Rahul woke up early on Monday morning. The alarm clock rang at 7 o’clock. He jumped out of bed, brushed his teeth, and took a nice bath. Then he put on his blue and white school uniform.

His mother was in the kitchen making breakfast. She made soft idli with coconut chutney — Rahul’s favourite! “Eat well, beta,” she said with a loving smile. She also packed his lunch box with rice, dal, and some sabzi.

Rahul picked up his school bag and water bottle. He walked to the bus stop with his best friend, Amit, who lived next door. They talked about cricket all the way.

The school bus came right on time. Rahul and Amit sat together in the back. Their school, Sunrise Public School, was in Mumbai. It was a big, colourful building with a beautiful garden.

The first class was English. Their teacher, Mrs. Sharma, taught them a beautiful poem about the rain. Rahul loved English because he liked learning new words.

In Math class, they learned to count up to 100 and solved fun problems. “If you have 5 mangoes and I give you 3 more, how many do you have?” asked the teacher. “Eight!” shouted the class.

The bell rang for lunch break! Rahul and Amit rushed to their favourite spot — under the big banyan tree in the schoolyard. They sat together and opened their lunch boxes.

Rahul shared some of his dal with Amit, and Amit gave Rahul some of his paratha. They also played “catch” with their friends before the bell rang again.

After lunch, they had Art class — Rahul’s favourite! Today, they had to draw the Indian flag. Rahul drew a beautiful flag and added a peacock, the national bird, in his picture. Mrs. Devi, the art teacher, gave him a star!

The last class was EVS (Environmental Studies). They learned about animals and their homes. “A bird lives in a nest. A rabbit lives in a burrow. A lion lives in a den,” they read together.

When the final bell rang at 3 o’clock, Rahul felt happy but tired. He had learned new things, played with friends, shared food, and got a star in art. “School is the best place in the world!” he thought, as he walked home with a big smile.