Hi kids,

As promised, the problems sent by you all will be forwarded to the authorities concerned. It is truly sad to note how many basic problems suffered on a daily basis are taking away so much from the quality of our lives.
Even outside my home, the street lights do not work, partly because they are rarely changed, and when they are, little boys come and throw stones at them. There are frequent ‘jaagrans’ relayed over the loudspeaker from a religious organisation next door, through the night and day, with little concern for the elderly, students and ill people, who desperately need their sleep. It is important for civic society to be concerned about such things. Children, in particular, should be aware and develop good habits from the start, so that they don’t grow up to become a nuisance for others.
Next week’s theme is Child Labour. Write in what you think about it.
Here’s also wishing you all a Happy Dussehra. Try to be as brave, skilled and strong as Ram.
See ya, Aastha

All roads lead to……Pot holes!!

Col J Sindhwani (Retd)
Circular road, Dehradun.

Now a day’s all prominent places are being renamed. ‘Madras’ has become ‘Chennai’, ‘Bombay’--Mumbai and Delhi’s Cannaught place--‘Rajiv Chawk’. Let’s rename ‘Dalanwala’ as ‘Khaddawala’.
I have been staying in Dalanwala for many decades, the slow and steady deterioration of roads, now full of potholes or ‘Khadda’s’ is alarming. Considered as one of the prominent residential area of the town, it boasts of world class and well known schools like ‘Welham Girls’.
Parents of students studying there come to meet their daughters from all over the world, only to be greeted by pathetic roads full of bumps and grind, they carry back a lousy impression of civic amenities of a town which is not only capital of uttarakhand but also known for its ‘crème-de-la-crème’ people, ironically the hoardings at major roads leading to Doon valley claim-‘welcome to Dev Bhumi’ and ‘Atithi-devo-Bhawa’, how paradoxical and contradictory.
With roads literally reduced to rubble, the plight and exasperation of motorists and students who generally commute by cycles and two wheelers is beyond words. Driving is an essential part of our life now. Our vehicles are responsible for transporting us to our daily destinations, be it work, the grocery store, or our friends place. Regardless of what method of transportation you choose, you are inevitably going to find yourself on a road. It is therefore important to ensure passenger safety and reliability when on roads.
Dalanwala is true example of what tax paying public is getting from authorities, I request them to at least fill up the potholes this will save the students as well as seniors from uncalled for physical mishaps and regular visits to the mechanic. Oh how I long for my ‘Green, smooth Dalanwala of gone by years!

Problem of Garbage in Dehradun

Sidharth Sharma,
(VII), SJA

Problem of garbage is already all over India. And now also in our Green Doon which is now not Green but Dirty Doon. I live at 33 Park Road and outside my house the sweepers clean the roads in the morning and till the end of the day, the road is again full of garbage. One day I saw that half of the road was covered with garbage and offensive smell all over the area. And after 17 hours, the garbage was removed at last. But still the odour was there for a day. My sister and I clicked many photos and sent them to newspapers and authorities but no actions were taken.
We should save the Green Doon from becoming Dirty Doon. So let’s prevent throwing garbage on the roads. We should throw garbage in dustbins. I had my birthday on the 17th of September so I yearn for a gift from all of you and that is: You people should stop throwing garbage on the streets. In return, you will get a prize of being a good citizen of India and of Dehradun.

Bad Roads

By Pratiksha Thapli & Akash Joshi (V)
John Martyn Memorial School

Not only in villages, but all over India the Government needs to repair roads. In our village, as long as I remember (and I am now 10 years old) the roads have always been broken and filled with pot-holes. We have many elderly people and many small children who have injured themselves because of these bad roads. Even our vehicles, our scooters, our cycles can all break because of these roads.

My view of the problems faced by Doon…!!

By Rohan Kapoor,(VI-D)
St. Joseph’s Academy

Dehra Dun is a town facing a lot of societal problems. Just see the area of Dalanwala. Such nice houses and famous schools are there. But the roads there are in such a pathetic condition. I live at Rajpur Road near the diversion. It is the main highway leading to Mussoorie. It is such a crowded road. Even outside my house I see so many labour class people standing every morning. By and by as time passes a vegetable man and a peanut man come and put there thelas just outside our neighbour’s house.
My father tells me that when he used to be a young child, they were free to roam about on the streets.
But these days children are not allowed by their parents to even go in the colony parks as many incidents have taken place in recent days. There is so much traffic on the roads which moves in such a great speed. All over Doon, there are big dustbins and it is clearly written on them, "USE ME AND KEEP THE CITY CLEAN AND GREEN!" But I fail to understand why people throw garbage on the road.
We see so many cows relaxing in the middle of the road. They surely act as a divider or speed breakers. A few days back I saw a dog crossing the road and a car was coming. The lazy dog sat on the road and started licking a polythene thrown on the road. It was not the dog’s fault, but it was our fault. Someone else might have thrown that polythene on the road.
Doon is known for its greenery, but these days we find many trees being cut in the town. For instance, trees at the backside of St. Joseph’s Academy and near the NIVH Blind School are being cut. This is also causing a rise in the temperature. These were my views about the problems faced by the people of Dehra Dun!

Doon Civic Problems

By Yashaswani Bhantnagar,(IV)
Ann Mary School

Although Dehradun is peaceful, green and clean city but it seems that some people do not bother about it. There are many people who throw the garbage on the roads or outside their house they burn it, and they even burn the polythene bags. People cut down trees to make more and more houses.
People even cut down their garden trees to make small rooms for rent. I really miss the beautiful surroundings in Ballupur, where I am staying. The condition of stray animals also bothers me. They often bite people and because of that they are being badly hit, so there should be home for the stray animals too. I am also a resident of Dehradun and I want to help but do not know whom to contact. Although I try to keep the environment clean and pollution free by not using polythene bags.
I and my brother also discourage our mother and others for not using polythne bags.

Amenities for the disabled

By Rahul Das, (V)
John Martyn memorial School

1. The government should make sure all roads are properly repaired and all man-holes are covered, so that no visually disabled person falls in.
2. There should be ramps on all buses, trains and other public transport so that the physically disabled find it easier to get in or out.
3. At big traffic crossings the police should be instructed to help the disabled cross the roads.
4. In government schools, colleges, railway platforms there should be skid-free tiles laid out in a straight line, on which the disabled can walk without fear of falling.

The Rains: A Rising Civic Concern

By Nupur Bansal,XII, CJM

Monsoons begin in our city of Mumbai by mid July. The rains bring much relief after the sweltering heat of summers. But one city has experienced many problems due to these heavy rains in the recent years and it has been very ill equipped to manage these. Still, there have been negligible or no efforts on the part of the government or the citizens to take steps to better the conditions during the monsoons. After all this, if the rains strike the city unexpectedly a month before its time of arrival, it is bound to cause havoc and unlimited problems for the people of the city.
Last year’s days of 7th and 8th June were a turning point for the people of Mumbai. Unexpectedly, there was a heavy downpour which completely disturbed the lives of the people of the city. There was a light rainfall on 6th evening which eventually turned into heavy rain on the 7th. Accompanied by thunder and lightning, the rains struck the city in such a way that it seemed it would never stop. The big trouble began when there was water everywhere and within three hours many streets were blocked. The roads were covered with one foot deep water and the traffic was unable to move at all. There were jams on the roads as people were unable to drive on the flooded roads. Others were stuck either in their homes or schools or their working places.
News telecast was stopped and the cable went off within another hour. Soon, the electricity poles were damaged due to the heavy wind and rains and the electricity also went out. Telephone and mobile connections were cut. People were unable to communicate with each other. As the rains continued the next day too, many necessities seemed to be unavailable. People, in their offices, had spent their nights there and could not return had spent their nights there and could not return home that day too. Food was finishing in these working areas and the absence of electricity prevented the people from keeping themselves busy with something or the other.
Ever in a city like Mumbai, everything seemed to have come to a halt. No television, no telephone, no electricity, no vehicles. No one was seen on the streets or roads due to the heavy rains. Even some buildings were reported to be damaged due to the heavy rains and many people lost their lives by high water levels in the Arabian Sea. The slums in Mumbai were most affected. These were the areas of the least sanitary facilities and most unhygienic living and thus, were heavily affected. The sanitary conditions worsened due to water accumulation and diseases spread by water- borne vectors.
But, those two days of heavy rains served as an awakening for the people. Everyone stretched out a hand to help the other in every possible way. When the rains stopped the next day, new decisions were formulated immediately by the municipality and the government. New roads were built soon and electricity, television, and telephone connections were restored. Life soon came back to normal but now more efforts need to be made to make adequate drainage facilities so that such a condition would not arise in the next time the rains strike the city. Today, are we ready to face any such day of heavy rainfall enjoy the rains rather than suffer due to them??

‘Full Monty’…..is playing at roadside near you!

By Vimal Kapoor

It is 2 a.m., and well past midnight, after few hours is the crucial Physics exam and he is trying to revise ‘Newton’ and Archimedes’s principle with cotton stuffed in his ears, he wants to pull his hair out in frustration, the reason is that few yards away a ‘Jagran’ is taking place with devotional songs blaring away at the highest pitch!.
The serenity and melody of devotional songs meant to bring peace is destroyed when it is played through loud speakers in temples. Further, it becomes a cause of noise pollution.
Today, every street has a temple using these speakers and it has become commonplace for them to ring out music at unbearable decibels. Since every other day is an auspicious occasion, the speakers are turned on and life becomes difficult for people living in the nearby areas. The speakers are used irrespective of the time or day. It is on at 3 a.m. in the morning or even when examinations are in progress. So loud is the music that it is impossible to attend a phone call or have a normal conversation. There is a total disregard for an individual's space and privacy. Home is supposed to be a haven and a place of peace, but is turned into free for all musical evening. All of us need divine blessings, but read any holy scripture and you will realize that you feel almighty when every thing is still and serene.
Another nauseating civic nuisance is stinking public toilets, once in a while when it becomes unbearable and you have to visit one, the sight and stench are ‘stomach churning’, thank god some decent ‘sulabh shauchalyas’ have come up on Rajpur road and other places, but we need more of these.
Lack of public toilets mean that people especially males ‘relieve’ themselves in public and that itself is another big shame, irrespective of place and time, these exhibitionists are busy doing ‘full monty’! Urinating in public is the only thing in India which is completely caste free. Rich and poor men, uneducated and ‘high brow’, lower and upper caste men alike have the same lack of shame, the same amount of laziness and the same amount of ‘nonchalance’ to simply open their pants wherever they please. It indeed is democracy, in our country.
Men in India have no embarrassment and they are certainly not intoxicated when they just stop their swanky cars in the middle of traffic jams at Rajpur Road to piss against a wall. Take a bus trip and see how male passengers do not even bother to walk away from the bus to open their pants. Another irritating sight is ‘litter bugs’. You are trailing behind a car and suddenly empty chips foils and chocolate wrappers fly towards you. An absolute ‘no-no’! Common sense is certainly not common now a day!

The Clock

By Shahid Ansari via Blog

My day starts with a bell. It happens to many people of the world so what is it that needs to be written.
But, since it is my day then it has to be different. The first thing that comes into my mind is Who invented the bell?
Must be a nice person who wanted to make the life easy for the people so that they can get up on time in the morning.but this thought must have came in the minds of the people so ..........
Let me tell you a story of a kid who used to love his alarm bell. A fish shaped clock which used to ring daily in the morning and the kid used to watch that clock for 10 min dreaming about the fish. One day the bell did not rang. The kid woke up late. He looked through all the corners of his room to find his fish, the clock. He asked his mother" Mom, where is the clock?" She replied " The clock broke so i threw it ,beta. You will get a new clock when we will got to the market." But the kid was not satisfied with that. He was thinking about the fish, her eyes . He was sad. he went to his school and did his home work. Everything went fine. Next day when he was coming from the school he saw his clock in a boy's hand who used to collect rags from the locality. He asked that boy to give him back his clock.but the boy did not gave him the clock.he fought for his clock. the angry boy threw that clock in the nearby pond. The kid started crying but returned home.Everyday he used to dream about his clock.His father bought a new clock for him. But the kid was not happy. he was worried about his old clock and he does not wanted a new one. ... after that day he never used an clock in his room. the point i was trying to make is how one can get emotionally attached to a bell or a clock.

By Rahul Joshi, (IV) John Martyn Memorial School

Problems faced by the people of doon

By Anjali Panwar, (IV)
John Martyn Memorial School

We have to daily face many problems in our neighbourhood. We have no street lights, no dustbins, not enough water and bad roads. There are no lights on our streets and because of this the roads have become unsafe at night. There are so many pot holes and many accidents take place due to these two reasons.
People throw a lot of garbage on the roads and nobody from Nagar Nigam comes to clean up the mess. Very often we see cows and dogs eating up the decaying food and scattering it around even more. There is always a foul odour on the roads and people cannot even walk without covering their noses. More and more diseases are spreading due to this. There is no consumer court where we can complain. The government should take action and make sure the people of Doon are comfortable.

AD – MANIA

By Vikramditya Bhatnagar,(VII) St Joseph's Academy

The moment I read the topic for the next issue of ‘We the Kids’, I felt like watching T. V .But there was a break hardly 3 minutes later. This gave me a good idea for my article.Breaks are enjoyable. We get to know what new things re being manufactured-what’s going on in the world. They are very informative; they tell us new dangers and products. The latest topic is on Swine-flu. The ads tell us protection and prevention.
All these good facts are there, but these advertisements can also make one feel very frustrated at times. For example, just when the good part is about to come … Just when the villain is about to kill the heroine … A burly man with a big white face comes and says," DO YOU WEAR CONTACT LENSES?!"
Advertisements usually have a video and a song, but I feel that at times, the lyrics can be quite inspiring. Even today, my mother sings a song ‘Kuchh khass hai hum sabhi me’, which was used years ago in a Cadbury’s chocolate ad. Sometimes our favourite hero/star comes on T.V- oh, that really makes us go crazy! There was one time when the footwear company’Lakhani’ used a song of the movie ‘Lagan’. The song was ‘Ghan-ghan-ghan ghir aaye badra’. We heard that advertisement so often that instead of the real words, we got a habit of singing ‘sab ko bhaye lakhani’!Even today we don’t know the real wordings!! Though advertisements are fun, they sometimes do make a serious impact, especially on children. There was recently an article in the ‘Times of India’ saying that children in metropolitan cities are more prone to have pre-dinner snacks than in other places.
Most of them are obese, as they go the malls and eat whatever junk food is available at the eating joints. The advertisements also mislead us that junk-food like magi, knor soup, and cold are nutritious. Sometimes, even parents parents buy stuff because there was something free with it. My own mother bought Horlicks because at one time, there sued to be a jug free with it! One of these jugs at still at home and is in perfect condition! We all must have noticed the profit of fairness creams and soaps has shot up like a rocket in the recent years, as these are for use for both Men and Women. It seems that advertisements cast a spell over the viewers and tricks them into buying the products, whether it may be useful or not.

One Night

By Sagar, XII,
Doon Cambridge School

One night as I was lying, remembering my past,
A face flashed past me, giving me a start;
The face of that angel, the angel of my eyes,
The red rose which in my diary still lies.
It still speaks of her, its fragrance still not lost,
In her thoughts, though my thoughts now have exhaust!
The glow in her eyes, the magic in her smile,
The promise of her love which she promised for whole life.
It couldn’t stand enough, didn’t last for long,
Now I guess is it she, for whom my love did belong?
For whom I fought with all my relations,
Is she now the cause of my broken situation??
Still rings in my ears that beautiful voice,
Which use to drive me crazy without any choice.
Those endless talks, those lovely messages,
Those nightlong chats, those beautiful places;
Those late goodnights, those long special rides,
Those cute loving cards, those beautiful flowers.
All are engraved with letters of gold in my heart,
But what about she? What’s she doing on her part?
Holding another hand, she cares now the least,
All the time spent, she doesn’t wanna retrieve.
Happy with another heart, she feels now complete,
And I am here in the dark, walking alone on the streets;
And as I look at the bench, on which we used to sit,
Holding each other’s hand, dreaming of a new world,
Now even touch of it shudders my feet.
Scared is my heart, after losing that pearl,
Now she is gone and gone is that care;
But I still remember the time that we shared,
Her each and every word sounded so true.
But now they stay with me and make me so blue,
The love that we held, now stands so destroyed;
The dreams of my heart, all have turned so devoid,
My words don’t have a reason to speak their worth.
Neither can I hold her, nor I can hurt,
I remember it all, and she forgot it all;
In the flow of time, she threw it all,
In the flow of time, she threw it all.
In the middle of the night, I was left alone on an edge so steep,
And that lovely night, I slept without a sleep!

By Nitesh Kotal, John Martyn Memorial School

My Lovely Tennis Racket

By Aman Aggarwal, (V)
Selaqui World School
My lovely Tennis Racket
Playing with me every time,
Hitting the ball, beating it hard
Never getting tired of the job!!
Sometimes making mistakes of
Hitting the ball slowly
But it is my lovely racket
My lovely tennis racket.
Color is red with….
The stripes of black,
Handle is comfortable….
To hold on
Wherever I go, I take it along,
My wonderful Tennis racket!!!

Coffee Table-I

By Ashima Bhardwaj

The gentleman with the white mane sat looking at the glass door. He had his arms crossed over his chest and the table in front of him sparkled clean. Fifteen minutes later, a stout woman in her late thirties pushed the glass door to walk in. The smile on the man’s face was worth looking at.
The white head and the jet black curls were an interesting contrast.
A boy wearing yellow shoes (seriously!) threw himself on a sofa, and looked around anxiously. Apparently, he had expected to keep his girlfriend waiting instead of himself.A group of high school kids, all turned their heads to look at the person who walked in next. She looked so fragile, almost as if she was made of porcelain. Her eyes were focused on one person who sat on the sofa, fuming. She knew she was the one who was supposed to have arrived before him. The stout woman signalled towards the waiter for the order. The high school kids had so much to talk about, from their teachers, to the latest automobiles to movies. The boy with the yellow shoes made no effort to smile when the girl sat next to him. There was a bustle of activity behind the service counter for the orders were too many. The TV was loud enough to be heard but not low enough to be ignored. At the same time, the music kept going from the speakers. I often feel that places meant for people to meet, sit and interact should not have TV’s in them. They just take away the charm of having someone all to yourself for a while.
The fragile girl looked at the boy, but he pretended to be engrossed in watching TV. She made no movement, no appeal for attention, but just looked at him. This could not have been about being late.
The gentleman with the white tresses (I’m not even kidding!) got his third cup of latte and smelled it. He, undoubtedly, loved coffee, or perhaps, the smell of it.
The kids had ordered too much to fit on their table. Overeaters, I thought. Spoilt children who had no idea how many children their age die of starvation. All they were concerned about was the latest song of a movie. The boy with the yellow shoes, distraught look and dishevelled hair, was now talking to the girl in whispers. She had come to meet him one last time before she was about to get married to someone else. They hadn’t considered ordering anything at all. Their empty table only reflected their sad faces. Maybe, everyone doesn’t really love coffee. Suddenly the milieu was affected as the stout woman reached out for her ringing cell phone. She talked, hung up, and then the gentleman no longer remained gentle. He yelled at her asking why she hadn’t told him about it. God! He had found out that his wife, with her beautiful curly hair, was dating someone else. One of the kids requested for the music to be stopped.
And then, a miracle happened.
To be Continued...

'Golden fingers'

A project started by chander mohan misra
" a painter, sculptor, paintmaker , teacher and scientist". with the help of national level NGO named 'Talent Enablers', working for the promotion of sports culture and environment.

Street Lights (By Student of John Martyn Memorial School)

By Komal Kumari, (V)

There is very poor street lighting all over our city and also in Bhagwantpur area where our school is located.
People on the roads at night can get attacked by robbers easily.
More accidents can also take place when vehicles are going fast and they do not notice pedestrians on the road. We need better lighting.

Bad Roads (By Student of John Martyn Memorial School)

By Shreya Kumwar, (IV)

There are many pot holes on our roads in Purkul Gaon and all villagers face a big problem. Sometimes when I come to school by the scooti with my grandfather, the scooti jumps up into the air, even when we are not driving it very fast. These roads are very dangerous and can injure people. Just the other day I saw a man riding a bicycle and he suddenly lost his balance and fell because of a pot hole.

And we’re scared of the swine flu threat!!!

By Aishwarya Sharma,
(XII), CJM

The news flashing, the papers loaded with the news, and the shopping centers flooded with the protection masks!! You know what I’m talking about, the swine flu scare!! The vaccine has not yet been released in India as studies on the Indian population’s disease pattern has not yet been done, the over the counter sales of the treatment drug Tamiflu have for now been put on hold. So, altogether, this is a so- called alarming situation for all of us. Supposedly.
The movie halls were shut, schools were closed down for a week, and we all were glued to the TV sets trying to grasp every little bit of information about this so called ‘lethal’ disease. We talk of quarantining, of maintaining proper isolation wards. Have we ever clearly tired to understand what the relevance of being scared like this is? Thronging in numbers at shops to buy the protection masks and wearing them all over, probably as signs of prestige, and status rather than making it a safety measure to wear masks.
Have you seen the huge heaps of garbage lining the roads of this city? Have we tried to withstand the offensive stench of this rubbish that harbours all kinds of negative elements? Have we tried to analyze or ponder over the risks associated with this perpetual phenomenon striking our city over the years?Garbage shelters all sorts of harmful pathogens and vectors, thus becoming a breeding ground for lethal diseases. It not only takes up unnecessary space, but also creates a lot of inconvenience. Many people are susceptible to respiratory disorders because they are continually exposed to the foul smell of the garbage bins overflowing and putrefying with rubbish.
And we should not forget that many pigs, rodents, etc reside in the garbage heaps, thus creating a big possibility for diseases like swine flu. Forget swine flu, more amount of people die due to seasonal flu all over the world. And this is purely because of untreated garbage, occluded with pathogens, and disease causing organisms.
The government here has to stop showing its slackness and stop making excuses. Leave the swine flu threat! No need to close down schools or boycott assemblies. First of all, create a disease free zone in Dehradun, clean up the mess here, and reduce the risks of contagious and chronic diseases by eliminating the sources of pathogens here. It’s really no use! Unless we become well equipped to clear ourselves of the threats associated with other diseases here, we will not be able to fight the new diseases coming up in our nation.
1 million people die of malaria every year, and we don’t even have a vaccine developed yet. Nevertheless, we have numerous spots of stagnant water, harbouring malarial larva and creating threats of contracting this disease for all of us.Lets just forget being scared for probably less important things and look at every day measures to reduce possibilities for transmission of lethal diseases which could probably be more dangerous than swine flu in terms of severity, mortality, and chances of recovery.

By DilipMorya, (II), John Martyn Memorial

Paintings by Anuj Singh, (V) John Martyn Memorial School

By Deepak Morya, (IV), John Martyn Memorial

Both Paintings by Anuj Singh, (V) John Martyn Memorial School

Oblivion

By Chaitali Sinha,XI,SJA
I could merely smile,
and that would be enough.
You could see the glinting tear,
and that would be enough.
But the letters force me to type,
and so I write on and on,
furiously, silently,
the tears drop blurring the curves,
the papyrus wilts under the burden,
the nib breaks,
but I write on into oblivion..

By Arslan Sultanov, (VI) Selaqui World School

Pain

By Preeti Bhutani
Pain oh! pain how endless you are ..... I suffer, suffer, suffer but you still go on .....
Pain oh! pain you have become a part of my life,
no matter how much I resent you
but you still go on .....
Pain oh! pain how severe you are, I endure endure endure but you still go on .....
Pain oh! pain how powerful you are
no matter how much I try to suppress you -
but you still go on .....
Pain oh! pain when will you leave?
You have taught me patience and
endurance - now will you please leave?
Pain oh! pain how stubborn you are .....
I plead you to cease but you still go on .....

Tina and the ghost

By Janette

(Janette Biddulph (66) studied at Wynberg Allen in Mussoorie and worked as a warden for 20 years in Colonel Brown School. She began writing for children in 1977. She has been living in Dehradun since 1958).
The name given to me by one of my sisters was Tina and it suited me for I was quite tiny from birth, never looked my age.
My family consisted of three sisters who were much older than me and one brother who was three years elder to me. We all lived in Karachi, which is situated in Pakistan [this was before the partition]. My Dad was always taking us kids out for rides in a car, after all he was a Mechanic and lots of cars, and he could make use of. We lived in a house which never had any electricity; Therefore it was very hot, especially in the summers.
As usual Dad asked us, "Do any of you want to go for a drive?" My elder sisters ran downstairs, followed by my brother William and our servant. Looking at me he asked, "Coming darling?" I really wanted to go, but before I could answer, Mom replied, "No Tina, better have a good sleep as she never slept in the afternoon." "O.K. Darling, I'll take you tomorrow evening and leave the servant at home."
Mom sang a Lullaby for me and I went to sleep. I woke all of a sudden, feeling very thirsty. I turned and woke my mother, and asked her, "Will you please give me some water for I am feeling very thirsty." Mummy got up and gave it to me; I drank the whole lot and asked for more, she gave me another glass, but this time I couldn't drink it as the glass of water was snatched from my tiny hands and the water was thrown in my face.My eyes were closed but now I opened them and started screaming for all I was worth, "M U-M-M-y, Bogeyman!
Bogeyman!" I was staring at a very tall, fat man, his hands were very long and he had them stretched towards me; I grabbed mummy's hand and with my other hand I pointed at the Bogeyman. He was frowning at me and pulling my hand; I kept on screaming as loud as I could and holding on to mummy's hand with all my strength. Mum could feel me being pulled away from her but couldn't see what I was seeing. Anyway she managed to get her Rosary from under her pillow; this she put on my neck; at once my hand was free and the Bogeyman said in angry voice, "I am going away now but will return very soon." I heard what he said but mom never heard a single word. Mom put her arms tightly around and I felt safe,. I slept till morning. Mummy told Dad all that had happened in the night, but he only laughed, but said, "Tina must have had a bad dream. "Who grabbed the glass and threw the water in my face, and then tried to pull me out of mummy's arms, I answered in a very frightened voice. To be continued...

Both the painting of By Pratiksha, (V)

Our Civic Society – Aid or Problem?

By Vikramditya Bhatnagar,(VII) St.Joseph's Academy

There are civic societies everywhere-al the world. They help us during our worst times, or they make things worse. They develop the area or they may destroy it. But the question remains- are they an aid or problem?
Hi! My name is Vikramaditya Bhatnagar. I am the student of St.Joseph’s Academy. I live in Van Vihar, Ballupur.Although my colony Van Vihar is one of the most prominent colonies at Ballupur road, it does not have a society. The road in front of my house, the colony road, has now become the main road. All types of big cars are driven on the road, and now this road has become a bike- racing track for youngsters. All big noise making vehicles are driven here, and as a result, we are not able to study. Aged people of the area are also disturbed often. Secondly there are many stray animals in the community. They may bite us in order to protect themselves, and are being killed. Just a few weeks ago, a stray dog died in the outer garden of my house. It was raining night before; it probably came to our outer garden for shelter and died of cold. I want to help, people want to help, but nobody knows whom to contact. A year back, a man dumped his sick cow near our neighbour’s house. It was close to death, but was stinking. People requested the owner to take away the ailing cow, but he didn’t listen. Another problem that bothers as well as irritates me is people setting up a ‘Temple’ anywhere they want. All they do is take a photograph of God, put it near some place, and put some food for ‘Prasaad’ and colour-powder for ‘Tika’. You call that a Temple. Some people set up these Temples to save the tree’s roots, which is a good cause, but others construct a building near it and call it a 20 year old temple. Does this tell you how much we’re facing? C’mon! It’s up to us and our society! We have got to do something!! We have to unite as one!!!

Suffering at the hands of Corporators, PWD & Nagar Nigam

By Kartikeya Semwal

There are a lot of problems faced by people of Dehradun that go unnoticed due to disinterest of corporators and officials of PWD and Nagar Nigam. Despite being declared the temporary capital of Uttarakhand, the city of Dehradun is in a pitiable situation with broken roads, open manholes, traffic congestion, garbage dumping, lack of sewage lines, improper law and order situation, etc.
People of Dehradun are suffering from all the above problems and are well aware of them, but since they are not united to fight for these causes due to which their corporators and various departments like water works, public works department (PWD), Nagar Nigam and police administration seem to be working with laxity and negligence. I recently read in newspapers that Nagar Nigam has only 2 dumper trucks, both of which have gone defunct at the start of festive season. Nager Nigam officials should answer as to why Nagar Nigam has only 2 dumper trucks despite knowing that the population of the city has been increasing with every passing year and so is the garbage. Why did Nagar Nigam not purchase new and more efficient dumper trucks? Why it has only 215 employees instead of the sanctioned number of 680? Why is Nagar Nigam not trying to recycle the biodegradable garbage? There are so many questions that Nagar Nigam officials need to answer but they don’t since no one questions them.
Then comes the PWD that is responsible for covering manholes, building new roads and maintaining the old ones but it does so with great slackness. Leave alone building of new roads, PWD has even failed to maintain the older ones. Besides there are many places where manholes are open and have become a life threat to regular commuters and have been at times cause of accidents. Roads at Jakhan, Kailidas and Cant region, Saharanpur chowk, Darshanlal chowk, Doiwala, etc are all broken and need immediate repairs. But they would be repaired only if PWD shows interest in them.
Then there is the water works department also known as Jal Sansthan, responsible to provide drinking water to Dehradun but this summer we saw how it struggle to maintain water-supply to the whole city. At many places across the city there are no water lines, while the existing old ones are broken at places where water gets mixed up with sewer resulting in diseases. Those old water supply lines ought to be replaced by new ones while new water supply lines ought to be built at places where there are none. Water works department ought to conserve as much water as it can during monsoons for which it should built huge facilities across the city in coordination with state government, to collect water so there is no shortage of water during summers. Officials of water works should also install water purifiers and water treatment plants at various places to clean hard water carrying impurities. But they don’t feel the need to do so as people don’t question them and their functioning methods. Last but not the least comes the police department or the Uttarakhand police. God knows what the job of police is and what Uttarakhand police is doing? Uttarakhand police has become famous for all the wrong reasons either it was the case of Ranveer fake encounter or Anshu Nautiyal murder case or the Kaladhungi incident. Uttarakhand police personnels being thrashed by locals has become so common these days that clearly shows that people are not afraid of police. Crime is on the rise in Uttarakhand, especially in Dehradun as police takes too much time to react. This has boosted the spirits of criminals. Had Uttarakhand police switched to strict policing, the story would have been completely different and there would have been terror among criminals. But it’s not so as everyone can see and the law and order situation is worsening in the city. All these problems shall be addressed well only if the concerned departments show their interest in them and are well supported by the residents of Dehradun.

Good work by young Saniya

By Bharat Malhotra, (Saniya’s father)

"If you have willpower, no journey is long enough to time your wings. Young saniya is a testimony to it. This young girl has taken upon herself to bring joy to lives of many children through her sessions of music, art and dance. Juggling with her studies and other pursuits she takes out time for these children this week was for tiney lots of the anganwadi of her locality. The tiny ones thronged about her as ‘Saniya didi’ drew for them, sang nursery rhymes and chattered. It was beautiful experience for her to see these ardent adminers who made her promise to come back. She also worked magic of art on the girls of mahils Ashram, who were eager to meet her again. This time the girls played card games, learned card tricks, sang and danced as Saniya played guitar for them amidst giggling and laughter, all was forgotten including time and one hour session stretched to ………. It is an immensely entertaining and learning experience but saniya insists it’s the fun that draws her to new friends".

Good work by young Saniya

By Bharat Malhotra, (Saniya’s father)

"If you have willpower, no journey is long enough to time your wings. Young saniya is a testimony to it. This young girl has taken upon herself to bring joy to lives of many children through her sessions of music, art and dance. Juggling with her studies and other pursuits she takes out time for these children this week was for tiney lots of the anganwadi of her locality. The tiny ones thronged about her as ‘Saniya didi’ drew for them, sang nursery rhymes and chattered. It was beautiful experience for her to see these ardent adminers who made her promise to come back. She also worked magic of art on the girls of mahils Ashram, who were eager to meet her again. This time the girls played card games, learned card tricks, sang and danced as Saniya played guitar for them amidst giggling and laughter, all was forgotten including time and one hour session stretched to ………. It is an immensely entertaining and learning experience but saniya insists it’s the fun that draws her to new friends".

Animals on Roads

By Ankur, (V),
John Martyn Memorial School

Accidents on roads happen when people drive very fast and sometimes they take place because dogs run across roads or cows suddenly walk into the middle of the road or a big fat bull is standing like a king in the middle of a road! There are so many dogs on the roads in Dehradun and they could start biting the people on roads. Many of these dogs also are very dirty and seem to be ill – they could spread more germs. Now there are so many monkeys scaring people, snatching their food and biting. I do wish the government would do something about the animals on our roads.

By Abhilasha Sharma (Student of John Martyn Memorial School)

By Rishabh, (V) (Student of John Martyn Memorial School)

By Uday Singh, (V) (Student of John Martyn Memorial School)

By Aman (Student of John Martyn Memorial School)