April 9. “I read a very touching story in one of the newspapers this morning.”

“Are you going to share it with me?”

“Yes, Button. It’s about a 12-year old girl named Bharti who has become a source of inspiration in  Naxal-hit Rohtas because, in spite of being a 3^rd standard student herself, she has brought school to the doorstep of hundreds of children between the ages of 4 to 10 by going from door to door and gathering them for lessons. Bharti, herself an abandoned girl-child, was adopted by a ragpicker, Phulwa Devi, who already had four kids to raise but welcomed Bharti into her home. A slogan on a wall near her open school reads—beti agar maroge, bahu kahan se laoge? Bharti teaches the kids counting and the English alphabets.”

“How wonderful.”

“Are you in touch with Fluffy and Katrina?”

“I am. Regularly. The email id you got for me has made all the difference. By the way, when are you taking us for the merry-go-round ride you promised?”

“Want to go tomorrow?”

“That sounds like a great idea.”