Embodied Science Stories

A tribute to the sacrifices, love and inspiration of my father, my Baba.

The schools were re-opening in two days. Preparations were in full swing. It was no less than preparing for a battlefield.

All new uniforms were checked for fit, and final alterations were made. Students everywhere were nervous, excited, but most importantly, a little scared, because a new class meant new responsibilities and a higher level of studies. Some students brought new bags, new shoes, new uniforms, tiffin boxes, water bottles, and many other things. Everyone had to buy new books, some textbooks and, most importantly, stationery.

This was Smriti’s favorite task: going to the stationery shop with her Baba.

She thoroughly enjoyed the trip. She saw it as an adventure, an important ritual with her father. Walking into the stationery store where books, pencils, pens, erasers, watercolors, pencil stands, single-line notebooks and double-line notebooks were stacked neatly across multiple shelves gave her a strange sense of comfort, almost like home.

Students had summer vacations, but fathers did not. So it was only during the last few days before school reopened that they found time to do the final purchases.

This year Smriti did not need new uniforms, as her old ones were perfectly fine. The same with her bag and shoes. But she did need new notebooks, pens, pencils, an eraser, a scale, a compass and a water bottle.

Smriti’s father had informed her during lunch that they would leave at six in the evening to finish the buying.

That evening, the sky suddenly changed colors.

A sunny afternoon transformed into a dark grey sky. The wind began blowing hard and rain seemed to be approaching quickly.

They wondered whether to wait or leave immediately.

“The weather has suddenly changed. What do we do?” asked Baba.

“We can go later… even tomorrow. I’ll use another book until then,” Smriti said hesitantly.

“See if you can go. I think it might calm down in another thirty minutes,” suggested Smriti’s mother.

Smriti looked outside the window. Dry leaves and dust were swirling wildly in the dark grey sky. A faint whooshing sound could be heard. The window panes vibrated in uneven rhythms.

Smriti felt a little worried. She did not want her father to get stuck in such weather just because of her stationery.

Finally, they decided to give it a try and step out.

Smriti excitedly jumped into the passenger seat. It was the seat where her mother usually sat, but where she sometimes got to sit when her mother was not travelling with them. Sitting there always felt special. It gave her a strange sense of responsibility.

Sometimes she even imagined that she was driving the car herself. The same view, the same feeling, all the controls nearby, but without actually driving.

As they began their journey, the storm intensified. Visibility was very low. All Smriti could see were the headlights and taillights of the cars on the road.

She wondered how her father was able to drive through such conditions while remaining calm.

Suddenly, she felt the urge to pee, something that often happened to her in moments like this, when excitement mixed with fear. She quickly distracted herself and stared carefully at the beam of the headlights and the twisting, dancing leaves that appeared and disappeared in the light.

Somehow she felt that if she paid close attention to the road ahead, then they would be safe and the car would move carefully.

“Baba, I think it is starting to rain,” Smriti said.

Her father, still carefully driving and occasionally glancing at the sky, replied,

“Hmmm… it is non-monsoon rain. It was too hot these past few days.”

They drove a little farther and reached the area where they always bought their things.

Her father parked the car on the opposite side of the road and said,

“You’ll get drenched. You wait here and I will get the things.”

“No, Baba, I will also come,” Smriti insisted. She did not want to miss her visit to the stationery shop, one of her favorite moments.

“Okay. Let me go and check if they have the books you need. I will come back and get you.”

Her Baba took the small umbrella and quickly crossed the road.

Smriti kept staring in the direction of the shop, making sure he was safe.

After a tense two minutes, which felt more like a hundred, her father emerged from the dusty, rainy storm.

“It’s not there, is it?” Smriti exclaimed.

To her surprise, her father replied that they had everything.

She rejoiced.

Holding her father’s hand tightly, she crossed the road. She jumped over puddles, occasionally closing her eyes and only opening them slightly to see where she was going.

Whenever she held Baba’s hand, she let go of all fear. Even if she closed her eyes completely, she always knew she was safe. She felt like a small bundle of joy whenever she held his hand, as if she could do anything she wished for. This was a feeling that she experienced a few times a year, like during the trip to the stationery shop.

They reached the shop, and the shop owner greeted them warmly. They were regular customers, and the shop owner knew how Smriti’s eyes always twinkled whenever she entered the shop. Her father always encouraged her to ask for what she wanted herself.

The shop owner smiled and said,

“So you made it even in this weather! School is about to start, right? What books do you need?”

“Yes uncle. School reopens the day after tomorrow. I need two single-ruled notebooks, a dictionary, a compass…”

Smriti carefully went through her list one item at a time.

The shop owner packed everything neatly. Her father paid, and they headed back home. By then the weather had cleared and the air felt fresh.

Smriti could not believe how different the evening felt compared to just a short while ago.

The next night, while arranging her new stationery on the table to pack in her bag, Smriti suddenly realized something.

“Baba… I forgot to buy chart paper for my project,” she said quietly.

It was already nine at night. Most shops nearby had closed.

Without hesitation, her father picked up his keys.

“I think the store near the market might still be open. I’ll go and get it,” he said.

It was much farther away.

Smriti watched from the window as her Baba left again into the night, just so that she would have everything ready for school the next day.

Years later, Smriti would grow up.

But that stormy evening remained etched in her memory.

Was it because of the stationery? Yes, she did love that. But that had meaning because of the small moments like the tight grip of her father’s hand while crossing the road, the calm way he drove through the storm, the effort of stepping out again at night just to bring chart paper for her.

As a child, she had simply enjoyed those moments. As an adult, she understood their significance.

They were acts of love, sacrifice, and care. These were small things her father did without ever making them seem like sacrifices.

Those little moments shaped her in ways she would only realize much later.

And even today, whenever she walks past a stationery shop, she remembers that stormy evening… and feels a strong sense of gratitude for the love of her Baba that guided her through childhood and beyond.

WHERE’S THE SCIENCE? Click to find out.

This was a story about Smriti’s stationery trips with her father. Did we really see science embodied while reading the story? Let’s see how many of them you noticed.

• The Sudden Storm: Smriti saw the calm, sunny afternoon turning into a dusty, windy sky. This is common before a storm. When the ground heats up during the day, the warm air near the surface rises while cooler air rushes in to replace it, creating strong winds. These winds lift dust and leaves into the air, making the wind visible. Thick storm clouds begin to form, blocking some sunlight, making the sky look darker even before the rain begins.
• The Vibrating Windows and Flying Leaves: Before the rain arrived, strong winds began blowing dust and dry leaves through the air. When fast-moving wind hits buildings and windows, it creates pressure that can make window panes vibrate. The swirling leaves and dust showed how powerful moving air can be during a storm.
• Non-Monsoon Rain: When Smriti looked at the sky to react that it was raining, her Baba mentioned that the rain was not from the monsoon. Sometimes, after several very hot days, rising warm air forms tall clouds that release short bursts of rain. These sudden showers help cool the heated land.
• Dust Dancing in the Headlights: As the car moved through the storm, Smriti watched dust particles twisting and floating in the path of the headlights. Light becomes visible when it reflects off tiny particles in the air. The headlights revealed something that is normally invisible in the dark, dust moving with the wind.
• The Sudden Pressure to Pee: Smriti noticed the sudden urge to pee when she felt both excitement and fear. This happens because strong emotions activate the body’s stress response, which can affect muscles in the bladder and stomach. Our bodies often react physically to emotional situations
• Squinting Eyes in Wind and Rain: When the wind blows strongly, our eyes naturally squint. This helps protect them from dust and water droplets. Smriti, closing her eyes and opening them slightly, was her body’s natural way of shielding her eyes while still trying to see.
• Jumping Over the Puddles: After the rain began, water collected on the road because the ground could not absorb it fast enough. These small puddles form when rainwater gathers in low spots on the surface. To overcome them, Smriti used her father’s hand to swing and create momentum to jump over them.