Poem : Where do we Belong?.......................... 1O Story: Julie and Lily

STORY

Julie was always a brave girl, and her parents, Tom and Martha, were very proud of their child. Julie had a younger sister named Lily who had crooked teeth. Whenever Lily went to school, her friends would make fun of her crooked smile which made the poor girl break into tears all the time. Fed up of this, Lily decided to tell Julie about her bullies in the classroom one night.

Julie was very displeased that her sister had not spoken about the problem Lily was facing earlier, and had suffered for so long! Next morning, Julie went to school with Lily. As Lily’s classmates saw her sister Julie accompanying her this time, nobody said a thing. Julie informed the authorities about the misconduct of her sister’s classmates, and all the students received a strict warning. Nobody bullied Lily ever again for her crooked teeth.

Displeased: Unhappy Authority: People in Charge

Talk to your elders, if people trouble you unnecessarily.

PICTURE STORY

A Tourist visited Ladakh for a trip. This is a conversation between the tourist and his local driver named Jigmet.

Tourist: What do you plan on doing after the tourist season has ended? How will you earn money? Jigmet: I plan on going to Siachen. There I will join the army as a loader.

Tourist: You mean you’ll join the army as a Jawan? Jigmet: No. This is a contract job. I cannot join the army as I’m already past the age limit.

Tourist: How will you go there? Jigmet: First, I will travel 265kms to Siachen Base camp, where my medical check-up will be done to see if I am fit enough. Then if I pass, the army will issue uniforms, shoes, warm clothing, helmet, etc. After that, we’ll climb mountains for 15 days to reach Siachen as there is no motorable road. We’ll work there for 3 months.

Tourist: What work will you do? Jigmet: I’ll work as a loader. I’ll carry the supplies airdropped in Siachen for the soldiers, from one chowki to another, on my back.

Tourist: Why doesn’t the army use any animals or vehicles for transporting? Jigmet: Siachen is a glacier, so usual vehicles will not work there and ice scooters make a lot of noise which attracts enemy attention and that can be dangerous. Animals cannot survive the cold as we are at an altitude of 18875 ft with -5O degrees C in winter. We go out quietly at night around 2 am and pick up loads and bring them back to the barracks.

Tourist: Aren’t you scared of getting hurt? Jigmet: We get paid 18OOO rupees per month. Since all expenses are taken care of, we can save upto 5OOO rupees in these three months. I need the money for my family, especially my daughter’s education.

Jigmet: Many of my friends have died by falling into the vast crevasses, or due to frostbite. Some have even been shot down by enemy bullets. But it is all worth it because I get to serve the army and my country, which is the best reward of all. It makes me feel proud to be an Indian.