Focus on feathers

This summer vacation has not been the same as other years since everyone has been locked in at home due to the Covid-19 outbreak. I have been spending my days doing many activities.

One such is bird watching. Due to the lockdown, I cannot go out birding so I have to do bird watching from my Salt Lake residence terrace. My father and I started birding last summer. He started photographing birds and I used to help him with a pair of binoculars. Till now, we have spotted over 30 species of birds from our terrace, which include Red Vented Bulbul, Purple Sunbird, Red Whiskered Bulbul, Black Hooded Oriole, Black Rumped Flameback Woodpecker etc. I love watching the Rose Ringed Parakeets feeding on Guavas and the Purple Sunbird feeding on nectar of flowers.

I have also seen a couple of mammals. The most interesting one was the Indian Flying Fox Bat perched on a tree and eating Guavas opposite my house.

I also spend time on mobile gaming and listening to music. I used to play games earlier also on the mobile with my friends. I always used to listen to K-pop music of BTS (the South Korean boy band) and used to love them. But in this pandemic, I have become addicted to their songs and joined their fan club Army.

One day, suddenly all of us got sick and tested Covid-19 positive but we had mild symptoms. We didn’t panic and isolated ourselves. We recovered soon by taking medicines at proper time.

In spite of all the restrictions of lockdown, I really enjoyed my summer holidays and learned a lot of new things and gained many new experiences.

Rupsha Datta, 11 years,

AA Block

Birth of a writer

The lockdown of 2021 seemed boring initially. I can’t remember the last time I stepped out of my home or met my friends. Now online classes have also lost their charm, and it’s very stressful to look at the screen for long hours. I really miss being at those physical classes.

Despite all this, I have found ways to keep myself busy and entertained. I have started spending more time with music, which earlier I couldn’t, due to academic pressure. Singing and practising with my harmonium always lifts my mood when I feel low. I take a stroll on my terrace in the evening while listening to some melodious songs. Since I can’t go out, the terrace has now become my favourite spot of openness.

I have read quite a lot of books in this lockdown and look forward to reading some more. I’m also helping my mom with some chores and tried my hand at cooking new dishes. My father has brought in a lot of indoor and flowering plants for the balcony, and it’s really soothing to have them around.

Recently there had been a micro story-writing contest on social media arranged by a popular author, and I discovered the writer in me while participating in it. Inspired by all the novels and fictions I have read to date, I have written quite a few micro stories and articles. I’m glad to have discovered this creative side of me, and look forward to writing more. I dream of publishing a book some day!

Besides nurturing these hobbies, I am also focusing on my studies and preparing for all the upcoming exams.

I hope that we all stay positive in this difficult time, and pray that this phase gets over soon and we all return to our old normal lives.

Sinjini Sinha, 21 years,

School Road, Rajarhat