Coffee With The Coach: Love Goes on - Anvesha Rana

Today We Talk About How Love Goes On.

We all love our family, friends, and teachers, but that is when we are alive. We live and love but do we ever worry about being forgotten after we die?

All throughout our life, we are involved with so many people in different ways, and after all, love is how you stay alive, even after you are gone. After a dear one passes, we may hear their voice when we are back home and all alone; that is love. If we can hear their words, they are not gone. Just listen to their call, and they will be there.

Making people feel welcome is another way of love. Only when we believe in being fully present can we love and let love. When we talk to someone, we should focus only on what is happening between us. We should not think about what someone said last week or what is coming up next Friday. If we want to love and wish for others to love us, we should live in the moment now. 

Learning to pay attention is an important way of love. So many people are always self-absorbed in their lives; their eyes glaze over if you speak for more than thirty seconds. They already have something else in their mind - a friend to call, a fax to send, work to do. They only snap back to full attention when you finish talking, at which point they say "Uh-huh" or "Yeah, really" and fake their way back to the moment. 

Part of the problem is that everyone is in such a hurry. People haven't found meaning in their lives, so they are running all the time looking for it. They think of the next car, the next house, the next job. They find those things empty, too, and they keep running. Once you start running, it's hard to slow down, but it's not impossible. 

We are great at small talk: "What do you do?" "Where do you live?" But really listening to someone- without trying to sell them something, pick them up, recruit them or get some status in return - how often do we get this anymore?

So to be loved, we first need to learn to love

Anvesha Rana, 

Grade 10-B, 

Gyanshree School

The Library Car - Rishona Chopra

For me, my favourite place in the entire school is the library. I just wish I could stay in the library for the whole day! Once I start on a book, I don't want to leave it until I have read it all. Whether it's fiction or biography, they are so fun to read. 

A library is not just about books; it's about the variety you keep and the environment you create. The comfy chairs with a wide variety of books and you feel like you could sit there all day. I wish I was at Tomoe, so I could spend the entire day at the library!  

On Wednesday was my first library period in the old library. It was so fun. Although for the period the librarian was telling us the rules and regulations, it was great. I can't wait to read all the books there. Now, Wednesday is my favourite day in School! I am waiting to issue a book there and just can't wait for Wednesday to come. 

                                          The library is where I go, 
                                          It makes me happy when I am low, 
                                          Read books is so cool, 
                                          It's the best place in School! 

Rishona Chopra  
Grade VI 
Gyanshree School

Always on Card Trips - Yashraj Sharma

My 15-day road trip to Leh-Ladakh was terrific. It felt like the best time of my life. I loved the whole trip so much.

We all had the time of our lives, and when I grow up, I want to take my family there again to revisit the fantastic experience and see them smile. 

      

Now let me share my experience; till that day, I had only heard that Ladakh was a beautiful and mesmerizing place, but now I got to experience it in person.

Ladakh is most famous for breathtaking landscapes, crystal clear skies, the highest mountain passes, the highest motorable pass, and Buddhist monasteries.

We saw local monasteries and apricot fields in Ladakh and took two days to acclimatize to the weather.

Our next destination was Nubra valley, followed by Pangong lake.

This was my favourite experience on our trip to Ladakh. 

The drive to Nubra Valley via Khardungla, the highest motorable road in the world, was all about the beautiful landscapes of Ladakh and adventure. With the zig-zag trail continuing till Hundar village... this drive was an unforgettable experience.

The descent from mighty Khardung La towards Hunder leaves us spellbound as the snowy surroundings drastically transform into the desert. Before we sense it, the double-humped camels at Hunder village offered us an exciting ride through the desert.

From Nubra valley, we visited the majestic Pangong lake...which is as big as the sea. We share its boundaries with the neighbouring country. Its crystal clear water is salty and changes its colour seven times a day due to the sun's position throughout the day. It is the world's highest saltwater lake in the world.

Our next destination was Kargil. We visited the war memorial. The sight of Tiger Hill and Tololing hill gave us a sense of pride and patriotism as the air was filled with selflessness and honour of the sacrifices of our Jawans who laid their lives in war.

From Kargil, we set off to Srinagar via Drass and Sonmarg. Drass, which is the second coldest inhabited place in the world.

In Sonmarg, we were mesmerized by the tall pine trees and beautiful 'Sind' river playing hide and seek with us.

The next day we reach the summer capital city of Jammu and Kashmir... Srinagar. 

As we reached there, mesmerizing view of Dal lake welcomed us with open arms. A Shikara was ready to give us a ride to our royal houseboat. It was my first experience of staying on a houseboat.

This stay proved that the beauty of an old-world setup is unparallel. The sight of moving shops of basic amenities in Shikaras is a memorable and unforgettable experience. We bought seeds and flower bulbs from there, and I also tried my hand at the Shikara ride.

We saw the Nishat garden there. It was a myriad of flowers, fountains and lush green grass.

The next day we explored Pahalgam...where we saw Aru valley, Betaab valley and Chandanbari. All were so majestic that they couldn't be summarised in words.

From Pahalgam, we came back to our home.

However, it's not my first time to the mountains for a vacation. But, this trip was so different in the way that we came across snow-capped mountains, clear skies full of stars, colourful rocky mountains (red, green and brown), majestic lakes, deserts, sand dunes and what not?! It was only possible as we took a road trip to Ladakh.

We came across 9 passes during our trip, making it a memorable trip.

On completing 3200 km of the magnificent journey by car, I realized the true meaning of Incredible India!!

Yashraj Sharma

Grade: VIII

Gyanshree school