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

Appreciation - Januka Basnet

Image from Blogger Archives

𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗴𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝘂𝘀 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝗴𝗿a𝘁e𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗼𝐫 𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲.


𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 makes people feel valued and drives them to do their best. It also helps with well-being and mental health, so it really can make a difference. I 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐜i𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫s, 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐩𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐳𝐳𝐢, 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬.

Januka Basnet
Pestalozzi Children's Village India