Jataka Tales - Pranjal Yadav

Jatakas were the tales that were probably composed by ordinary people, and then written down and preserved by Buddhist monks. Jataka stories are mostly related to previous births of Gautama Buddha in both human and animal form.

Jataka tales are extremely popular stories of the former lives of the Buddha, which are preserved in all branches of Buddhism. Some Jataka tales are scattered in various sections of the Pali canon of Buddhist writings

-Pranjal Yadav 

 -Vlll 'A'

Sunbeam Hostels Lahartara

The Secret Behind Her Productivity - Shambhavi Nautiyal

Surabhi was a 14-year-old straight-A student who always tried to make the most out of her time. She didn’t make friends, or maybe it’s just that her friends didn’t stick with her. She had been moving through her day, keeping much to herself and studying as much as possible. Then, a new transfer student ‘Kavita’ entered her life.

She was smart, confident, uninhibited and open about her feelings. She always looked so happy and ‘perfect’ in Surabhi’s eyes. It made her wish that she could be like her. Then, one day, Kavita came up to her and said “Hi!” She complimented Surabhi’s hair and how pretty she looked, which made her drop a tear or two.

Kavita kept probing her until Surabhi confessed how her mother never let her sleep, how she could not study ‘enough’ and just couldn’t make time, and then Kavita told her how the same things happened to her, and so she tried a new timetable which helped her.

Kavita asked Surabhi how she felt then, but she said "Nothing can ever help me". Then Kavita suddenly got all serious and said “If you don’t let yourself be helped, you won’t be helped”. Surabhi ran to the girl’s restroom, looked in the mirror, and realised that she had been betraying herself by telling herself that she could never succeed and everyone else was ahead of her not making any mistakes.

She told this to Kavita, when she confirmed to her that everyone including herself always went through times when they simply couldn’t achieve their goals overnight and had to do the job bit by bit. Surabhi was hit by a wave of discernment, how she had been gatekeeping a lot from her friends without actually knowing. When she was with them not much came out of her mouth and she just tried pushing her fears and problems under the rug because why would she trouble them with her problems, wouldn’t that just make her ‘uninteresting’, ‘cry-baby’ or ‘too sensitive and uncool’.

Kavita told her that it’s always okay to feel your feelings and first sort her things out before approaching a friend. Surabhi felt renewed and comforted for the first time in weeks and just decided to be grateful.

------------------------------------------- The End ---------------------------------------------------------------------

Shambhavi Nautiyal 

Class- 10

Ahlcon Public School

All's Well That Ends Well - Shambhavi Nautiyal

I feel like I did connect with the story in some way as I could resonate with the goat when it felt happy for itself being freed and sorry for the person next in line for sinning. 

I too have been in a situation like that, where I did something wrong and realised it as soon as I had the asseveration of whoever I had wronged and just wished to be freed from that burden with the same thing happening to me. 

Soon the same scenario was created and I felt better that, at that time, I was on the right side but I felt bad seeing the other person going through the same thing I did years ago I tried convincing them at times and sometimes I did not. 

But regardless of the final story, it was all pre-destined, whether I was left disappointed, I enforced my boundaries and protected my energy or they listened to me and tried mending my ways, one thing holds absolute truth and It's that no one is indeed aggrieved. It is all fair, happening just the way it’s supposed to in line with those people’s past deeds.

IN THE END, ALL’S WELL THAT ENDS WELL.

Shambhavi Nautiyal 

Class- 10

Ahlcon Public School