Special Section: Neelam Saxena Chandra

Neelam Saxena Chandra

Millionaire!

The seashore is a home beyond the brick walls-

It’s a place of amazing possibilities!

I’ve made necklaces with the shells,

Flaunted them in my school amongst friends;

Picked up a starfish or two, displayed to them-

They all stay in luxurious apartments,

But there’s nothing as grandiose as this beach!

We keep peeping into each other’s world –

They let me use their mobiles,

I let them play with my starfish!

I, occasionally, even gift them a shell necklace

If they can touch the chords of my heart!

I wear the vivacity of the skyline

In my soul! It makes me dance and sing!

It’s always made me weave dreams,

Given my life a new zing!

“What do you want to become when you are older?”

Asked my teacher one sunny day-

And I replied, “I want to be as free as the sea-gulls!”

Amazedly, she asked, “Don’t you want to be a millionaire?”

I questioned, “What does a millionaire do?”

She peeped into my eyes and said,

“A millionaire can do what he or she wishes!”

I silenced her, “I’m a millionaire already!”

The look in her eyes has made me nervous though.

But tell me o dear gulls, do you also think

That there’s something more majestic 

Than being able to fly as you wish?”

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Setu, November 2025