Unni's Wish

Meryl Garcia

THUMP, THUMP, THUMP!
The noise wakes up Unni and he looks out of the window.
Some men are digging and hammering near his home. There are thick wires and wooden poles all around them.
Unni wonders if they are building a new house in the forest.

Unni finds Amma pressing his school uniform with a clothes iron full of hot coal.
“Amma, who are these men working outside our home?” asks Unni.
“You’ll find out soon. Now go and eat your idlis before they become cold,” replies Amma, with a mysterious smile.

After breakfast, Unni pulls on his warm uniform.
“Bye, Amma!”
Unni hurries through the forest towards the coffee estate. His best friend Ammu lives here. There she is, waving at him!
“Let’s race!” says Ammu. And off they go!

The two friends zip through the coffee plants. They circle around the big mango tree. They hop across the stream.
And finally, they reach the road that leads to school.

Unni listens to Ammu humming a tune as they walk to class.
It’s from her favourite cartoon show on TV. “The boy in the cartoon fights villains using his magic glasses!” she explains.
Unni wonders when he will have a TV at home.

TRINGGGGG!
The school bell rings.
Unni and Ammu hurry to catch the bench under the fan. What a wonderful breeze!
Unni imagines sleeping under a fan at home. It would be great in the summer!

At break time, Unni and his friends run out to play. It’s a very hot day and they soon get thirsty. They go to Kuttan Chettan’s shop to buy lime juice.
BRRR! The glass feels cold in Unni’s sticky hands!
“If we had a fridge at home, Amma’s lime juice would taste this good,” Unni mumbles to himself.

Unni’s head is bursting with questions. He decides to find Janaki Miss.
“Kuttan Chettan’s shop has a fridge but we don’t have one at home. There’s a fan at school but we don’t have one in our room. Ammu has a TV at home but I don’t. Why is that, Miss?” asks Unni.

“Where do you live?” Janaki Miss asks.
“In the forest, Miss. Beyond the coffee estate.”
“Oho! Lights, fans, fridges and TVs need electricity to work. It sounds like your home doesn’t have an electricity connection.”
“But why?” asks Unni.
Janaki Miss replies, “Electricity comes through wires from the village power station. Since you live deep in the forest, it is difficult for the wires to reach your home.”
Unni is disappointed.

After school, the two friends race back to Ammu’s home in the coffee estate. The sun is setting.
Ammu turns on the tubelight. “I’m going to go study now,” she says.
"It's getting dark. Let me get home quickly. I need to light the kerosene lamp," says Unni, sighing.

Outside their house, Unni sees his father talking to some men. It’s the men who made all that noise in the morning.
“What is happening, Acha?” Unni asks.

Everyone turns and smiles at him.
Amma points to a switch on the wall. Unni presses the switch and...
TA DA!
THE ROOM LIGHTS UP!
Everyone claps. This can only mean one thing...
“I can’t believe it!” says Unni. “Our house finally has electricity!”

Unni can now study under the tubelight,
sleep under the fan,
drink chilled lime juice,
and finally watch the adventures of the superhero with magic glasses!

Did You Know?
- Electricity can be created in many ways. In India, it is mainly produced by burning coal.
- We also generate electricity from water, wind and sunlight.
- In 1905, Bangalore became the first city in India to get electricity.
- Some places in India still don’t have electricity. The state of Bihar has the largest number of homes without electricity. Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and Odisha are some other states where many people continue to live without electricity.

Flash Quiz!
1. Sometimes you can spot a flash of electricity in the sky. What is this called?
2. Unni wants his home to have electricity so that a TV, fridge, tubelight and fan can work. Can you name three other things that work on electricity?
3. This fish produces electricity to hunt and also to protect itself from danger. Do you know what it’s called?
4. In 2017, a south Indian state became the first in the country to provide electricity to every household. Which one is it?

Answers
1. Lightning
2. Iron box, computer, cell phone, geyser, etc.
3. Electric eel
4. Kerala