Neha's Notebook

Once upon a time, Alexander The Great was treading through Indian mountains with his cavalry. They combed the jungles in these mountains to pluck some herbs and plants they could use for adding flavor to their emperor’s food. What they were looking for in particular was a plant called silphium. But by the time they reached India, the emperor realized that they had mistakenly used another plant in place of silphium. This newly-discovered plant smelled nasty but added a strong, delicious flavor to the food. Soon, the word spread among people. They too started using this plant to add flavour to their daily meals. Over many years, this plant became a quintessential spice in Indian cooking. People gave it names like “Asafoetida,” “Hing,” and even “food of the gods.” Quintessential means “the essence of something,” “the most important part of something” or the “most perfect example or representation of something.” Read more stories related to  Vocabulary !

I wanna be a superstar billionaire Oh I want it so bad I want it more than All the things I ever had   I wanna be a superstar billionaire And be on the cover of Forbes and Fortune magazines Dressed in Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Nike Looking like a queen   I wanna be a superstar billionaire Richer than Bill Gates and prettier than Disney princesses I wanna do and be everything, all that I can be I don’t wanna anything to miss   I wanna be a superstar billionaire And be in love sweeter than Cadbury’s Dairy Milk Silk I wanna distribute to all the people Dark Fantasy’s choco chips With glasses of coffee and milk   I wanna be a superstar billionaire And have the caramel voice of Dua Lipa and the intensity of Rihanna and Beyonce I wanna dress in glittery leotards And dance on the stage one day   I wanna be a superstar billionaire Fresher than Patanjali, Brighter than diamonds of Tiffany’s I wanna learn all the language...

Living in a secluded hilltop house, Nandini, her husband and her son was a happy family. They had been living here for five years. Over time, Nandini had build her art business wherein she created sketches for people and companies. But as orders and commissions started pouring in large numbers, she had no choice but to hire a housekeeper to relieve herself of the household duties. Her husband too remained busy in his bakery business. So they hired a woman named Dibbuk to do the housework. Dibbuk was a charming lady except that there was an evil twitch in her eyes that sometimes frightened Nandini’s son Ashish. One day, both Nandini and her husband were out of the house, attending meetings. They had left Ashish in the care of Dibbuk. Inside the house, Ashish was slumped on a sofa watching television and eating snacks. Outside, thunder was crackling loudly. As stormy clouds gathered, the orange sunset sky turned into dark grey, something that could creep out even the bravest adult. Meanw...

As I tread through the field of silence Where fraids of ghosts hide in the particles of golden-silver dust A stalk of wild green grass pops its tiny head from the field And sneers at me, flittering its sinuous lissome body in the windstorm Lose yourself, it whispers like a Cheshire cat mangling on the trees   As the windstorm slaps the field in fiery gushes It liberates a flurry of echoes that evoke the ghosts hiding below The stalk of grass bends in the wind and paints a sinister grin in the greying sky I shiver with fear, for I need to cross this field to reach home Lose yourself, the ghosts murmur in my sweaty ears, their creepy undertones sending chilling vibrations down my spine   Standing at the portal of this field of silence I am all alone, there is nobody here except for me And some crackles of eldritch thunder erupting in the darkening sky No sign of a creature’s breath, just an endless expanse of entities of death Lose yourself, they ...

I may spend my life in picking up the sticks you throw at me I may spend every moment of my life drenched in inner strife I will take all your pain and give you all my smiles But I will never give up on love, I will never give up on life   I will cross the oceans and climb mountains to bring you joy I will do all that you desire to be happy, I will even sacrifice I will witness you laugh and roll and dance in ebullience Being the gatekeeper, I will pay all the hurtful price But I will never give up on love, I will never give up on life   I will dance in the rain and make you dance with me I will fill your life with yellows and purples of harmony I will fill the cracks and voids that life may have left in your heart I will become a crease in the mist, so sunlight will reach you through me But I will never give up on love, I will never give up on life   I will pedal to the metal, I will knead my knuckles in the dirt If you need me to chan...

Since his school days, Sandy had a dream. He wanted to open his own food cart on a hilltop and sell hot burgers to people. He worked for years to plan out details about his cart. He had even thought of a name for his cart – “Sandy’s Snackery.” But as he grew older, his businessman father constantly opposed his desire to run a food cart. He told him it would be embarrassing. Each time Sandy approached his father to plead that he wanted to start his cart and sell burgers, his father would refuse his request right away. Contrary to Sandy’s dream, his father had always wanted him to become a superstar. Let alone allow him to sell burgers, his father didn’t even allow him to eat one, because then the oily burgers would sit in his belly and make him fat. And superstars are not supposed to be fat. He made Sandy toil for hours and hours in the gym without letting him relish any junk food. Over many years, Sandy started looking young and handsome. His father’s training was showing off in his lo...

Standing at the crossroads of the world’s puzzling mindscape I am a geometrical being, the colorful figure of poetry & art My soul intertwined with that of the universe; my heartbeats aligned I am the guardian of the galaxy, I govern hearts   When the banshees of fear wailed upon my head Calling my attention to the plights of life I floundered in my faith, but I kept going, knowing that I am the guardian of the galaxy, I resolve strife   Other times when the bitter trees of rage and wrath Enveloped me in their claustrophobic venomous tendrils I choked, I fought, I let the trees throttle my throat I, the guardian of the galaxy, surrendered, I didn’t even trill   But then I caught spark of a flame A majestic treecutter had set ablaze the venomous tree As the tree struggled to survive, I struggled to breathe in its grip Out of the sooty rubbly ash, I rose, the guardian of the galaxy set free   I stand nonchalant amidst the hic...

Appu was seated on the dining table. The servant served him a bowl of salad Appu’s mom had made. Appu lifted a slice of cucumber with the fork and instantly clipped his mouth, dropping the slice down into the bowl. He asked his mom to remove the cucumber as it was too bitter. His mom removed the cucumber slices and sent the servant with a fresh bowl. Again, Appu dug the fork into the bowl and scooped out an apple slice. He put the apple slice into his mouth and again dropped the half-eaten apple into the bowl. He asked his mom to add another fruit as apple tasted too sweet. Annoyed, his mom removed the apple slices from the salad and sent him another bowl. When Appu looked at the bowl, he instantly pushed it away. He didn’t want to eat boiled potatoes. This time, when he called his mom and asked her to change the salad bowl, his mom became furious at his finicky behavior, and instead sent him the basket of vegetables and fruits to select himself. Finicky means "fussy, not easy to ...