We don't even know how strong we are until we are forced to bring that hidden strength forward

Image  used for representation only, from Inc.com

I deeply appreciate the fact and truly believe that people do not know about the true strength they possess until they faces a challenges or an obstacles in their path. It is during this challenges that they force themselves to show the capacity or strength, even they do not know about and it possessed within them.

Taking an example from the Hindu mythology, Hanuman, who is believed to have been the incarnation of Lord Shiva possessed such immense power that he could swallow the sun at one go. But the fact was that he did not know that he possessed such immense power until he was forced to show his true strength which laid unknown within him.

Pasang Shepa

Pestalozzi Children's Village India

Should Housewives Be Paid? - Oshi Singh

Picture courtesy: https://www.indiatvnews.com/ by Oshi Singh for representation only. 

Whenever we receive appreciation always makes us feel cared. It gives us a push. It helps us go on even if times are hard. It makes us feel valued. It makes us feel like our presence matters. But imagine a scenario where you work 24/7 and put your blood and sweat into your work,  yet you always go unnoticed. 

Well, that’s the case of housewives in almost every household. I believe that housewives SHOULD be paid. 

We are way past when daughters were only taught household work like cooking and cleaning. We are living in a world in which humankind has spread the concept of equality to a large extent. 

Introducing a new concept doesn’t mean that everyone will accept it immediately. It is a gradual process. The same happened with EQUALITY. While nowadays we see a lot of women working, many still are housewives. A point to be noted is that even though women work, they still work extremely hard in their houses. 

As per the 2011 census, nearly 159.85 million women mentioned household work as their primary occupation. It has been observed that urban Indian housewives constitute around 88% of the women population in India. But out of these millions of housewives, I can assure you that not even one is paid for her work. 

We all hire help in our household to do tasks like cooking, cleaning etc. The functions an average housewife does daily, but the only difference is that these housewives aren’t paid. Don’t they do the same tasks with more love, affection, and care? Why do people think that since they are housewives or a part of the family, they don’t deserve to be paid or shouldn’t be paid? 

The government should pass a law that states that housewives should be paid. This payment will not only guarantee the allowance for housewives but will also make them financially independent. This would also provide excellent security to women, especially single mothers. So if she loses her husband, who was the breadwinner of the family, she would be able to take charge and would be able to take care of her family’s momentary needs. Secondly, this will also provide justice to the hard work, efforts and time they put in the work they do for everyone every day without any break.

If anything in life comes too easy, we must remember its value. The same is true for housewives. Just because someone is doing our work for us for free does not mean we don’t value them and respect them. Housewives are often called a ‘burden’, which is untrue! This is another reason why I believe that housewives should be paid. An income would make sure that housewives aren’t referred to as a burden anymore. Often, a woman stays in a relationship that isn’t working out just because she doesn’t want to cause trouble to her family or is financially dependent on her husband. 

Before I end, the husband is often called the pillar of the family, which is incomplete. A housewife is also the pillar of the family. She cooks, cleans, and takes care of the WHOLE family, and the least we can do is show our love and appreciation towards her. Thus to enhance the dignity of housewives and to make them INDEPENDENT, I say housewives should be paid because once they are, no housewife would just be a “normal” housewife. 

Oshi Singh 
IX C || Gyanshree School

Reference: https://www.indiatvnews.com/business/news-uae-businessman-sohan-roy-aries-group-salary-to-housewives-682686

Appreciation - Kiran Vehniwal

Picture Courtesy- https://picpedia.org/handwriting/a/appreciation.html

Appreciation is a simple word that means 'to tell others that you are thankful for their efforts towards you'. Just a 12-letter word that can brighten up someone's day or make someone feel good about themselves.

We, being humans, tend to show appreciation only when someone does something for us.

Have you ever paused and thought about how people make a difference in our life just by being a part of it? Even if they are doing nothing extra to add value to our life?

I assume the answer will be no.

At points, we try our best to do better to make someone proud because that one person matters to us. That someone may not be doing anything in particular, but their existence drives us to achieve more.

Don't they deserve the most appreciation for giving us a motive in life. Definitely, they do.

Let's not only be appreciative just for showing a gesture in return for something but appreciate every living soul we come across, as they will definitely leave an impact on you to make your life better. 

Kiran Vehniwal 

Prita Lee Lesson School, Kapurthala 

Gratitude - Oshi Singh

You may know the meaning of this nine-letter word, but do you practice it daily? 

The feeling of Gratitude or thankfulness. Do you recall when we were little children constantly reminded to say thank you? Why was that? The answer seems pretty simple at the moment, to show that we care and appreciate what we have. 

Why, then, does this change when we get older? Why does our habit of expressing gratitude fade away with time? Why do we think whatever is happening & whatever someone is doing for us is bound to happen. Why can't it be out of love and compassion? Gratitude is a valuable life lesson and, if practised, can teach us to have a significant and positive attitude towards life. It changes our overall perspective towards life and helps make us and others around us happier. 

We never thank our mom enough for setting up our rooms. We never thank our dad for teaching us something new every time. We never thank our siblings sufficient for teaching us the art of sharing and caring. We never thank the sun and the fine moon for lightening our days and nights. We never thank God enough for giving us the gift of life. So why don't we promise to cherish all these bundles of joy for the rest of our lives? 

So let's practice these small acts of kindness by saying a simple "thank you", "I appreciate what you do", and "I am grateful to have you in my life". All these small acts of selflessness can later be your contribution to making sure future generations live in a better and positive world. 

Oshi Singh

VIII D

Gyanshree School 

Leadership - Aria Gupta

Do you know the difference between a leader and a boss? A boss barks at his servants to do work continuously, but a leader encourages his servants to do work and always appreciates his workers. The quality of being a leader is called Leadership. 

There are many ways to be a leader and display Leadership, like being the CEO or founder of a company. There are many people to be leaders of, But to earn Leadership, you first need to be the leader of yourself. You need to appreciate yourself and, at the same time, be a little blunt to yourself. You need to change your habits. 

Let me tell you about Sahil Lavingia, an entrepreneur of the company Gumroad, Basically the leader. In his book The Minimalist Entrepreneur, He says that when he just created Gumroad, he wanted it to be a billion-dollar company. He says ambition blinded him. He focused on creating a billion-dollar company that he didn’t realize his company was making a profit. He didn’t appreciate what he had. Appreciating is a big part of Leadership. If you can’t appreciate, you will be a boss instead of a leader. 

Aria Gupta 
IV-F 
Gyanshree School

The Art Of Appreciation - Aria Gupta

People think if they only like a little bit of something they have, they appreciate it. But genuine appreciation is when we are genuinely thankful for what we have. Humans tend to value things when they are taken away from us. We only appreciated our classrooms when covid-19 took it away from us as students. Our parents could only admire their offices when they couldn't enter their offices anymore. This is human nature. We can only understand their value when we don't have them. You can imagine what will happen if the things you have aren't with you, and that is when you learn to appreciate things. 

Aria Gupta 

Grade IV 

Gyanshree School

Appreciation - Rishona Chopra

Appreciation is to appreciate as in to be grateful and thankful for something. 
Most of us have so much to appreciate, but we still take time for finding mistakes and forget to embrace all the privileges we have and don't appreciate that. There shall always be greed for more, but it's on us to know how to control it, appreciate what we have, avoid finding what we don't have and stop this greed for more.

I know finding out mistakes is easier and catchy to talk about. I faced this problem myself! Although I have a lot to appreciate, I used to find what I didn't have. I have worked on that mistake and have stopped complaining and enjoying what I have. It's a little tricky but the moment you think about the things you have - a home, good clothes, education which most people might not even have you feeling happy and grateful for what you have. 

Rishona Chopra
Grade - V
Gyanshree School

Appreciate Everything - Rananjaysinh Rajput

 Appreciate Everything!

I’m thankful for the invention of cars.
But also, for ice cream and chocolate bars!

I wonder which I appreciate the most?
But while thinking, I remember, I even like to eat toast!

And by the name of toast, I recognize butter.
But then, I think that jam is a much bigger competitor!

Oh! I can’t stop liking things!
And yes, I even like paintings, birds and many more.
Besides, how can I forget a toy store!

Now I know what I appreciate the most.
It’s not a car, neither a spring.
In fact, it is everything!

A poem appreciating all the joys in life! 
By Rananjaysinh Rajput 
Grade 5A, Billabong High International School Thane