Coffee With The Coach : Our Culture - Anvesha Rana

Today We Talk About Our Culture

People are only mean when threatened, which is what our culture does. That's what our economy does. Even people with jobs in our economy are threatened because they worry about losing them. And when you get threatened, you start looking out only for yourself. You start making money as a god. It is all part of this culture. 

We should build our own culture. It doesn't mean disregarding every rule of the community, but while obeying the little things, we create our own choices for the big things - how we think, what we value - those you must choose for yourself. You can't let anyone- or any society - determine those for you. 

Our culture conditions people. It's the same for women not being beautiful enough or men not being rich enough. It's just what our culture would have you believe, but don't believe it. Every society has problems, and the way to do them is not to run away. You have to work at creating your own culture. 

No matter where you live, the most significant defect we human beings have is our shortsightedness. We are still determining what we could be. We should look at our potential, stretching ourselves into everything we can become. But if you're surrounded by people who say, 'I want mine now,' you end up with a few people with everything and a military to keep the poor from rising up and stealing it. 

The problem is that we don't believe we are as much alike as we are. Men and women, whites and blacks, young and old. If we saw each other as more alike, we might be eager to join one big human family in this world and to care about that family the way we care about our own. 

We all have the same beginning - birth, and we all have the same end - death. So how different can we be? Invest in the human family. Invest in people. Build a little community of those you love and who love you. At the start of life, when we are infants, we need others to survive, and at the end of life, we again need others to survive, but the truth is that in between, we need others as well. 

Anvesha Rana 

Grade 10-B 

Gyanshree School

Swami and Friends - Anvesha Rana

Swami loves being amiable to everyone, especially to his best friends. He loves Somu for his geniality, Sankar for his intelligence, The Pea for his connection, Mani for his strength and Rajam for his personality. Swami is a fun-loving boy; his friends mean the world to him. Often friendships are a two-way street; if one of the givers in a bond of friendship stops contributing, this bond can also break. 

Something similar happened when Swami became friends with Rajam and unintentionally pushed Somu, Sankar and Samuel out of his life. Still, when Swami realized his mistake, it was too late to correct it. 

We pamper new people and forget the ones whom we have known forever. We often have so many desires that we change friends and relations to fulfil all our wishes. But fulfilling our desires does not lie in completing them but in controlling them. 

Anvesha Rana, 

Grade 10-B, 

Gyanshree School

Swami and Friends - Anvesha Rana

Swami is a boy who just loves to have fun, be it with friends or be it all on his own. He enjoys playing and wandering more than anything else, so whenever Monday comes around the corner, Swami feels frustrated as he has to walk through a tough day filled with studies and homework. But after all, he endures Monday Mornings. 

I like Mondays because I have a lot of activities in school that day, plus on Monday we have a lot of things to share with our friends, so it’s never boring. We all should like Monday because it is the start of a new day, a new week and maybe, new learnings and opportunities. 

Swami may not be a very ambitious young boy, but he is happy and optimistic because of his friends and loves playing, so he always has something to be positive about. Similarly, what makes me think positive is the idea of anything different from my usual routine. I enjoy it whenever we go out or when I have something new to do. Some different classes in school or meeting new people always excites me. That’s what makes me think positive, and I love that. 

Anvesha Rana,

Grade 10-B,

Gyanshree School

Sayonara Totto-chan! - Anvesha Rana

Yasuaki-chan left Totto-chan, and now Rocky also vanished. Everyone whom Totto-chan loved seemed to disappear one after the other. Tai-chan no longer spoke to her, Rocky could no longer be heard, and Yasuaki-chan no longer stayed with her. It was as if her little world of love was tumbling down and she was walking alone on a broken road with the rain constantly thumping over her head. Her near and dear ones had gone far away in sight but not in mind, for love is what remains even after you are gone. The little Totto-chan had learnt lessons that made her stronger and bolder in a world full of strangers. She now knew that she had to live up to her limited time in this race on earth, but Totto-Chan remembered to always run with happiness and happiness that makes others happy. 

I have often heard a story of a woman who lost her son but was so desperate to get him back that she went to Lord Buddha to bring her son to life again. In listening to her story, Lord Buddha said he would bring her son to life again only if she could get a fist full of mustard seeds from a house where no one had died. So the woman had set out on her task, she had gone to every home in each locality, but there was not a single house where someone had not died, be it the grandfather, father, mother, child, someone or other had always passed away. Lost and depressed when the woman returned to Lord Buddha, he had simply told her that human lives are like flickering lights. They light for a long time, but suddenly they extinguish. We need to learn to accept the loss and let the ones gone be always loved in our hearts. Just like Totto-Chan will always love Rocky and Yasuaki Chan.

When Ryo-chan, the janitor at Tomoe, had to leave for the War, all the students had organized a special Tea Party just for him. Everyone drank saké and shared something or the other for Ryo-chan. It was a fun time and the children continued the tradition of the Tea Party even after Ryo-chan was on the war ground. It was the last time they had ever gathered at Tomoe. 

Whenever I have to drop someone at the station and bid goodbye, I feel as if they could have stayed just a little longer; no matter how many days we spent together or how much fun we had, at that point, all that matters is whether they can be here for just a bit more time because no amount of time feels enough when you are with your loved ones. 

Sayonara, Sayonara is a Japanese goodbye, but it literally means 'if that's the way it is'. We have learned so much from Totto-chan, the Headmaster and Tomoe. It is even so unique that a young girl, simply through the means of her actions, has taught us friendship, responsibility, coping with loss, freedom and most importantly, love. So all we can say is Thank You and Sayonara, Totto-chan! 

Anvesha Rana,

Grade 10-B, 

Gyanshree School

Coffee With The Coach : Money - Anvesha Rana

Today We Talk About Money

We have got a form of brainwashing in our country. Do you know how they brainwash us? They repeat something over and over. Owning things is good. More money is good. More property is good. More commercialism is good. More is good. More is good. We repeat it - and have it repeated to us - over and over until nobody bothers to think otherwise. The average person is so fogged up by all this,  and he has no perspective on what's really important anymore.

Wherever we might go in life, we meet people wanting to gobble up something new. Gobble up a new car. Gobble up a new piece of land. Gobble up the latest toy. And then they want to tell about it. 'Guess what I got? Guess what I got?'. These people are so hungry for love that they accept substitutes. They are embracing material things and expecting a sort of hug back. But it never works. We can't substitute material things for love, gentleness, tenderness, or a sense of comradeship. 

Money is not a substitute for tenderness, and power is not a substitute for tenderness. As we lay on our deathbed, neither money nor power will give us the feeling we were looking for, no matter how much of them we have. 

There's a big confusion over what we want versus what we need. We need food, but we want chocolate. We need to be honest with ourselves. We don't need the latest car, we don't need the most prominent house. The truth is, we don't get satisfaction from those things; what gives us joy is by offering others what we have to give. 

We don't have to offer money or power but time. Offer your concern, and submit your stories; it's not so hard. Devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning. If we show off to the top people, they will look down on us. And if we show off to the people at the bottom, they will only envy us. The status will get us nowhere. Only an open heart will allow you to float equally among everyone. 

We should sometimes take out time to listen to other people because giving is what makes us feel alive. Not our car or our house. Not what we look like in the mirror. When we give our time, when we can make someone smile after feeling sad, it's as close to healthy as we can ever get. 

Do the kinds of things that come from the heart. When you do, you won't be dissatisfied, you won't be envious, and you won't be longing for somebody else's things. On the contrary, you'll be overwhelmed with what comes back. 

Anvesha Rana, 

Grade 10-B, 

Gyanshree School. 

Into the Fabric Buzz - Anvesha Rana

As I enter the fabric buzz, 

I look here and there, 

Nothing seems to be

Right enough to wear. 

The colours are strong.

But they do not stand out, 

The lines are long, 

But they only wait for a shout. 

The clothes at the start

Are overflowing with jewels, 

Their colours do not blend, 

Their design is awful, 

Their pattern makes me feel bad

But what can I do?

Yet People look over them. 

As if precious diamonds, 

Yet the mass buys them 

As if a lost treasure, 

And yet all wear them 

As their prized possessions. 

I can’t manage to look.

At such faces, 

Not because I am jealous, 

But it just makes me feel devastated. 

So, I enter deeper into the market, 

Where there is less racket, 

And for the first time, 

I see something I like. 

The clothes at the end

Do not stand out, 

But they make me feel welcome. 

They have just the right. 

Blend of colours yet 

No one there for them, 

They have just the 

Perfect pattern yet 

No one sees them, 

They have just the 

Best design yet 

No one buys them, 

They have just the 

Good inside yet 

No one understands them. 

I like it better here, 

In the end, 

The start is too crowded and painful, 

But the end has no one yet it is oozing 

With Love. 

The Way we see Beauty, 

Is no different from this, 

We like the ones with pretty faces, 

But not the ones with untied laces. 

We seek perfection in looks, 

Not in books. 

Beauty lies within, 

And there is no beauty out, 

When there is no beauty in. 

Anvesha Rana, 

Grade 10-B, 

Gyanshree School. 

A New Day - Anvesha Rana

A New Day is a new beginning, 

it's an old ending and 

something exciting. 

What it holds, 

we don't know. 

What it shows, 

we don't know

 For we only know it's a new day, 

   and it ought to be good. 

Bend forward and soak in the sun, 

Lay back and let the wind run, 

Enjoy the new day 

for it is only one. 

Look forward to learning more, 

Vow yourself to curse less, 

Be who you want to be

for a new day is a unique opportunity.

Learn to live, 

Learn to love, 

Learn to laugh, 

For the new day is only 

one. 

Anvesha Rana, 

Grade 10-B, 

Gyanshree School

Totto-chan - Anvesha Rana

                                                           

She wanted to be a spy, 

Then a ticket seller, 

After that a street musician 

And finally a ballerina. 

Her vision might wander, 

But her values never dander, 

Her life is simply yet happy, 

Then why don’t we be a little

more like her ?

She treats others with love, 

She learns all with joy, 

She yearns to find more

And ask why. 

The Farming teacher likes her, 

For she does everything with care, 

Her passion is appreciated and 

Her energy is contagious.

She might be naughty, 

But her character is good, 

She helps everyone 

And asks for nothing in return. 

So, Totto-chan, 

You are a really good girl, 

You know. 

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.

Giving - Ananya Bhatia

 Giving

In my opinion, Giving is one thing that almost everyone performs every day. Giving can be in many forms.

Giving can be done by giving someone time, hope, food, clothes, work and even respect. Can everyone give every day? Yes, it is possible. For, e.g. A teacher gives their time to students every day; even our parents give us a new value every day from being a child to an adult by teaching us how to talk, walk, eat, study, behave with others other small habits.

We, as children, go to school and share our Lunch boxes with friends that are also giving. I have read a beautiful quote about giving in Bhagwad Gita, which says A gift is pure when given from the heart to the right person at the right time and at the right place, and when we expect nothing in return. In simple words, if you are giving anything to anyone, give it by heart and do not expect anything in return. Giving is also beneficial for the person who is giving. This is a fact about which it is mentioned in Sam Veda that One who gives in charity always gets happiness and a sense of self-satisfaction.

Ananya Bhatia, IX, Ahlcon Public School

I like reading books.

A gift of Freedom - Bhavya Mahajan

Bhavya Mahajan,
7A, Ahlcon Public School

It was my birthday last week. But due to the pandemic, no one could come. So I thought of celebrating it differently by giving somebody a unique gift of Freedom. Before my birthday, I purchased a caged parrot for thousand rupees. The parrot was charming and adorable. On my special day, I gave him food and released it. The moment I opened the door of the cage, the parrot flapped its wings and happily soared high, away in the sky. After doing this good deed, I felt elated and satisfied. However, when my little sister saw that the parrot had flown away, she started crying. I explained to her that birds are born to fly free, and no one should steal their Freedom from them. It is a sin to trap them in a cage. Through this incident, I learnt that giving Freedom to somebody is the best gift we can provide. My little sister nodded and smiled.

I am an avid reader of mystery and fictional stories. I am fond of writing short stories, poems and articles to vent my thoughts and feelings. My hobbies include dancing and singing. I employ my creativity and imagination in making various art forms.

Never Give Up Hope - Rishona Chopra

 

Based on the reading of the chapter Never Give Up hope from Dr Anupam Sibal's book Is Your Child Ready To Face The World?

As told in the previous chapter,' Making Others Happy' is the biggest key to 'hope'.

We all should have hope, especially in tough times. Having hope means that it isn't the end. Whenever we are in a tough spot, we should think of possibilities instead of having negative thoughts and thinking of good options is having hope, and we should never give up hope. 

Having lost hope is like giving up on a complicated thing that could change the world. 

" Hope is the one thing that can help us get through the darkest of times."

Rishona Chopra
Grade V
Gyanshree School

Making others Happy - Shirin Kaw

Shirin Kaw, 8E, Ahlcon Public School

I am very passionate about writing stories and poems of what I imagine. Writing various stories and poems helps me express my thoughts on a piece of paper. It gives me a sense of calmness to my body and allows me to spend my free time productively. I also read many stories; I mainly enjoy fictional stories as I love imagination and creativity.

Making Others Happy -
Feeling good after doing a good deed,
Making one smile, the beatitude I perceive
Sunshine thrives over all the obstacles I face 

A second doesn't go by without thinking that face. 

It must have been a rough day, dealing with the strain 
A soul comes and hugs you, 
Makes your day an enchanting bouquet. 

Take a minute of your life,
There is something to redo, 
Make someone blush, and don't forget yourself too.

Making Others Happy - Anvesha Rana

                                                                 

 "The Happiest People are the ones who make others happy." 

We all constantly wish to be happy, but do we know how to attain it or is it just a state of euphoria we are running after? We need riches to satisfy our greed, but not our happiness. Happiness can be even ensured by a meal, a gesture or a smile but what matters the most is that you are aware of what makes you happy. Happiness is not an extreme feeling that may appear in a rare situation; it may be as subtle as your smile when you discern the blossoming flowers in your garden, or it may be a state of gaiety while riding up a roller coaster ride. Happiness has many faces; it is up to us to seek the right one. 

As humans, one of our traits has always been to be self-centralized, but sometimes we need to step away from the centre and see the scene from a spectator's perspective. The agony of the common masses can change the ideology of a man; when we have so much but are still not happy whereas they are satisfied with the little they have, then we understand the true worth of happiness. Our happiness is nothing compared to theirs, but all we can do is make them happy.

Some extraordinary people who paved the path for others to be happy are Walt Disney and Charlie Chaplin. Walt Disney is not merely a name. It has been a hope for people anticipating a joyful day, his contributions have been cherished through generations, and his works have lit up smiles on millions of faces. Charlie Chaplin was another cause for the ringing laughter of many. His distinctive yet humorous style had been admired worldwide, and his playfulness with pain made him an exceptional actor and a humble human being. 

All of us have our own unique ways to be happy, it may be by cooking a meal, going on a shopping spree or simply spending time alone. We can be satisfied, but the greater joy lies in making others happy. For instance, when I used to call my cousin to wish her on Christmas, this year I went the extra mile to make her a card and send it by post all the way to her home. Her smile was worth the effort, and the satisfaction I received after her response cannot be accurately described in a few words. 

The Beauty of Life does not depend on how happy you are, but how happy others can be because of you... 

Anvesha Rana, 

9-B,

Gyanshree School