alight with fury as he looked at his daughter. Sam looked at him and smiled.

She glanced at the Chief Guest for the event, the Commissioner of Police.

She stepped forward.

Nina seemed to smile at her. Yes. It was time to tell their story.

Rebella: The Brave Girl, A Story by M. Vaishnavi

In this post we bring you a story written by M.V. Vaishnavi, inspired by the recently concluded workshop on Performing Arts

Rebella: The Brave Girl

The children of a school made a play about child labor that involved the story of a little girl named Rebella. She is the only child to her widowed mother and also the only ray of hope for happiness ahead. Her mother wanted Rebella to get well educated and secure a job. As they were poor they could not afford the school fee. She herself decided to work as a child laborer, so that she could go to school in the morning and work in the evening hours and convinced her mother.

          This went on well for a year. They struggled with extreme poverty. At last, they moved to a city with the money they saved throughout the year, so that Rebella could go to a higher standard and her mother can work in a nearby factory. Everything was looking up.

          In the factory where Rebella's mother was working, there was a huge demand for child labour. So Rebella decided to work there in the weekends. Her employer was so greedy that he kidnapped the children and sold them as slaves. The same situation was been faced by Rebella. Her illiterate mother didn't know where to go in search of her. She doesn't even know whom to meet. So, she went to her employer for help. He was scared seeing her determination to find her daughter. He decided to kill the widowed mother. He pretended to help her in order to find out where she stayed. Then he sent his men to kill her, but she wasn’t at home.

All this while, Rebella was tortured mercilessly as she refused to listen to them. She was strongly determined to save herself and the other children who had been kidnapped. The same night her mother was moving around the factory in search of her. With the help of other children, she planned an escape from kidnappers. On the back of sheer grit, and street-smartness, they were able to escape.

             Finally they came out of the place where they were kept hidden. As soon they came out for help. On their way to police station, Rebella found her mother. They filed a case against the employer who was employing child labor and exploiting, kidnapping and trafficking these children. Rebella was awarded a prize for her great determination and she was also given cash price that would help her to get good education. Rebella grew up and secured a job as lawyer and worked against child labor. This mysterious incident changed her life drastically but it also leads to her finding her passion and purpose in life.

-M.V. Vaishnavi

  B.Sc 2nd yr

Faith that Doesn't Falter- Viola's Experiences with Faith and Religion

I would like to clear something out before we get to my story. Faith and religion are NOT the same, although we often use them interchangeably. Faith is what you have in you, something that is not seen on the outside and remains constant from person to person, but is the most important component of any belief system. Religion is the external rules and regulations that a belief system has, something that can be seen on the outside and is not same from person to person. Most of these traditions are man-made, and the belief system itself may not preach such tradition, or even tell that a rule or tradition is not to be practiced. Thus, faith and religion are two separate things, and if a person has one of them, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they should have the other. For example, a Christian need not necessarily wear a cross around their neck, and a person wearing a cross need not necessarily be a Christian.

Every person has some experience with any belief system - either good or bad. If one were to ask you, who suffers the most because of religious nuts, the first thing that comes to mind is atheists, and you’re not wrong. But, there is yet another group of people who go through tremendous mental torture because of religious fanatics - the ones who stand firm in the faith that the belief system proclaims, but not the external religious claptrap.

When I was fifteen, I was doing my intermediate first year at St. Francis College for Women, Secunderabad. The college conducted a three-day retreat in our campus, where they explained from the basics about what Christianity is, pointing to some key Scriptures as they elaborated. It was an eye-opener. That was the day I saw how amazingly beautiful my faith was, felt immensely proud it and committed my entire being to Christ for the rest of my life.

The reason why it was an eye-opener for me was because it was nothing like my relatives showed Christianity to be. They were just following external laws, rituals and traditions (the part called religion), but that did not have any effect on the internal i.e. the heart. They recited Scriptures, but did not ever try to understand what they meant. They prayed, but there was no faith that their prayers would be answered. They sang songs of praise and worship towards Him, but their hearts were far from Him. Their perception of Christianity was to be perfect on the outside, but the actual message was to bear “…the fruit of the Spirit [which] is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such there is no law” (Galatians: 5:22,23)

It doesn’t matter what you eat, what clothes you wear, where you come from, what was your past or what you are now, all you have to do is BELIEVE that the Saviour, Jesus Christ took your sins and its consequences, died for them and rose from the dead. Then, you spend the rest of your life loving and forgiving people, BECAUSE He has loved and forgiven you. That, my friends, is the “faith” part of Christianity, and to be honest, it’s the ONLY part that matters. The external show of cross around the neck, sticking a picture of Jesus on your stuff, wearing white clothes, eating only certain foods, fasting compulsorily on some day(s) of the week, not wearing jeans and other such nonsense is of no use, or, even worse, it can lead to weaknesses in various areas of your life.

During my last vacation, I made it clear to my relatives that I was not going to be a part of their religious routines of waking up at 4 am, groggily pray for an hour, blindly read ten chapters from the Bible and spend some more time memorizing a chapter. I was going to sleep till I woke up fresh, then pray as long as I felt like praying, or skip it to the afternoon, read one chapter with utmost attention, making every effort to grasp the message in it and remember the concept of the Word. Well, that definitely got their religious brains crazy with indignation and rage.

My grandma saw me as someone who was desecrating her religion. Every time we ran into each other, she would say that I had sinned, and I have to fall on my knees, begging for forgiveness from God. She once got angry because I wore tight pants and a tee shirt. She said by wearing such clothes, I was dishonoring God. I once spoke out against my father because he was treating my mother with disrespect. She said that according to the Bible, my father is the head of the house, so he had the right to treat my mother however he wished. I stayed quiet for a while, but then I couldn’t take it anymore. I asked her, “By not following your rules, am I desecrating God or hurting you? Should I ask forgiveness from God or from you? By wearing tight pants and a tee shirt, am I dishonoring God or dishonoring you? Yes, ‘the husband is the head of the wife’ (Ephesians: 5:23), but also, ‘the husband is supposed to love his wife, just as Christ loved the church and died for her’ (Ephesians:5:25), not treat her like trash.”

That was it. We ended our relationship for good. I told my mom that if I was going to see her again, it would only be when she has changed. I was not going to do stuff that I don’t believe in, even if everybody else does it. If I believe in something, I am going to stand up for it and against the critics. I will not be a hypocrite. Jesus said to the religious fanatics of His day, “You people tithe (give one-tenth of) mint, rue and cumin (as a religious duty), but neglect the weightier matters: justice, mercy and faith.”

Yes, my relatives see me as a rebel, but I honestly don’t care. I 

believe in something beautiful, and I am not going to shy 

away from it, even if it gets negative attention.

Something Different: Dhanshree.K reviews the Book"Go Clown" by Shatrugna Vadwlas

If you're tired of the suspense, thriller and  supernatural genre of books, you must read Shatrugna Vadwlas's Go Clown (2016). This will surely be one of the most memorable books you will read.

The best part of this book is that it is written in a simple manner and is intelligible to everyone.

The name suggests that the book belongs to the comedy genre.

The story revolves around the life events of Kiriti who is the son of  a single mother. They are struggling for their daily livelihood. 

At first, I guessed the clown to be either Kiriti's best friend or some teacher. But, as I read the book, I found that he is the child inside Kiriti. 

Kiriti and the clown have completely different personalities. Kiriti is a silent one, who is not into people's personal affairs whereas "the Clown" always likes to to be involved in other people's lives, passing sarcastic remarks and making jokes. In a way, the clown is Kiriti's alter-ego. 

The book has overall twenty one chapters. Of all the 21 chapters, the 4th one is my favourite. The fourth chapter tells us about Kiriti's college life. This includes his friends, studies, exams and the way in which he faced ragging by his college-mates.

In the chapters 11&12, we read about Kiriti's NRI cousins who show their dislike towards Indians and India. These chapters were the one where Kiriti began to dream about living in the U.S.A.

In the 15th chapter, we see a letter written by Kiriti's alter-ego to Kiriti, which was beautifully crafted.

We also find many interesting quotes in the book and some inspirational conversations.  

In the latter parts, we see Kiriti joining politics to change the society for better and also his adventures in climbing the Mt. Everest and many more.

I don't wish to give any more spoilers, but I can definitely say that this is the kind of book which everyone will love.

Breathe In, Breathe Out: Faizah Afreen has a Few Tips to Relax our Way Into Life

My favorite way to relax is a bit strange. My parents often find it hard to believe that I love to relax in this way. Well, this is not the only way I relax but definitely, this is my favorite one. 

To me relaxing and serenity are closely related. So I close the doors and windows of my room and light a low powered light bulb to cut the outside noise and bright light. I live in a busy urban area so it is usually noisy around me.

I turn on the CD player and play slow melodious songs. I close my eyes and try to recall the happy memories of my childhood. This gives me immense pleasure as most of my childhood memories are spellbinding and magical. If I remain like that for about half an hour, I start to feel a sensation  that is utmost pleasant. I remain half awake and half asleep and an hour is good enough for me to get fully recharged and refreshed. Whenever I feel stressed or depressed I try to relax in this way.

My well being is also due to my connection with music. Sitting on the balcony and listening to soft music is an out-of-the-world experience that I often enjoy. When I am at work, I use my iPod to listen to my favorite songs.

My second best way of relaxing is by meditating. Meditation can be a great way to relax, especially if you are under a lot of stress. And meditation is pretty simple to do: just find a comfortable place, close your eyes, relax your muscles, and focus on ONE thing, whether it's your breathing, an object (a flower, or a painting) — or even a picture in your mind. Even a 10 minute of meditation in the morning is very helpful.

The third best thing that I love is spending time with my friends and family. Since I love travelling, at times I love to hangout with my whole group of friends and go to an adventurous place where we could climb mountains or do any kind of adventurous activities or play games.

This helps me finding my own self.  

I request all of you to make some time for yourself. Dancing to your own favorite music number when no one is around is also a good way. Though it may sound a bit weird but for youngsters it shouldn't be a strange thing. When you know what you like and what you dislike and the ways in which you can feel relaxed and be stress-free then stress won’t even step into your room with you. A fifteen minute walk after a long tiring day also helps a lot.

This is how I try to make my life better every day. Take one day at a time and make the best use of it. Trust me! Life will smile at you :)

Syeda Mahveen Sana Reports on the Workshop on "Performing Arts"

To commemorate the first anniversary of the Quills Literary 

Club, a workshop on “Performing Arts” was held at R.B.V.R.R. Women’s College, for three days i.e. from 13-12-2016 to 15-12-2016. Mr.Rathna Shekar Reddy, eminent actor and Co-founder of Samahaara Theatre Group was the Resource Person. After the completion of the workshop, a Valedictory Function was held on 16-12-2016. Mr. Rathna Shekar Reddy was the chief guest of the program. The function was attended by distinguished personalities like of Prof. K. Muthyam Reddy, Dr.M.Surekha Reddy, Dr.D Ramakrishna Reddy, faculty members of the college and former principals. The auditorium was jam-packed. The program started with the prayer song by students and was followed by the lighting of lamp by the dignitaries. A welcome speech was given by the chairperson of Quills Literary Club Ms. Grace Sudhir. Dr M. Surekha Reddy and Prof. K. Muthyam Reddy spoke about the role of Performing Arts as a medium of communication. 

The chief guest Mr.Rathna Shekar Reddy addressed the gathering with his speech focused on female empowerment. He encouraged the students to take up risks and change the way we live. The chief guest was facilitated with a shawl and presented a memento and . A Power Point presentation was made by Dr. Jhilam Chattaraj about the objectives and achievements of the Quills Literary Club. A short play titled, “Re-Imagining love” which was based on Sonnet 114 by William  Shakespeare was enacted by the students in coordination with faculty member Dr Jhilam Chattaraj. 

 The program concluded with Dr.Sumitra Jaiswal giving the Vote of Thanks to the dignitaries, faculty members, audience and all the others for their cooperation in making the program a success.

Later, Certificates were awarded to the participants of the workshop by Prof. K. Muthyam Reddy.

I Found Myself: Avani Rawal talks about Quills Literary Club

Since my childhood days I was keen on reading novels, and subsequently it developed into a favorite hobby. After a few days of joining this institution, I came to know about Quills Literary Club. Enthusiastic to know more, I went through the blog and found some amazing works by my fellow college friends. I found it to be a platform to showcase my talent and also as an opportunity to improve further.

I felt enriched and motivated through expressive writing and I was interested to be a part of many such endeavors. Being a part of this cub has also helped me improve my communication skills. I’m also grateful to the literary club for inspiring me to inculcate another parallel passion which can take me ahead.

 The hidden talent of creative writing was discovered by Q.L.C. and I cannot thank enough the faculty of the English Department for unearthing this talent within me. It has indeed introduced the complete me to myself. The literary club of R.B.V.R.R. Women’s College provided me with the privilege of picking out a few pearls of wisdom that were spread across the Q.L.C.’s meetings to celebrate the life and works of the literary gem, Mahashweta Devi. It was indeed a great eye opener to know about not just her valuable literature, but also her social work, achievements and her devotion to the development of rural women through her work.  It made me think she was ahead of her times and her stories and books are still relevant in the Indian society today. 

Also, the recent workshop conducted by the Q.L.C. on theatre and performing arts helped me become more expressive, confident and outspoken about my thoughts and opinions. These experiences at the Q.L.C. will always be cherished by me throughout my journey as a student and I look forward to many more enriching experiences through the Q.L.C.