Hasi and Hasu

Hasi and Hasu

Written and Illustrated by Isha Gangoly

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To

The stray cow I feed my fruit peels

on the way to Srishti

Ali Bhai and his juice shop

The parks where I got inspired

Thank you for contributing to

my world

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Far far away in Yelahanka New Town

There lives a girl in a house broken down

She was called Hasi by her Maa and friends

And this is her story, from beginning to end

“Get up Hasi, the sun is up

I have poured warm milk in your Hasu-Cow cup”

“5 minutes Maa, just 5 minutes more”

Hasi covers her head and begins to snore

Maa pulls the blanket off Hasi’s feet

And sits down besides her, taking a seat

“Get up rani, Maa has work to do

We need to leave, both me and you”

Hasi got up at once and jumped out of bed

And ready she was, from toe to head

Tiffin in hand and on her way out

She hears Maa rush and give her a shout

“Drink juice today on your way back from school

It’s hot this summer, it will keep you cool”

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The road to school in Yelahanka New Town

Would first go up and then come down

Shops on the left, park on the right

It was warm today, the sun shining bright

Hasi ran, skipped and then began to hop

And found herself right in front of Ali Bhai’s juice shop

He was hustling and bustling and serving with glee

Then he turned and flashed a big smile at Hasi

“Kanna, I have sweet watermelon specially for you

Come after school, and bring your friends too”

“Yes Ali Bhai, I’ll see you at noon”

Said Hasi as she ran off humming a random tune

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Around the corner, just besides the tree

Was a stinky dumpster full of flea

Dogs around and flying crows

Hasi held her breath and wrinkled her nose

In the middle of the dumpster was a swishing tail

Of a cow eating leftover food that had gone stale

Hasi’s mind raced to her favourite Hasu-Cow cup

That Maa gave her this morning when she got up

Aren’t cows worshipped in our motherland?

And this cow here, amidst garbage she stands

Juggling with plastic, trying to reach the food inside

Which wouldn’t open as much as she tried

And then suddenly she gave it a wallop

Plastic and food she gobbled it all up

Is this where the milk comes from?

The stomach of a cow who has just become a mom!

Angry and upset, Hasi stood there stunned

At the plight of the cow the country had shunned!

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School today was a bit of a bore

And Hasi constantly stared out the door

Her mind was buzzing with a million thoughts

Coming one after another, making tight knots

Silently at noon she made her way home

Mindlessly kicking some littered styrofoam

Didn’t even stop at Ali Bhai’s juice shop

Didn’t run, didn’t skip, didn’t even hop

In the evening at 5, Maa came back

And went to kitchen to make Hasi’s snack

Her Hasu-Cow cup sat next to Parle G

And for Maa was her favourite adrak tea

The whiff of the milk in Hasu-Cow cup

Was now making Hasi want to throw up

She couldn’t get the morning sight out of her mind

Her thoughts were now going in rewind

“Maa, I can’t have this milk, not just now

I’ve been sad since morning about the plight of a cow”

Maa didn’t say much, but she saw Hasi’s eyes

She knew her well, she was very wise

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Next day in the morning, the story repeats

Maa wakes up Hasi with special treats

“Get up Hasi, the sun shines bright

Yellaki bananas today for breakfast, alright?”

“5 minutes Maa, just 5 minutes more”

Hasi covers her head and begins to snore

Maa pulls the blanket off Hasi’s feet

And sits down besides her, taking a seat

“Get up rani, Maa has work to do

We need to leave, me and you”

Hasi got up at once and jumped out of bed

And ready she was, from toe to head

Tiffin in hand and on her way out

She hears Maa rush and give her a shout

“Drink juice today on your way back from school

It is hot this summer, it will keep you cool”

Hasi ate her breakfast on the way

Bananas were great in this morning of May

Past the park, and past Ali Bhai’s shop

And suddenly an idea in her head popped

She rushed to the corner, just besides the tree

And lo behold what does she see

Yesterday’s cow was almost there

Swishing her tail in the stinky air

Hasi gently placed the banana peel

And Hasu lapped it up, her first clean meal

Have you ever seen a cow smile?

It’s precious and worth capturing on your mobile

School today was again a bore

And Hasi constantly stared out of the door

Her mind was buzzing with a million random thoughts

Coming one after another and untying the knots

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At the strike of noon, with a skip and a hop

Hasi went straight to Ali Bhai’s fresh juice shop

“Oh Ali Bhai, will you be so kind

To give me the leftover watermelon rind?”

“What for Kanna?” asked Ali Bhai with a grin

As he turned to Hasi and stroked his chin

“My friend, my cow, is going through hell

The plastic in her body will make her unwell

Today when I fed her nature’s food

She lapped it up and happily mooed

I wish to make her healthy and whole

With your peels and fruits, served in a bowl”

With a bellowing laugh, and a beautiful smile

Ali Bhai hadn’t seen a good heart in a while

“Oh Kanna! You have the purest heart

I will give you my fruit, go make a start”

He headed inside and brought out a drum

Filled with peels of bananas, chikoos and plum

“Thank you Bhai, you have made my day

I must hurry now, before the fruits decay”

“Good Bless Kanna, you are truly kind

Tomorrow I’ll save you some watermelon rind”

And with a skip and hop off Hasi went

Her heart smiling with noble intent

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Back to the corner, she ran with glee

And found Hasu-Cow resting under the tree

Hasi placed the basket under her nose

Waiting patiently for Hasu to come close

Hasu sniffed around and moved her eyes

Which finally landed on her prize

She hurried towards her newfound lunch

And was ready to eat and munch munch munch

She happily mooed and gobbled away

While Hasi watched her eat that day

Thus began a friendship that was oh so wow

Between Hasi the girl and her Hasu-Cow

Big lessons learnt with a small kind heart

Is all it takes it to make a start

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To learn and receive, to love and give

To be happy and content in the places we live

To follow your heart, your very own soul

To be kind to those who make us whole

We’re always changing, we always will

Learning from history and dreams to fulfil

So this is Hasi’s story,

from beginning to end

And the best part is that

she made a new friend!

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This is the story of Hasi, a girl, who finds

friendship in the oddest of places.

This is the story of Hasu, a cow, who finds

a meal in the oddest of scenarios.

Isha Gangoly is a student at Srishti, and lives in Bangalore.

She was inspired by the events from her life in Yelahanka,

from which this book emerged.