What is your career plan?
Prisha put her red lunch box in a small waterproof bag and then she
put the lunch box in her brown school bag. She put her green bottle of
water in the side pocket of her school bag.
Prisha took out her bicycle and waved goodbye to her mother who stood
behind. Her mother waved back while asking Prisha to be careful on the
road. The 12 years old girl got on her bicycle and pedalled away.
Prisha loved her bicycle ride to and from school, especially in the
mornings when the air was fresh and cool. She followed the
instructions by her parents carefully to avoid any form of trouble on
the road. Prisha had encountered a problem one day when a small dog
chased her for a while; Prisha proudly recounts it as how she
skilfully rode the bicycle to save herself from the dog.
It had been over a year since Prisha had been going to school on her
bicycle. For Prisha who was more studious than she was athletic, this
ride proved to be beneficial for her overall health.
Prisha spotted her friend Yash waiting for his school bus. She did not
usually find him waiting for the school bus at this time.
“Good morning. Is the school bus late again?” Prisha said as she
stopped her bicycle near Yash.
Yash was tired from standing there for more time than intended, “Good
Morning. Yes, the bus is late again. On days like this I wish my
school was near enough for me to ride my bicycle there.”
Prisha looked to the farthest end of the road but found no trace of
the bus, “If the bus doesn’t arrive soon, you better tell your
mother.”
Yash nodded, not comfortable with the idea of arriving late in a class
full of his classmates.
“I will be on my way then. See you in the evening. Bye”, Prisha said
as she rode away. Yash gave her a short wave.
Prisha bicycled out of her block; she noticed something the entire
way, the roads were repaired, new plants were planted alongside the
sidewalk while the existing plants were well-watered, the dividers
between the road were also repaired and freshly painted.
Near her school, Prisha saw workers busy in repair work in the area.
Prisha got down her bicycle and entered the school with it. She found
her friend Dipta waiting for her.
“Good morning. Have you been waiting for me?” asked Prisha
“Good morning. I saw you around the corner, so I thought of waiting”
replied Dipta.
“Lots of repair work going on around here, I wonder what is the
occasion,” said Prisha while parking her bicycle.
“Oh! Some minister is visiting the area the day after tomorrow. I
forgot what her name was. So, that is why all the repair work is being
done,” Dipta said, waving to a classmate passing by.
Prisha found herself questioning her own general awareness about why
she didn’t know about it.
In the evening Prisha sat completing her homework while her mother
read a book. Prisha looked at her mother and her mother noticed
Prisha’s gaze.
“Is there something that you want to say?” asked Prisha’s mother.
“Well.. ministers, they are very important, aren’t they?” asked Prisha
Prisha’s mother was a little surprised at her daughter’s question,
“Yes, they are important. Why the sudden interest?”
“The roads and everything around them were repaired and cleaned for a
minister’s visit. I think that is who I want to be when I grow up.
Wherever I will go, everything will be repaired and maintained, and
everyone living in an area will be happy when they know I am going to
pass through their area,” said Prisha, smiling at the thought.
“Sure, go ahead!” said Prisha’s mother, trying to control her laughter
with her hand.
Early Morning Memories 