Why should we save trees? - Ankit Raj

Saving trees is crucial for numerous reasons. Firstly, trees play a vital role in maintaining a balanced ecosystem by absorbing carbon dioxide and producing oxygen, which is essential for all life forms. 

Additionally, trees provide habitat for countless species of plants and animals, contributing to biodiversity. Moreover, they help regulate climate, prevent soil erosion, and provide numerous resources such as wood, fruits, and medicines, making them indispensable for human survival and well-being. 

Preserving trees is not just an environmental concern but a necessity for the health of the planet and future generations.

Ankit Raj

   Sunbeam School, Lahartara 

Water: A Precious Resource - Rishona Chopra

The most precious thing on Earth,

One which has priceless worth.

The very thing because of which everything survives,

Without it, we won't stay alive,

Nature would die,

At the mere sight of it, one could cry.

No life on this precious planet of ours,

No PLAN B to save us from the tough hours.

If that one precious thing was gone,

We wouldn’t live to see the dawn.

The oceans would die,

The birds wouldn’t fly.

No resources in our life,

Because without water, how would we survive?

Rishona Chopra

Grade VIII

Gyanshree School

Questions I ask - Rishona Chopra

Photo from https://www.peakpx.com
Nature is so perfect, But why are we so wrecked? Why are we with flaws? Why do humans have the habit of going against the laws? Why aren’t all of us patient and kind? Pure and with a clean mind.

Why do people steal?
Why do people not feel?
Why do we lie and cheat?
Why are people poor and on the street?

When I ask these questions, I realize,
I don't have to look for the answer up in the skies.
The answer is within me,
I am the holder of the key.

God is the fuel of the car,
Helps the car move like a bright star.
But it's the driver’s fault that the car has met an accident,
The fuel isn’t responsible for the mistakes and accidents.

God has given us this body and mind,
Given endless freedom to humankind.
Gave us materials so we have enough food,
But we’re the ones who wrongly viewed.
We made alcohol and tobacco,
We blamed god for our troubles although,
We were the ones to blame,
We were lost in making money and fame.

God gave us the mind,
We had an option to be kind.
But we’re the ones who made the other choice.
And lost the pureness in our voice.

Rishona Chopra

Gyanshree School

Grade VIII

The Marvellous Tree - Pallavi Kumari

https://www.toppr.com/, used by Pallavi Kumari for representation only. 

The Marvellous Tree

                            In the heart of the forest, tall and free, A tree stands proud, a marvel to see.

Its branches reach for the sky so high, A symphony of leaves, against the blue sky.

Beneath its shade, a haven of peace, Where woodland creatures find release.

Roots dig deep in the earth below, A silent dance, a life to bestow.

Through seasons changing, a timeless friend, Witness to stories, beginning to end.

Leaves whisper tales in the rustling breeze, Nature's secrets, shared with the trees.

In the embrace of the forest's might, The tree stands strong, a guardian of light.

A silent witness to the passing time, A testament to nature's sublime.

Pallavi Kumari

Grade- VIII

Sunbeam Hostel Lahartara 

Trees - Samriddhi Banerjee

                                                                      Picture from treehugger.com
The oak is called the king of trees,

The aspen quivers in the breeze.

The poplar grows up straight and tall, 

The peach trees spread along the walls,

The sycamore gives pleasant shade.

Samriddhi Banerjee
Class 4
Sunbeam School Lahartara

Two men looked out the prison bars; one saw mud, one saw stars - Nishan Karki

The image is for representation only.

The man who saw the mud was sad and angry. He never remained happy and was very aggressive. He never practised happiness; in fact, he did not know it. He could not control his emotions and actions. He often fought with the other prisoners. This made the other prisoners hate him. They never wanted to be with him except for the prisoners who resembled him in nature.

What about the man who saw stars?   Well, he was a man with a joyful and happy nature. He laughed a lot and made other prisoners laugh, too. The other prisoners always enjoyed his company. They preferred him rather than the first prisoner. Although he was a prisoner, he was soft-hearted.

Everyone has different perspectives, perceptions, ideas, views, opinions and experiences. They usually differ from each other. People's behaviour and actions define who they are. 

To be like the second prisoner, one must have a healthy (pure and soft) heart. He must know how to control his emotions and actions. He must know how to behave with others and enjoy their company. He must be happy. Remember, "the one who gets angry for a minute loses 60 seconds of happiness."

A positive attitude and mindset can also make a person happy and joyful, like the second man. To get happiness, one must have a burning desire for it, which must be mixed with faith to gain it.

"To change ourselves effectively, we first had to change our perceptions." – Stephen R. Covey. 

Nishan Karki

Class 10, Pestalozzi Children's Village India

Image Courtesy- iStock

There are many dimensions to every person - Nishan Karki

Picture Courtesy: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/A-human-being-exists-in-three-dimensions-and-all-of-them-must-be-in-their-natural_fig1_8893032

"Life has its dimensions in the mysterious." 

-Jesse Jackson

There are many dimensions to every person. People possess their qualities and abilities. These qualities are not singular but numerous. Here, dimensions refer to the inner and outer capacities of a person. 

Everyone has their unique qualities and experiences. Engaging with new things adds to a person's extent. It helps them gain knowledge and learn new things. The more experience a person has, the more dimensions they possess. 

A person's dimensions determine their value. Each individual has their way of doing things and interpreting situations. They all have different perspectives and views. It is about their approach to tasks. 

Some people take the world very seriously, remaining sad and bleak. They do not attempt to emerge from their sorrowful nature. They conceal their thoughts and feelings. They do not endeavour to explore their outer dimensions, instead becoming absorbed in their inner dimensions. Thus, people should strive to think outside the box and not remain confined to their inner thoughts.

On the other hand, there are people of an open and joyous nature. They share almost all moments and experiences with others. They consistently think outside the box, learning and experiencing new things. Others enjoy the company of such individuals.

However, there are exceptional people as well. For instance, some remain quiet but think outside the box. And explore their outer dimensions and potential. In contrast, some people are very talkative and joyful by nature. Yet, they do not think outside the box and explore their outer dimensions and potential. 

In concluding these observations, we understand that a person's definition is not solely shaped by their external nature and behaviour. It also encompasses their inner nature, thinking process, and communication skills. Each approaches things differently. Hence, every person has various dimensions that make them unique. 

Nishan Karki

Pestalozzi Children's Village, India.

You Breathe - Reveda Bhatt

Photo from: https://www.curioustitans.com/blog/book-review-when-breath-becomes-air-by-paul-kalanithir

I wrote the following poem after reading 'When Breath Becomes Air'. The book hits me to my core. I hope you feel the same way I did, too...;)

[They gave their breath.

Nature took it as air. 

We made it our breathe.]

You breathe now what once was air,

Which earlier was the breath of the person who disappeared,

That's just how it is-few days of sorrow

While the others celebrate-

The other not being here.

Might feel like despair

But to make it clear

That's how it is-

You Die - Few Cry - While The Others Celebrate You Not Being Here.

And then, what you used to 'BREATHE' just, in a moment, became 'AIR'.

Reveda Bhatt
Grade 9 The Aryan School

Appreciation - Tenzin Jambey

Image courtesy Pestalozzi World website.

Regarding appreciation, the image of people clapping for you and words like thanks and thank you come into our minds. Almost every people appreciate others by saying thanks and thank you. Some people think that only getting the word of thanks from others is an application, but I don't think about it that way.

Regarding my application work, I have done numerous good jobs. Whenever I do any good job or something, I first appreciate myself because it doesn't bring me any sadness or down feeling because of not being appreciated for my good work by someone; we should be the first to enjoy ourselves if we do any kind of work. Doing an excellent job in the presence of someone can be seen, and others might praise you for that, but being yourself without anyone's presence is a different thing; at that moment, there is no one to clap for you, and that's the moment when we should pat on our back for doing a good job. We should be good and kind to all humans, but what about plants and animals? They, too, have the right to live a long peaceful life. Humans are taking so much from nature and animals; in return, we are doing nothing helpful but destroying, killing and taking their life.

We should be kind to the plants and all the animals around us; in the hostel, I have planted varieties of flowers and plants since I am so attached to nature and the environment, and sometimes I water them in the evening. When I see that the soil level is unequal, I add soil and organic fertilizer like cow dung and decomposed vegetable peals. After returning from my vacation, I found that the plants had dried, and some had even died. I felt sad about that as I cared for them with my heart, I watered them, and the next day I saw them growing again, which thrilled me. No one appreciated me, as none saw me doing that, but when I appreciated myself, I heard the soundless appreciation of my plants and flowers. As the wind blew, they began to move, and I imagined they were dancing and singing with joy because I had watered them after so long.

We must come out of the mindset that being only kind to a human does not bring us appreciation, we must equally respect our mother earth and all the components of nature like air, water, land, soil, fire and even the dumb stones that stays in a fixed position and says nothing but we use it for many purposes.

Tenzin Jambey
Pestalozzi Children's Village India

Being Human - Amaira Bhati

Being a human, I feel proud but also crib about things a bit. I can tell the advantages and disadvantages of my life.

Had I been another human, I would like to carry my same attitude, feelings and thoughts. There are two types of humans, a cruel human and a kind human.

Our world's population of cruel people is growing, not knowing how many sins have been attempted. As a human, I have started exploring the world ahead of me even more.

With such small eyes of a human, the human can see the limitless skies. I see humans pulling and cutting trees and plants off their roots daily when we should care more for our dying earth.

Being a human is a beautiful journey. Some humans look at the negative side, while others look at the positive side. We humans only achieve something when we look at the positive side.

I feel proud to be a human by looking at the positive side, following kindness and expressing my thoughts and feelings to other humans who genuinely believe in themselves. Last but not least, I want to be a human who can understand everyone politely and kindly. Amaira Bhati Grade IV - C Gyanshree School

Our broken relationship with Nature - Rishona Chopra

Nature is all around us. The magnificent trees, the lush green forests, the animals and the birds. And in fact, we humans are nature. We are not a part of it, but we are nature. 

Nature heals us. By this, I don't mean just the trees and forests that heal us. Our loved ones, friends and parents care for and support us, standing selflessly as our backbone. 

Human's greatest enemy is ego. Is it the fuel for anger, jealousy, greed and whatnot? For desire, we fight wars. Why? For a mere piece of land. That very land belongs to none of us. Countries fight for the mountain areas that come into our country. But, in reality, that land is neither ours nor theirs. It is nature which has no possession. We don't have the owners we belong to, and neither does the land. 

Without realizing it, we hurt nature for a silly reason. Amid these wars, aren't oceans and mountains being affected? 

We greedily fight for possession, but do we take that possession with us when we die? One day, it all has to be lost. 

Plants, humans, animals and birds are all nature. We are one and are meant to live in harmony. But we have all broken ourselves into different categories. We are told to live in peace and harmony, yet we have created a broken relationship with one another. 

The beauty of our world lies not in our planet's biodiversity but in the harmony that we create with one another. 

Due to the broken relationship, neither are satisfied; neither are we nor are the plants and animals. 

It is high time we fix this relationship by realizing that ego is our greatest enemy and has ruined so much for us. 

We must cure the wounds we have caused and prevent more from being created. 

Listen to my podcast.

Rishona Chopra
Grade VII
Gyanshree School

Meet and Greet with Bhairavi Jani

Learning Forward Podcast Season 10 Episode 14, we try to understand India's strategy for unleashing its innate greatness: Ms Bhairavi Jani, the author of Highway to Swades. Join Anvesha and Rishona on this marvellous trip to rediscover India's superpowers. In a country overflowing with its culture, a nation intertwined along with its love for heritage and a place blossoming in its beautiful diversity. We belong to India, the land of differences, but these differences act as a binding force for each of us. India is indeed a great country, full of stories to tell and experiences to share. Indeed, all the powers mentioned in the book have their unique meaning.

Photo courtesy: timesnownews.com

We are finally beginning to use our intellect | Dr Jane Goodall | Conver...

Dr Jane Goodall, the renowned primatologist and United Nations Messenger of Peace, talks to Nirmal Ghosh about the drive to inspire environmentalism in young people and why, despite the damage done to the planet, she remains an optimist. Read more: https://str.sg/wtLo.

Wabi Sabi: The art of imperfection - Rishona Chopra

Nature is imperfect, people are imperfect, and you and I are imperfect, which is why we are beautiful and unique. 

Many of us aim to be perfect and flawless. We fail to understand that our flaws make us unique. Our mistakes give us more experience and learning. As said by Genard Way, "Being happy doesn't mean that everything is perfect. It means you have decided to look beyond imperfections." There is beauty in imperfection. Trees shed their leaves, flowers rot, animals die, and seasons change, which is the beauty of nature. If trees didn't shed their leaves, they would grow huge and cover up the buildings and roads. Many people's income is on cleaning the fallen dry leaves. They would, too, lose their job. 

To talk practically, many young people start during facial surgeries at a young age to look "perfect", unable to realise they were born simply perfectly. Why do we long to change yourselves for others? Hardly anyone changes for themselves; we all change for others. So that people like us, they become our friends, but when we do that, we lose our true joy and beauty. 

We all are beautiful and pretty, and no one can change that!

Rishona Chopra
Grade VI
Gyanshree School

Why The Mistakes? - Rishona Chopra

Albert Einstien was once teaching a class and said 9x10 = 91, the whole class burst out laughing, and Albert Einstien calmly said, "I said 9 correct answers, but no one appreciated me, but I made one mistake, and you all laughed at me. This means that our society notices the smallest mistakes but never the good things." 

When our teachers make a small mistake like a typo error, don't all students point it out, but most of us don't even thank them when she teaches well. We, humans, practice always pointing out mistakes, and even I do, but we never appreciate things. Look at nature; we never understand its beautiful branches but point out the dry flower. 

In the same way, we all don't notice what we have but see what we don't. We have a family, a home, a school to go to, books, fancy pens, and clothes to wear, but still, we eye the things we don't have. Like a pair of shoes, we don't appreciate that at least we have feet. Have you ever thanked God for giving you a healthy and happy life? Have you felt gratitude for having a beautiful face, hands, and legs? We think it is normal, but it's not. Even giving birth in this world is a blessing. 

Rishona Chopra
Grade 6
Gyanshree School

The Value of Peace - Oshi Singh

 Piece Or Peace?

This September, we celebrated Peace

Mental Peace Or Mental War? 
Ultimately, Peace is the final aim of war, isn't it? 

Both these 5 letter words have the same pronunciation but different meanings. Some of you would correct me and tell me they're called homophones, and you are totally right. While one could be a piece of cake, the other could be self-discovery. They are like Night – Day, Arrive – Leave, Junior – Senior, Better – Worse, Right – Left, Rich – Poor. But now that we are talking about Peace which is the month's value let's discuss it a little further. According to Wikipedia, the definition of Peace is: 

Peace is a concept of societal friendship and harmony without hostility and violence. In a social sense, Peace is commonly used to mean a lack of conflict (such as war) and freedom from fear of violence between individuals or groups. 

Do you really think this is what Peace means to you?

Close your eyes, and imagine these five beautiful letters. The first thing that comes to your mind is what it is for YOU, unless you are thinking about a piece of cake. Peace can be anything in the world with approximately 7 billion people; there are billions of other definitions for Peace. It could be harmony with loved ones only, it could be harmony with everyone, it could be harmony with the surroundings, or it could be self-development. It could be anything if you just remember to be yourself. 

Before ending, I would like to share my views about Peace: 

Peace for me lies in nature. It seems so dark and mysterious, yet I find it so bright and blissful. It makes me realise the true meaning of Peace. It constantly reminds me to switch the lights on in the darkest times of my life. 

Oshi Singh 
VIII D
Gyanshree School 

On the Divine Force of Love

We are celebrating the value of Love this August.

Love is one of the great universal forces; it exists by itself, and its movement is free and independent of the objects in which it manifests. It manifests wherever it finds a possibility for manifestation, wherever there is receptivity, wherever there is some opening. What you call love and think of as a personal or individual thing is only your capacity to receive and manifest this universal force. But because it is universal, it is not an unconscious force; it is a supremely conscious Power. Consciously it seeks for its manifestation and realisation upon the earth; consciously, it chooses its instruments, awakens to its vibrations those who are capable of an answer, endeavours to realise in them that which is its eternal aim, and when the instrument is not fit, drops it and turns to look for others. Men think that they have fallen in love; they see their love come and grow, and then it fades—or, it may be, endures a little longer in some who are more specially fitted for its more lasting movement. But their sense in this of a personal experience all their own was an illusion. It was a wave from the everlasting sea of universal love.

Love is universal and eternal; it is always manifesting and identical in its essence. And it is a Divine Force; for the distortions, we see in its apparent workings belong to its instruments. Love does not manifest in human beings alone; it is everywhere. Its movement is there in plants, perhaps in the very stones; in animals, it is easy to detect its presence. All the deformations of this great and divine Power come from the obscurity, ignorance, and selfishness of the limited instrument. Love, the eternal force, has no clinging, no desire, no hunger for possession, no self-regarding attachment; it is, in its pure movement, the seeking for the union of the self with the Divine, a seeking absolute and regardless of all other things. Love divine gives itself and asks for nothing. We do not need to say what human beings have made of it; they have turned it into an ugly and repulsive thing. And yet even in human beings, the first contact of love does bring down something of its purer substance; they become capable of forgetting themselves; for a moment, its divine touch awakens and magnifies all that is fine and beautiful. But afterwards, human Nature comes to the surface, full of its impure demands, asking for something in exchange, bartering what it gives, clamouring for its own inferior satisfaction, distorting and soiling what was divine. 

The Mother

CWM, Vol-3, Pg. 69-70

 

The force of love in the world is trying to find consciousnesses capable of receiving this divine movement in its purity and expressing it. This race of all beings towards love, this irresistible push and seeking out in the world’s heart and all hearts, is the impulse given by a Divine love behind the human longing and seeking. It touches millions of instruments, always trying, always failing. Still, this constant touch prepares these instruments, and suddenly, one day, there will awake in them the capacity of self-giving, the capacity of loving.

 

The movement of love is not limited to human beings and is perhaps less distorted in other worlds than in humans. Look at the flowers and trees. When the sun sets, and all becomes silent, sit down for a moment and put yourself into communion with Nature: you will feel rising from the earth, from below the roots of the trees and mounting upward and coursing through their fibres up to the highest outstretching branches, the aspiration of intense love and longing,—a longing for something that brings light and gives happiness, for the light that is gone and they wish to have back again. There is a yearning so pure and intense that if you can feel the movement in the trees, your own being will go up in an ardent prayer for the peace, light, and love that are unmanifested here. Once you have come in contact with this large, pure and true Divine love, if you have felt it even for a short time and in its smallest form, you will realise what an abject thing human desire has made of it. It has become in human Nature something low, brutal, selfish, violent, ugly, or else it is something weak and sentimental, made up of the pettiest feeling, brittle, superficial, and exacting. And this baseness and brutality or this self-regarding weakness they call love!

The Mother

CWM, Vol-3, Pg. 71-72

M.S. SRINIVASAN

24th Aug 2022, shared via the email newsletter

Shinrin Yoku - Rishona Chopra

Shinrin Yoku is the Japanese art of forest bathing. To simply be in the forest, to take its many gifts and allow it to suffuse us with its healing properties, is - Shinrin Yoku.

This reminds us of our timeless connections to the natural world and the vital importance of rediscovering those ties through touch, smell and mindful presence in the here and now. 

Being with nature awakens a new self in us.  

Nothing in nature is perfect; the trees are not shaped up, and the flowers wither, but either way, nature is beautiful just the way it is. Spirit is finely interconnected. When it rains, the flowers blossoms; when the wind comes, the trees sway to the wind's beat, and when it's a storm, the trees are sad and break down. These little lessons that we learn from nature help us a lot.

Let aside the lessons, being with nature, in a forest, hearing the birds chirping gives such a wonderful feeling.

This is also why most spiritual leaders like Buddha sit under a tree because it helps calm their minds.

Rishona Chopra 
Grade VI 
Gyanshree School

Don't know what to write - Rishona Chopra

I simply can't understand what to write,
But I want to write as it gives me delight.
It's six in the morning,
And all plants are flowering,
And sitting in nature, I want to write,
Something or the other, something right.
Writing just means to write whatever comes to your mind,
That feeling you just have to find!
So, here I am writing about something that came to my mind.
Still thinking of a topic I should be assigned.
And now that I wrote this,
I know what to write, and that's bliss.
I got another topic in my mind,
That I won't tell now, maybe another time.

Rishona Chopra
Grade VI
Gyanshree School

It's because of you - Rishona Chopra

It is because of you - that is what we say. We blame people for our troubles and failures, and believe me, even you do. If you get a cold, you blame another person in the family who also had a cold. You don't blame yourself for having a weak immune system! If you couldn't go somewhere, then you blame the weather. When you spill water on your t-shirt, you blame the person who bumped into you.

When we blame others, we are avoiding some truth about ourselves. We can blame other planets for our fault; we blame nature, people, and even our parents! It's always easy to blame but challenging to find and correct your faults. This also connects with one of Dr Sibal's values - Making mistakes, and accepting flaws.

Rishona Chopra
Grade VI
Gyanshree School