Rishona Chopra
Grade VI
Gyanshree School
My Favorite Place In The World
Everyone desires to go abroad to explore on vacation. Earlier, I also used to fall in with the typical crowd and wished that "To go abroad on this vacation would be very nice." On the contrary, we went on adventures in our country India, in general, and our state Uttarakhand, in particular. This is because my father loves his motherland and religion deeply. It was not like I wasn't happy on our "interstate" trips, but maybe it was for the feeling of bragging that I wished to go abroad. Anyways, the past is past; what is essential is that I have come to realise that back then, I was foolish!
"Devbhoomi", the land of Gods, is my "Matribhoomi", my motherland, and to explore every part of this land is my moral duty so that I never forget or be unaware of my roots, at least me! The wonders hidden here or found here are unexplored.
The "Char Dhaam Yatra" isn't something I've been on, but it is something I'd love to be on. It's just unimaginable for atheists and unexplainable to anyone not on the same page as me. It took time for me to picture everything, but I consider myself lucky enough to understand my mother nation's importance. Many invaders came to put us down, but we stood up again because, exceptionally, our land had that courage. Every part of our country is flourishing and with different tribes living altogether. Uttarakhand is another such state blessed with the presence of pilgrimages, the importance of which foreigners have come to understand, but the saddening part of it is that we, being Indians, are craving to fly out of our culture and taste some other culture.
My favourite part about Uttarakhand is that anytime I feel distinct and not closer to my culture, some or the other reminisce of any cultural trip or the power of the fresh air brings me back to connecting with it again! The treks on mountains, the "living on lakes", the rafting on the Ganges, you name any adventure, you'll find it here. Our villages have their authenticity still alive-cooking in clay pots on a self-lit fire, picking out sticks, drawing out water. I am an adventurous person so, for me, what's better!? The open forests, the breezes, the Temples-All is here at my favourite place.
Reveda Bhatt
Grade X
The Aryan School
Reveda is fond of art and writes blogs at My Good School.
Dear Leaders and Members of My Good School,
My school’s motto was: “Youth Shall Rebuild the World.” Our entire education process and curriculum was centered around the thought that learning is a life-long activity and schools must prepare students to be life-long learners. Understandably, the teachers too would teach with a method that nudged curiosity in us and inspired action. Often, the learning was done outside the classroom with well curated,long or short excursions. We had our own student parliament, elected by the students, every year. We fought elections with much fervor and the elected student government was given significant empowerment to decide on school rules, holidays, academics and student festivals and activities.
When at school, India was not some distant idea for us, she was a person, fully present in our lives. We understood our relationship with our country from experiences both academic and otherwise. I think our founder’s vision was to prepare the young to act constructively for society, nation and the world, whenever and however the opportunity presented itself.
What I learnt at school became my talisman in life. I looked at each opportunity professionally or personally to unlearn and learn constantly. Life has now become my school. Therefore in 2014, when I decided to drive across India for 51 days with three friends, there was not much hesitation in my mind and heart. I had done this kind of learning for several years, through travel and meeting people everywhere. What I discovered in those 51 days and also from my travels for over two decades form the beating heart of my first book: “Highway to Swades – Rediscovering India’s Superpowers.”
What Highway to Swades expedition taught me was that our country is full of amazing people and their wonderful stories. Stories of love, harmony, peace, enterprise, nature, creativity, knowledge, commitment, inclusion, heritage, culture, assimilation, individualization, community, wellness, beauty, sacrifice, rituals, food and the arts. I call them India’s superpowers and the book tells stories of Indians from across the country and all walks of life who live and strive for these superpowers.
What writing this book taught me was that we each have our own superpowers and we can call them to action for ourselves, our loved ones and for society at large. One of my superpowers is to listen and the other is to write and therefore I continue to engage with Indians everywhere and of all ages to understand more about who they, what they do, why they do it, what are their aspirations and dreams etc. This gives me immense hope as I think as a people we may be content but at the same time we are ambitious for our future as individuals and as a nation.
It is with this thought, that I want to engage with all of you, to listen more, to have meaningful dialogues and to see if individual or collective action is possible for what we care deeply about.
Looking forward!
Love,
Bhairavi
#MyGoodSchool My Good School - above The English Book Depot at Dehradun, visit this social space when you visit the city next city.
I knew Massan ji resigned from his Govt job in Lahore and founded The English Book Depot Ferozepur Cantt in 1923. However, I need to find out the name of the book depot. He learnt the art of book trade and got addresses of suppliers of these in U. K. as I needed help finding the name of any bookshop in North India during those days. He during his later age engaged himself in the service of humanity through Arya Samaj. He was honoured as the permanent President of Arya Samaj Ferozepur Cantt and Manager of Arya School Ferozepur Cantt. Smt Snehlata has been the humane face of the bookshop for over 50 years.
Best Bookstore Of 2023 by Food4Thought Foundation at the Hyderabad Literary Festival.
Image courtesy www.eduvast.com, used by Oshi Singh for representation only.
It all started on a fine day when the English men made their first visit to India. When we welcomed them to our land, our fields and our culture, unknown what lies ahead. Gradually the visits became more frequent. It was about when they started collecting taxes from peasants and got their Farman issued from Aurangzeb, and in no time, they were writing our destiny, dictating what to do and what not to do.
The focus of children who went to pathshalas to gain knowledge shifted to scoring. The children who were taught on their pace and capability to grasp a concept now just had a year to understand and do a test on it without knowing or learning the practical usage. Not only that, they were now dealing with India's religious, economic and political matters. The country that invented zero made the first university in the world and already knew that the Earth was round before the world was now called "uncivilized". It was the darkest hour of all Indian's lives but don't you worry because Rabindranath Tagore, Mahatma Gandhi, Rani Lakshmi Bai and many more heroes were now to rescue!
The Revolt of 1857, The national movement and the Dandi March were some events that changed Indian history. How can we forget 26 November 1949, the day when the Indian Constitution's draft was finally ready, and precisely within 2 months, we had our Constitution ready. Although we lost some of our brothers and sisters on the way. We were now an independent and free nation.
We have come a long way. About 72 years ago, people discussed giving everyone equality, uplifting minorities and universal adult franchise but look around you now. What do you see? The misuse of all these rights granted to us. The rights which people who might have no relation with you were fighting just so you and the future generations don't need to struggle like them. So that everybody can express their true selves but what we see nowadays is people telling or instead yelling at each other and claiming that they have the right to free speech, so they can speak pretty much everything that comes to their mind.
Now, why don't you it some time and thought? Is it really fair? Fair to those who fought and put their lives and family at stake on a hanging cliff just for us. No right? So why don't we promise to cherish and respect these noble souls for all they have done for us and never misuse these rights given to us, all thanks to them. As the saying goes...
"Always respect what you have before life teaches you to love what you have."
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It’s uncanny that our forefathers had to strive and struggle so desperately for an Independent India. It’s even more strange that we treat our independence as a birth-given right. Today, what we take for granted resulted from combined forces forged throughout British Indian history. It was a blend of hues, cries, rebellions and massacres all because of one motherland, Bharat.
Independence is the ability to obtain basic fundamental rights. It is the state where we can freely express ourselves, work as per our wishes and simply do whatever we want. Independence is when we have no obstructions or restrictions and are free to fly high and soar in the sky.
But that is independence for a citizen. What is independence for us, as distinct individuals? For some, it would be being able to make all their decisions rationally and independently, but ideally, independence should be a state of mind and not a right.
If we are pulled down by the people at our side,
but in our minds, we are transparent and wide
If we don’t show it, but we know it,
That when the time comes, we will fly.
If we have enough faith and courage,
To be the first on a different path,
If we have the belief and encourage,
To be alone but still be without wrath.
If we are disheartened when we fail,
But we don’t give up on our trail
If we can rise after each fall,
But never give up on the target, however tall.
If we know to help the wounded in a race,
And pick them up and slow down our pace,
If we can walk together till the last,
And still, show no glory and no hast.
If we can be clutched in tight chains,
And still, be strong and free as an eagle above the clouds
In high rains,
If we can be crushed like a flower,
And still not lose our essence,
Then that is Independence.
Anvesha Rana,
Grade 10-B,
Gyanshree School
We all had the time of our lives, and when I grow up, I want to take my family there again to revisit the fantastic experience and see them smile.
Now let me share my experience; till that day, I had only heard that Ladakh was a beautiful and mesmerizing place, but now I got to experience it in person.
Ladakh is most famous for breathtaking landscapes, crystal clear skies, the highest mountain passes, the highest motorable pass, and Buddhist monasteries.
We saw local monasteries and apricot fields in Ladakh and took two days to acclimatize to the weather.
Our next destination was Nubra valley, followed by Pangong lake.
This was my favourite experience on our trip to Ladakh.
The drive to Nubra Valley via Khardungla, the highest motorable road in the world, was all about the beautiful landscapes of Ladakh and adventure. With the zig-zag trail continuing till Hundar village... this drive was an unforgettable experience.
The descent from mighty Khardung La towards Hunder leaves us spellbound as the snowy surroundings drastically transform into the desert. Before we sense it, the double-humped camels at Hunder village offered us an exciting ride through the desert.
From Nubra valley, we visited the majestic Pangong lake...which is as big as the sea. We share its boundaries with the neighbouring country. Its crystal clear water is salty and changes its colour seven times a day due to the sun's position throughout the day. It is the world's highest saltwater lake in the world.
Our next destination was Kargil. We visited the war memorial. The sight of Tiger Hill and Tololing hill gave us a sense of pride and patriotism as the air was filled with selflessness and honour of the sacrifices of our Jawans who laid their lives in war.
From Kargil, we set off to Srinagar via Drass and Sonmarg. Drass, which is the second coldest inhabited place in the world.
In Sonmarg, we were mesmerized by the tall pine trees and beautiful 'Sind' river playing hide and seek with us.
The next day we reach the summer capital city of Jammu and Kashmir... Srinagar.
As we reached there, mesmerizing view of Dal lake welcomed us with open arms. A Shikara was ready to give us a ride to our royal houseboat. It was my first experience of staying on a houseboat.
This stay proved that the beauty of an old-world setup is unparallel. The sight of moving shops of basic amenities in Shikaras is a memorable and unforgettable experience. We bought seeds and flower bulbs from there, and I also tried my hand at the Shikara ride.
We saw the Nishat garden there. It was a myriad of flowers, fountains and lush green grass.
The next day we explored Pahalgam...where we saw Aru valley, Betaab valley and Chandanbari. All were so majestic that they couldn't be summarised in words.
From Pahalgam, we came back to our home.
However, it's not my first time to the mountains for a vacation. But, this trip was so different in the way that we came across snow-capped mountains, clear skies full of stars, colourful rocky mountains (red, green and brown), majestic lakes, deserts, sand dunes and what not?! It was only possible as we took a road trip to Ladakh.
We came across 9 passes during our trip, making it a memorable trip.
On completing 3200 km of the magnificent journey by car, I realized the true meaning of Incredible India!!
Yashraj Sharma
Grade: VIII
Gyanshree school
It was great to be in school and meet him. He is one of the best mentors I have had till now. I also met a few other teachers and students. We, along with a few teachers and students, discussed a small marketing plan and how we could motivate people to write in languages other than English to feel comfortable with the language they like.
We plan to read the chapter "The Annual Day At School" from the book My Good School, Where Passion Meets Education by Sandeep Dutt on the 20th of March.
I hope to meet him once again and be back in school physically!
Rishona Chopra
Grade V
Gyanshree School
