So let’s begin,
-
Team Unstoppable’s Room – 4:55 AM
The room was freezing. The air conditioner wasn't even on, but the early morning chill of Mumbai winters had seeped through the windows, making the duvet feel like a warm, protective cocoon against the world.
The trio was buried deep under two layers of blankets, dreaming about surprise and the Chocolate Truffle Cake. Suddenly a piercing sound shattered the dream.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
The alarm.
Khushi groaned, a sound that came from the depths of her soul. She blindly slapped the bedside table, knocking over a glass of water before finally hitting the snooze button.
Khushi: (mumbling into the pillow) "Paanch minute... bas paanch minute aur... Bhagwan ji please... Band ho jaa kyu neend kharab kar raha h."
Her eyes felt like they had been glued shut with superglue. Her body felt heavy, anchored to the mattress by the late-night brainstorming session and the sheer comfort of the bed.
4:58 AM.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
Khushi: "Chup ho ja... please chup ho ja..."
She pulled the duvet over her head, trying to escape. The warmth was intoxicating. The thought of stepping onto the cold floor tiles sent a shiver down her spine even before she moved.
Suddenly, the door clicked open.
Light from the hallway sliced through the darkness.
Bela’s Voice: (crisp, awake, and merciless) "Alarm baj chuka hai. Snooze button dabane se kuch nhi hoga, Khushi."
Khushi flinched under the covers. She peeked out with one eye. Bela stood at the door, fully dressed in her tracksuit, looking as fresh as if she had slept for 10 hours.
Khushi: (voice cracking) "Good morning... Ma'am."
Bela: "Good morning. 2 minutes to get ready. Agar 5:01 pe tum neeche nahi dikhi, toh rounds double."
Khushi: "Ma'am... aaj bohot thand hai..."
Bela: "Maine weather report nahi maango h, Khushi. Move."
Bela turned and walked away, leaving the door wide open. The cold hallway draft rushed in, assaulting Khushi’s warm sanctuary.
Khushi: (whining) "Yaar... birthday surprise plan karne ki punishment yeh kyun hai? Main kyu uthi thi raat ko?"
She kicked the blanket off with a cry of frustration. The cold air hit her bare arms, making her teeth chatter instantly.
Khushi: "Brrr! Oof! Thand!"
She stumbled out of bed, her legs wobbling. She grabbed her hoodie, trying to put it on, but her head got stuck in the armhole because she was half-asleep.
Khushi: (struggling with the hoodie) "Mera sar kahan gaya? Akshu! Help!"
Akshu, buried under her own quilt, didn't even stir. Vanshu just snored softly.
Khushi: (glaring at them) "Gaddar log. Tum sab soye raho, main hi akele shaheed hone jaa rahi hoon."
She managed to pull the hoodie down, shoved her feet into ice-cold socks, and grabbed her shoes. She looked at the clock.
5:00 AM.
Khushi: "Shit! Late!"
She sprinted out of the room, one shoe in her hand, sliding down the stairs in her socks, praying that the 'General' hadn't started the stopwatch yet.
As she reached the living room, panting and shivering, she saw Bela waiting near the door, holding the whistle.
Bela: "5:00:45. Late."
Khushi: "Ma'am... woh hoodie atak gayi thi!"
Bela: (opening the door to the foggy garden) "Bahana number 42. Rejected. Chalo, warmup. High knees. Now."
Khushi stepped out into the fog, the cold wind slapping her face, thinking only one thing: This birthday surprise better be worth it.
The Garden Track – 5:15 AM
The fog was so thick that Khushi could barely see the gate, which was probably a good thing because she felt like she was running in a circle of hell.
Her legs felt like they were made of lead pipes filled with cement. Every step sent a jolt of protest up her shins. The 4 hours of sleep—interrupted by dreams of charcoal sketches and “Pythagoras Cakes”—were taking their toll.
Bela: (standing by the porch, whistle in hand) “Pick up the pace, Khushi! Jogging hai, sleepwalking nahi!”
Khushi gritted her teeth, forcing her legs to move faster.
Khushi (Internal Monologue): “Khushi, tu gadhi hai. Maha-gadhi. Deewar ko punch maarna zaroori tha? Pillow ko maar leti? Teddy bear ko maar leti? Nahi, humein toh ‘Angry Young Woman’ banna tha. Ab bhugto. Itni thand mein daudo.”
She panted heavily, her breath coming out in white clouds. Her head was throbbing with a dull rhythm that matched her footsteps. Birthday planning… Surprise Test… Physics formulas… Her poem… It was all mixing into one giant headache.
Khushi: (whispering breathlessly) “Akshu aur Vanshu…mast kambal mein so rahe honge… aur main yahan… Arctic Circle mein marathon bhaag rahi hoon…”
She stumbled over a pebble, almost face-planting into the dew-covered grass. She flailed her arms and regained balance, shooting a nervous look at Bela.
Bela hadn’t missed the stumble. She frowned, lowering the whistle. She noticed Khushi’s eyes that stood out starkly against her pale face.
Bela: “Last round! Finish strong!”
Khushi groaned, summoning the last ounce of energy from her toes, and completed the lap, collapsing near the porch steps. She didn’t even care that the floor was cold; she just wanted to stop moving.
Bela: “Khadi ho jao. Zameen thandi hai, bimar pad jaogi. Mats bichhao. Meditation time.”
Khushi looked at the rolled-up yoga mats like they were instruments of torture. Meditation? In this state? Silence was dangerous. Silence was the cousin of Sleep.
The Verandah – 5:35 AM
They sat in the semi-darkness of the verandah. The world was quiet. Too quiet.
Bela sat in perfect Padmasana, back straight, eyes closed, breathing rhythmically.
Khushi sat opposite her, trying to imitate the posture. She crossed her legs, rested her hands on her knees, and closed her eyes.
Bela: “Focus on your breath. Inhale positivity… Exhale negativity.”
Khushi inhaled.
Inhale… Thand.
Exhale… Neend.
Her brain began to shut down rapidly. The adrenaline from the run had faded, leaving behind a crashing wave of exhaustion.
Khushi (Internal Monologue): Focus Khushi. Focus. Cake… Pythagoras Cake… 3kg… Force equals Mass into Acceleration… F=ma… Ma’am ka birthday… Saree ya Watch… $2x + 5y = Sleep…
Her head felt incredibly heavy. It dipped forward.
She jerked it back up.
Control. General dekh legi.
She peeked at Bela with one eye. Bela was still a statue.
Khushi closed her eyes again. This time, the darkness was velvety and warm.
The sounds of the birds chirping faded away.
The cold wind felt like a lullaby.
Her body swayed slightly to the left. Then to the right.
Khushi’s head bobbed lower. Her chin touched her chest.
Then, gravity took over completely.
Her upper body tilted dangerously to the side. She was falling, fast asleep, straight towards the hard marble floor.
Khushi: (mumbling) “Chocolate… Newton…”
Just inches before her head smashed into the floor, a hand shot out.
Bela caught her.
Bela hadn’t been meditating for the last two minutes. She had opened her eyes and had been watching Khushi’s struggle—the head bobs, the swaying, the sheer exhaustion etched on her face.
Bela held Khushi’s head gently in her palm, stopping the fall. Khushi didn’t wake up. In fact, feeling the warmth of the hand, she nuzzled her cheek against Bela’s palm and let out a soft, deep snore.
Bela sighed, looking at the sleeping girl. The anger about the wall punch was gone. The strictness about the drill evaporated. All she saw was a tired child who was trying too hard to do everything at once.
Bela: (whispering softly) “Pagal ladki. Itni neend mein thi toh boli kyu nahi?”
She carefully maneuvered herself, shifting Khushi so that instead of the floor, Khushi’s head rested on Bela’s lap.
Khushi sighed in her sleep, curling up instinctively, grabbing a fold of Bela’s tracksuit like a blanket.
Bela brushed the messy hair off Khushi’s forehead, her fingers lingering on the cold skin.
Bela: “Shayad main kuch zyada hi strict ho rahi hoon. 15 din ka punishment… aur abhi se tumhari yeh haalat h.”
She checked her watch. 5:45 AM.
Technically, they had 15 more minutes of meditation.
Bela leaned back against the pillar, draping the shawl she had kept nearby over Khushi’s shivering form.
Bela: (softly) “So jao. Aaj ki meditation yahi hai. But pichle kuch dino mai toh aise hua nhi phir aaj?”
She sat there in the quiet dawn, guarding Khushi’s sleep, deciding silently that maybe, just maybe, the “Punishment” could be adjusted a little. After all, even Generals knew when to let their soldiers rest.
The Dining Room – 7:15 AM
If the dining room was a battlefield, today it looked like the army had already lost.
Usually, this time was peak chaos hour—Aashi and Vanu fighting over the jam jar, Kiku throwing tantrums about the crust on her bread, and the teens roasting each other on any random topic or gossiping about other classmates.
But today? It was a scene from The Walking Dead.
Team Aashvi:
Kiku was chewing a toast with her eyes closed, her head bobbing dangerously close to her plate.
Aashi was staring blankly at her milk glass as if it held the secrets of the universe.
Vanu had actually rested her head on the table, using a napkin as a pillow.
Team Unstoppable:
Vanshu was stirring her milk mechanically, clinking the spoon against the glass ting-ting-ting for the last five minutes without taking a sip.
Akshu was holding a spoon of cornflakes mid-air, her mouth open, but she had forgotten to put the spoon in.
Khushi… well, Khushi was blinking in slow motion, looking like a buffering video on 2G internet.
Bela sat at the head of the table, her own toast untouched. Her sharp eyes scanned the table, moving from face to face. She wasn’t looking at them as a mother/guardian; she was looking at them as SHO Bela Sehgal.
Bela: (calmly) “Aaj kya hai? World Sleep Day?”
No one answered. Kiku just let out a small snore before jerking awake when her chin hit the plate.
Bela narrowed her eyes. The detective radar was pinging loudly.
Bela: “Khushi, Akshu, Vanshu… ka samajh aata hai. Assignments hain, projects hain, surprise tests ka darr hai. But…”
She pointed a finger at the little ones.
Bela: “Team Aashvi kyu so rahi hai? Inhe konsi tension hai? Aashi, tumhari aankhein aadhi band kyu hain? Aur Vanu get up, kya kar rahi ho haa yeh toh pura ho so gayi h napkin ko pillow samajhke.. Aur Kiku, tum toast kha rahi ho ya toast tumhe kha raha hai?”
Aashi blinked slowly, looking disoriented.
Aashi: “Wo Mumma… hum… hum sapna dekh rahe the…”
Bela: “Sapna raat ko dekha jata hai. Abhi school time hai.”
She leaned forward, her voice dropping to that dangerous, suspicious tone.
Bela: “Kuch toh gadbad hai. You all look exhausted. Not just tired—drained. Raat ko time pe soye the ya nahi? Ya phir…”
She glared at the teens.
Bela: “Raat bhar phone chal raha tha? Ya baatein ho rahi thi? Koi secret meeting chal rahi thi?”
Mahir, who was sipping his coffee and watching the ship sink, decided it was time to intervene. He saw Bela’s “Investigation Mode” loading. If she dug deeper, she’d find the charcoal sketches or the video editing software history.
Mahir: (clearing his throat loudly) “Ahem! Bela, relax. Shaq mat karo in becharon pe.”
Bela: (turning to him) “Mahir ji, look at them. They look like zombies.”
Mahir: “Are zombies nahi, ‘Dedicated Students’ hain yeh. Tumhe pata hai kal raat kya hua?”
The six kids froze. Khushi stopped drinking milk. Vanshu stopped stirring. Akhsu look wide-eyed at him, Had Mahir cracked? Was he giving them up?
Mahir: “Yeh sab… sab ke sab… late night study kar rahe the. Group study. Inspiration jaag gayi hai inke andar.”
The six kids froze. What is he saying?
Bela: (skeptical) “Sab ke sab? Team Aashvi bhi?”
Mahir: (smoothly, waving a hand) “Of course! Tumhe pata hai inhone kya promise kiya hai?”
He pointed at the teens first.
Mahir: “Vanshu aur Akshu ne thaan liya hai ki who Science mein school top karenge. Vanshu ne kasam khayi hai ki who Periodic Table ulta sunayegi. Aur Khushi…”
Bela raised an eyebrow. “Kya?”
He paused for dramatic effect and looked at Khushi with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
Mahir: “Khushi ne kasam khayi hai ki is baar ke Surprise Test mein… Maths mein… wo Full Marks layegi. Isliye raat bhar formulas rat (memorize) rahi thi.”
Khushi: Pffffftttttt!
Khushi choked violently on her milk so badly the glass shook and few drops fell on the table. She coughed loudly, thumping her chest.
Khushi: (coughing) “K-K-Kya?! Main?! Full marks? Wo bhi Maths mai?!”
Mahir: (ignoring her, pointing to the little ones) “Aur inko dekh kar, Team Aashvi bhi motivate ho gayi! Aashi ‘Spelling Bee’ champion banna chahti hai, Kiku ‘Tables’ yaad kar rahi thi, aur Vanu… Vanu ‘General Knowledge’ badha rahi thi. Isliye sab thake huye hain.”
Akshu: Cough-Cough!
Vanshu: Gasp!
Aashi: (whispering) “Hein?”
The table erupted in a symphony of chokes and coughs. Vanshu looked at Mahir with pure horror. Akshu dropped her spoon into the bowl with a splash. Even sleepy Kiku looked confused.
Bela: (patting Khushi’s back hard) “Dhyaan se! Marogi kya?”
She looked at Mahir, then at the sputtering group of “scholars.”
Bela: “Full marks? Khushi? Wo bhi Maths mai, Mahir ji, mazaak ka bhi ek standard hota hai. Aur Periodic Table ulta? Science topper? Akshu aur Physics ka chhattees ka aakda h.. Aur Kiku tables yaad kar rahi thi raat ko 12 baje? Aapko pata h na kiku aur maths dushman h?"
Mahir: (shrugging innocence) “Maahol hi aisa tha Bela. Padhaku maahol. Main toh kehta hoon humein proud hona chahiye. Itni dedication! Dekho, chehre utar gaye hain sabke mehnat se.”
Both the teams looked at Mahir with betrayal written all over their face.
Khushi looked at Mahir as if he has just announced her death sentence. Full marks? Really, Sir? 33% passing marks ka target tha mera!
Akshu and Vanshu looked at each with pure horror and then at Mahir who was sitting with an innocent face as if he has done nothing,“Sir crack go gaye h kya? Yeh hume bacha rahe h ya suli par chadha rahe h?
Bela sighed, looking at the exhausted faces. The logic was absurd, but Mahir looked so convinced, and the kids looked so terrified (which she mistook for exhaustion).
Bela: “Look, dedication achi baat hai.. Full marks ka target, topper… well, ambitious hai, par achi baat hai. Lekin… ek hi raat mein Einstein banne ki zaroorat nahi hai.”
Her voice turned stern.
Bela: “Health is non-negotiable. Agar dimaag thaka hua hoga, toh 2+2 bhi 5 likh ke aaoge. You need 8 hours of sleep.”
She looked at the entire group.
Bela: “Aaj se, no late night studies. Chahe wh Olympiad ho ya NASA ka entrance. 10:00 PM matlab lights off. Agar mujhe 10:01 pe kisi ke room se aawaz aayi—chahe who ‘Periodic Table’ hi kyu na ho—toh Surprise Test toh hoga hi, saath mein surprise ‘Punishment’ bhi milegi. For EVERYONE.”
Vanshu: (wide awake now) “Nahi Ma’am! 10 baje so jayenge. Pakka. Periodic table subah yaad karungi.”
Akshu: “Haan Ma’am, Science topper banne ka plan postpone. Sleep is priority.”
Bela: “Aur tum teeno (Team Aashvi)… aaj shaam ko koi khelna nahi. Sidha nap time. School se aate hi so jana. Look at your faces.”
Kiku: “Par Mumma…”
Bela: “No ifs, no buts. That’s an order.”
Mahir: “Chalo, bach gaye…” he muttered under his breath.
Bela: “Aapne kuch kaha Mahir ji?”
Mahir: “Maine kaha… Chalo, bus aa gayi. Bhaago bacho!”
The six of them scrambled up from their chairs, grabbing their bags with renewed energy—mostly the energy to escape Bela’s interrogation and Mahir’s wild claims.
As they walked past Mahir, the whispers were frantic.
Khushi: “Sir! Maths mein full marks? Seriously? Maths h wo sir.. Jaan le lete meri isse acha!”
Vanshu: “Sir Periodic table ulta?! Sidha yaad nahi hota mujhse!”
Akshu: “Sir mera bas chale mai Newton ka sar fod du aur aapne seedha Science topper bana diya!”
Aashi: “Papa, mujhe Spelling Bee nahi karni!”
Vanu: “Aur mujhe GK pasand nhi..Eww.”
Kiku: “Papa mujhse table yaad nhi hote kyu kiya aapne aisa?”
Mahir: (whispering back, winking) “Bela ke shaq se bachne ka yahi tareeka tha. Ab jao, ‘Toppers’! Make me proud!”
Bela watched them run out, shaking her head.
Bela: “Mahir ji, aapko lagta hai main maan gayi ki yeh sab padhai kar rahe honge?”
Mahir: (sipping coffee) “Ummeed pe duniya kayam hai, Bela.”
Bela suppressed a smile and went back to her tea, knowing fully well they were up to something, but deciding to let “Team Genius” have their secret for now.
The School Bus – 7:45 AM
The yellow bus rattled over a pothole, but the six didn’t even bounce. They were slumped in the back seats like sacks of potatoes.
Khushi stared out the window, her eyes hollow.
Khushi: “Sir ne humein bus ke neeche nahi phenka… unhone humein bus ke tyre ke neeche baandh diya h.”
Vanshu adjusted her glasses, which were sliding down her nose.
Vanshu: “Periodic Table… backwards? Hydrogen, Helium… uske baad kya tha? Lithium? Ya Beryllium? Bhagwan, agar Ma’am ne aaj class mein puch liya toh main kya bolungi? Ki Sir mazaak kar rahe the?”
Akshu: (rubbing her temples) “Tu phir bhi bach jayegi. Mera socho. ‘Science Topper’. Mujhe toh Gravity ki spelling bhi Google karni padti hai kabhi kabhi. Ab Ma’am mujhse umeed lagayengi ki main Black Hole ki theory samjhaun.”
Kiku, who was sitting on Khushi’s lap, looked up with wide, fearful eyes.
Kiku: “Di… kya mujhe sach mein 9 ka table yaad karna padega? Mummy ne kaha shaam ko sunengi.”
Khushi looked at the innocent child and sighed.
Khushi: “Yeh sab Sir ka ‘Masterstroke’ hai. Humein bachaane ke chakkar mein unhone humein ‘Scholars’ ghoshit (declare) kar diya. Ab agar hum fail huye… toh Surprise Birthday baad mein manega, pehle humari ‘Shok Sabha’ (condolence meeting) hogi.”
Aashi: “Toh plan kya hai? Shaam ko 10 baje lights off hai. Hum gifts kab banayenge?”
Akshu sat up straight, a dangerous glint returning to her sleepy eyes.
Akshu: “Plan B banana padega.”
Vanshu: “Matlab?”
Akshu: “Ma’am ko lagta hai hum padh rahe hain? Toh hum padhenge. Ya at least… natak karenge. Hum library period aur lunch break use karenge sketching aur editing ke liye. Ghar pe… humein ‘Oscar Level Acting’ karni padegi.”
Khushi: “Hmm aur koi option bhi nhi h ab humare pass kyuki agar Ma’am ko pata chala sir ne cover up karne ke liye yeh jhooth bola tha toh khush hone ki jagah wo aur gussa na ho jaaye..”
Zaveri Bazaar, South Mumbai – 11:30 AM
While the kids were fighting a war against sleep and expectations, Mahir Sehgal was on a different kind of mission.
He sat in the plush velvet chair of a private cabin in one of Mumbai’s oldest and most prestigious jewelry stores. The jeweler, Mr. Mehta, placed a velvet tray on the glass table.
Mr. Mehta: “Sir, as per your specifications. Pure silver, heavy, old-school design. With Ghungroos that sing, not make noise.”
Mahir picked up the silver anklets (Payal). They were exquisite. Intricate craftsmanship, heavy silver that felt substantial, with tiny bells clustering at the clasp.
He gave them a gentle shake.
Chhan-Chhan.
The sound was melodious, soft yet commanding. Exactly like Bela.
Mahir smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners.
Mahir: “Perfect. Pack it. And the ring?”
Mr. Mehta pulled out a smaller box. Inside sat the Eternity Band. A continuous circle of diamonds, flawless and brilliant.
Mahir picked it up, reading the inscription inside: My Love.
It was simple. Because with Bela, he didn’t need paragraphs. He just needed to be there.
Mahir: “Bela ko fancy cheezein pasand nahi hain, par quality pasand hai. Yeh unhe suit karega.”
He took out his phone and texted his PA.
Mahir: “Jewelry done. Gazebo status?”
PA: “Cleaned. Fairy lights being installed. Work in progress.”
Mahir leaned back, satisfied. The General was busy disciplining the troops, unaware that the King was preparing the castle.
The Sehgal Mansion – 6:00 PM
The atmosphere in the living room was tense. It wasn’t the usual chaotic noise; it was the silence of a library before an exam.
Bela had taken Mahir’s “lie” very seriously. Too seriously.
She had set up a portable whiteboard in the middle of the living room. She was wearing her glasses, holding a marker like a weapon.
The six kids were seated on the floor with their books open.
Bela: “Okay. Since you all are so ‘motivated’, let’s channelize this energy correctly. Sir ne bataya ki tum log raat bhar padh rahe the. I am impressed. But self-study mein doubts reh jate hain. So, today’s evening session is supervised by me.”
A collective gulp echoed through the room.
Bela tapped her marker against the board. “Let’s start with the junior battalion. Team Aashvi. Papa ne kaha tum log bhi bohot mehnat kar rahe ho.”
She pointed the marker at the 5-year-old troops.
Bela: “Kiku.. Agar tumhare paas 5 chocolates hain, aur Akshu di ne tumhe 3 chocolates aur de di, toh total kitni hui?”
Kiku blinked her large, innocent eyes. She looked down at her tiny hands, frantically trying to count on her fingers. She confidently raised five fingers on her left hand, then stared at her right hand, completely forgetting where she started.
Kiku: (squeaking and holding up 10 fingers) “Um… Mummy… Ten?”
Bela sighed, shaking her head. “Eight, Kiku. Raat bhar lagta hai sapne mein chocolates hi kha rahi thi.” She shifted her gaze. “Aashi. Papa bol rahe the Spellings revise ki tumne. Spell ‘Apple’.”
Aashi puffed out her chest confidently, proud to show off her Kindergarten skills. “Easy! A-P-L-E!”
Bela: “Wrong. Double P hota hai, Aashi. Focus.”
Before Aashi could pout, Bela moved to the next target. “Vanu, Who is the King of Jungle?. ”
Vanu thought for a second, her face scrunching up with extreme effort. “Elephant! Kyunki wo sabse mota hota hai!”
Bela: “Lion hota hai, Vanu. General knowledge zero hai. Lagta hai mujhe tum teeno ki TV aur cartoon timing cut karni padegi.”
Team Aashvi instantly wilted like unwatered plants. But the General wasn’t done. She turned to the senior division.
Khushi swallowed a lump in her throat. She had her poem notebook open, hidden cleverly inside her Maths textbook.
Bela: “Khushi. Sir said you are aiming for full marks in Maths.”
Khushi: (weakly) “J-Ji Ma’am. Wo… ambition toh hai.”
Bela: “Good. Toh chalo, Quadratic Equations revise karte hain. Board pe aao.”
Khushi’s soul left her body.
Khushi: “B-Board pe? Ma’am, main yahin se bata deti hoon na…”
Bela: “Come. Confidence build hoga.”
Khushi stood up, her legs shaking. She walked to the whiteboard as if walking to the gallows. Akshu and Vanshu exchanged terrified looks. If Khushi messed up a basic equation, Bela would know Mahir was lying, and the “Night Shift” cover would be blown.
Bela wrote on the board:
2x² - 7x + 3 = 0. Solve for x.
Bela: “Go ahead. Factorization method.”
Khushi stared at the numbers. They looked like alien hieroglyphics.
2x square… minus 7x… plus 3…
In her head, she was rhyming “General” with “Misaal” (Example).
Khushi: (holding the marker) “Um… toh… pehle hum…”
She looked back at Vanshu. Vanshu frantically held up three fingers, then seven, then made a slashing motion. Khushi nodded, understanding absolutely nothing.😩
Bela: “Vanshu, no prompting. Khushi, focus.”
Khushi took a deep breath. She remembered something Bela had taught weeks ago. Split the middle term.
Khushi: “Okay. 2 into 3 is 6. So we need factors of 6 that add up to 7.”
Bela nodded. “Correct. Go on.”
Khushi: (miraculously channeling her inner Einstein) “So… -6x and -1x?”
Bela: “Shabash. Write it.”
Khushi wrote it down, her handwriting shaky. She solved it. X = 3, x = ½.
She turned around, sweating profusely.
Bela: (smiling proudly) “Perfect. Dekha? You know it. Bas focus ki kami thi. I knew you could do it.”
Khushi let out a breath she had been holding since 1947.
Khushi: “Thank you, Ma’am. Aap hi ne sikhaya tha.” (This was actually true).
Bela: “Good. Now sit. Vanshu, Periodic Table.”
Vanshu froze. She quickly opened her Art file (hidden in the Chemistry book) where she had been refining the shading on Bela’s nose in the portrait. She snapped it shut.
Vanshu: “Ma’am… wo… mera gala thoda kharaab hai. Recitation kal karun?”
Bela narrowed her eyes. “Gala kharaab hai? Ice cream khaayi thi school mein?”
Vanshu: “Nahi! Bas… thoda dry feel ho raha hai.”
Bela: “Theek hai. Likha hua dikhao. Raat ko yaad kiya tha na? Write down the first 20 elements in reverse order.”
Vanshu panicked. She grabbed a rough sheet. She knew the first 5 backwards because she had Googled it on the bus.
Calcium, Potassium, Argon… chlorine?
She scribbled furiously, praying to Mendeleev (father of the periodic table) to save her.
Now Bela turned her sharp gaze to the next victim. “Akshu. Science Topper.”
Akshu’s heart did a violent backflip. She clutched her physics book like a shield.
Bela: “Define Newton’s Universal Law of Gravitation, and give me the formula.”
Akshu felt the room spin. Behosh hone ka natak kar lu? She thought frantically. Uss din ped se apple ki jagah watermelon gira hota Newton ke sar par… toh uski wahin memory chali jati aur aaj mujhe yeh din nahi dekhna padta! Kyun banaya isne law?!
Akshu: (stammering) “M-Ma’am… The law states that… um… every object in the universe… attracts every other object… with a force…”
Bela: “Yes, and on what factors does this force depend?”
Akshu: (internally cursing Newton and his entire family tree) “It is… directly proportional to the product of their masses… aur… inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them!”
Bela raised an eyebrow, waiting. “Formula?”
Akshu squeezed her eyes shut, trying to visualize the textbook page. “F = G \frac{m_1 m_2}{r^2},” she blurted out in one single breath.
Bela: “Good. See? Tum logon mein potential hai, bas concentration lack karte ho.
Before they could get into more trouble, Akshu took out her phone secretly under the table while Bela was grilling Vanshu with the Periodic table, texting Mahir.
Akshu: “CODE RED. General Sahiba is taking viva! Save us sir! Warna sab fas jayenge!”
Mahir’s Car – Driveway – 6:30 PM
Mahir saw the text and chuckled. He parked the car and walked into the house, carrying his laptop bag and a brown packet of Fafda-Jalebi.
He entered the war zone.
Mahir: “Good evening, Scholars! Good evening, Teacher Sahiba!”
The kids looked at him with eyes that screamed ‘Help us’.
Bela looked up, capping her marker.
Bela: “Mahir ji, aap aa gaye. Dekhiye, aapke ‘Toppers’ kitni mehnat kar rahe hain. Khushi ne equation solve kar di, Akshu aur Physics ka finally patch up ho raha h aur Vanshu elements likh rahi hai. And aapke bacche well they need more revision clearly.”
Mahir: “Arre waah! Maine kaha tha na? Talent koot-koot ke bhara hai.”
He placed the packet on the table.
Mahir: “Chalo, break time! Dimag ko glucose chahiye. Main Fafda-Jalebi laya hoon.”
Team Aashvi (who had been struggling with ’9 x 5’) immediately threw their pencils.
Kiku: “Jalebi! Yay!”
Bela: “Mahir ji, abhi session khatam nahi hua…”
Mahir: (walking over to Bela and gently taking the marker from her hand) “Bela, ‘All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy’. Aur waise bhi… mujhe tumhari help chahiye.”
Bela: “Meri? Kis liye?”
Mahir: “Wo… wardrobe malfunction. Meri blue shirt ka button toot gaya hai aur kal important meeting hai. Aur tumhare haath ki silayi (stitching) best hai.”
It was a blatant lie. Mahir could sew a button, or ask the staff. But he knew flattery + a request for help was Bela’s weakness.
Bela sighed, looking at the eager faces of the kids eyeing the Fafda-Jalebi.
Bela: “Theek hai. 15 minutes break. Garam h khao, phir wapis padhai.”
She turned to Mahir. “Laaiye shirt.”
Mahir winked at the kids as he led Bela upstairs.
As soon as they were gone, the living room exploded into whispers.
Khushi: “Oof! Bach gaye! Main behosh hone wali thi ab.”
Vanshu: “Maine ‘Silicon’ ki jagah kuch aur hi likh diya tha. Thank God sir aa gaye.”
Akshu: “Guys, we have 15 minutes. Report status.”
Khushi: “Poem 50% done. Last ke kuch stanza bache h abhi bhi.”
Vanshu: “Portrait ki shading baaki hai. Raat ko torch light mein karna padega.”
Akshu: “Video almost ready hai. Sir ne clips bhej di hain. Bas compile karna hai. Aur kuch perfection chaiye voiceover bhi karna h.. ”
Aashi: “Aur humara card?”
Khushi: “Tum log card abhi banao, Jalebi khaate khaate. Agar Ma’am aayi toh card ko maths book ke neeche chipa dena.”
The “Break Time” instantly turned into “Mission Time.”
___________________________________________
To be continued..
Do vote, and share your views through the comments, I would love to know what you guys want to read in the next part.
OK, so I know maine bohot din bad part update kiya h guys but aapke rookhe-sookhe response dekh ke clearly mann nhi karta aage likhne ka aaplog part padhte ho par yeh batana tak zaroori nhi samajhte h ki accha laga ya nhi.. Atleast thoda motivate kar diya karo ki mujhe bhi accha lage..
Anyways yeh aapki marzi h, mai isse zyada ab kuch nhi kahungi.. I hope aap log ko yeh boring nhi lag raha ho bas.. Will try to update soon!! ☺️
Write a comment ...