My World of Stories - Anvesha Rana

The Library may be better and far, 

but the one at my home, to it, has no par. 

The Library may have more books, 

but the one I have has more love but no looks. 

I love my library, 

may it be small or short, 

but life is also not counted by years but by friends, 

a library is not counted by books but ends. 

The friends in the corner of my room, 

the lessons in life loom,

The Library has taught me everything, 

from love to compassion, all of them ring. 

I have a friend called Harry Potter, 

a mate Percy Jackson, 

I know a lovely man who is Morrie Schwartz, 

and the most beautiful Totto-Chan. 

The Library has opened my world, 

it may have been small once, 

but now it's twice that same once. 

Let's all read, 

for one life may be monotonous, 

but hundreds will make that one super anonymous. 

Anvesha Rana, 

Grade 10-B, 

Gyanshree School

When It All Began - Anvesha Rana

We don’t have to be great to start, but we need to start to be great. All of us must have been a beginner at some point in our lives, on the sports field or on the dance stage. Every person who has achieved success today would have been a beginner once, so allow yourself to be a beginner, for no one starts off being excellent, and it is the critiques that shape our character, not the praise. 

In school life, co-curricular activities are just as important as academics. I loved to dance in the cultural arts but was not really good at it. However, during the pandemic, I tried different forms of dance and today, dancing is something that occurs naturally to me. Another activity that I was a beginner at once was writing, but after joining the reading club program, my thoughts changed direction, and I just couldn’t contain them anymore, so I had to write! Practice makes a man perfect; the more I wrote, the better I became!

When I was a new student at school, I found it hard to follow the rules - standing in line, not talking, asking for permission - it was all different. I learnt very early in life that the golden rule everyone should follow is Equality. 

Equality in mind and body; Equality in harmony with the soul; Equality in speech and action; and Equality in life are what we should aim for. Just like the students of Tomoe treated their janitor wonderfully, we should respect everyone for whatever they do, be it small or big, be it quick or slow, and we should treat others the way we wish to be treated. 

Live by the Golden Rule, for it is not stringent but only robust, 

It is Equality. 

Anvesha Rana,

Grade 10-B,

Gyanshree School

Totto-chan and Us - Anvesha Rana

School, a place to learn and grow, a garden to walk and stroll and land to meet and greet. We go to School every day, but what does School mean? School comes from the Greek word skholē which means leisure. In ancient times, labour was challenging, so going to School was fun since children could simply meet their friends, ponder on diverse topics and completely unwind when from School. The School was meant to be a place for fun and learning. I go to School to learn new things and meet my friends and teachers. Going to School is fun because I get to do a lot of extra activities like sports, dance, music, theatre and art. I even learn some of my favourite subjects, like English or science. But the best part is that when I return home from School, my sister and I get to exchange all our learnings for the day. Discussing School with my parents is also something that I love. Mr.Kobayashi, the headmaster at Tomoe Gakuen had a right hand man as Mr.Maruyama. A Right-hand man is someone who supports and helps us in all our tasks. The children could often associate the smell of incense sticks with Mr Maruyama since he was the one who introduced them to the Rehei Amanoya. Similarly, a scent that I sense is of a ball of yarn. Whenever I see wool or a ball of yarn, I remember my Grandmother. She sat on her rocking chair and would continue to sew woollen sweaters for all of us. That image is still strong in my mind; whenever I recall it, it always fills me with nostalgia. Totto-Chan was called Korean by a boy Masow-Chan, but she couldn’t understand it until her mother explained this. It is true that behind every unique child is an even more radiant mother. We all love Totto-chan, but it’s only because of her mother that she is so curious yet so calm, mischievous and yet so sublime. Totto-chan’s mother has inculcated every possible value in the young girl. Be it equality, love, patience, humility, appreciation or compassion, perhaps Totto-chan has it all! We all should be a little more like her; we all should learn to master our two hawks, our two bears, our two rabbits, our stubborn donkey and the most vicious snake. Let us flow with this rivulet of love!

Anvesha Rana, Grade 10-B, Gyanshree School.

Totto-Chan - Anvesha Rana

I wish I could be a little more like her, 

for Totto-Chan would be a true dreamer, 

Her incidents can make you laugh out loud, 

and her innocence can create love around. 

Totto-Chan is so much fun, 

      She can pass through barbed wires without a grunt, 

  She makes up her own crazy games, 

and plays them without any aims. 

I have never seen another like her, 

So sensitive and empathetic, 

and yet so succumb. 

She can make anyone a friend, 

from Takashi to Yasuaki-Chan, 

all of them are mates. 

Totto-Chan is truly a gem, 

living the way she loves to, 

by sliding down a cesspool, 

or standing in the sand for a

time too long!

I wish I could be a little more like her!

Anvesha Rana, 

Grade 10-B, 

Gyanshree School

Ignorance, Evolution and the Avatar - Anvesha Rana

It is uncanny that we sometimes just need a short story or a mishappening to make us realize our position in this circle of life. We all are human, yet we stand at different steps of the same staircase. Our mindset defines the place we idealize, but there are many positions to choose from: 

Realization of Ignorance is the first stage of development. It is the state where we think we are superior to our fellow beings, but in reality, we are just the same. Ignorance makes us turn a blind eye to the tiny creatures; it fills us with a sense of pride and destroys the humility within us. When the worms discovered the ray of light, they felt that it was meant for them to find and that they were special, but if the worms had been a little wiser, they would have decided to share this finding with the entire the worm population for everyone's wellbeing. Ignorance makes us immature, and after some time, it will cause us to rot. There is no development in ignorance; when we blindfold new learning opportunities and avert our eyes from new people when we disregard new things, that would stop our learning. Ignorance stops us, but observance adds a boost to our life. 

The second stage of development would be Evolution. Evolution is simply letting go of all sad things, destructive grudges, negative emotions and guilty practices; it transforms yourself and then rises above others. Evolution is perhaps the final and supreme stage of development for all humans; it is exploring and experiencing such a level of spiritual consciousness that no pleasure can be more significant. It is simply breaking free of all the chains that hold you back and then unfurling your wings to fly in a free and limitless sky, only to discover the real deception of life. We can live genuinely only when we have evolved, grown, learnt and understood, for Evolution is the true joy. 

The third stage of development would be The Avatar. The Avatar is the truest, pure, divine form one can pursue. It is a reconciliation with the almighty to develop the utmost level of emotional, mental, spiritual and physical being. The Avatar is definitely hard to reach and even more challenging to maintain. The Avatar is not god, but it can be us if we attain the final enlightenment possible. Buddha and Mahavir were ordinary people, but the course of their actions was so holy that they acquired the form of The Avatar. The path is not hard, but it is filled with thorns and pricks until the rose. 

The development that I hope for is Evolution. Some day I do expect that I can be the worm who could spread its wings, cross the horizons and truly realize life.

Anvesha Rana, 

Grade 10-B, 

Gyanshree School

A Trip To a Hot Spring - Amaira Bhati

It was getting dark when all the children of Tomoe Gakuen were ready for a three-day trip. It was almost time for dinner when all fifty students had finally arrived. The Headmaster hadn't brought along any food supplies with him, and he had an amusing thing for the students to do. 

The Headmaster sent all the kids to buy the veggies and fish. He knew that some kids would be afraid of this, but he wanted to make them experience the essential things in life. This simple action of buying vegetables could make them more open and make them learn more about doing calculations.

People at the market were eating their food and asking the students about them, and the students were supposed to reply politely. Some students took all the fish and veggies, but others either got lost or didn't get it. Some children went missing and had even cut their feet in the sand since it was filled with glass. This might have not been fun for some students, but in the end, it enclosed a lesson for life.  

When it was time to go back, everyone was sad that the trip was over, but they couldn't stay there forever…Half of the students slept on the way around, and the other half could not stop talking about this beautiful memory of the hot spring trip.

Amaira Bhati
Grade 3-F, Gyanshree School. 

Colors Of Life - Rishona Chopra

Painting by Rishona Chopra

Colour - It is the deep mysterious language of dreams

It is a power which directly influences the soul.

Splash colours on a paper, put a stroke of brush and water, and let them flow like rivers of hope and shine through the form!

Rishona Chopra

Grade VI 

Gyanshree School

Tomoe Gakuen - Anvesha Rana

I wish I were a student at Tomoe, 

so free and yet so connected, 

I could have met the headmaster, 

and made friends with Totto-Chan. 

If I were a student at Tomoe, 

I would have visited the Hot Spring, 

while enjoying the new bling. 

The Souvenir photo would have cracked me up, 

and the Oops boy would have been a fun hub, 

I really wish I were at Tomoe, 

for it would be so lively. 

If I were at Tomoe,

I would have learnt Eurythmics, 

Though it would be funny to be so Rhythmical. 

I do wish I were at Tomoe, 

but I already have my own right here, 

which is My Good School!

Anvesha Rana, 

Grade 10-B, 

Gyanshree School

Totto-chan's Mother - Amaira Bhati

        

Totto-chan’s mother is kind, gentle and calm. Totto Chan had been expelled from her old school, but her mother had not scolded her, and she did not even tell her about the suspension so as to not upset her daughter. Instead, she made Totto Chan go to a new school. 

The teacher of Totto-chan’s old school was disappointed and annoyed by her but mother always stood by Totto-chan’s side and let Totto Chan be the cheerful and chirpy girl she was; mother kept Totto-chan’s expulsion a secret. 

It was the first day of Totto-chan’s new school, Tomoe Gakuen. It was a school with railroad cars as classrooms, and it deeply excited the jovial Totto Chan. Her mother played a crucial role in all this; she encouraged Totto-chan to share what she liked at the school that day and listened to all her tales with amusement. 

Even when Totto-chan ran to her mother and told her she wanted to be a ticket collector, her mother coolly reminded her that she wanted to be a spy instead. Totto-chan is very lucky to have a Mother so encouraging. Deep down, Totto-chan’s Mother knew all about her daughter’s potential even when she concealed her feelings most of the time. That’s the power of a mother.

Amaira Bhati,

Grade 3-F,

Gyanshree School

Totto-chan's Mother - Anvesha Rana

Totto-chan's mother is a unique parent. She understands her daughter like a mother, treats her like a friend and protects her like a soldier. Totto-chan is lucky to have such a benevolent mother who supports her in all her decisions. She is a calm and composed lady and has brought up her daughter similarly.

The best part about Totto-chan's mother and Totto-chan is the comfort level that the mother and daughter share, so much so that Totto-chan shares everything with her mother. Behind every young child who believes in himself is a parent who believes first. Totto-chan is an open minded and free spirited child only because she has a mother who doesn't want her to walk in her footsteps, but she wishes for Totto-chan to imprint her own feet on a new field.

Totto-Chan's mother is just like my mother,

She is soft hearted yet strong willed, 

She is compassionate yet unwavering in principle, 

She is a loving mother, yet she wants her to go beyond the horizons, 

She worries about her daughter, yet she pushes her into the waters, 

In short, simply a SUPER MOM.

Anvesha Rana,

Grade 10-B,

Gyanshree School.

My Good School Song - Anvesha Rana

    

My Good School,

where passion meets education.

My Good School is our school, 

Where passion meets education

And we reach our destination. 

We can read or write, 

Speak or create, 

Just find your calling, 

And carry it forward. 

Create a podcast, 

Or write a blog. 

Whatever you do, 

The Joy of Learning will be sure. 

My Good School where,

Learning is Fun, and Fun is learning, 

Where we are not mere students,

But all of us are lifelong learners at this school of life. 

Anvesha Rana,

Grade 10-B,

Gyanshree School

Totto-chan: The Little Girl at the Window - Amaira Bhati

                                                                 

Tetsuko Kuroyanagi is from Japan. She was born in 1933 and is 88 years old. She wrote Totto-chan in 1982. On May First, we started reading the book. This story is about a little girl named Totto-chan, who is strong-willed yet kind-hearted, compassionate yet unwavering in principle. Totto used to go to a school where she had a strict teacher, and the teacher often observed her very carefully. Totto-chan always used to shut her desk; she would bang it with a big noise. Totto never used to sit on her chair; she would stand near the window every time her teacher was teaching. One day her teacher held an activity of making the flag of Japan and the teacher kept roaming around the class looking at her students' drawings, but when she saw Totto-chan’s drawing, she was very disappointed. Totto had made her flag in many colours, she made strokes and flinches around the flag, and her flag was so big that she drew some flinches on the table. It took them some severe trouble to rub it off. 

Another day Totto-chan went out of the window and started talking to someone. When her teacher leaned out to see who she was talking to, the teacher caught her talking to birds who were making their nests. Her teacher was so frustrated by Totto's behaviour that she held a meeting with her mother, and the teacher told everything about Totto-chan’s mischief. The teacher told her mother that she didn't want to make a nuisance out of her class, so she had to expel Totto-chan from the school. 

Totto-chan’s mother didn’t tell her anything about being expelled from school. She told Totto that she would be going to another school, which would be even more fun. So they went off to a new city, a new school, and a new beginning. Toto was so excited about going to her new school by train. She sat quietly on the train, but when the ticket collector came and asked Totto-chan for her ticket instead of handing in the ticket, questions had now popped up in her inquisitive mind, but the ticket collector snatched the ticket away from her. Totto-chan’s mother was very worried about Totto’s admission. Her mother took her hand and said that they couldn't be late because ahead of them, the gate of a small school was gradually coming into view in the distance.

Amaira Bhati,

Grade 3 - F,

Gyanshree school

Today Is The Day When You Define for Yourself - Amaira Bhati

                                                                

Sometimes it's the most minor decisions that can change your life forever.

In life, you always have two things to choose, a right decision or a wrong decision, and you choose between right or wrong as per what you think is best. Well, I will tell you when I got stuck at my crossroad.

I had a stomach ache one day, so I told my mother, and she said, “Go to the birthday party with your father and maybe you will be fine there and take a holiday from school.” But I thought deeply, in my mind there was only one question – Should I take a holiday and go to the birthday party or should I go to school? My mind was jumbled up with the consequences of school and birthday party situations. I thought that everyone in the world has a birthday and you just get food and food, and you eat food every day and skipping such an excellent educational day of school was something I didn’t like! So, I told my mom, “No, mom, I won’t take a holiday for the birthday party. I will go to school no matter what" in response, my mom just said Good, so I knew that I had made the right decision. 

Life is complicated like a tangled box of yarn, but decisions are those colourful strings which need to be separated one by one, and that is the Beauty Of Life!

Amaira Bhati,

Grade 3-F,

Gyanshree School