“Chandrika doesn’t like!”
It became such a frequent thing that her parents, little brother Yog, and close friends knew exactly when to say it. It irritated Chandrika, but it had become a routine meme; a ritual. Whether it was a restaurant, a new dress, book or movie, they quickly guessed if Chandrika approved or not. The look On her face was enough. “Chandrika doesn’t like!” they would chorus.
As if she had no say in the matter. They simply read her face. Sometimes, they read her wrong. Then she would shout, “But I like, I like!” Her cross face made them laugh.
Chandrika was a one-roomer. She didn’t like going out in the sun, she didn’t like school games or her friends’ loud laughter. She preferred to sit reading, browsing her desktop, or listening to songs. “Outside’s not my type,” she said.
“It’s unhealthy!” they said, but Chandrika was stubborn: “I like my room.”
Her parents wanted to be in touch with Nature, but Chandrika didn’t like. So, every year, they took Yog to hill resorts, seaside hotels, and even forest treks. Chandrika stayed home with their Aunt Chellu, who was only 10 years older than her. And that’s how it was; until this year.
Her parents had taken Yog to a resort named Planet On The Hill. Yog called her from there. “You won’t believe it! It’s the best place in the world! This time you misfired, man! You should be here! You should see the hill! Breathe the breeze! Watch us play. There’s everything for kids and all!”
For a moment, Chandrika was tempted. Then she snorted, “My room’s better!”
A mishap
Two days later, her aunt burst into her room. “There’s been an accident. Your Mom wants us there at once!”
Illustration for Young World | Photo Credit: Satheesh Vellinezhi
Her father had slipped while climbing, and injured his back. He was in hospital, with her mother beside him. Chandrika started sobbing. “It’s bad, but he’ll be all right if he rests,” Aunt Chellu said.
The office car would take them there. “It’s almost a day’s drive,” said her aunt. On and on they went; it seemed they’d never reach. At twilight, the car began to climb. Then she saw the sign: Planet on the Hill. It wasn’t that big a hill. A big arch, a long driveway, and the resort, lit up grandly like a Christmas tree.
Her mother came running, followed by Yog. They assured her that her father was better, and needed a lot of rest. Her mother had to return to hospital in the morning.
Next morning, they visited her father in hospital. He lay in bed, his legs up in traction. “This may look terrible,” he grinned, “but I’ll soon be up and about.”
When Chandrika ran up and hugged him tightly, he laughed, “Maybe all this is a blessing. I’ll have your mother’s company for some days, with no office or work to worry about. And Nature has finally caught up with you! Chandrika will like!”
Into the outdoors
So Chandrika and Aunt Chellu became tourists, shown around Planet on the Hill by tourist guide Yog. Chandrika couldn’t believe her eyes, ears, nose, or skin. Her senses took her on an adventure she had known nothing about! From her tiny little room into the vast outdoors.
The sky was everywhere. As they climbed the hill, the grass looked juicy green. To the left was what seemed to be a forest. “There’s a jungle too,” laughed their aunt. Birds wheeled above their heads, the overpowering smell of raw Nature made her breathe in deeply.
“We’ll climb the hill,” said Yog. Chandrika and Aunt Chellu followed. Though they were panting, the cool wind refreshed them. A couple of goats bleated at them.
“Chandrika likes!” laughed their aunt. Chandrika chuckled.
They came to a slightly steeper climb ahead. “That’s where Dad slipped,” said Yog, pointing. “We didn’t climb after that.”
Chandrika stopped. “But we can try, if we are careful,” said Aunt Chellu. They climbed cautiously, their aunt behind them.
Suddenly, the path turned. The greenery disappeared. The breeze hit them. They stopped, stunned by the sight before them. Sky spread white and blue-veined. Down below, like a frothing blue carpet, was the ocean. “Sea!” they gasped. Birds flew past, screaming urgently. Some boats were pulled up on the golden sand. Others were on the waves, bobbing up and down like happy dreams. As if Nature was determined to show Chandrika what she’d missed till now.
Illustration for Young World | Photo Credit: Satheesh Vellinezhi
“This place has everything!” said Aunt Chellu. “Forest, hill and sea!” They climbed down, and spent that day and the next on the sands. They went out in a boat, rising and flowing with the waves, then gliding silently as if on a sleeping sea. The fisherman said, “We call this the sea of hope. Your life will change here. You can wish for anything.”
Chandrika shut her eyes. “Hope Dad gets well.”
It was a magical day. Their aunt promised to take them into the forest too, “as far as we can safely go.”
Yog shouted in delight, “So which is better now, Nature or your room?” They were stretched out on the sand, with the Sea of Hope’s waves lapping at their feet. Chandrika grinned brightly. Aunt Chellu and Yog said it together: “Chandrika loves!”
