In a New City

Priyanshi was feeling both upset and nervous. It was a new city, a new school, and she didn't know what to expect.

- Lalit Shaurya

Priyanshi's father had been transferred from Uttarakhand in the north of India to Chennai in the south. He worked in a bank.

Priyanshi got admission to a prestigious school in Chennai. There were only two days left for the school to open after the summer holidays.

"Mumma, I'm very scared. Who will I talk to? I don't even know the language spoken here. I speak Hindi. Everyone here speaks Tamil. This unknown city and school will have all new faces. I don't feel like going to school," cried Priyanshi, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Hey, don't worry, my dear! Everything will be fine. Slowly, you will make new friends. You will also learn a new language. You know English, right? You can talk to your friends in English, and gradually, you can teach them Hindi like they will teach you Tamil. Take one day at a time and we will see what happens," her mother reassured her.

Priyanshi gathered some courage from her mother's words. Two days later, when the school opened and Priyanshi went to school, everything was new.

The children were talking among themselves, and there was a smile on everyone's face, relieving her.