How Chandan Became Minnie’s Friend

“Ma, why cannot I run and play like the other children?”
nine-year-old Minnie asked her mother. Minnie was
staring out of the window, looking longingly at the other
children playing outside. The children were playing hide
and seek. Rohini, Sudha, Atul and Rohit had hidden
themselves behind the bushes. Although she could not
see them now, but Minnie knew where they were.

She saw Nidhi press her palms against her eyes and count to hundred.
“Hundred,” Nidhi shouted at the top of her voice to announce to the
others that she had finished counting and was now coming in search of
them.

But instead of approaching the bushes, Nidhi went in the opposite

direction. It was funny to see Nidhi searching at all the wrong places
and Minnie wanted to laugh out aloud. But, this would have alerted
Nidhi and, so, Minnie put her hand to the mouth and giggled.

Minnie turned to mother and told her how the others had tricked
Nidhi. “She will never be able to find Rohini, Sudha, Atul and Rohit,”
Minnie said still giggling.

“Ma, why cannot I run and play like the others? Why are my legs so
weak?” Minnie again asked her mother.

There were tears in mother’s eyes but she hurriedly wiped them off
with the corner of her saree.
“You were born with weak legs Minu,” she answered this time. Mother
always called her Minu. Minu sounded so sweet and Minnie was a
sweet girl. If only Minu had been given her polio vaccine, she would
have grown up a healthy child as the others, mother thought.

But, Minnie was a brave girl. Although she could not play outdoor
games like hide and seek, she was very good at snakes and ladder and
ludo. Minnie’s 13-year-old brother Rohit had taught her to play
chess and, now, she could even beat Rohit.

Minnie was very clever in studies also. In her

class, Minnie completed her sums before the others. She had a sing-
song voice and everyone liked to listen to her reciting poems. Minnie
loved to draw. Her father had brought her some crayons and Minnie
had drawn some beautiful pictures. In one of the pictures, she had
drawn her friends with hills in the background and the sun peeping out.
She had even drawn herself on a wheelchair.

But this was after Baba, her father, had brought her the
wheelchair. At first Baba used to carry Minnie to school on
his broad back. Later, Baba brought the wheel-chair. Now,
Minnie could go to school by herself sometimes. The school
was very near and it took Minnie only five minutes to reach the school
on her wheelchair.

Minnie lived in a village which was very beautiful and had a nice stream
flowing through it. There were trees all around. When the sun set in the
evening, getting smaller and smaller between the hills, it threw a rich
red glow as if everything was painted in red. Minnie loved her village

very much and would often wheel herself out and

talk to the birds which had become very fond of her. The birds would
sing to her. Although Minnie did not understand their language, yet she
found the songs very melodious.

But there was one problem. There was no good path

leading from Minnie’s house to her school. She, therefore, had a
difficult time sometimes when her wheelchair got stuck between the
stones. When her school friends learnt about this, they at once decided
to make a pathway. This was because everyone loved Minnie. On a
Sunday, all the children assembled in the school and they started
clearing away all the stones. Very soon, a nice path was created from
the school to Minnie’s house and, now Minnie’s wheel-chair ran
smoothly and never got stuck.

The naughtiest boy in Minnie’s school was Chandan who was in the
same class as Minnie’s brother, Rohit. Chandan made fun of everybody
and teased the younger children. He was slow in studies and often
failed to complete his home-work. For this reason, Chandan was always
getting punished by the teachers.

Chandan did not spare even Minnie. He laughed at the way she
walked, dragging her right foot in an arc. The boy mimicked Minnie’s
action in front of everybody and made fun of her. This made Minnie
cry. Of course, no one else joined in making fun of her
because they knew it was not Minnie’s fault that she walked
that way. She was unfortunate to have been born with weak
legs.

One day, Minnie was going to school on

her wheel-chair. She had to pass by the bus stop. Whenever the
villagers wanted to go to the city, they had to board a bus from here.

Minnie saw Chandan at the bus stop. He had come to see his father off.
Chandan’s father had some work in the city and would be gone for two
days.

Chandan’s father boarded the bus and it started. Chandan had his
school-bag flung over his back. When the bus left, he began to run
towards the school. However, while he was running, a note-book fell
from his bag. But Chandan did not notice.

Minnie had seen this. She went to the spot where the book had fallen
and picked it up with the intention of returning it to Chandan upon
reaching school.

When Minnie reached school, the bell had already rung and she had to
go to her own class. Minnie thought that she would now return
Chandan’s book during the recess.
Meanwhile, Chandan’s teacher wanted to check the home-work that he
had given yesterday. All the students submitted their home-work but
Chandan could not find his book. He looked everywhere in his bag, but
the book was not there.

“I have done my home-work, but I cannot find the book,” he told the
teacher.

But the teacher did not believe him because Chandan was
always telling lies. “You will have to stay back after school and
complete the home-work,” the teacher told him.

Chandan was in tears. There was a football match which he wanted to

watch. But, now, he will have to stay back and do the home-work all
over again.

During the recess, Rohit told Minnie what had happened in his class
and how Chandan had been punished.

Minnie had almost forgotten about the note-book. She at once brought
it and handed it over to Rohit to return to Chandan. She told Rohit how
Chandan had dropped it near the bus stop.

When the class assembled again after the recess, Rohit returned the
book to Chandan. He also explained to the teacher that Minnie had
seen the book drop from Chandan’s bag at the bus-stop and she had
picked it up to return to him.
The teacher looked at Chandan and scolded him for being careless. “If
you did not always tell lies, I would have believed you when you said
you had done your home-work. People trust only those who are
honest,” the teacher told him. Chandan promised he will never tell lies
again.

Of course, Chandan would not have to stay back after school now. He
was very happy. But he felt ashamed at the same time because he
always teased Minnie and it was she who had saved him from getting
punished.

After school, Chandan went to Minnie and thanked her.

He also said he was sorry that he had teased her and promised he will
never make fun of her again.

Chandan promised that he will turn into a good boy. Minnie was very
happy. Chandan and Minnie have now become good friends and it is
Chandan who takes turns with Rohit to push Minnie’s wheel-chair to
her house every day after school.