Our friend, Puja Paul, is 15 years old and currently studying in Class VIII in Calcutta. At a young age, she lost her right hand in a car accident but today she leads her life like any other 15 year old, managing everything by herself. Mini met her two years back and was amazed at her ability to enjoy life to the fullest. Feeling inspired by Puja, Mini and Aparupa went for a visit to find out more about Puja and do a Mango Bite interview. MANGO BITE is a great MSmiles feature so please try interviewing someone interesting - send the interview & a photo to Maura Aunty by email or post.

M & A: Were you encouraged to learn dancing or did you just start doing it yourself?
P: After the accident I felt I needed something which would make me forget my pain and give me some happiness - I soon realised that dancing was the thing for me .So I started doing it all by myself .Now, of course I take dancing lessons and work hard at it.

M & A: What kind of dancing are you learning now and how does it help you?
P: Right now I am learning Odissi, a traditional Indian style. I have also learnt a bit of Western dance previously. I enjoy doing both Indian and western style dance. I think dancing is the best way to express yourself. Moreover if I am feeling depressed or bored I just dance and it lets me forget everything. It helps me immensely to get a hold of myself. I know that I can't really pursue dancing as a definite career choice so I just do it for my own happiness.

M & A: How did your parents and friends react after the accident?
P: My parents were very upset at first but they did not show it. They sympathized with me a lot . My friends too helped me overcome my sadness by staying with me all the time and giving me support. Often, outsiders will treat me differently, by showing pity or constantly asking me how I feel. But fortunately my family, and now my close friends, always treat me normally. I am glad they do this.

M & A: What is your message to young people who feel like giving up?
P:Feeling down is a very personal thing . Only the person who is going through it can feel it. In the end, you get support but you must recover by yourself. No one else can help you - just your own self-confidence and self-belief. If anyone feels like giving up he/she should realise that although life is full of problems and tensions still the good parts are worth it. If you let a bad feeling stick around, it will grow day by day - and then you will feel like giving up . So its best that the moment we start feeling depressed we should think about all the good things in life and all those people who will be affected if we aren't participating in them fully. Then it is time to just get out of that down feeling by doing something more productive - like dance!

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Front cover
Mustard Seeds Report
A visit to Sunderbans by Saptak Mohanta
Mustard Seeds Haiku Contest
The disappearance of my glasses by Chotku Parekh
Mini Chatterjee's Culture Corner: Dowry system in Indian weddings
Tanabata by Megumi Takemura
Write Me by Shohini Sen
Cooking and Science - Try It!
A Rainy Watery Excursion by Maura Aunty & Malini Basu
Association for peace exchange with Indian and Pakistani youth
More Haiku
Book Review by Arnab Chakraborty
Mango Bite: Interview with Puja Paul by Aparupa Biswas and Mini Chaterjee
Back cover
MUSTARD SEEDS MAIL ART CONTEST