In this engaging and thought-provoking story by Subhasmita Das, a Class 5 student from Epic Public School, a young girl’s curiosity is piqued by a news headline about terrorism. Determined to understand the world beyond cartoons, she embarks on a journey to uncover the meaning of “terrorism,” leading her to unexpected discoveries.
One fine morning, I was planning out my whole day. I had thought about what I wanted to do, but soon, I started feeling bored. Sitting there with nothing exciting to look forward to, I thought, “Maybe I should do something adventurous today.” Just as I was imagining all the fun things I could try, I got distracted by the sound of the TV turning on in the living room. That room has the only TV in the house, so I ran over to see what was on.
When I got there, I saw my dad watching ABP Ananda, a news channel. On the screen, big headlines read, “Terrorist attacks Srinagar, Kashmir.” I didn’t know what the word “terrorism” meant, but it sounded serious.
I asked my dad, “What’s a terrorist? Why are you watching something so boring? Chota Bheem and Doremon are way better!”
Dad chuckled and said, “Hmm… maybe they are more fun, but news is important too.”
I tilted my head and asked, “What does it mean? Why is it important?”
Dad gave me a slightly annoyed look and said, “Just watch for a bit, and maybe you’ll understand.” So, I sat down next to him, and on the screen, I saw chubby, tall men with big beards and masks attacking the police and local people. It looked scary, and I didn’t really understand what was going on. Just as I was about to ask Dad to change the channel to something fun like Chota Bheem, my mom came into the room. She looked at my dad with a frown and said, “What are you doing letting Gungun watch this? She’s too young to understand this kind of news!”
Dad didn’t say anything. Instead, he just got up, turned off the TV, and walked out of the room. That only made me more curious! Why didn’t they want me to know about this? And what exactly was a “terrorist,” anyway?
I decided to find out on my own. I quickly thought of a plan and went up to my mom. “Mom, can I go play with Tania Didi at her house?” I asked, trying to look as innocent as possible.
She replied, “Okay, but be back in time for lunch!”
With permission granted, I rushed to Tania Didi’s house and rang her doorbell. When she opened the door, I asked, “May I come in?” She smiled and welcomed me inside.
We went to her room, which was decorated with motivational quotes and beautiful drawings that she had made. After a moment, I blurted out, “Didi, do you know what ‘terro… terro… teror… umm, terrorist’ means?”
She laughed and said, “Do you mean ‘terrorist’? Yes, I’ve heard of it, but I’m not sure what it actually means either. Let’s look it up on Google!”
She grabbed her phone, started searching, and began reading out loud: “Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has called the latest terrorist attack deeply disturbing.”
She suddenly stopped reading out loud, and I asked, “Why did you stop? What’s next?”
She replied, “I’m reading in my head so I can explain it better to you.” Feeling relieved that she would finally help me understand, I waited quietly. But after about 15 minutes, she was still reading without saying a word. I was starting to get suspicious—what was taking so long? So I leaned over to see what she was really doing, and to my surprise, she was actually watching Instagram reels with the volume turned down low!
Realising I wasn’t going to get any answers from her, I decided to come up with another plan to figure this out. I told her, “Didi, I’ll be right back. I just need to get something from home.”
She waved and said, “Alright, see you in a bit!”
When I got back home, it was already time for me to take a bath. I took my bath as quickly as possible, then rushed to the TV, hoping to finally get my answers. I asked my mom if I could watch some TV, and she agreed. I immediately switched to ABP Ananda, the news channel my dad had been watching earlier.
I listened carefully as the news anchor reported, “The number of terrorist attacks in India is rising day by day. Everyone needs to be cautious, as terrorists may be nearby or even right in front of you. These attacks are carried out by people sent from different countries to harm us.”
In just a few minutes, I started to understand. A “terrorist” was someone sent by their own country to do illegal things or create trouble in another country. These people weren’t friendly—they came to cause harm and disrupt peace. Hearing this made me feel a bit uneasy, and I realised that maybe my parents had been right about not wanting me to watch it. But now I knew what it meant, and I felt both informed and a little braver.
I decided I’d keep an eye on things around me from now on, just in case. Feeling a bit grown-up and proud of my new knowledge, I went to have lunch. Today had turned out to be much more interesting—and educational—than I had expected!
