Anasuya Smith

Born and brought up with the nature’s bed, the most beautiful and educated land of Kanyakumari standing high and welcoming the world to India. I am A. Anasuya Threse Innocent, known as Anasuya Smith alias Anu, mother of two beautiful little angels. Being an Engineer by profession never stopped my love towards literature. I have edited and published a book, and been part of few anthology projects and published in many magazines both in Tamil and English. It is my pleasure to write on the book that I am editing.

With Love,

Anu

Meeting Again…

It was a long day,

On the early days of onset of the pandemic…

Uncertainty and panic everywhere,

Silicon Valley of India was completely shut down,

Leading for the nation’s shut down…

Toasted by household chores, and

Thoughts of how to manage the grocery,

I hit the bed past midnight,

Fully drained…

It was too dark everywhere…

Suddenly, I heard a familiar sound

Struggling in the darkness…

I jumped out of my bed,

It’s the sound of my Grandpa!

A quick question flashed…

‘He is in eternal peace, isn’t he…?’

I slammed my thought saying,

‘Don’t let negative thoughts overpower you…’

I went into the darkness and grabbed the hands…

The hands of my Grandpa,

Just like my childhood days…

By this time, my Dad came too, and

Held the hands of my Grandma,

Who was standing next to my Grandpa.

It was a pleasant meet-up I was longing for years…

That feeling of comfort, confidence, and security…

Much needed in that moment!

Our chat went on for hours,

While we found a lamplight and

Kept on walking through the valleys and hillocks…

Reached the road next to our home in our native!

It was so bright everywhere!

My Grandpa said, ‘Now we can go, you go home…’

I was bugging him to go along with him,

He said, ‘Go back home, your kids will be waiting…’

I realized that I am a Mom…

Shook my head and opened my eyes…

I am just on my bed…

It was a dream!

I didn’t want it to be a dream,

Went and searched everywhere inside my home…

But, it’s still a dream…

Meet-up in this realistic dream

Made me confident, and

Manage the rest of lockdown!

With the blessings of my beloved ones,

Waiting for the day to happily

Meeting them Again…

- Anu

Aadhya Cherukuri

Aadhya is 6 years old. She goes to Winmore Academy School. She is a very chubby and bubbly girl who is full of life. Always on the go to do naughty things. She makes friends very easily. She has a golden heart and believes in the virtue, sharing is caring. Aadhya is a sensitive and a kind girl. She likes swimming, and playing board games is her pastime.

- Aadhya

My Mother

Mom, Mom, Mom… You are good to me,

When I am hungry, she gives food to me.

Mom will help me do my homework

She is always there to guide me and give me a perk.

Whenever I fall down and get hurt

She will take care of me and clean my dirt.

I feel very happy with your hug and touch

I LOVE YOU MOM SO MUCH.

- Aadhya

Teachers

Teachers teach us everyday

They help us to learn and play.

Teachers care for us when at school

And make learning cool.

Thank You, TEACHERS, for being there for us

Today and every day !

- Aadhya

Adona

I am Adona. I live in Chennai. I am 9 years old, studying in 4^th grade in HLC International School. I like reading books, swimming in the pool and playing on the beach. I like to draw and paint. I also like music. I am also a budding writer. I thank Anu athai for giving me an opportunity to write.

- Adona

I Love…

I love to swim,

Swim like a fish,

I have no fins but

I do swim like a dolphin.

I love to dance,

Dance like a Swan.

With smile and grace,

to have fun and joy with my friends.

I love to draw and paint,

Paint the sky, the beautiful nature.

Create something out of waste,

Making cards for my loved ones.

I love to have a pet at home,

I love to have a beautiful garden,

I love to live in a clean India,

I love to live in a peaceful world without pandemics and war...

- Adona

My Travel Memory

It was my summer vacation in 2019. We were planning to go on vacation. There were many options. We decided to spend a few days in a resort called “The Destiny Farms” as suggested by one of my aunts. It is on the Ooty hills. We live in Chennai where the sun is scorching in summer, Ooty with its cool climate would be an ideal get away from the heat we thought. We saw some pictures of the farm on the internet, I was so excited about going there. I happily packed my clothes, a few books and my favourite card games. I was just waiting for the day. And hurray! We were starting the next day. I accompanied my mother to the supermarket nearby to buy some snacks to munch during the drive. We went to bed early. The next morning we started from home. My father told us, since Chennai to Ooty is a long drive, we will take a break in Coimbatore. We reached Coimbatore around noon. We had Congu special for lunch. I relished my all-time favourite Kothu parotta made in Congu style. The rest of the day we spent in the hotel.

The next morning after breakfast we started at Ooty. I enjoyed the drive up the hill amidst the greenery. We spotted a lot of monkeys, beautiful birds, small streams and falls. The climate was getting colder as we went up and up the hills. A little before our destination, we spotted a serene lake, we stopped by for a while, the view was so refreshing. Finally we reached the destination around noon. It was the parking lot of the resort, the resort is actually a few kilometers further into the forest area, where there were no roads laid. We were told an army truck was on the way to pick us and a few other families. We made friends with another family from Chennai, they had a small boy named Eshan who resembled my cousin brother Eric. We became friends instantly. My father got motion sick on the way to the resort.

On reaching the resort, a friendly person took us to our room. The room was nice with a balcony facing the beautiful garden and lake. There was no TV in the room, no internet or even phone signal in the resort except in the lobby area. The theme of the resort was “Get connected being disconnected”. After lunch we strolled around the resort, me and Eshan were excited to see the cow shed, stable, chicken coop, vegetable garden, we were running around in excitement. Then our parents decided to walk to the lake, it was a long walk but we enjoyed spotting and picking bugs. In the lake we played throwing small rocks to see whose went the farthest. We had a grand buffet dinner, enjoyed several rounds of desserts. Then it was bonfire time, we danced, sang and enjoyed the warmth of the fire.

The next morning we went trekking further up the hill from our resort. The top of the hill had a magnificent view, with lakes on either side. Though I missed Eshan I played with other friends till it was time to get down. After breakfast we went horse riding, the Jockey gave me and Eshan multiple rounds as we enjoyed the ride and wanted more. Then went horse grooming, where we got to help an uncle clean the mane of a horse and feed hay to the foals. Then while milking the cow, I was very excited. An uncle helped us milk, by holding the tail of the cow. Since it rained, we spent most part of the evening either in our room or in Eshan’s playing games or playing in the corridor or game room with other kids.

The next day we went fishing, we didn’t get any, in spite of holding the rod for a long time. Then went sheep petting, we held the lambs and fed them grass. I loved playing with them but the rams were very rough. Also we were taken on a garden tour, we got to pull out radish and potatoes, smell and taste different herbs and leaves. We enjoyed the rains in the evening, and we ordered snacks from the snack bar.

The next day we did some adventures like trying zip lines. It was my first time to go alone in the zip. It was thrilling. We did rock climbing too. We played with Sarah the pussy and Susan the dog in the resort. They wear cool jackets in the evenings. Since my parents said we would be leaving the next morning, we went around the resort again to say goodbye to the horses, cows, sheep and chicks and the people who work there.

The next morning after breakfast we hugged our friends goodbye, took pictures and left the resort in the same army truck. On the way back my mom told me how beautiful were our days without Tab, phone, internet, TV etc. Being with nature and friends is definitely more fun than being with gadgets. I made a lot of memories to Cherish.

- Adona