MEETING THE PENGUINS

Ten-year-old Gokul loved spending time with his grandmother.

- Dr K Rani

He told her all about his days at school and asked her a lot of questions, which she patiently answered.

It was a Sunday and the newspaper had an article about penguins.

Seeing the photo, Gokul asked, "Grandma, have you ever seen a penguin?"

"I haven't seen them in reality, but I have seen their photos in books and films on TV. It is a bird that can't fly."

"Why so, Grandma?"

"Their wings are not like other birds. But they use their wings to swim comfortably in the water."

"Where do they live, Grandma?"

"They are found in the Antarctic region of the southern hemisphere where there is a lot of water and ice."

"Grandma, let's go there!" Gokul said, jumping in excitement.

Grandma laughed, "It's freezing there. A normal human cannot live there in the peak of winters. But I will speak to your Papa. If he agrees then all of us will go there in the winter."

"Why in the winter, Grandma? Why not in the summer?"

"It needs to be summertime there for us to be able to visit. There, the summer lasts from November to March, the winter months in our country."

Gokul was reassured by his grandmother's words.

Finding the right time, Grandma talked to her son Prem about this. He was concerned, "Mummy, the journey to Antarctica is very difficult. How will you be able to go?"

"I have traveled to many cold countries with your father. Visiting Antarctica remained on our list. I am sure he would have fulfilled this wish of mine too. Gokul has a great desire to see the penguins. We should go."

After giving it a thought and doing proper research, Prem agreed to go there. With the help of a travel agency, he planned a trip to Antarctica for December. Gokul was delighted. He could not wait for December to arrive.