Tasnim and Tariq were on their way to the park. Off they sped on their scooters, the evening breeze naughtily ruffling their hair. All around them were children of all ages. Some vroomed on their bicycles. Some whooshed on their tricycles. Others were hurrying on foot. The grown-up trailed behind, water bottles slung on their shoulders.

Flying high

Suddenly, Tasnim gasped and pointed at the sky. Tariq squealed. A flamboyance of flamingos flew overhead, painting the sky a pretty pink! Someone clapped. Someone cheered. Everyone went “Wow!”

As they watched the migratory birds, something awful happened. One of the flamingos crashed into a tall, ugly hoarding that was obstructing its path. Someone screamed. Someone cried. Everyone went “Oh no!”

Tasnim, Tariq and the other children ran towards the injured bird. It had fallen out of the sky a little distance ahead. A crowd gathered around. Someone made a call to the wildlife welfare society. Everyone waited. The rescue team came and took the injured bird away.

Tasnim and Tariq kept thinking about the poor bird. Tasnim imagined the flamingo laid up in bed, with a thermometer and bandage, a doctor and nurse looking after it. Tariq imagined the flamingo with a plaster and sling. Would it be okay? wondered Tasnim. When would it fly again? wondered Tariq.

What to do

They started coming up with ideas to save the flamingos. Tasnim imagined pulling down the hoarding with a big lasso or pointing her wand at it to make it disappear. Taariq imagined turning into a super-strong superhero and uprooting the hoarding or letting loose his pet fire-breathing dragon, so it could burn the hoarding to a crisp.

Mom and Dad had a better idea. The next day, the children posted a letter addressed to the Municipal Corporation of the City. Mom and Dad sent an e-mail to them. Over the next few days, Tasnim and Tariq checked the letter box every day. It was always empty. Mom and Dad checked their inbox. It was also empty.

“If only there was something we could do,” said Tasnim. “If only we could keep the flamingo out of harm’s way.”

“If only we could keep it safe: today, tomorrow, forever and always,” said Tariq.

“Idea!” said Tasnim and whispered in Tariq’s ear. He clapped his hands in delight. “Super! I’m sure it’ll work.”

Tariq whispered it to a friend. The friend, in turn, whispered it to his neighbour. Soon, all the children who went to the park joined in on the plan. Back home, all of them got chart papers. Then they got busy drawing, sketching, shading, painting, doodling, and decorating their charts with glitter, stickers, and chamki. They didn’t tell the grown-ups what they were doing.

Road block

The next evening, the passers-by were greeted by an unexpected sight. Tasnim, Tariq, and their friends had blocked the road to the park with their kick-scooters, bicycles, and tricycles just as the hoarding blocked the path of the flamingos.

On top of their vehicles, they had propped up colourful posters and glittery placards.

‘Hoarding down down!’, ‘Save the flamingos!’ ‘No to hoarding! Yes to flamingos!’ ‘Make our skies safe again!’, ‘Safe welcome for our guests!’, ‘Clear their flight path!’ The grown-ups looked on proudly, standing to one side.

Illustration: Satheesh Vellinezhi

Passers-by clicked photos and shot videos and uploaded them on social media. The videos started getting a lot of likes and comments. Lo! the roadblock went viral.

The children blocked the road all that week. Soon, news vans and reporters with mikes and cameras arrived. The protest was covered on TV. It made headlines in newspapers.

At the end of the week, the corporation officers arrived. The children and grown-ups clapped and cheered as they took down the hoarding. The flamingos whooshed through the sky, safe and sound, without any obstacle in their path.

Published - July 20, 2026 09:48 pm IST