Appu gets a new family

 

Appu looked up started. Who was that? Had Teju come back or was it someone else? As Appu smelt the wind with his trunk, he saw Teju and sat up. However, Teju was not alone. With him was a man. A huge man like the ones who killed his herd. Why had Teju brought a man with him?

Appu got agitated and started trumpeting loudly. He swayed from side to side, flapping his ears and stomping his front leg.

“Hush, hush dear Appu”, said Teju. “Don’t worry, we are not here to harm you. This is my father and we want to help you.”

Appu could not understand and was angry, hurt and upset. He was angry at Teju for bringing a man to the hideout. He was hurt because he thought he could trust Teju and he was upset because he did not feel safe anymore.

Teju realized that Appu was confused, so he slowly went up to Appu and stroked his head like before. Teju kept talking in a soft voice, while his dad stood in the distance. Teju kept stroking Appu’s head and trunk and talking softly. After a few mins, his father too stepped forward and he started humming in a low voice. Appu listed intently. He liked the soothing humming and slowly he started swaying his head to the sound of Teju’s father’s song. Soon Teju and his father were both next to Appu with their arms around him.

Appu now felt at ease. He trusted Teju and so he trusted this man too. The man had a sack with him from which he pulled out a bunch of bananas. Appu was thrilled. The man plucked two and gave it to Appu who gobbled it down in a jiffy. Soon the entire bunch was in Appu’s tummy and he was no longer hungry. He started playing with the man and Teju. He nudged their feet and then would run away when they tried to catch him. He was enjoying himself.

In the meantime, Teju and his dad were discussing how to help Appu. They could not keep him alone in the jungle, they could not take him home; what could they do? Teju’s father was a havildar in the forest office and he knew Appu was not safe by himself. What could they do? As the two sat discussing, they heard a jeep. Appu too heard the jeep and he ran up to Teju and hid behind him.

The jeep rolled up to the trio and stopped.  Out stepped a huge man with a kind face in a khaki uniform. “What’s happening here? Who is this?” asked the man. Teju’s father stood up straight and after saluting smartly said, ‘Sir this baby elephant was orphaned when the villagers shot the entire herd of elephants yesterday. My son found this little one all alone, frightened and hungry. He brought me here to show me the elephant. We have fed him bananas and are trying to figure out what do with him. I was going to call in the office and ask for your advice, Sir.”

The huge man was the Forest Officer and after hearing about the elephant shootings and had come to investigate. He had been told that all the elephants had been killed and he was pleasantly surprised to see little Appu. “Yes Dharmveer (that was Teju’s father’s name), we must save this little fellow”, said the Forest Officer.

He then stepped forward and stroked Appu’s head too. He seemed like a nice man and his touch was caring and warm. Appu like this man too. All humans were not bad after all.

The officer then pulled out a map and spread it on the bonnet of the jeep and started marking out areas in a red circle. Teju’s father took a walkie-talkie and started connecting with other Forest rangers in the area. After calling a number of people, Teju’s father seemed excited. “Sir, we have found another elephant herd on the far side of the forest,” said Teju’s father to the officer.

Teju and the two men seemed excited. Teju quickly came over and hugged Appu. Teju’s father too patted Appu’s head.

Then just as suddenly, the humans became serious.

“How will we get Appu to the far side of the forest?” asked Teju.

“Yes, that will be a challenge. But we must hurry because that elephant herd in on the move and we must reach them before they move from the current location. Also, we must introduce Appu to a new herd before he becomes too used to human presence,” said the Forest Officer.

The three then looked at him and then at the jeep and then looked at each other and smiled. They had an idea!!! Appu would have to get into the back of the jeep and they could then drive him to the other side of the forest. But how would they get him on?

Teju came up with an idea and quickly ran to get a broken piece of raft he had seen on his way to school. He brought that and inclined it onto the side on the jeep. Then he stood in front of Appu and showed him a banana. As expected Appu took it, then Teju climbed up the ramp and showed Appu another banana and Appu too climbed up the ramp and took it. Slowly and steadily Teju got Appu into the back of the jeep. Then Teju’s dad and the forest officer secured Appu to ensure that he did not bang himself when the jeep was on the road and with Teju sitting next to Appu in the back, all four set off towards the other side of the forest.

After travelling over roads that were sometimes mucky, sometimes dry and most often bumpy the jeep hurtled within sight of the other herd of elephants. All four on the jeep looked at the herd anxiously. The herd too put out their trunks to figure out who the intruders were.

Slowly Teju got Appu to get off the jeep via the ramp. The two stood watching the elephants. Appu was excited seeing other elephants, but was scared of them too. He did not know any of them. Teju, his father and the Forest officer were anxious too; they worried if the herd would accept Appu or not.

After watching the elephants for some time, Teju slowly hugged Appu and then said, “Its time you went to the herd. I hope they accept you and love you like your own family did. I don’t want to let you go, but I know you will be safer with your kind than with me.” So, saying, Teju slowly pushed Appu towards the herd. The elephants, seeing a baby elephant came forward and trumpeted.  Appu walked slowly towards them, and then picked up some speed and then when he was within a few feet he got scared. They looked so huge!!! A Mama elephant from the herd came forward and smelled Appu and then put her trunk around him and pulled him into the herd.

As Teju watched in wonder, he saw Appu being greeted by the other elephants and before long the entire herd started moving on. Teju stood watching in silence with tears running down his cheeks. He had gained a friend and lost him too within a day; but his friend had lost and found a family within a day. He was happy that Appu was finally safe. Teju hugged his father and silently waved good bye to Appu.

Appu walked a few meters and then turned around and trumpeted loudly, as if saying, “good by my human friend... good bye.”

This is the Story of a boy and an elephant.

 

Allthatswritten: Appu finds a friend

Allthatswritten: Appu finds a friend:   Appu stood watching and crying. What should he do? What could he do? Should he rush down and scare all the people away from his mom and ...

Appu finds a friend

 

Appu stood watching and crying. What should he do? What could he do?

Should he rush down and scare all the people away from his mom and his herd? Should he stay right there or should he sneak into the forest unnoticed?

As Appu stood watching the chaos far away, he suddenly heard a twig crack. He swiftly turned around and put out his trunk to smell the wind, just like his mummy had taught him. He smelt a human. He froze.

He trumpeted loudly and stomped his front leg. He was scared, but he knew that if he did not show that he was strong; then he too might be captured or worse killed like his mother. He stomped, trumpeted and flapped his ears. He still could not see any human, but he could smell the human.

Where was the human? Why was he not showing himself?

Appu heard another twig crackle on his right and he turned and he finally saw him. A Human!!! But this human was not as big as the others! Why, this human was shorter than Appu himself!!!

Appu was looking at a little boy, no taller than him, dressed in shorts and a shirt, looking intently at Appu. The boy put out his hand and spoke softly. Appu cocked his ears. He had never heard a human talk so softly. Usually, humans screamed or yelled and threw stones or crackers at the elephant heard. This human was different. He was not as huge as the others, he was not screaming or yelling and most importantly he was actually putting out a hand towards Appu.

Appu still did not move. He watched the boy intently. The boy then put his hand into a bag on his shoulder and took out a banana and held it out. Appu was surprised. Appu was hungry because he had not eaten anything since last evening; but could he trust this human?

The boy slowly took a step forward, then two more and then a few more, till he was standing right next to Appu. The boy still had the banana in his outstretched hands and he kept softly calling out to Appu.

Appu sniffed the air, then slowly put out his trunk to sniff the boy. The boy seemed harmless. Slowly Appu put his trunk on the boy’s hand; the hand smelled of bananas!!! Wow!!!

The boy stood still while Appu smelled him and touched him. Then slowly he stroked Appu’s trunk with the banana. Appu liked it. Appu felt ticklish too. Then Appu took the banana from the little boy and gobbled it up hungrily. The banana went in so fast that Appu could hardly taste it! He looked at the boy again and then with his trunk nudged the boy.

The boy smiled and put his hand back into his bag and brought out another banana. Appu was thrilled. He quickly snatched the banana and gobbled that one down too and once again nudged the boy. This time the boy started laughing and said, “you like bananas don’t you. But that was all I had!”

Appu could not understand what the boy was saying. So he gave the boy a slight push. This time the boy fell down and instead of crying, he started laughing even more loudly. The boy then put out his hand towards Appu and stroked it gently and said, “I don’t have any more bananas, but I can get you some. Let me go to school now and on my way back I shall get you some.” The boy then stood up and Appu nuzzled up to him. The boy held Appu’s trunk and said, “we are friends now. My name is Teja but everyone calls me Teju.. you can also call me Teju and I shall call you Appu.”.

Appu was shocked, how did this boy know my name!!!! But it did not matter, the boy looked kind and had even fed Appu and not thrown sticks or stones at him. He liked Teju.

Teju then started walking away and Appu got alarmed. Where was his friend going? Was he leaving him too? Appu started whimpering and with his trunk held on to Teju.

Teju realized what was happening. He stopped, hugged Appu and softly spoke to him again. “Appu you are my friend. I shall never leave you. I will always take care of you, but to do that I must go get you some food. Let me go now and I promise, I shall be back before long with food for you.” Saying this Teju gave Appu a long hug and slowly pushed him away.

Appu stood in tears as he watched his new friend walk away. Appu saw Teju turning time and again before he disappeared in the thick trees. 

Appu was scared. Should he stay here or follow Teju? Should he run into the forest and find shelter or should he blend into the thick trees till Teju came back? Appu was confused, but then decided to stay put. He hoped his friend would come back. He sat down and tucked his trunk between his front legs. Before long, Appu fell asleep.

Suddenly he heard a noise and he looked up. What did he see…….????    

 

To be continued……..

Appu lost his family

 

Appu opened his eyes and looked about. There was no one around. Where had everyone gone? He sat up in fright, but his head hurt. He shook his head and yelped in pain. What was that? Why was his head throbbing so much? Where was mom? Where were his friends?

Suddenly he heard some voices, shouts, drums and the thumping of footsteps. Suddenly it all came back to him. He was with his mom and his herd, walking through the sugarcane fields. The sugarcanes tasted so yumm and mom had said he could have one. He had loved chomping down on the cane she gave him. They were all walking peacefully, when suddenly there was a loud boom and aunty Hilda fell down. Everyone around him started screaming and running. Mum pulled him closer and nudged him along. She wanted to get out of there as fast as she could. She was scared. Seeing her scared, Appu was scared too.

Before he could take a few steps ahead, he heard another boom and Mom collapsed behind him. What was happening? What was that boom? Mom looked at him and pushed him ahead and said, ‘run Appu run.. save your life, go as far away from this place as possible… just run”.

Appu did just that, he ran, ran as fast as his feet could carry him, run as far away from the boom as possible, run like his life depended on it, run because mom had said so. He ran and ran and ran and then exhausted he fell down and before he knew it.. he fell asleep.

Now as he sat up, it all came back to him. The booms, the screaming, the chaos, Aunt Hilda, his mom.. everything. He slowly stood up and looked out of the clearing and that is when he saw. He saw crowds of people surrounding his herd. He saw his mom on the ground, the mud soaking in her blood. He saw Aunt Hilda lying motionless and then he saw his friends – some in pain, some lying dead.

He was sad. He had lost everything. He was now an orphan.

He hated humans. He hated the people who lived in the villages near his jungle. Those humans took away the jungle, the grass, set boundaries, built walls; all in his jungle. Where would his kind go? Where could the animals go?

He hated humans, he hated the villagers, he hated people.

He was all alone.. all alone in a jungle without his parents or his family, being hunted by people….where could he go???  

...to be continued.....

Let her grieve

 

Grief at the loss of a loved one is unbearable, often destructive, takes long to overcome and often leaves one feeling lonely. How we overcome it, varies from person to person; but no matter how we overcome it, the experience changes us, plays a huge part in our evolution process and are testimonies to our individual personalities.

From personal experience I know overcoming grief and the loss of a parent was not easy. It’s been 8 years since my mom passed and even today, I am sometimes overcome with emotion and breakdown. Its not easy. For the first couple of months post her demise, I remember walking kilometers by myself and letting the tears run down my face, just to the rains wash them away.  Mind you, I was 35 years old then!!

Which is why I was so touched by this story in the newspapers this week. This child, just 16 years old; faced her toughest challenge; held on to her self and focused her energies on something that would make her parents proud. Imagine, losing one parent is difficult, which is why losing both parents in a span of days and then channeling that grief into academics to score such brilliant grades is truly commendable. I’m talking about the girl from Bhopal, who lost both her parents to Covid in May 2020 and then went on to appear for her Class 10 CBSE exams and score a remarkable 99.8%.

My heart goes out to the little girl - Vanisha. Yes, she should be congratulated, encouraged and even called an inspiration; but she is a child who has been forced to grow up and become mature in a matter of days. When she says, “when I looked at my younger brother, I suddenly realized I was all he had. At this age, I had become his mother and father. I couldn’t let myself fall apart….”, I broke down. 

I cried for that little girl. I cried for her innocence or the loss of it, for her determination even if it was forced from within, for her grit which she must have done with clammed teeth, for her conviction which pushed her from within, for her maturity way beyond her years and for her poise and dignity in adversity.

Her parents, God Bless their departed Souls, must be proud of her. But her achievement, has put the spotlight on that little girl. From here on the climb is going to steep, her actions are going to be judged, her credentials going to be revisited time and again and her focus going to be shifted because people are going to use her as an inspiration. She will be called for talks, for speeches and for probably ribbon cutting too; without an iota of thought for what she went through and will go through for the rest of her life.

I beseech every one following her story to let her be, let her grow at her own pace, let her live and most importantly to let her mourn in peace.

What we can do is support her (financially with grants, scholarships and such), encourage her (by talking to her), applaud her and let her know that her parents have sent guardian angles to watch over her when she needs it.

Little girl, stay little, enjoy your teen, your youth, laugh out loud, go out with your friends, be your brother’s sister and friend because that is what you are, don’t take the burden of being a parent – let the elders in the family take on that responsibility.

Hugs and love to you; because little girl, you truly deserve it.    

‘The Child called IT’ by ‘Dave Pelzer’ and ‘A Brother's Journey: Surviving A Childhood of Abuse’ by ‘Richard B. Pelzer’

 I've read books that have made me cry. I've even read books that have shocked me and I’ve wondered about the protagonist. But this book takes the cake for the cruelty, the psychotic mind of the mother, the book’s raw honesty and description of the protagonist’s angst.

The book is ‘The Child called IT’ by ‘Dave Pelzer’. Id recently borrowed the book from Bookelphia (the crowdfunding book library run by a friend Reethu Bhagat). This is a true story of the author Dave Pelzer and takes us through his childhood. One among five brothers, he was at the receiving end of all punishments in a home governed by his alcoholic and abusive mother and almost invisible and non-existential father.

To read what a boy as young as 5 went through is gut wrenching. Each chapter is filled with the boys angst, his desperation to get out, his undying love for his mother despite her crazy behavior, his hunger for food, love and acceptance, his feeling of homelessness and his sunken eyes devoid of any life.

All through the book I wondered how a mother could do this to her own child!!! I even wondered if she was mentally instable? Was that why she did what she did? But then she was good to the other boys!!! Then what transpired for her to single Dave out and treat him so???

When the book ended and Dave was finally able to get out, I signed a sigh of relief; but was curious and so hunted for the next two books of the trilogy. 

While I could not get those, I did find and order the book ‘A Brother's Journey: Surviving A Childhood of Abuse’ by ‘Richard B. Pelzer’. Richard is Dave’s brother and he was one of the closest support to their mother when she meted out punishment to Dave.   

Richard would snitch on his brother, make up stories and basically complain about his brother Dave to his mother only to watch in glee as older brother Dave got beaten black and blue. While reading ‘The Child called IT’, I hated Richard’s guts and was repulsed by his ruthlessness.

However, when I picked up ‘A Brother's Journey’, I realized that Richard was not completely at fault here. He too was a young child (barely 4-5 years old), fighting for survival. His actions although abhorrent, should be taken as the only means for him to stay afloat in a household ruled by a manic mother.

Once Dave leaves, Richard is the target of all the inhumane punishment. He too goes through what his brother went through and that is when you realize that the mother truly was a mental case.

The people you want to question are the authorities who having saved Dave, should have done something to save the other children in the house. You want to question the teachers and school authorities who despite seeing all the signs of abuse did nothing to save the young kids. You want to question the neighbors who despite knowing the abusive and atrocities being done, did nothing to intervein and save the children. You want to question the grandmother who knew how her grandchildren were suffering.    

Both the books left me in tears and left me wondering how someone could be so devilish that she put the devil to shame.

These books are not for the faint hearted; but if you must; then do read Dave Pelzer’s trilogy - A Child Called 'It', The Lost Boy and A Man Named Dave; and Richard B. Pelzer’s two books ‘A Brother's Journey’ and ‘A teenagers Journey’. 

Dave Pelzer

Richard B Pelzer

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult

The Corona Virus unleashed its fury on my household and although we all got through to the other side, we were all left beaten and bruised.

I'm still struggling with post Covid complications and if one day is an easy sail, the next threatens to drag me down.

During those drag days, I revisit books and movies that made me emotional. It's a good excuse to cry buckets and not be judged or be called an emotional wreck!!

So, early this week was one of those drag days and I revisited the movie "My Sister's Keeper", a 2009 American drama film directed by Nick Cassavetes based on the book by Jodi Picoult. I'm a huge fan of books as opposed to movies and when I do watch movies that are adaptions of books, I get very critical and am often left disappointed with the movie.

My Sister's Keeper was an exceptional. I cried when I read the book and I cried harder watching the movie.

A mother's anguish and desperation to do whatever it takes to save her first born; a father's heartbreak knowing that he will never see his daughter grow up and live a normal life, they he will not walk her down the isle and that he will never seen her have a family of her own; the siblings struggle with reality and the fact that they love their sister but also at at times resentful of how their mother is focused only on her and finally the girl herself, who knows that she is dying, who knows what her family is going through and who knows that she drew the short end of the stick.

The book is brilliant and the movie does enough justice to it. The cast is perfect and you feel for each one of them.

I cried for and with the the characters, I cried for myself, I cried for all those loved ones I lost and I cried for ... well I cried for relief!!!

Allthatswritten: Cheese Wine and Friends must be Old to be Good. - ...

Allthatswritten: Cheese Wine and Friends must be Old to be Good. - ...:   A.B.C. Farms Pvt Ltd - A must visit while in Pune 

Cheese Wine and Friends must be Old to be Good. - The ABC Farms in Pune

 

A.B.C. Farms Pvt Ltd

When we had kids, Hubby and I decided that every trip that we would take would be an experience for our children. It would be an opportunity for them to learn something new, experience something new, feel something new and hopefully add to their knowledge repository.

Earlier, we ended up spending our New Years Eve and the start to the New Year at our friends Villa in Shahpur; but even those trips were educational trips. From imbibing values of sharing, caring, love, compassion; to introducing them to the flora and fauna of the place; we made every trip count.

This time for New Year’s Eve, we took them to Pune and since they love cheese; we decided to teach them all about cheese.

What better place to take them to for a lesson on Cheese than to the ABC Farms, a place that was started way back in 1976. A, B and C stand for Aga, Bhathena and Chinoy, the surnames of the first three founder directors of the Company. Today ABC Farms is completely owned and run by Sohrab Chinoy and his family.

We booked an appointment and reached the place by 12.30 in the afternoon. It was much different from what I remembered the place from an earlier visit about two decades back. We were met by the charming Sohrab Chinoy who welcomed us with an amazingly refreshing probiotic lemon flavored lassi. 

Then a huge tray filled with cups of different kids of cheese was brought in and as we dug in Sohrab spoke to us about the farm, the history, how he got into the business and more. As we sat talking, Sorabh shared wonderfully candid stories of his youth, he experiences, his passion and more. Munchkin 1 was full of questions and wrote down notes diligently in her tiny book, while Munchkin 2 and our friend’s Munchkin gorged on all the cheese.

Sorabh then took us to the Cheese processing unit and showed us how cheese is made. The chill in each of the curing freezers were completely worth it when we got to see how cheese gets aged, stored, packed; all ready for dispatch.  

Freezing inside one of the curing freezers with Sorabh

It was an amazing experience and one that I hope my kids will re-visit when they grow older and are able to understand a little bit more.

Walking out of the Farm, we shopped for so many different kinds of Cheese that my fridge is still bursting at its seams; but completely worth it considering how much we learnt. I loved Sohrab's passion for the farm and how despite all the challenges and competition, he refuses to part ways with his ethics, processing styles and quality. What I loved best was his advice to continue eating cheese, but good quality cheese never fattens!!! 

We ended the trip with a yummy lunch at the Shisha Cafe – Persian & Indian Cuisine. The ambiance is absolutely relaxing and seeing the restaurant built around the huge tree (which I think is an old Gulmohar) is so heartening.

We were there only during the afternoon; but I’m sure the place is abuzz during the evening hours.

Overall, a wonderful experience that I shall cherish for a long time to come. I do hope to make it back again soon and actually gorge on some of the amazing items listed on the menu.

Till we meet again… Au revoir Mr Sohrab Chinoy.

Sohrab Chinoy

ps: I was so mesmerized that I hardly took pics. Most of the pictures here are from the ABC Farms website or FB page. 

Allthatswritten: The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

Allthatswritten: The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides:   If there was book that blew my mind with its unexpected ending, then this is it. The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides is a bestseller wo...

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

 

If there was book that blew my mind with its unexpected ending, then this is it.

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides is a bestseller worth its weight.

I ploughed through the initial pages of the book sighing that it was too slow. The story revolves around how Theo Faber, a forensic psychotherapist tries to get Alicia Berenson, a London artist who inexplicably shot her husband years ago to talk. Ever since the murder, she has shut herself within and refuses to speak to anyone and is hence condemned to a secure forensic unit called the Grove.

Theo tries in vain to get Alicia to talk and follows up with her friend, therapist, family and cousin to understand her and her moods. During the course of the interactions between Theo and Alicia, she gives him her diary and Theo finally gets a glimpse into the days before the murder.

Running parallel to this is Theo’s own relationship issues with his wife.

The end is unexpected, a total shocker and something that gives me goosebumps even as I write this review.

The book explores love, relationships, trust, mental agony, emotional upheaval and so much more. Its like peeling off layer after layer.

A must read for all those who love a twist in their books.

This book is being adapted into a movie by Brad Pitt’s Plan B along with Annapurna. Cant wait for this one!!!

Alex Michaelides