"My Amour" - A Poem by Nisha Simons

My Amour

Behold his dreamy eyes, they shine

And glitter and glint: an unforgettable sight.

Fascinated and marvelled at such a sight,

I wondered if love started just in time.


Yon adorable eyes I would go mad for—

But I realised, it was just a fervent dream.

The day brought whispers to my ears,

And I heard the whispers of my amour.

                                            - Nisha Simons (BA 2^nd year)

"The Silent Screams" - A Poem by Asfiya Khanam

The Silent Screams


It was time for me to go to bed;
The weather was good; and I, in a cool, pretty shed
Switched off the lights, was waiting for the dawn,
Extremely excited to meet my best friend in a beautiful lawn.

Then the rain got heavier, winds were high—
That was the time for me to die.
I wished to meet her once before I go
And then I heard the dead bodies start to flow.

She completed me; I was a whole,
She was the one with whom I bound my soul.
I was screaming loud that night,
My life was dark, I wasn’t ready to fight.

My heart was bleeding, I was frightened;
I lost everything and my life can never be brightened,
I heard the screams and they were loud,
I started to weep, then I heard the clash of cloud

Nothing was left other than hope
The only thought stuck was, “Should I elope?”
I screamed so loud that I started to cough
And that was a dream that I dreamt of.

                                                                          -Asfiya Khanam (BtCFs 3^rd year)

"A Letter To Upma" - by Aishwarya Lakkakula

A Letter to Upma

    
                                                                                               - Aishwarya Lakkakula (BA 1^st year)


To:

Upma
Kitchen Colony,
Upma Nilayam.


Subject: Request an unending holiday.

Dear Upma,

Beating upon my doll-drums in the acquaintance of mosquito bites, I, the habitual victim of your suicidal attacks during my late mornings, on behalf of all the little patsies, am here to request you to show mercy upon our tiny innocent tummies, for they are bored of digesting you.

A complaint has been registered in the brain by the Department of Food and Digestion, claiming that they might lose the capacity of digesting sophisticated food, if they are provided with only upma. Also, the heart now forgets to sing its tune: instead of 'lub-dub' 'lub-dub', it beats 'upma' 'upma'. All is upma: the blood and the bones. Be it the heart or the brain, every nook and cranny of our body is in vain. Your dance in our plates is everlasting. You are our mothers’ favourite, even more than our younger brothers! Once you were a guest, but now, you aren't welcome. Listen, we want you to be just a rare visitor, leaving us to other yummy friends!

I hope that we have reached the climax of our breakfast drama. Book a ticket to a haunted house in a distant land for a long, boisterous, never-ending vacation, and serve yourself to the ladies in white! Fare you well and kindly get lost, because we want to taste a lot!
Awaiting your departure,


Yours Lovingly,
Upma Go Away Association.

"The Favourite Chapter of My Book" - A Poem by Asfiya Khanam

The Favourite Chapter of My Book

My life is an untold story, a book;
You took over and gave it the perfect look.
The unturned pages are now read as a beautiful tale,
I have won you and you have never let me fail.


You gave meaning to my life, wings to my flight,
The charm to my vision and the spark to my light;
The melody to my music, the blueprint of my hardest mile,
The strength to my wisdom and the beauty to my smile.


I am blessed to be blessed with the best;
You would be the highest score I would get if my life was a test.
Cheers to the book whose chapters tell about you
You are my little world and the happiness you deserve is due.

I have you all! What else do I need?
You are the sweetest fruit of my garden, indeed.
Can't thank you enough for holding on tighter when I asked to leave me alone,
It's you because of whom the breeze of happiness is being blown.


Let our bond always be the strongest of all;
You always held my hand and never let me fall.
My partner, you have never let me down,
If I am the queen, then you are my proud crown.


                                                                                      - Asfiya Khanam (BtCFs 3^rd year)

Pandemic Literature: "The Biohazard" - Flash Fiction by Veda Sri

The Biohazard

Dylan had worked at Hawkins labs for as long as he could remember. The scientists were weird and awkward and it wasn’t a pleasant place to work at, but the pay was good and he never complained.

He was walking through the corridors when he heard hushed voices in one of the biosafety labs. He inched closer to the door to listen.

“The authorities asked us not to tell anyone. And, it was Paul’s fault that the new virus got out.”

“They knew that COVID-19 could spearhead the end of the world. It was their fault for not giving him better equipment to handle it. Now, he’s dead.”

Dylan backed away to the opposite wall with fear. He didn’t know who else was infected in Hawkins labs. He wanted to run away but he had to stay for the sake of the people. They didn’t deserve to die because of one mistake in a lab. He went back to the door again to listen.

“…they are helping. The research labs made and stored the antidote for the infected employees.”

Dylan heard footsteps from the other side of the door, so he made his way quickly towards the research wing. The researchers had left for lunch and the labs were empty. He searched for the antidote in the virology research lab and he found the stock in storage. He stole one unit.

The entry and exit logs would note the irregularity in his shift time if he sneaked out, so he had to wait till the end of his shift to leave.

Dylan made it out of the lab without being noticed and handed the antidote over to the government along with the information that he overheard.

They say not all superheroes wear capes, and Dylan made everyone believe it. 


                                                                                                   - Veda Sri (BA 2^nd year)

Book Review of W. Bruce Cameron's 'A Dog's Purpose' by H. Laxmi Priyanka

BOOK REVIEW

A DOG’S PURPOSE BY W. BRUCE CAMERON

Review by H. Laxmi Priyanka

Touching and heartfelt in equal measure, W. Bruce Cameron’s “A Dog’s Purpose” is an ode to the love shown by our canine friends to their owners or to the ones who take care of them, all of it told through the canine’s point of view. The writer’s puppy protagonist takes the readers on a journey through its multiple lives. More than just another charming dog story, this touches on the universal quest for an answer to life’s most basic question — Why are we here?

The book starts with the pup being born as a stray that has his first interaction with humans in a dog hoarder’s yard. There he learns how to love people but his happiness is short-lived when Animal Control arrives and deems the stray puppies “unadoptable”.  After being euthanized, he is surprised to find himself reborn as a golden-retriever named Bailey, the beloved pet of eight-year-old Ethan. During their countless adventures together, Bailey not only risks his life to save Ethan but also learns the satisfaction of being a “good dog” and after years of devotion to this boy, he is sure of having fulfilled his purpose. But when he awakes again in a new female-canine body, she realizes that she still has a long way to go in her journey.

W. Bruce Cameron’s exploration of the world through the eyes of our canine friends is very beautiful and clever in its humorous touches – Bailey’s conclusions that cats cannot be trusted and horses are completely unreliable, etc., are hilarious in their own ways. This novel forces the readers to reflect on their past pets and the time spent with them, but its greater triumph may lie in changing the way readers think about their current pets.

Lastly, I would like to say that having read this amazing book reminds me of the times I spent with my last dog Locket, who died of cardiac arrest, only to be reborn and come back to me in the form of Maya, my current dog. What a gift!

A Dog’s Purpose is definitely a beautiful celebration of our four-legged friends with big hearts.

Pandemic Literature: "The Hunger Pandemic" - A Poem by Aishwarya Lakkakula

The Hunger Pandemic

The clock struck six,

Painting the sky in a blue-black mix.

The town shined so bright,

Bathing in the silent street light.

The blood-fleshed robots on the roads,

Were busy driving their costly Fords.

I sat lonely in the Gokul Chat,

Typing away in a WhatsApp chat.

On hearing a soft whine and a ‘bow-wow’

I made up my mind to look around.

Skimming across the cigarette smog,

My eyes encountered a grey stray dog.

It neither had chubby cheeks,

Nor food since the past few weeks.

The dog was looking thin and pale,

Reminding me of a poor man in a moral tale.

Its food was at the mercy of a daily customer,

Who was sure to save some leftovers.

The dog was hungry and eager,

To get his paws on the leftovers.

The day came to an end,

And I had a new, grey friend.

The clock strikes four,

Painting the sky in a blue-white pour.

The roads are quiet in a formerly busy town

That now, sleeps in lockdown.

I was alone on the roads,

Shocked to see no more Fords.

Lo! I see the grey face,

Lying down in the same place.

It's the dog!

My friend, my friend... I was frightened.

But the dog wasn’t eager to eat leftovers;

It was neither moving nor barking.

The dog died of hunger,

Having stuffed its mouth with a polythene cover.

I let my heart weep silently

And imagined it was just asleep.

This lock-down succeeded in tackling the pandemic

But failed to fight the Hunger Pandemic.

Novel Coronavirus is an extreme danger,

That eats away at the life of a pauper.

                                                                        - Aishwarya Lakkakula (BA 1^st year)