People are more important than things - Tenzin Jambey

Reflection from Sunday School

Some people will choose expensive things, luxury items and valuable commodities over human beings, and some will give more importance to humans than any other things, even over the bag of gold and diamond. We all know very well that everyone is not the same. And therefore, one person can not change or bring goodness to others. First, we should be one to improvise our mindset, and we should be the ones to bring a good change in ourselves.

It is so true that people who have been close to death always give importance to other humans. These people respect all classes of people- from young to old and from poor to rich. I still remember the tragedy of my uncle, who once almost lost his life after being stuck under a rock while working. Nowadays, he is earning his life by serving as a driver. He has a very kind heart. He respects everyone. And sometimes he gives a free ride to the labours and workers as he has also been a labour and he knows their conditions of working and the level of physical hard work they do. 

If we are kind to others, then goodness comes to us through 'Karma'. When we give others love, care and importance, we get it all back from others. Having a great affection towards earthly things like gold and diamond would make your heart much like coal. But if you give importance and are affectionate towards humans, your work and contribution will always be remembered and told. It is not only the humans to whom we should give importance but also the animals, plants and our mother Earth, as in this world, everything is interconnected to each other in some way or the other.

At last, I want to bring up a powerful thought to acknowledgement- "When we were born the world rejoiced while we cried. Therefore, do a work that the world will cry when you die with rejoicing and happiness”.

Written by-

Tenzin Jambey

Pestalozzi Children's Village, India.

People are more important than things - Aria Gupta

Reflection from Sunday School

Dear Readers,

From now on, I’ll be writing most blogs through short stories. I took this decision because I believe stories can share a message and captivate the reader at the same time. Feel free to give feedback in the comments. 

Here’s the first story:-

Amongst the mountains lived a young girl named Nidhi.

She had heard of a precious stone called 'Diranma'.

It could give powers to the owner and strengthen them in some way. Nidhi had been fascinated with the stone ever since she heard about it. One day, she told her parents, “Mumma, Papa, I want to look for Diranma!”. “Are you out of your mind!” exclaimed her mother. “It’s too dangerous, sweetheart,” said her father.

She didn’t listen to her parents. At midnight, she woke up and packed a sack containing five loaves of bread, two apples, some cashews, some water and a sleeping bag. She ventured out in the dark. After walking for a few hours, still determined to find the stone, she found herself in a forest.

There, she encountered a hunter and asked, “Do you know where Diranma is?” She asked, hoping he’d know the answer. “I do, but I advise you not to look for it. For I once was like you, looking for the precious stone. The consequences make the action hard not to regret,” he stated. “Please, I’m desperate!” begged Nidhi. “Since you want it so bad, I’ll give you a map, but never say I didn’t warn you”, said the hunter as he searched his pocket and gave a folded map leading to the stone. “Thank you so much!” exclaimed Nidhi as she took the map and opened it immediately. She followed the directions and walked for hours before munching on a loaf of bread and drinking some water.

 

Days went by, and she still hadn’t reached the gate leading to the stone yet. She was almost out of supplies. Soon, all her hard work paid off as she saw a beautiful gate. “Finally!”, she exclaimed at the sight of it. There stood a guard, watching her. He approached her and stated, “You need to pay one-third of your soul to enter. It will be paid back to you if you leave this gate without the precious stone, Diranma.” She thought, "I’m only giving one-third of my soul, not much." “Okay, but how do I give it to you?”, she asked. “We will take it ourselves.” stated the guard as he strangely moved his hands, chanting some prayer. As soon as his ritual ended, Nidhi felt less excited about the stone. “Thank you.”, she said as she went inside the gate and walked for a few minutes.

Soon she saw an overflowing river that was too deep. She didn't know about swimming. Fortunately, she saw a fisherman sitting on his boat with a fishing rod in the middle of the river. “Can you please drop me off the other side?”, she asked. “You’ll have to give me one-third of your soul. I’ll give it back if you come without Diranma.”, the fisherman stated. ‘I’ll still have one-third of my soul left’, she thought and agreed to pay one-third of her soul to the fisherman. “All right”, he said. He rowed to the side where Nidhi was and told her to get on the boat.

Nidhi was feeling less excited about the stone than ever. She hopped on the boat and soon reached the other side of the river. She saw a huge palace. A guard was standing, so she approached him and asked, “Can I enter this palace?” “You will have to pay a quarter of your soul.”, stated the guard. She cared the least at this point and just gave it to him like it was nothing but a piece of wood. The palace doors opened just like that. Nidhi found her curiosity strained about how it opened. She just walked in. There was The Diranma, placed on a huge table. But the remaining part of her soul rejected it. It longed for her parents, her friends, and her family. She thought for a while and headed back without the stone. She got all the pieces of her soul back. And when she reached the guard, he said, “I will teleport you back to your home now!” “Huh?”, Nidhi exclaimed.

But before she knew it, she was home with her parents. She hugged them tight and shrieked, “I missed you. I missed you a lot!” Her parents, eyes filled with tears, replied, “We missed you too!” “I went looking for the stone, but it was not worth it!”, said teared up Nidhi. She learnt that her loved ones were more important than any other stone in the world.

Written by-

Aria Gupta

Grade VI

Gyanshree School

Imperfectly perfect! - Bob

 

Hello, Dearies!

I hope you remember me! It is me, Bob, from the EBD book cafe, Dehradun. Just when I thought my life was perfect, everything changed. Everyone in the bookshop takes my dear friend 'Speaker' away from me. Why? Why on Earth? How can people be so cruel and heartless? Can they not listen to music with me? They took my happiness and companion away from me. Oh, how I miss my friend 'Speaker'!

I have realised that humans are up to no good. They are useless. So now, I have decided to take things into my own hands and have adopted Toblerone (not the chocolate!). Toblerone is a sweetheart. He is kind and a great companion. He stays right in front of me , supporting and helping me sit up straight, resolving my back pain. He is also really cute.The only drawback is that he steals the spotlight from me. But still, he is a wonderful companion. 

He is a really great person and companion! I believe this change was good, not the best but good. Now, Toble is under my guidance. And I am sure he will grow up to be a man just like me, brave, humble and kind. I wish he never has to face the back pain that I do. I wish the best for him. And I know that he will do wonders in life. After all, under my guidance, no one can be any less.

And dear 'Speaker', if you are reading this, you must know I miss you every day. I know you are here in the bookshop, just a mile away. Please don't fall into the trap of envy. You must know that Toble is a wonderful person. When you meet him, you will know that too. I am always there for you, just like you were there, for me, in my pain. I know you haven't gone by choice, you wanted to be here, but every cloud has a silver lining. And perhaps things in the bookshop are just imperfectly perfect!

~Bob

[Written by- Rishona Chopra (School Captain, My Good School)]

"What Might Not Have Been....☮️ -Oshi Singh

 What Might Not Have Been…

Image courtesy https://www.sandboxx.us,used by Oshi Singh for representation only. 

When two nations are at war, the fight is not only among the nations or the soldiers but also between innocent lives- the fight between life and death. During times like these, the quality of cooperation helps us a lot. Cooperation is a quality which helps us to co-exist and create a world where we can all live without fear. I mean, let's imagine a world with no fights. A world full of people moving around freely with no fear. Many might say it isn't possible, but being the optimistic person I am, I say it 'IS POSSIBLE'. Not immediately, but gradually it is. 

Speaking of wars, here is a poem which captures the emotions of a soldier who lost his mom in the war, but didn't he do the same to so many other people? What is right and what is wrong will he ever figure out? Or will he ever UNDERSTAND? Is this karma?

Something to ponder on...

It was the last time I saw her.

The last time I saw her big blue eyes shine like stars in the night sky. 

The last time I saw her silky hair brush against the wind. 

The last time I heard her high-pitched voice. 

I remember she was as busy as a bee, 

Yet as calm as one can be. 

Her heart was like an empty stage

And her love, if I may?

Her love was like a tornado in a jar. 

Among all the untold stories of the war, 

It was hers which hurt me the most, perhaps.

Because she was my mother. 

Sometimes I wonder why did it have to be HER? 

With her gone, I feel like a river flowing into the unknown. 

With her gone, I feel like a falling star. 

Now I am stuck in a cruel world full of strangers. 

Now I am stuck in a prison with no escape. 

If only I were wise and not otherwise. 

If only I realised the right and the wrong. 

If only I had fought with words and not guns.

If only I had listened from within. 

This, might not have been…

Written By:-

Oshi Singh 

Class- IX C

Gyanshree School 

IMAGE REFERENCE: https://www.sandboxx.us/blog/letting-go-of-your-child-to-the-military-is-hard-this-can-help/

My First 'Venture' to 'My Good School'...- Unnati Dabral

Did I call it a 'venture'?

Indeed yes.

You might be thinking, "Why I wrote venture instead of putting 'visit'?" Of course, to make my readers wonder why? And to make them curious.

I was a creative and rough-tough kid since I first started schooling. But that doesn't mean I was confident back then. When it comes to vivas, although my 'Know it All' attitude used to kick in, I used to get nervous. I still do.

So, the first fellow to join 'My Good School' happened to be my friend, Geetankshi. She told me about this opportunity at 'The English Book Depot'. She told me to write about 'What it takes to spread the joy of learning at schools?', mail it, and then wait for the reply. At first, I procrastinated on the task for a few days. My friend told me to visit the place and meet the founder. I thought it was a good idea. I wrote a mail to the head body before leaving for the visit.

The moment I reached there, I fell in love with the place.

I pondered, "What a wonder it would be to work in such a peaceful and calming environment!"

I went straight ahead towards our founder to greet him. With the intention of an intellectual chit-chat as I go. Alas! I end up giving an interview for the post. I was in bewilderment. Sandeep Sir asked me about learning; how do children learn?; what is the joy of learning; what can we do to spread it in our schools?

Amidst answering a few of them, I went blank for a few minutes. Firstly, I had no clue that I would be at the trigger point for the interview. Geetankshi told me otherwise. Secondly, It was an interview. Jeez, my heart was palpating. I was feeling so nervous. One could have seen my arm-hair twitch. 

The interview was over. I felt the sluggishness under my skin. Sir told me about 'My Good School', its vision, Learning Forward India, etc. And soon after, I found my heartbeats slowing down and healing. It was Sandeep Sir, and what he said at the end, "So, this is what we do. Now you are a Fellow at My Good School. Welcome. अब तो मुझसे डर नहीं लग रहा, ना?"

I called the visit 'A Venture'. 

And what a venture it was!

Have you ever 'Bungee Jumped'?

The nervousness and the feeling of hollowness in your stomach you get before jumping off the cliff is what I felt during the interview. And the power you have felt in your gut after accomplishing the task, that same power I felt after his words. And thus, I felt at home at that moment. The acceptance I got as an individual on my own was so pure. I was so happy, felt so content and thankful to god. The feeling was unforgettable.

I have always thought of being a part of such a generous vision. And getting an opportunity to work for 'Joy Of Learning' at 'My Good School' with such a fabulous team is the most 'beatific feeling' I had in so long.

I feel I am in the right place. 

Thank you so much, Sir. 🙏

~Unnati Dabral 🌻

(Fellow at My Good School)

Appreciation - Aati Pema

In a beautiful village in Kerala, a boy named Ramananda was fast asleep with his head resting amongst the crumbled pages of his efforts to write a 'note' to himself. His parents were proud, and his friends saw him as an intelligent kid, but when he used to ask himself how he was, no reply would be there. At the young age of ten, he saw how people thought of him. With this in his mind, his consciousness would let him rest, so he pushed himself repeatedly. Even when the results were good, he got frustrated it did not get better, and he was never content with his work. Even his teachers began to notice and praise him openly, giving him a hollow sense of satisfaction that he feared might make him complacent. Though he now studied at a prestigious university and was still appreciated by everyone around him, he felt increasingly lost. 

Day in and day out, he would work to be better, but he had sacrificed the sense of oneness with himself, and thus he now felt lost, so he did the only thing he thought might help. He had begun to ask himself why he felt no sense of achievement and could not find fulfilment in his everyday life. Now he was lost, and on top of that, he had to answer his question. Neither did he see his own worth nor anyone else's, and began to progress without purpose. He was always aware of his thoughts, so his academics also declined. Only then did he see how good he was before and learn to appreciate his work. Having done so he was again that brilliant child that everyone admired now, having also grown in the sense of ethics. 

Only when we appreciate and be compassionate to ourselves will we understand others' company and not only just live but also be mindful of life. 

Aati Pema

Pestoalozzi Children's Village India

Appreciation - Tenzin Jambey

Monsoon, the season of rain, brings heavy rainfall in some parts of India, which is very much beneficial for groundwater recharging but, on the other hand, it has caused a lot of trouble in the northeastern part of India, Delhi and also in many states of our country, due to which many people are suffering with various issues and to overcome these situations is not that easy.

My eyes opened as my alarm rang at 3:00 am, I went to the washroom to get fresh l, and I looked at myself in the mirror and said, "Yes, my vacations are over". I didn't even realise how many holidays ended. That day I had to cover a distance of 386 km from my hometown Tawang ( Arunachal) till
Guwahati (Assam), that journey is always the most tiring as it takes almost half a day because of the curvy roads of the mountain. The weather was quite oppressive that morning, and it was drizzling. I prayed to God that "Please don't let any problem arise during my journey", as it was rainy season and the landslide, mudslides and rocks falling from the hilltop were very often during this season. 

My prayer to god didn't reach that day. As the road got blocked at the place where the road blockage always occurs, there was a massive landslide, and the rocks were rolling down, and the more the workers tried to clean it, the more the mud was sliding down. That scene of more than a hundred cars waiting at the hilltop and the GREF workers and other labourers working under hefty rainfall by putting their lives in danger was terrifying. We all were in a vulnerable condition as it was rainy like someone was pouring a bucket of water upon us. I was feeling scared, and I prayed that hope rock wouldn't fall upon us over there. We were all fatigued after waiting for so long, and finally, after three hours of waiting, the rain stopped, and the road clearance was also thankfully done. After every car darted from that point, I felt relief, and I was sure that everyone there was feeling relief. That was a nightmare being stuck at the hill stop where there wasn't any mobile signal, neither any hostel nor any shop and that too in heavy rainfall.

As this month is the month of appreciation, I want to thank the workers who did an excellent job by risking their lives to make our journey successful till our destiny. I know that my appreciation and heartful thanks would not reach them, but still, I appreciate them for what they did, and I hope they will all live a happy, healthy and long life.

Tenzin Jambey
Pestalozzi Children's Village India

A Business With A Purpose - Rishona Chopra

Any business needs a purpose to thrive and grow. To fulfil something missing in people's life. To fulfil a much-needed need. A unique idea that serves the customers to their comfort and, of course, an idea that has a clear image and purpose. They know what they want, how to achieve it and how to grow it. 

One such business is the Tata Group. It has shaped the India we live in today. Their business has been serving India for so many years, and all of them have been a success. 

1969 – Entered the National Centre for the Performing Arts.

1982– The Taj Group accelerated its international expansion.

1983– Tata Salt became the country's first iodized branded salt.

Their businesses were firm in their values and had a clear purpose. 

  ***

There is no one person behind a business. It is a team of hundreds of people. Their strong values of cooperation and humility make a strong and concrete business. 

If the co-founder of a business is jealous of the founder and tries to belittle him, then won't the business be at risk. While working in a team, will a business work out if people don't respect each other's ideas? If people don't appreciate each other's efforts, will they be motivated enough to strive for more? 

Cooperation is when you adjust with someone, whether you like it or not. It is when you help someone not caring about yourself and putting their needs before yours.

While doing business, our core values have to be strong for the business to grow without any inner conflicts between people. 

Rishona Chopra
Grade VII
Gyanshree School

A Letter from a Little Girl with Big Problems!!! - Aria Gupta

Opanari Society,

Sec 198, Panlangarh

12 july, 2023

Dear Aanya

How’re you doing, sis?

Everything has been challenging since Mom and Dad died in the car accident. We all hope that you’re not going through the same. We’ve shifted to a small, rented apartment in the Opanari Society. Grandma has been trying really hard to make a living for us. Happy 10th birthday to me, but no one other than her and you actually care, and both of you are busy. I could really use a friend here, but everyone calls me rude and selfish. No one could really understand me. I couldn’t do anything for anyone because of our situation, which made it hard to make new friends. So I’ve decided to focus more on my grades. I want to make a better future for us. I want to ensure that our current situation is hidden forever and is never found by anyone.

I honestly feel this brutal feeling of jealousy that makes me feel sad and angry about our situation all the time. It makes me act rude to other people. But if I tell this to anyone other than you and Grandma, I’ll be called a psychopath. They won’t understand this feeling unless they’re in my shoes. It’s somewhat a reason I don’t have any friends. When I try to make some, it’s always in vain.

I’m a bit ashamed of this situation, as I’m surrounded by children who live entirely normal lives. I want to make it better. It’s why I’m focusing on my grades so much. I want to make a better home for Grandma in the future. I want to ensure my and your future too. We’ll be living a better life in the coming years.

How’re you doing? I hope college is going well. I hope you are not like me and are doing ok.

Thank you for being my only escape from this brutal reality.

Sneha Rawalya
Your little sister

Written by: Aria Gupta Grade VI Gyanshree School

Disclaimer: Everything mentioned in the below text is imaginary, including the places.

L'appréciation - Rishona Chopra

Dear Readers, 

I have tried writing my blog on "Appreciation" in French. I am still learning French(not an expert at it). So, you may find a few mistakes in the accents. Please forgive me for that. I hope you enjoy it!

L'appréciation est d'apprecier, comme d'être reconnaissant et reconnaissant pour quelque chose.

La plupart d'entre nous ont tant à apprécier, mais nous prenons encore du temps pour trouver des erreurs et devons nous rappeler d'embrasser tous les privileges que nous avons et que nous n'apprécions pas. Il y aura toujours de l'avidité pour plus, mais c'est à nous de savoir comment la contrôler, d'apprécier ce que nous avons, d'éviter de trouver ce que nous n'avons pas et d'arrêter cette avidité pour plus.

Découvrir les erreurs est plus facile et plus accrocheur pour en parler. J'ai moi-même été confronte à problème ! Bien que j'aie beaucoup à apprécier, j'avais l'habitude de trouver ce que je n'avais pas. J'ai travaillé sur cette erreur et j'ai arrêté de me plaindre et de profiter de ce que j'ai. C'est un peu délicat, mais quand vous pensez à votre maison, à de bons vetêments et à votre éducation, la plupart des gens pourraient même ne pas vous sentir heureux et reconnaissant pour ce que vous avez.

Les enseignants prennent un temps particulier pour apprécier, aider et penser à leurs élèves. Et je suis sûr que nous pouvons tous apprécier nos professeurs pour le temps qu'ils ont pris pour penser à nous.

Rishona Chopra
Gyanshree School