“That’s my house,” exclaimed Pihu proudly, pointing at the neat little blue house she had just drawn and painted.

The drawing teacher took the sheet of paper in her hand and smiled in appreciation.  “And this, Pihu?”  She was looking at the blue scooter parked outside the house.

“That belongs to my Papa.”  Pihu smiled from ear to ear.  “He goes to office everyday on his scooter.”

The teacher marvelled at the precision in Pihu’s work.  For a child of ten, this was more than amazing.  This girl was a prodigy.  Now if only she could find a way to hone this talent further....

The teacher paused a moment, then asked, “So what does your father do, Pihu?”

“He works in an office, Miss.”

“Which office?”

“Um, a company...,” Pihu’s sheepish smile indicated that she wouldn’t be able to answer this question further.

The teacher smiled and let it go.

But there were a pair of eyes on the last bench that just couldn’t let things go.

***

Gauri and Pihu shared the last bench in the little classroom.  Pihu’s cheerful nature endeared her to everyone and Gauri was no exception.

As the academic year progressed, Gauri and Pihu soon became best friends.  

Gauri, just like everyone else, was in awe of Pihu’s drawing skills.

Pihu simply loved drawing and painting.  Be it her ability to draw those perfect lines and curves or her skill at capturing facial features in a live session, she was far ahead of her peers.  

Pihu knew it and very humbly accepted it as God’s grace and “my Ma’s gift.”

She would spend every spare moment doodling in a little notebook that she kept for the purpose.  

And every time she drew something, she would talk about it enthusiastically.

“My Papa goes to an office to work.  This is his office table.”

“This was Ma when I was small.  Short hair, shirt and trousers.  Smart looking, na?”

“I saw this bird yesterday.”

And her listeners would simply be captivated.

Yet, despite the friendship and admiration, Gauri couldn’t help feeling a pang of jealousy whenever she heard Pihu speak about her drawings.  For they would remind her of her own life.

Gauri lived in a typical 10’ by 10’ single room tenement, located within five endless rows of drab, barely-painted, identical dwellings.  Her Papa was bedridden with paralysis and it was her Ma who ran their grocery store and also looked after the house and the family.

Gauri knew her Ma was Superwoman.  But her father’s condition meant that they could never go on outings like the other girls.  Nor could they afford anything more than the basic necessities.  She longed for her Papa to get up and walk and take her to see the world.  She wished for some blue paint on the walls of her house.  Blue was her favourite colour.

***

One day, Pihu didn’t turn up at school.  No one knew why.

The class teacher left school a little early to go to Pihu’s house.  She took Gauri with her.

Pihu’s address read ‘Sunder Nagar.”  They found it with the help of a few passersby.  They were shocked to discover it was a slum with a huge, filthy gutter running through it.

Holding their noses, Gauri and her teacher reached a particularly run down shack, from where a loud fight could be heard.

The teacher whispered, “Pihu’s house.”

They tiptoed to the open door and peeped in.

A bedraggled man, dressed in tatters, was holding up a stick, ready to bring it down on a woman, who was shielding a bedridden, delirious Pihu.  

The angry woman countered his slurry demand for money with colourful words that made the teacher shut Gauri’s ears.

The man brought down his stick to hit the woman, but she pushed him away.  His unsteady legs gave way and he crashed to the ground, screaming obscenities.  The woman lifted Pihu in her arms and spat at him.

“Useless wastrel!  I’m taking my sick baby to the doctor and you want my hard earned money to waste on yourself?  Be gone!!”

She walked out without noticing Gauri.

The teacher dropped a dumbfounded Gauri home.

Gauri saw youngsters from a local NGO painting the houses there.  One of them was painting her house blue.

“Beautification,” they said.

Gauri entered her house and saw Ma feeding Papa his lunch.  She went over and hugged them.  “I have the most beautiful family in the world,” she said.