The city was lauder then he(Krishna) had imagined.
Tall building stood like giants, their glass faces shining in the sunlight. Cars rushed by the horns echoing through the crowded streets. People walked fast, talking, laughing fighting
Like everyone was running towards something.
Krishna sat quietly in the back seat of the small taxi, holding his mother's(Priya's) hand. His father(Laxman) sat in front, talking cheerfully with the driver, pretending not to notice hus son's silence.
Krishna's father was a shopkeeper- simple,honest but always smiling, no matter how hard life got. His mother works as a hotel receptionist, beautiful, graceful and calm even when tired. Together they looked strong, but their son could see the truth. They were as new and nervous as he was.
When they reached their new apartment the boy stared at the city through the window. The buildings looked beautiful but cold, the kind of place where dreams abd loneliness lived together. He told himself he had try to fit in. He had to for his parents, for their new life.
The next day at school things were not easy. His classmates whispered, laughed and made fun of his quite nature he tried to ignore them keeping his head down pretending not to care but every word cut deep. He felt invisible.
That morning the teacher smile at him kindly
" Everyone, this is our new student. Come, introduce yourself. "
He is stoed nervously.
"I.... I'am Krishna mam."
The teacher nodded. "Welcome, Krishna. Let's test your knowledge. Tell me what is the capital of india?"
Krishna froze. The whole class stared. His throat went dry. After a few seconds, he stammered,
"Uh.... Mumbai? Because all the movie heroes live there."
The whole class burst out laughing. Even the teacher couldn't hide her smile.
"Not quite," she said softly. "It's New Delhi — but you get points for confidence."
Aarav forced a small smile, but his ears burned with embarrassment.
When the bell rang, he gathered his books quickly, trying to slip out. But before he could reach the door, a few boys blocked his way.
"Hey Bollywood boy!" one shouted. "Say another joke about geography!"
They laughed and surrounded him. He stayed quiet, embarrassed — his hands trembling, eyes down.
Then, suddenly, a voice rose from the back of the room.
"Stop it," said another boy firmly. "I'm telling the teacher."
The class went silent. The teacher came, scolded the bullies, and for the first time, Aarav felt safe.
Later, that same boy walked up to him and smiled.
"Hey… you okay? Want to sit with me at lunch?"
It was a simple offer — but to him, it felt like the start of something big.
That day, in the middle of the noisy city, he found his first real friend.