Allegory - A Tapestry of Guru Nanak’s Travels

Guru Nanak, an embodiment of Oneness, is a revolutionary spiritual teacher. Born in 1469, he traversed vast geographies for over two decades to visit congregational sites of diverse faiths with a noble interest in seeking and imparting universal fellowship.

“Allegory - A Tapestry of Guru Nanak’s Travels”, a 24-episode docuseries, sequentially explores Guru Nanak’s life events to unfurl the deep imports of his messages.

Filmed at over 150 multifaith sites in 9 countries, the docuseries is available in English, Punjabi (Gurmukhi), Hindi, Urdu and Punjabi (Shahmukhi).

Opening on Sunday, the 7th of January 2024, we will screen one documentary every fortnight at My Good School. Join us as a student/teacher of a GSA Members School or even as an individual. You can sign up from www.SchoolEducation.com.

My Takeaway from the session with Amardeep Singh at Sunday School - Arfa Khan

Photo from Lost Heritage Productions website

We had a lovely meet and greet with Mr Amardeep Singh in the session on December 24. It was very informative, and we learned a lot from him. Following are my takeaways:

• Listen to articulate; listening first lets you organise your thoughts and speak fluently.
• If your dreams will be easy, walk away from them. Dreams are meant to have challenges, and we must endeavour to achieve them.
• Prepare yourself before chasing your dream; take the first step, and the energy will automatically shape the next ten.
• Ensure you are so good at your work that you’re too hard to ignore.
• Don’t follow your passion; create it.
• Don’t chase recognition; if you pursue recognition, you exercise self-gratification. If your work is good, recognition will automatically follow.
• There’s no true friendship other than you and yourself; you will accompany yourself through your most challenging times.

It was an extraordinary session with so much to take back. Thank you, Sir, for giving us your time!

Arfa Khan 8-A

Ahlcon Public school

Importance of Taking Risk ! And many more - Sunbeam School Lahartara

Reflections from the Sunday School

Importance Of Taking Risks

Taking risks is important because it builds our knowledge. Taking risks is something that we all have to do in our lives. Sometimes, taking risks is essential; it builds our confidence and makes us better than if we never took them. Because it brings a good change and helps us learn. Taking risks is a core element of human life. Failure and mistakes are common when taking risks. We should not be afraid because we will realise instead and become successful men eventually.

"Great Success Always Comes at the Risk of Enormous Failure". Winston Churchill

Divyanshu Agarwal- IX D

Experiential Insights from the point of view of Guru Nanak Dev Ji

Practice self-service to humanity and treat everyone equally. Incorporate daily meditation and prayer into our routine, as Guru Nanak did.

"SEWA" engages in voluntary services to help those in need. For the past several decades, societies worldwide have examined the concept of equality, debating bias in the workplace, social arenas at home, and religion. According to Guru Nanak, life's purpose is to become a truthful being and enlighten others.

"Dwell in peace of the house of your own being, and the message of death will not be able to touch you."  

Shubhangi Kashyap - VIII B

Tata'sTata Stories

My good school is a place to learn good things and morals. For me, it is always exciting to attend the sessions of good schools. Tata Stories inspire me to do something unique in life. It gives me the passion to carry forward any work with sustainability and longevity. Like Sandeep sir said, age is just a number, and we should dream big and achieve big.

Samriddhi Banerjee- IVB

A dream is not something you see when you sleep; a dream doesn't let you sleep. Dreams, the nocturnal symphony of the mind, transport us to realms unknown. As we surrender to the embrace of sleep, the subconscious weaves tapestries of imagination and emotion. In this ethereal dance, the boundaries of reality blur, and the mind becomes a canvas for the surreal and fantastical. Dreams are the silent storytellers, narrating tales that defy logic and gravity, where the mundane transforms into the extraordinary. Each night, we embark on odysseys of the mind, encountering phantoms of the past and visions of the future.

Aryan Kumar - VII A

What Is Age! And many more - Sunbeam School & Hostel Lahartara

Image from the RoundSquare.Org website 

WHAT IS AGE!
My life is still valuable even if I cannot help others. I can explore new hobbies, enjoy moments with family, and learn exciting things. Being kind to myself matters. I can find joy in little things and create happiness within and for others. My worth isn't just about helping others but embracing who I am.
- Anmol Kashyap VIII B 

Oneness In Diversity

1. Age is just a number. If you dare to do work, which means that even if you are 80 years old and sitting at home, which makes you feel bored and want to do something, then age does not matter.

2. "What is my life if I am no longer useful to others?". This means we should always help others if we can do that and relieve our lives in others with compassion.

3. Anyone who stops learning is old, while one who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in your life is to keep your mind young.

- Mridul Maheshwari IX-D

In the 21st century, religion is not just a path to follow; it is an agenda to cause trouble for the world. In the 15th century, Guru Nanak Ji travelled half of Asia and gave his own philosophy of oneness in diversity. He talked to Muslims, Christians and every religion, and still, after the gap of six centuries, the Muslims of Afghanistan remember and respect his ideology.  

- Shaurya Chaturvedi VIII-B

To maintain a tricky balance.

Money is not bigger than life, and it's an opportunity to create has no money; it's an opportunity to make meaning. The worst invention is money.

The barter system was the best as it exchanged love.

So we should maintain a balance between our work life and our personal life.

Power should not be a thing to curse but to cure others.

Keep trying many things as we don't know the emergence of anything in life.

Because our exceptions have no bounds.

-By Animesh Kashyap Class VIII-B

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Listening comes before speaking.

By listening to others, we gain a deeper understanding of their perspective and discover the best way to deliver the message we need our audience to hear. Guru Nanak says that deep listening opens sensitivity and gives us knowledge. Doing this will allow us to consciously shape our destiny, a fundamental human capacity. It is not a small thing. It is a state in which we exist in a creative polarity with our own infinite self and God.

-  Pranvi Chandra - IX D

PURVEYORS OF HOPE

A WHOLE STACK OF MEMORIES NEVER EQUALS LITTLE HOPE.

HOPE ENDS FEAR IN YOUR HEART, AND WHEN WE DO THE BAD THINGS, THEY SOMETIMES BECOME UNBEARABLE UNTIL HOPE MAKES THEM DISAPPEAR IT IS THE ONE THING THAT KEEPS US GOING WHEN TIMES GET TOUGH AND ROUGH. IT IS SOMETHING WE NEED TO FOCUS ON, AND WHEN WE DO BAD THINGS, THEY SOMETIMES BECOME UNBEARABLE. HOPE MAKES THEM DISAPPEAR, AND WHEN WE DO BAD THINGS, THEY SOMETIMES BECOME UNBEARABLE UNTIL HOPE MAKES THEM DISAPPEAR.

A GOOD TEACHER CAN INSPIRE HOPE, IGNITE THE IMAGINATION, AND STILL A HOPE OF LEARNING.
VAIBHAV JAISWAL (9D) 

Reflections for today's meeting - Tenzin Chonzom

Sunday School 24th December 2024

We watched a video of an American woman who is 92 years old and an advocator of social justice, an incredible woman who encouraged me and taught me that it's never too late to start something.

•⁠  ⁠Having an extraordinary meeting with Amardeep sir was the most significant opportunity I had; with the help of his advice, a lot of things struct my mind

The following are:

 1.⁠ ⁠Not to follow a passion; create your passion.

 2.⁠ ⁠Never chase recognition (you'll not achieve anything). Create your content.

 3.⁠ ⁠Keep trying many things because we don't know the emergence.

 4.⁠ ⁠Everything in life is a means to an end, and there will be a chance to excel.

 5.⁠ ⁠Religion is a subset of legacy.

 6.⁠ ⁠Dreams are supposed to be filled with challenges and obstacles.

 7.⁠ ⁠Learning is feet for every individual.

Amardeep sir, In his documentary, The Tapestry of Guru Nanak:

I highly appreciate his hard work of 30 years and self-discovery. His interest in going to every risky area shows his passion and bravery.

My takeaway from this meeting is that he motivated me through all situations 🙏.

Tenzin Chonzom (Girl) from 9th grade 
Pestalozzi Children's Village India

The Sour Truth - Tenzin Jambey

We live in a world where the mistake of a man is punished, and a woman's mistake is forgiven. We live in a world where a girl is judged as a good person if she hits a man, and when a boy raises his hands on a girl, the whole society turns against him without even knowing the truth. 

Thinking about life, sometimes my eyes fill up with tears. Why can't society accept the people who have done one wrong? Why do we forget all the good things that he has done? Why does one action of a person have to be judged to know whether he is good or bad? How blind we people have become that we cannot see things beyond what they look.

 

Life has become so busy that people don't have time to breathe. Why is there so much competition among the human race? Terms like job, money, marksheet, and wealth have taken over humans. A person cannot live his life the way he wants to because everyone—the parents, teachers, and society—is trying to shape the child in the way they want. Why aren't we allowed to create our own future? Why is there so much of a burden regarding studies? Why do parents and teachers expect children to always do good and improve when they know that life doesn't go according to how we want?

 

Does forcing a child to study more and more make him more intelligent and more talented? Why do the parents and teachers compare the students? We want to be praised for our efforts and hard work, not compared. The school system should be adequately understood. The school is a sphere where we can learn languages and seek knowledge without getting burdened. The things we know from school are supposed to be connected with our surroundings. How can one say he is not intelligent if the child doesn't attend school? There is always a difference between education and literature. If we talk about learning, so many things fly around us that we must catch and analyse them. School teaches us how to answer satisfactorily to older and high-standard people. We work on our skills to fit among the rich and forget the place from which we started our journey. You never look back on the problems you faced, nor do you try to help the people suffering; it's just you and your company in a safe zone. In school, we are made to write essays and stories, not of our choice but of the choices of our teachers. We are given marks for how well we follow our teachers' instructions. We are made to make good points on topics on which we disagree. How will the child say good things about things if he feels they're not good?

 

In my heart, school is building us to be good workers and good employees who will work diligently without question. We, students, must raise our voices and look for teachers like Sandeep sir and Jugjiv sir who are working on and trying to help us become what we want to be. Even when the teachers in the school compare the students, I wonder why they don't praise us for our efforts and hard work; it's not like we are not working on ourselves.

Tenzin Jambey
Pestalozzi Children's Village, India

Life is a splendid torch not a brief candle - Tenzin Jambey

Image courtesy Shmooz AI

Life is lovely and enjoyable; now it's in our hands whether we want to make it even more peaceful or let life burden us. It doesn't matter whether you are poor or rich; life will look perfectly fine if you are grateful for whatever you have. 

Our life is like an impressive torch that can bring light to the lives of others. We can shine brightly and chase the shadows away. We get to live our life for once, but let not our one life affect our beautiful journey. Let's not be sad thinking that we will die soon; everyone has to leave this world behind and die and become part of the soil of the earth beneath.

We know life is short; in today's world, half our age passes through pursuing education and skills, but we forget to liberate ourselves. Schooling teaches us the way to answer others and the way to work under someone and in this process, a child is never able to discover his own literature and interests. 

We come under pressure to think about our future, our career, family and so on. The term life is very wide and we can achieve what our hearts really desire except attraction and greed. 

That's so obvious that school studies will hunt you down and occupy your whole body if you don't connect your subject with your daily routine and your interests. When your subject is connected with your interest then every second of your life becomes memorable. 

It's in our hands whether you want to make your life like a dying candle or like a bright light that shines and radiates peace. 

Tenzin Jambey

Pestalozzi Children's Village India

Life - An Unexpected Journey! - Saikiran Sahu

                               

The journey of life doesn’t go as how one thinks

It goes what it's destined for

But what is it destined for?

Fame?

Money?

Or Power?

It is what fate really holds for you,

And your fate is to steer it in the direction you want it to go in

Travels just like a wave

Sometimes still as a statue and sometimes

as ferocious as a lion!

It is not what you think that’s coming in future 

But what you were least expecting to see

Let me clear it out to you

There isn't any fixed path or a map that tells you 

where to go or how to go

It is upon you,

It is you who grabs opportunities passing by and you who 

losses it because you didn't pay attention  

Nevertheless, in this unexpected journey 

there are always ebbs and flows, peaks and valleys

But we need to remember 

 with every dusk there is a dawn ready to rise again! 

-Saikiran Sahu, IX

Gyanshree School

Illustrated by istock

The Lost Heritage - Amardeep Singh

Learning Forward with Amardeep Singh is the co-founder of Lost Heritage Productions and the Oneness In Diversity Research Foundation.

‘Lost Heritage Productions’ is a Singapore-based visual media production house led by a Singapore-based couple, Amardeep Singh and Vininder Kaur. It is focused on research and documentation of forgotten legacies.

Born in Gorakhpur, Amardeep Singh attended The Doon School. He studied Electronics Engineering at the Manipal Institute of Technology and Masters in Business Administration at the University of Chicago, USA. He now lives in Singapore. Having worked in the Financial Services sector for 25 years, he has led the Asia Pacific Region at American Express for Revenue Management of the Credit Card business.

Since 2014, he has dedicated himself to visual ethnographic research. He has authored two books, ‘Lost Heritage, The Sikh Legacy in Pakistan’ and ‘The Quest Continues: Lost Heritage, The Sikh Legacy in Pakistan’. He has also made a few documentary films on the remnants of the Sikh legacy remnants in Pakistan.

Amardeep has led a cross-border team to create a 24-episode docuseries, “Allegory, A Tapestry of Guru Nanak’s Travels, " available on www.TheGuruNanak.com.

Guru Nanak glided across distant lands for over two decades on a selfless pursuit. He engaged in philosophical and social dialogue to relate with people of diverse cultures and belief systems. Through words and music, he gracefully imparted experiential insights, fearlessly challenged the binary constructs of society, and relentlessly opposed gender, religious, racial and class inequalities.

The work put forth by Mr Amardeep and his team is truly inspirational. Guided by Guru Nanak’s philosophy and inspired by historical texts, “Allegory, A Tapestry of Guru Nanak’s Travels", a 24-episode docuseries, sequentially presents the life events of Guru Nanak.

Tune into this beautiful conversation where Anvesha is conversing with our guest, Mr. Amardeep Singh. Listen to this meaningful and engaging discussion where Mr Amardeep explains the purpose behind his endeavours, dwells upon the beauty of taking up such journeys and contemplates the effect of this magic upon the followers of Guru Nanak. Trace along with us as we travel the same path, turning the stones unturned.

Thank you, Anvesha and Saikiran from Gyanshree School at Noida, India.

Reading For Pleasure and more from Sunbeam School Lahartara

READING FOR PLEASURE

We say that books are our best friends. to become their friends, we have to read them.

Reading gives us the opportunity to build ourselves; it helps us stand in front of people confidently.

People say that real life is not similar to books; it is all rubbish. Books prepare us for our lives. I also prefer to read books because they help me to be more creative, confident, and charismatic from within.

WE GET LITERATE BY STUDYING, AND WE GET EDUCATED BY READING.                        

VAIBHAV JAISWAL  9D

LEARNING CAN ONLY HAPPEN IF THE LEARNING ATMOSPHERE IS POSITIVE

Life is no "brief candle" for me. It is a sort of "suffering torch," which I have a hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before passing it on to future generations.

I am also exploring as much as I can.

PRANVI CHANDRA IX D

THE IMPORTANCE OF TEACHERS IN OUR LIVES

Teachers are those who make children knowledgeable and cultured. A teacher is a beautiful gift given by God, as God is the creator of the whole world and a teacher is the creator of an entire nation. A teacher is such an important creature in the life of a student, who, through his knowledge, patience, and love, gives a strong shape to a student’s whole life. A teacher shares academic knowledge and ethical values and assimilates moral values that help us shape our personalities as better human beings. Teachers play a major role in shaping students' lives and futures.

ANIMESH KASHYAP-VIII-B