As soon as the sun's rays peeked through the windows called the sky, 10-year-old Arnav woke up with a small smile in his small hut. After completing his morning rituals, he took a bag which is used for filling rice, and then he went out to the place where he could gather the books and papers thrown away by others.
He collected all the books into his bag and returned to his home by evening. There was a small cupboard in his little hut; he kept all the books he collected there. And this was his daily routine.
Apart from this, little Arnav also loved to write poems and stories.
A week later, like every day after completing his morning rituals, little Arnav went to collect the books. There, he found a book named The Magic Of The Lost Temple by Sudha Murthy. He took the book with his twinkling eyes and held it as treasurably as a porcelain doll.
While going back home, the sky suddenly turned dark with clouds, and the wind was heavy. Little Arnav’s hands were tightly holding the bag and book in each of his hands. Due to the dusty wind, he was unable to see the road clearly. A car that was coming toward his side was going to hit him, but by god’s grace, someone pulled him aside in time.
The man helped Arnav to stand straight and went away from there.
The next evening, Arnav was coming back home after collecting the books. His eyes then caught a wall poster — Pehchaan The Street School. It was written on the poster, and it also stated free education.
Arnav’s eyebrows furrowed. He took the poster into his hand and read the address.
“I know this address. Tomorrow morning, I will go to this address and see what is so special about this school,” he thought and reached home.
The next morning, as per his plan, after completing his work, he reached the address holding the poster he had seen yesterday. The environment was a hustle and bustle with lots of children and students.
In that moment, Arnav’s eyes caught the man who helped him from getting hurt on that stormy evening.
“SUPERMAN!” shouting, he ran to the man and hugged him.
The man, startled by the sudden hug, caressed Arnav’s hair and removed him from the hug.
“Ohh, you are the one I saved that day, right?” Arnav nodded his head, yes.
“How are you?” he asked, and Arnav replied, “I am good, Superman. But what are you doing here? Is this your school?”
The man nodded his head as yes and replied, “Not only mine. It is all ours.”
Arnav watched the children who were excited. “Ohh! What is special about this school?”
The man raised his eyebrows at Arnav and asked, “Do you also want to join? Do you like studying?”
“Yes, I love to study. But I don’t have any money to pay the fees,” Arnav replied sadly.
“And what if I say, you don’t need to pay anything to study in this school?” The man replied with a big grin on his face.
Arnav turned to the man with his gobsmacked eyes. “What do you mean by that?”
The man then kneeled to Arnav’s height. “You see, the children who came here today are underprivileged ones with no one to help them reach their dreams. So, Pehchaan The Street School was born to help them in reaching their success. Here you don't need to pay a penny. All we need is your trust in us.”
Arnav thought for a second. “So, to study here, I don’t need to pay any fees?” he asked again.
The man nodded his head no.
A wide smile spread on Arnav’s face. “Then I am ready to join here!” he squealed in joy.
The man smiled, and just then someone came calling the man, “Akash sir.”
Yes, the man was Akash Tandon, the founder of Pehchaan The Street School.
Akash sir talked with the man, and then, holding Arnav’s hand, he went into the ground where he welcomed all the students with a wonderful welcome speech.
That day, Rotaract_dusc came to Pehchaan The Street School and provided stationery items for the students, like bags, pencil boxes, and books, which were necessary for the children.
And the students also got coconut water powder for hydration to stay healthy in the scorching summer by Trysweetmate.
The day ended with a sweet message for the new beginnings.
The next day, students arrived at school before 9 o’clock and sat in their respective classrooms.
When the teacher asked about Arnav’s goal, he replied, “Through Pehchaan The Street School, I would like to gain my own Pehchaan as an author.”
The teacher smiled. “Wow! You love to write?”
“Yes, ma’am! I love to write and read stories,” Arnav replied with a large smile.
The teacher blessed him for his success.
One fine night, Arnav got to know that the next day was Superman’s birthday.
So, he decided to write a small poem for himself. Sitting under the blanket of stars, he created a greeting card and scribbled the poem on it.
“Superman, he is,
My Superman;
He doesn’t fly,
But helps us to fly;
Through our dreams,
To the success of heights!”
The next day, during the 10-minute break time, with all his classmates, he went to wish Akash in his cabin at the school.
Akash Tandon’s smile widened when he heard the students wishing him. All the students left after wishing him, but Arnav stood there with the greeting card in his hand.
Akash sir saw him and asked, “Do you want to say something, Arnav?”
Arnav nodded his head yes and then gave him the greeting card he made yesterday night.
“I made this and wrote a small poem for you.”
With lots of curiosity, Akash sir opened the card and got mesmerized by its design. The short poem by little Arnav filled his heart with warmth.
“I love it, my little boy. Keep rising.” Akash sir ruffled Arnav’s hair and kissed his forehead. He also blessed him for a bright future.
Ten years later, it was Arnav’s final day in school, along with many other students. During his time in the school, Arnav scribbled many stories and poems, and through them, he had stolen the hearts of the whole school.
Now he was standing in front of Akash sir’s cabin to bid his final adieu.
He knocked on the door and waited for permission to enter. After getting permission, he stepped into the cabin.
Akash sir saw Arnav and questioned, “Here is my little boy. Are you ready for your chapter of life, buddy?”
He came and stood in front of Arnav.
“Yes, Superman. I am excited,” Arnav grinned.
Akash sir ruffled his hair.
Five years later, Akash Tandon was sitting in his cabin holding a novel in his hand. Its title was Unsung Heroes of Pehchaan The Street School. He turned the book and started to read the synopsis of it:
“The Indian Army, along with the Indian Air Force and Indian Navy, guards the country from enemies. When the country was wondering who would take care of the Indian youth, another army named Pehchaan The Street School bloomed like a wildflower to build a right path for the younger generation and not let them drown in the darkness of life. Pehchaan The Street School, a school full of unsung heroes like my Superman — a school which helped me and many other underprivileged children to gain their own identity.”
Akash sir smiled, reading it. He then looked at his little boy, Arnav, who was sitting in front of him as a great author.
“Finally, you have achieved your dreams. More to go, my boy,” he patted Arnav’s back.
Arnav grinned, “That, however, I will achieve with your blessings. Now, when will you complete reading this novel and give me your reviews?” he asked Superman.
Akash sir raised his eyebrows and looked at the novel in his hand.
“By next week.”
Arnav grinned with the answer.
A week later, one fine night, Arnav was sitting in his room and playing Candy Crush to relieve his stress.
A WhatsApp notification popped up, halting his game.
If it had been any other message, he would have shrugged and continued the game, but the message was from Superman. So he stopped the game and opened it. It was a review of his novel.
“Wow, my little boy. Your novel is just magnificent, just like you. Each chapter has brought back the memories of your time here. This is a wonderful tribute not only for the Indian Army but also for Pehchaan The Street School. Thank you so much for this amazing novel, my little boy. Keep inking and keep rising.”
Arnav’s heart danced with joy reading the review from his Superman.