UNFAIR & LOVELY Story by Mallika Illustrated by

Thoppay

Kavitha Amarnath

All rights reserved. No part of the publica�on may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmi�ed in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of the publishers. Text c Mallika Thoppay 2022 Illustra�ons c Kavitha Amarnath 2022 ISBN - 9798885698481

Acknowledgements Thank you to our family and friends for their support and encouragement in bringing this story out to you all. A very special thanks to Vidya for edi�ng and helping with the story.

Contents Move to a new City

8

First day at school

14

That is your sister?

24

The Audi�ons !

29

Pinky Aunty’s visit !

38

When one door closes

45

Where’s that open door?

56

Prac�ce makes perfect

63

Judgement Day

73

When she speaks, they listen!

83

Move to a New City It was an exci�ng morning for Sahana. Her family had just moved to a new city over the summer holidays. She was sad to say goodbye to Juhi, Anandita and her beloved teachers at St. Mary’s convent, but was excited to make new friends at Champion Academy. She and her sister, Surabhi, had gone shopping for all their new school supplies and were thrilled. Sahana would now be in the 7th grade and Surabhi in 3rd grade. “Hurry up, Surabhi! We don’t want to be late on the first day of school!” Sahana called out to Surabhi. “Coming...coming...let me make sure I packed everything we’ll need,” answered Surabhi. Steaming hot idlis and chutney were laid out

8

on the dining table for breakfast. Sahana felt they were lucky to have their grandma live with them. Grandma had risen early that day to make sure the girls ate a good breakfast before their long day at school. “Grandma’s chutney is so good that I want to stay home and eat idlis all day today!” said Sahana with a smile. Grandma laughed, “Well, it is important you get to school on �me. But be sure to gulp that milk down. Drinking milk will make you fair and beau�ful, just like Surabhi”, she said. Sahana’s face fell suddenly. She loved her grandma and her sister, but it hurt her when her grandma said things like that. “I’ve been drinking milk all my life and nothing has changed. Why doesn’t grandma like the way I look? What’s wrong with me being dark brown?” she wondered. Sahana’s mum, who was right behind, quickly

10

no�ced her sullen face. She said to grandma, “Ma, you must be joking. If what you say is true, then what did Pa drink all his life? Chocolate milk?!” she quipped, poin�ng to grandpa’s photo on the wall. Sahana’s striking and dark skinned grandpa’s photo adorned the walls next to the dining table. The photo was so clear that it almost seemed like he was looking down on the girls from heaven. The girls looked at each other and let out a quiet laugh. “I want the girls to drink milk because it's healthy”, added Sahana’s mum. “Sahana, you don’t have to look like Surabhi or anyone else. Now, run along, listen to your teachers, study hard and focus on being the best you can be”. The girls cleaned up a�er themselves, grabbed their lunch boxes, gave hugs to their mum and grandma and rushed to the school bus. The

12

bus was not too crowded. The girls found an empty seat right behind the driver and made themselves comfortable. Most of the kids on the bus looked like they had just woken up. They did not seem to be in the mood for a conversa�on. As the bus pulled into Champion Academy, the girls glanced at each other and smiled. It was going to be an even�ul day!

First day at School Surabhi’s class was in the same building as the principal’s office, while Sahana’s was closer to the cafeteria. As Sahana entered her class, she scanned through a sea of new faces. Some girls were busy cha�ng and catching up about their summer adventures. A couple of girls looked welcoming. Some stared at Sahana and then quickly glanced away. She found an empty spot in the second row, set her bag down and arranged the books on her desk. The teacher, Mrs. Mishra, walked in, and all the girls stood up to greet her. “Hope you all had a great summer, girls! Welcome to 7th grade!” announced Mrs. Mishra. “I would like to introduce our new student, Sahana,” she said, poin�ng at her. Sahana stood up and

15