A Day in Dehradun
By Naman Khanduri, Class IX-A , St. Joseph’s Academy, DehraDun
The day begins with the ringing of my alarm clock at six in the morning. I wake up, not to the lovely and blissful chirping of birds, but to the honking of cars in my street. Taking it as my regular wake up call, I take a stroll through my garden, hoping to enjoy the fresh morning air. As I step outside my house, a somewhat warm breeze, bringing along with it the stink of the rotting garbage from the nearby dump, greets me. What a fine way to begin the day with!
On my way to school, I notice youngsters taking a roller coaster ride, throwing caution to the winds as the lone policeman tries, in vain, to stop them. I feel pity for the poor fellow, after all who cares to take notice of him. Leaving all this behind, I manage to reach my class avoiding the rush at the school gate. Frequent power cuts take away, with them the studying atmosphere of the classroom leaving me with no choice but to get distracted. This combined with boring lectures in some subjects (I won’t name them), makes the fun-filled hours at school seem to be more like a punishment. Anyways, withstanding these difficulties I still manage to achieve a reasonable percentage. The last bell brings with it some relief as well as pleasure to me, but all this subsides as soon as I reach the School gate, and the same old story repeats itself again. A long queue of cars emitting poisonous smoke, which seems to look like a serpent gobbles up the fresh air and it becomes difficult to breathe.
I stagger home, exhausted. Though I have hardly used any energy, yet the polluted atmosphere seems to drain my energy away. To refresh myself, I decide to take a bath only to find that there is not even a single drop of water in the shower. What’s new in that, after all how often is the water supply regular? Grumbling, I step out of the bathroom, disappointed, wondering when the situation will improve. Evening is the time for me to go to Gandhi Park for a brief walk. Once again I notice traffic chaos on the road. Policemen are absent from their duty. Even their presence makes no difference to the rude and unruly drivers. Cyclists are constantly pushed off the road and drivers don’t seem to be aware of their presence. Reaching Gandhi Park I wonder if it is really the same place which I have known since childhood. Unfortunately, the place which was once a place for people to rejuvenate themselves, has now transformed entirely. It has turned into a lovers’ paradise and a place where rag pickers run about the pavements and drug addicts loll around. What a fall of dignity! Taking two rounds of the park, I get back home, complete my homework and go off to sleep.
In one day I get to experience all phases of city life- irregularity of the Municipal Board, traffic disorders, overcrowded public transport, lack of basic conditions of life like electricity and water and many others (it is not possible to mention all). This is my daily life in the mini metropolis of Dehradun. I curse the inefficient political leaders and their false promises that are responsible for the present condition of my town. It pains me to see how the condition of Dehradun has worsened in recent years. I face all the hardships of life every single day, and yet I say that I am proud to be a citizen of Doon. I truly remember my old Doon.
By Naman Khanduri, Class IX-A , St. Joseph’s Academy, DehraDun.
e-mail: namankhanduri@gmail.com.
