Chinki's Diary

Today is Chinki's birthday. She woke up in the morning when her Mom Madhu kissed on her forehead and wished her "Happy birthday dear"

She hugged her Mom and said "Thank you Mom"

"I've made your favourite chocolate cake and kept it on the table. I'm going to my office now. Today I'll return early. Then we will celebrate your birthday together with your friends. Now be good at home and don't disturb your Dadu much"

She nodded her head and went to the bathroom to get fresh.

Her grandfather wished her "Happy birthday dear" when she came to his room. She replied "Thank you" and bowed down to touch his feet. Then she went and bowed her head before a big photograph hanging from the wall and whispered "Today is my birthday Papa"

His Dadu said "Come here I'll give you your gift now" Then he said ""My dear granddaughter everyone wishes to get good presents on their birthdays and most people give dolls or guns balloons and something expensive to the birthday girl or boy so that she or he remembers the gift giver for a long time. But today I'll give you such a gift which may not be such expensive but will be the most precious gift of your life if you can take care of it"

Chinki thought what her grandfather could gift her. He gave her a diary. She received it and gave a big smile then said "Thank you Dadu. This is really a precious gift of my life" and ran to her room. She wrote in her diary few lines of her heart which she got one as a present from her grandfather Mr. Ravimohan Gupta on her seventh birthday.

She opened the first page of the diary and wrote "Today Dadu gave me a diary on my seventh birthday. I loved it. I'll write what I feel in it. I wish my papa too had given me something precious to remember him. His image is getting blurred in my mind"

Chinki's father Mr. Brijmohan worked as lieutenant of border security. He died as a martyr while trying to stop infiltration from other side. Chinki was just two years old then.

Later that night Chinki dreamt a sweet dream. She saw her father entered her room and came near her bed. Her father said "Happy birthday dear Chinki"

Chinki replied "Thank you Papa but I miss you very much. Why did you go away from our lives? You could have done some other job like my friends' fathers"

Her Papa said "Chinki imagine someone takes away your Mom from you and never returns back how will you feel?"

"I'll just fight with him and bring back my Mom to home"

"Same here dear. Our country is our mother. Enemies always try to steal away our motherland from us. So we always try to save her from them. And in this some of her sons gets killed but motherland is saved. Now you tell me do you feel proud for me or otherwise"

"No Papa I feel proud for you. You did the great job"

"Don't feel alone. I'll be always with you in your heart. And today I give you a precious gift. There is a fountain pen in my desk with which I used to write letters to your Mom and Dadu from my camp. From today that pen is yours. You will write story about us in it. And will remember me throughout your life. Goodbye dear"

Chinki woke up from sleep. She saw her father has gone. She looked at the clock. It showed five in the morning. She ran out to the verandah to see the morning star. Chinki remembered early morning dreams come true. She looked at the star and said to herself "Papa I'll remember you. I'll write your story and about us. I'll always remember you in this way"