Friendship - Anvesha Rana

In this ever-evolving world, it is necessary to connect with people instantly, attain quick social skills and make friends at go. A person we may have met only once is also referred to as a friend; today, we all confuse friendship with acquaintanceship. An acquaintance is not mandatory to be a friend, but connections to reach higher posts and avail help at times of need are overrated than the subtle, sweet friendships which have vanished over time. 

Friendships come with conditions; they are no longer selfless relationships but a medium to take benefit of the other. We have turned our Friendships into obligations and formalities. How many of us are honest with our friends? We are too fake to show our real identity behind this mask of coolness. Friendships come with a lot of terms and conditions. We can no longer express ourselves freely, even with our “Besties”. 

There is an invisible ice between us, pleading to be broken, but our ego hinders us from shattering our prison. We can never be happy if we are not who we are. This era of jealousy and cutthroat competition is never ending and only increases as we grow up. 

True friends are only made when we are young when we do not pay heed to how someone looks, what clothes they wear, how they talk or whether they match our standards. As we grow, we look away from the beauty within and shift our focus to physical appearance or social stature. Looking at material things gets nowhere. 

We are not our true selves when we step out into the world; consequently, we feel the heat of the competition that this system has forced us under. We are not ready to leave this rat race and sit at the side bench to relax and rejoice in life. The illusion of success has blindfolded us in thick wraps to such an extent that terms and conditions apply in each relationship. The moment we see our friend doing better than us in any field, we are instantly jealous instead of happy for our pal. 

A famous story, ‘ The Frogs in the Well’, tells about a group of frogs living in a small well. None of the frogs ever get out of this well because as soon as one frog jumps up, all the others jump up on him and pull him down. Thus no frog can ever escape. So is the case with us. When we see a dear one doing good, we attempt all tricks, measures and strategies to somehow stop him. 

Friendship should be selfless and ever-flowing with Love and care. It should be about acceptance and forgiveness and not be built upon social norms but on the foundation of Love. 

Anvesha Rana 

Grade 11

Gyanshree School NB: I have used Love as a value, thus the capital letter.

A unique subject - Rishona Chopra

There are many subjects in school, and I absolutely love each of them. Whether it is civics, history, science, English or math. But my favourite subject is the subject of compassion. It doesn't have a particular time or day when I learn that subject. It is realised at all those times when I help someone, understand someone, encourage someone, be kind, forgive people, smile for someone or do anything that makes others and me happy.  

The subject of compassion,
It is a subject, so not in fashion.
It's unique,
It speaks from within me.
Like it should be.
I love this subject,
It's an exquisite journey.
Understand someone,
Helping one,
Bring a smile to someone's face,
It's a different world, a different place. 

Rishona Chopra
Grade VI
Gyanshree School

Swami and Friends - Anvesha Rana

Swami and his friends are anxious about their match with the Young Men's Union. Specially Rajam, who is troubled by Swami's lack of practice and can't think of anything except their game. But what can Swami do? How can he elude drill classes and scout classes without getting caught? Somehow Swami manages to convince his doctor to tell his Headmaster that Swami suffers from Delirium and he must die if he were to attend these extra classes. 

Happy at the prospect of being able to skip these classes, Swami now has enough time to practice and hone his cricket skills, but the freedom doesn't last long. The Headmaster catches Swami, scolds him and punishes him; Swami also realises that he had been tricked by the wicked doctor; the only option left for him now is to leave the school, leave his home and leave his town and then he finally goes to bid goodbye to Rajam.

However, on meeting Rajam, Swami realises there seems to be no other option. He fills Swami with the spirit of victory and the team's need for Swami, and Swami feels that he will leave after the match. 

My favourite subject in school is History because knowing about the past to not repeat the same mistake in the future is History. History improves us. It makes us take rational decisions, creates a conscience and helps in an outlook for the future. 

Anvesha Rana, 

Grade 10-B, 

Gyanshree School

My Favourite Subject - Diva Gupta

Civics, the subject I love,

If I study it and not any other,

I’m sure it will be enough

Diversity, fight against discrimination.

Making peaceful livelihoods with dedication

Did you hear about the Government?

It is making a new enactment!

Civics, it’s a great subject.

It brings an effect

Of excitement and adventure! Diva Gupta Grade VI Gyanshree School

Swami and Friends - Anvesha Rana

Swami, Rajam and Mani are thrilled to have new bats, balls and wickets. The entire team is filled with exhilaration at the prospect of being able to practice with new equipment. The M.C.C. has no stop now; their victory has begun; everything is perfect from the Tate of the team to the Captain and till the picker of the ball until Swami once again dooms it all. 

No longer being a part of Albert Mission School, Swaminathan is burdened with homework, assignments, scout classes and drill classes; in the midst of all this, poor Tate hardly manages time out for cricket. Rajam, being a captain and a friend to Swami, is divided between his responsibilities. He can't scold Swami since it is not his fault, nor can he remove him from the MCC. 

The friends decide to persuade the Headmaster to permit Swami to leave school early because he has to practice cricket. Still, the Headmaster does not get through, and poor Swami is left without an allowance, with tons of assignments and no time for playing. 

Sometimes, we might feel lost amid the constant chaos around us, just like Swami, the way he did not see the vital thing, among other petty issues. Swami felt like quitting when surrounded by multiple tasks but when we feel like quitting, think about why you started? 

Continue with your purpose in life till your pot of wit is overflowing, not with material value but with lifetime value. Do not deem to fill the pot with I.Q., but realize to put some emotions, values, adversities and solutions because that is all that gives you wit. 

Anvesha Rana, 

Grade 10-B, 

Gyanshree School

Swami and Friends - Anvesha Rana

Swami is back with Rajam and Mani, but this time he endures an adventure, so tormenting. It is the 15th of August, Independence day, and the celebrations in Malgudi are wild. People are celebrating Independence with heavy zeal, jubilance and violence. The youngsters are so overflown with this wave of unprecedented patriotism that they don't think about what is essential. 

Swaminathan is gullible; he does what he believes others will feel is correct, not caring about his conscience or opinion. He simply flung his Khaddar cap, considered a foreign cloth, when someone doubted him about it. On being caught by the peon, Swaminathan could not sustain being beaten, and henceforth Swami ran away from the school. 

Independence means being free from the mind, body, and soul, for we are only in harmony with ourselves and others. Selflessness is also a part of being independent, and my mother is the most selfless person I know. She is softhearted yet strong-willed, she is compassionate yet unwavering in principle, she is a loving mother, yet she risks everything; she suffers due to conflict but never blames anyone; she has done everything for us and has never asked for anything in return. 

Anvesha Rana, 

Grade 10-B, 

Gyanshree School

Swami and Friends - Anvesha Rana

Friendship makes us foresee all difficulties, it enables the world to go blind and our friends to shine bright like a new ray. Swami, Rajam and  Mani had to meet each other at any cost; despite the heat that hit their heads, the tar that burnt their feet and the lone streets that gave shudders, the friends had to come together. 

This stubborn hope for meeting our friends, whether it rains or snows, hails or blows, windy or stormy, sunny or cloudy, is what makes friendship so great. The eagerness to meet our friends with the same smile, vigour and energy, as if meeting them for the first time and listening to their talks, as if they were the most essential thing in the world, is what makes a friend the best. 

Swami, the however kind he may be at heart, is a leisurely mind. His brain dwells on the tale behind the sum when he witnesses math sums rather than quickly solving them. It’s true sometimes it’s simply impossible to concentrate - we just want to have fun, but seeing the complex numbers dance in front of our eyes and not getting the correct answer even after solving the question a million times, can be frustrating - but education is an excellent teacher, it has taught us not to give up on that math sum, not to lose hope in a subject and to be genuinely confident in ourselves.

Do your best, 

And leave the rest

For the Almighty, he is looking at us, 

He is seeing if we are good or making a fuss

Live the way you want it to be, 

Just be happy and be free

Only Remember to enjoy the roadway,

And not devour the fruit halfway.  

Anvesha Rana, 

Grade 10-B, 

Gyanshree School

Friends and Family - Rishona Chopra

We unintentionally push people away from us when we meet someone, even if we have known them for a long time. I have faced situations like this. We all need that one friend who is entire to us and no one's friend. We often run after those who don't want us but forget those who want to be with us. What I mean is that friend who wants to be our friend; our parents and god are always there, and they have no one to run after. In this world, we start considering strangers and people outside the family more and start neglecting the friendship in the family. Family, a six-letter word, has 6 meaningful meanings: F -Fair A - Attentive M - Merry I - Impartial L - Loyal Y - Yours To spend time with your family and friends, you don't need friendship, a mother, father, or family day, but love and trust make you love them every day! This doesn't mean you neglect friends, but a balance is needed between friends and family. A fight that can only be resolved by words, I saw one of my friends crying yesterday because he had a fight with his friend, and then the next day, everything was water under the bridge, and the two friends were hugging each other. It sure is an inspirational story! Swami is a boy who loves making new friends and is very amiable; he loves Somu and Sankar, but when he becomes friends with Rajam, he unintentionally neglects them, making Somu and Sankar feel sad and jealous, and they think Swami doesn't care about them anymore. Even though Swami realized his mistake, his friendship with them couldn't be made again with their strong bond earlier. Even though he became friends with new people forgetting old ones isn't considered a good friendship. It hurts to see your best friend become friends with another one, but it is vital to clear misconceptions and patiently forgive. Rishona Chopra Grade VI Gyanshree School

Swami and Friends - Anvesha Rana

Swami loves being amiable to everyone, especially to his best friends. He loves Somu for his geniality, Sankar for his intelligence, The Pea for his connection, Mani for his strength and Rajam for his personality. Swami is a fun-loving boy; his friends mean the world to him. Often friendships are a two-way street; if one of the givers in a bond of friendship stops contributing, this bond can also break. 

Something similar happened when Swami became friends with Rajam and unintentionally pushed Somu, Sankar and Samuel out of his life. Still, when Swami realized his mistake, it was too late to correct it. 

We pamper new people and forget the ones whom we have known forever. We often have so many desires that we change friends and relations to fulfil all our wishes. But fulfilling our desires does not lie in completing them but in controlling them. 

Anvesha Rana, 

Grade 10-B, 

Gyanshree School

I have seen a ghost and this is my story - Diva Gupta

Often we have been told that ghosts and spirits don’t exist. But I have, and here’s my story.

It was the darkest of nights. I was lying in my bed, wide awake. It was midnight, and I wasn’t able to sleep. The moonlight rose into my room brighter than sunlight, so I decided to shut the blinds. I got up, only to see the dark streets of Noida. Not even a soul seemed to be seen or heard. It was like the world had just stopped itself. Perhaps this was called the witching hour. I thought of getting a glass of water. So I shut the blinds, went into the hallway, and turned on the kitchen light. As I filled my glass of water, I felt something move. When I went to check if someone was there, I saw nothing. I went back into the kitchen, and my cup was gone! I quickly hurried to my room, forgetting about my water when the blinds were up again! What was going on? I had no idea, but I decided to sleep it out. And then there was the problem of not being able to sleep.  I lay there in complete darkness once more when someone entered my room. I heard a voice: ‘Diva? Are you awake?’. It was my mom. I told her everything. After my story, she laughed at me and told me to sleep. How could she! After all, it happened in front of me! Either this was another prank, or it was my imagination. After talking to my mom, I was finally able to sleep. But I still couldn’t get it out of my head about that ghost. This incident happened about four years ago, in second grade.  Well, this was my story, and many may laugh and say, ‘How funny! That could never happen!’ But it did, and I still remember the chills that night.

Diva Gupta

Grade VI

Gyanshree School

The bond of friendship - Rishona Chopra

Friendship is perhaps the strongest bond between people. It includes the fun of fights, trust, and lots of mischievousness and standing up for each other. 
 
Friends are something you never know about,
They are like your sibling, no doubt.
Rajam and Mani and their mischiefs,
But they ain't no thief.
They are friends who stay in sorrow,
But make you feel scared for tomorrow.
You might hate them once or twice,
They'll make you kill mice!
Yes, they will support you in nothing,
But they will prepare you for everything!

Rishona Chopra
Grade VI
Gyanshree School

Swami and Friends - Anvesha Rana

However badly Mani would have despised Rajam, he cannot bring the cruelty in his heart to hurt him. On being face-to-face, they apologize to each other and end up being great friends. What scared Mani the most was that if he hurt Rajam, Rajams' spirit would haunt and torture him, so it was best to be friends rather than foes. 

I am not afraid of ghosts or spirits, except at night, whenever I sleep and even if the door is slightly open, I feel as if someone is peeping in, so I permanently close my door before sleeping. Also, I find it really hard to sleep alone after watching a horror movie since the scenes are living in my mind, and I just can't bear to think that there will be a ghost standing there when I turn around!

Swami talks about odds and ends, ups and downs, to his one-of-a-kind grandmother, who just wants to tell him how wonderful his grandfather was. The constant bickering between the two is very usual to others. For me, a conversation with my grandmother is fun. We talk about her times, like how school was then, how the uniform was and how strict the teachers were. She loves to talk about knitting, which is also her favourite activity and then my grandmother likes to ask me about myself. Also, she always cooks my favourite meals whenever I visit her. 

Swami, Rajam and Mani are good friends, but they were impertinent to a fellow helper, and this also ended up in Rajam being offended, but that was alright as it was Rajams' fault in the first place since he was trying to show off. There is a mark difference between show, and show-off; we show everything from our books to clothes to gifts, but we also show off a colossal amount of things like a new watch or some expensive clothes. To show off is to exaggerate the object more than its actual value, and to show is to make others see what you have in its truest and purest form. 

Anvesha Rana, 

Grade 10-B, 

Gyanshree School

Swami and Friends - Anvesha Rana

Swami is a boy who just loves to have fun, be it with friends or be it all on his own. He enjoys playing and wandering more than anything else, so whenever Monday comes around the corner, Swami feels frustrated as he has to walk through a tough day filled with studies and homework. But after all, he endures Monday Mornings. 

I like Mondays because I have a lot of activities in school that day, plus on Monday we have a lot of things to share with our friends, so it’s never boring. We all should like Monday because it is the start of a new day, a new week and maybe, new learnings and opportunities. 

Swami may not be a very ambitious young boy, but he is happy and optimistic because of his friends and loves playing, so he always has something to be positive about. Similarly, what makes me think positive is the idea of anything different from my usual routine. I enjoy it whenever we go out or when I have something new to do. Some different classes in school or meeting new people always excites me. That’s what makes me think positive, and I love that. 

Anvesha Rana,

Grade 10-B,

Gyanshree School

Swami and Friends: The Value of Friendship - Oshi Singh

You often hear people saying school life is the best. Wonder why people say that? Well, maybe because we spend the most fun and memorable moments of our lives in school with our friends. Gradually, we stop thinking about catching up with our old friends when we grow older. We keep making new friends and forgetting about the old ones.

Friends have one of the biggest influences in our lives. Having a good and faithful friend is the most valuable treasure one can have. Next week we will be reading a fascinating book by RK Narayan, "Swami And Friends". The story takes place during British rule in the year 1930. The story is about a group of friends living in Malgudi and their friendship. The story's young protagonist Swami and his friends teach us many valuable lessons about life, like celebrating & accepting our differences, the innocence of youth, and the importance of friendship in one's life.

I'm looking forward to reading RK Narayan's first and one of the most famous books.

Written by Oshi Singh

Gyanshree School, Noida

Swami and Friends - Anvesha Rana

Somewhere in life, there must be someone to take your hand and share the torrid day. Without a touch of Friendship, there is no life, and we must fade away. There are friends, there is family, and then there are friends who become family. Friendship is a tonic for all of us that only grows stronger over time; it is the cure for every challenge, the outlook for every good day, and the wish for every person. Probably no relationship is as essential yet versatile as Friendship. The intimacy and affinity we have with our friends are irreplaceable, and it comes in many forms; whether we are next to each other or miles apart, we always remember them, and they are our Friends. 

Some stories will make you smile, some will bring tears to your eyes, and some may even make your heart skip a beat, but all of them will renew your faith in the power of Friendship. Penned down beautifully in the words of a celebrated novelist, RK Narayan, is this tale overflowing with mischievousness, oozing with love and pondering over our relationships. 

So, join us as we dive into this adventure with Swami and Friends. We won’t know what’s coming next, for this will be full of twists, turns and steep ends, but one thing we can be sure of, whatever it is, will be the most memorable.

Anvesha Rana, 

Grade 10-B, 

Gyanshree School