My Good School - Sunday 20th September 2026

 Exploring Corfu, Civilisational Identity, and Industrial Vision: Sunday Reading Session Recap

Our latest My Good School Sunday Reading Session was a vibrant celebration of literature, history, and cultural reflection. Bringing together diverse narratives—from the sun-drenched shores of the Mediterranean to deep-rooted reflections on Indian heritage—the gathering showcased our students’ keen analytical skills and love for reading.

Here are the key highlights and discussions from the session.

1. Adventures on Corfu: Gerald Durrell’s My Family and Other Animals

Brinda opened the session with a delightful journey through Gerald Durrell’s classic work. Focusing on the family’s expedition to Corfu, she brought to life anecdotes about their famous boats, the Bottlebum Trinket and the Sea Cow. The reading captured the island’s lush natural beauty and offered a lighthearted exploration of human and animal nature.

2. India as a Civilisation vs. a Nation: Bharavi Jani’s Insights - Highway to Swades

Jugjiv transitioned the reading to Bharavi Jani’s impactful work, prompting an engaging discussion of India’s core identity.

Key themes included:

• The Symbolic Significance of the Ganga: The group reflected on how the river shapes both geography and spirit.

• Democracy vs. Republic: The group examined the conceptual distinctions between political structures and legal foundations.

• Living Unity in Diversity: Grounded in travel experiences spanning Nagaland to Karnataka, this session illustrated how distinct regional cultures weave into a single national tapestry.

Multilingual Student Reflections

Our students enriched the discussion with reflections across multiple languages, including Hindi and Assamese:

• Salah highlighted why India’s identity extends far beyond its status as a political entity.

• Rishika shared an evocative comparison between the energetic, youthful flow of the Ganga in Rishikesh and its solemn, spiritual rhythm in Varanasi.

• Shivangi summarised the text’s broader impact on how we understand our national heritage today.

3. Historical Insights: The Gandhi-Tata Connection - Reading Tata Stories

Neenu presented a thoroughly researched historical account detailing the relationship between Mahatma Gandhi and the Tata Group:

• Early Support (1909–1912): The session highlighted Sir Ratan Tata’s crucial financial backing during Gandhi’s early struggles against apartheid in South Africa.

• The Jamshedpur Visit (August 1925): Details were shared about Gandhi’s historic visit to Jamshedpur, where he publicly commended Jamsetji Tata’s vision for industrial and social development.

• Modern Leadership: A profile of Xerxes Desai illustrated his visionary leadership at Titan Company, which revolutionised the Indian watch market starting in 1987.

4. Interactive Learning & Vocabulary

The session concluded with an interactive Q&A addressing vocabulary and language nuances from the readings. Key words discussed included:

• Acquaintance: A person one knows slightly, rather than a close friend.

• Faithful: Firm and unwavering in loyalty, allegiance, or duty.

Thank you to all the readers, presenters, and participants who made this Sunday reading session enlightening! Join us next Sunday as we continue our journey through great books and ideas.

Heaven is Haven - Reveda Bhatt

 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.

To keep the culture of my country alive, I'd do anything that is in my hands! We all should! Growing every day! Diving deeper today! #BackToRoots!

Reveda Bhatt
Grade X
The Aryan School

Reveda is fond of art and writes blogs at My Good School.