Student with library project

 

Incentive time to class 7 student

 

Chandu Chacha - story

 Chandu Chacha

In the settlement of sand dunes, nearly 200 families survived on daily wage labor. Whenever a new baby was born in any home, the house filled with joy, for everyone believed that in a few years that child would become an additional source of income for the family. Most of the children of this settlement would wake up at dawn, each carrying a plastic bottle filled with cleaning liquid to wipe car windows at different traffic signals. In their right hand, they held a small sponge.

Whenever the traffic light turned red, the children sprang into action. Within a minute, they would earn anywhere between 10 to 20 rupees. By the end of the day, each child returned home with a daily earning of about 100 to 200 rupees. This is how life went on in the settlement.

Among these families lived a middle-aged man known as Chandu Chacha. Every night, under the light of a street pole on a vacant government land near the settlement, he would gather the children and tell them new stories. These stories would wash away the children’s fatigue after a long day. He also taught them basic lessons so that one day they could study enough to find good jobs.

Time passed in this manner. The children respected and loved Chandu Chacha deeply. His family consisted of his wife and his only daughter, Pooniya (real name: Purnima). His wife’s health was poor, so the entire burden of the house fell on Chandu Chacha and his daughter. Because of her polite behavior and dedication to studies, most people in the settlement admired Pooniya. She was now 21 years old.

A marriage proposal came for her from a respectable family, but Chandu Chacha did not have the financial means to arrange such a wedding. Helpless, he declined the proposal.

Soon the whole settlement learned about it. A few days later, the same family returned and said, “Please don’t worry about anything. We will bear all the expenses of the wedding. You only need to bless the children by being present.”

Chandu Chacha found this unusual, but the wedding day arrived. The atmosphere was festive — people enjoyed delicious dishes, some were dancing, and many children from the settlement came to bless their beloved sister, Pooniya. Chandu Chacha wondered how these children came without being invited, but instead of asking, he encouraged them to enjoy the celebration.

The wedding took place with great joy.

Because of the wedding rush, Chandu Chacha did not conduct the children’s classes for two or three days. On the fourth day, when the class resumed, he narrated a fairy tale about honesty and helping others. Before the story even ended, his new relative (the groom’s father) arrived at the class with several gifts and said, “Please distribute these among the children.”

Perplexed, Chandu Chacha finally asked, “Why are you giving such expensive gifts to these children?”

After some persuasion, the man revealed the truth:

“This marriage was possible only because of the efforts of these children. Each of them collected their earnings of five days and brought the money to us, placing it at our feet. They told us that Chandu Chacha is their source of inspiration. The children he taught are today doing big jobs. They are proud of him. They said that your daughter, Pooniya, is the angel of the settlement — everyone praises her manners and values. They insisted that if we do not accept this marriage, we would be losing something precious in life. Only then did we realize that we must bring Pooniya into our home as our daughter-in-law.”

Chandu Chacha was overwhelmed. Tears filled his eyes as he embraced the children. The children too cried with him, and even his new relative could not hold back his tears.

Today, Pooniya lives in her new home, happily — like an angel.

Anil Kumar Gupta 

Librarian

The Useless One – A Story

 “The Useless One” – A Story

Paras was the younger of his parents’ two children. His elder sister, Komal, was everyone’s favorite. The main reason was her cultured nature, her excellence in studies, her willingness to help with household chores, and her respectful behavior toward everyone. Because of these qualities, the whole family adored Komal.

Paras, on the other hand, had no interest in studies or household work. Being the beloved grandchild of his grandparents, he had grown extremely stubborn. Nothing anyone said made any impact on him. As a result, he neither received love nor respect at home.

Paras’ father worked as a peon in a government office. He did not want his son to end up in the same job. But all his efforts to guide Paras failed. The constant scolding only made Paras more stubborn day by day. His father also frequently scolded him for using his mobile phone excessively—sometimes even calling him “useless.”

Paras loved watching YouTube videos, a habit that annoyed everyone at home.

One day, upset over something, Paras left the house and sat on the railing of a bridge on a distant road. Suddenly, he heard some people murmuring nearby. Curious, he quietly moved to the other side of the bridge and listened. To his shock, he realized they were planning a terrorist attack in the city.

Paras silently positioned himself at a distance, keeping an eye on their movements, and immediately informed the police about the entire incident.

By the time the police arrived, the terrorists had already left to carry out their plan. Seeing the police unexpectedly, two terrorists blew themselves up with bombs. The remaining two tried to escape, and Paras ran after them. He managed to catch one terrorist, but could not avoid getting injured — the terrorist slashed his arm with a knife. Despite the pain, Paras held onto him tightly. The police shot and injured the other terrorist.

Paras was rushed to a major city hospital. He had lost a lot of blood. His act of bravery soon became breaking news on every channel. His family rushed to the hospital, showered him with blessings, and prayed for his quick recovery.

The Government of India honored Paras with a special position in the army, with one condition: he must complete his 12th-grade education with at least 60% marks. Until then, the government would provide him a monthly stipend of ₹25,000.

The entire family was proud of Paras’s achievement — and so was he. Soon, Paras was invited as a special guest to important programs in the city. His bravery became an inspiration for children.

At one such school event, a child asked Paras,
“Where did you get so much courage from?”

Paras replied,
“I loved watching videos about the bravery of soldiers on YouTube. I had promised myself that one day I would do something for my country. And secondly, I wanted to erase the word ‘useless’ that my father would sometimes call me out of anger.”

Today, Paras has become a source of inspiration — not only for the entire city but for his own family as well.

Anil Kumar Gupta

Librarian