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Nov 22, 2024 | 
thehindu.com | Vibha Batra
Last year, I couldn’t help but notice that Baba looked worried all the time. I knew the reason, of course. Hardly anyone visited the temple any more. Earlier, tourists used to flock to the temple in droves. It’s perched on top of a hillock, a short drive away from Kasauli. The climb isn’t too steep. The view is amazing. Rolling hills. Lush valleys. Sparkling waterfalls. Majestic pine forests. Cotton candy clouds, lots of them. The food stalls serve yummy bun samosas, tikkis, momos, aloo triangles.
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Oct 22, 2024 | 
scroll.in | Vibha Batra
The stage was set. The akhada held its breath. On shaky feet, Qainaat made her way to the mudpit. Her heart was racing, her mouth was dry. Every pore in her body was tingling. She’d wanted to participate in a wrestling match, and here was her chance. Qainaat extended her hand for a customary handshake before the dangal. Birju ignored it. Tanki jeered. The wrestlers squared off, grabbing fistfuls of mud and throwing it on each other. Qainaat took the sparring stance and locked eyes with Birju.
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Jul 2, 2024 | 
thehindu.com | Vibha Batra
“Oh no!” cried Heena, as she walked out of the school gates. “Not again!” echoed Romal. Heena’s mom looked up from her phone. “What? What happened?” Her eyes fell on a passer-by, who’d stopped by the compound wall. “Hey!” Heena called out. “Don’t!” chimed in Romal. Hearing their cries, Amalan Anna sprang up from his chair. Before the security guard could break into a run, the passer-by leaned forward and spat out paan juice, staining the whitewashed school wall.
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May 8, 2024 | 
thehindu.com | Vibha Batra
“Hill stations are the worst! Nature is boring! This is the most boring-est vacation ever!”Perhaps if Kaizad had stopped at that, it wouldn’t have been so bad. But on Day 1 of their Nature trip, he went ahead and switched on his electric toothbrush. And he didn’t turn off the tap. He said hello to the shower. And buh-bye to the bucket. He left the hotel room. And left the fan on. On Day 2, he threw an epic tantrum at the bustling hillside market.
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Dec 11, 2023 | 
thehindu.com | Vibha Batra
MOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!Bindiya ignored the noise. She was busy making a going-away card for Faizya, who was moving to Lucknow. Long after she was done, Chamak-Challo was still bellowing, the sound growing progressively louder like Daddu’s snores. Bindiya dashed out, a yipping Ambiya on her heels. A crowd had gathered outside the barn. Gautam Bhaiyya was standing next to Chamak-Challo with an empty pail, and a baffled expression.
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Oct 25, 2023 | 
toistudent.timesofindia.indiatimes.com | Vibha Batra
Shaarvi Class: IX-D, St. Anne''s Conv Arjun.M Class; VII-A, Bhavans Vidya Mandir- Elamakkara, Kochi Dishita Sohana Class: VIII-A, St. Francis de Sales Public School ICSE&ISC Frinna Rozeen Class: VIII-B, St. Francis De Sales Public School,Electronic City Varnika Mantripragada Class: X-D, D.A.V. PUBLIC SCHOOL, KUKATPALLY Shrestha Sharma Class VIII-D, The Orbis School Pradyuth Ravi K Class IX-A, St Francis De Sales Public School ICSESt Samriddha Biswas TECHNO INDIA GROUP PUBLIC SCHOOL GARIA Rhea...
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Oct 20, 2023 | 
toistudent.timesofindia.indiatimes.com | Vibha Batra
Shaarvi Class: IX-D, St. Anne''s Conv Arjun.M Class; VII-A, Bhavans Vidya Mandir- Elamakkara, Kochi Dishita Sohana Class: VIII-A, St. Francis de Sales Public School ICSE&ISC Frinna Rozeen Class: VIII-B, St. Francis De Sales Public School,Electronic City Varnika Mantripragada Class: X-D, D.A.V. PUBLIC SCHOOL, KUKATPALLY Shrestha Sharma Class VIII-D, The Orbis School Pradyuth Ravi K Class IX-A, St Francis De Sales Public School ICSESt Samriddha Biswas TECHNO INDIA GROUP PUBLIC SCHOOL GARIA Rhea...
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Oct 18, 2023 | 
toistudent.timesofindia.indiatimes.com | Vibha Batra
Shaarvi Class: IX-D, St. Anne''s Conv Arjun.M Class; VII-A, Bhavans Vidya Mandir- Elamakkara, Kochi Dishita Sohana Class: VIII-A, St. Francis de Sales Public School ICSE&ISC Frinna Rozeen Class: VIII-B, St. Francis De Sales Public School,Electronic City Varnika Mantripragada Class: X-D, D.A.V. PUBLIC SCHOOL, KUKATPALLY Shrestha Sharma Class VIII-D, The Orbis School Pradyuth Ravi K Class IX-A, St Francis De Sales Public School ICSESt Samriddha Biswas TECHNO INDIA GROUP PUBLIC SCHOOL GARIA Rhea...
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Oct 11, 2023 | 
toistudent.timesofindia.indiatimes.com | Vibha Batra
Shaarvi Class: IX-D, St. Anne''s Conv Arjun.M Class; VII-A, Bhavans Vidya Mandir- Elamakkara, Kochi Dishita Sohana Class: VIII-A, St. Francis de Sales Public School ICSE&ISC Frinna Rozeen Class: VIII-B, St. Francis De Sales Public School,Electronic City Varnika Mantripragada Class: X-D, D.A.V. PUBLIC SCHOOL, KUKATPALLY Shrestha Sharma Class VIII-D, The Orbis School Pradyuth Ravi K Class IX-A, St Francis De Sales Public School ICSESt Samriddha Biswas TECHNO INDIA GROUP PUBLIC SCHOOL GARIA Rhea...
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Jul 13, 2023 | 
scroll.in | Vibha Batra
Some things are awfully hard to get out of your head – catchy songs, cool dreams, kolam contests (with a “k”). It was all Bharathi could think about the next day. At school, everyone drew the parts of a plant. He sketched a kolam in his notebook. At home, he took a short break from chores. To imagine a pattern in spilled water. And when it was time to pick out stones from the raw rice, he traced a geometric design on the plate.
