Gratitude - Tulsi Karki

We all know that being thankful and being ready to show appreciation and return kindness is known as gratitude. Gratitude is when we feel grateful for the good things in our lives. This could be stuff people often take for granted, like having a place to live, clothes to wear, food to eat, clean water to drink, and friends and family.

Having gratitude can bring change to us. If we express our gratitude towards something, we feel positive. It can broaden our outlook, boost our minds, and help us face negative thoughts and challenges. People who purposely acknowledge and express gratitude feel more positive; their emotions are better able to relish good experiences and build stronger relationships.

Tulsi Karki

Pestallozi Children's Village Society

The Significance Of Touching Feet - Shaurya and Soham

"It was a pleasure to listen to Soham and Shaurya talking about the importance of touching feet, which I always believed in as it has a cultural and scientific relevance. I am happy they both follow what Sunbeam stands for to always understand ancient traditions while having a modern vision!!! I wish them the best of luck in life! Jai Hind!"
- Amrita Burman 
Deputy Director Sunbeam, group of educational institutions, Varanasi

Season 14, Episode 1 Sunbeam Schools are teaming up a new series!

Touching feet, an act of paying respect, is a profound topic to listen to, from Ram's last act before leaving Ayodhya to Arjuna seeking blessings before going for the war. All this has the same act of touching feet and the exact reason for paying respect. But is it worth touching someone's feet, or is it just an abstract act of paying respect? Tune into this exciting conversation between Shaurya and Soham to know the true '' significance of touching feet''.

Thank you, Ms Varsha Banerjee, of Sunbeam School Lahartara, for your kind support.

Two men looked out prison bars; one saw mud, one saw stars - Rishona Chopra

 Image Courtesy - Twitter

Perspective changes something completely. We can be happy even in the worst times with a positive view of the situation. Every cloud has a silver lining; we just have to find that lining. 

Suppose two men look out prison bars; one only sees the bars, and the other looks beyond it and sees the immense beauty of nature. It is our choice to choose what we want to see. It is our choice to be happy, and it is our choice to look at the good sides of a situation. 

In every situation, there is a choice. Either look at the positive and optimistic sides or find faults and be sad. We just have to see that choice. When something happens that is not to our satisfaction, we get negative feelings about it, but we don't realise that there is always a choice to be happy about it. To rejoice in the smallest of things. 

Two men looked out prison bars; one saw mud, and one saw stars. 

It is our choice to look at the positive things in life. After all, peoples' perspectives and thoughts define who they are. There is so much sadness in the world, and it is easy to find faults, but the real challenge is finding happiness in everything. 

Rishona Chopra
Grade VII Gyanshree School

Does believing help escape the person out of negativism? - Tenzin Jambey

Picture Courtesy: https://www.calmsage.com/how-to-control-negative-thoughts/

Believing in one has both positive and negative impacts. 

In this writing, I'm sharing two incidents that happened because of believing in others:-

The good impact(s):-

We 'people' don't have any proof of whether ghosts and spirits exist. But still, we have been told from a young age about ghost stories, myths and legends. We have developed thoughts upon that, and when we go into the dark or walk alone in a quiet place, we feel scared. 

We sometimes feel like someone's there other than a human being watching over us. I turn my head here and there when I walk alone because people have made a habit of spreading negative beliefs, which has impacted me. And that can further lead to disasters. 

Sometimes, some people see unusual things and images that we can't see due to psychological reasons or due to a lack of courage and also due to the feeling of fear. They think that ghosts and spirits are roaming around them, and to overcome this problem, they visit temples and take the blessings of gods and spiritual leaders, which makes them feel better and consolidated. 

After offering worship to their deities, people believe the ghosts or spirits have left them. Many psychological problems develop in our minds due to believing in unreal and unseen things and images. Making people do activities like visiting the temple and doing some mental activities helps one to overcome these things, but believing is the most important thing. 

So, 'believing' has both negative and positive results. 

The negative impacts which arise due to believing:-
In this case, I want to share an incident. The incident took place near my Village in Arunachal Pradesh. There are many tribal people in Arunachal, and most of them are really into religious beliefs and rituals. 

I am a Buddhist by religion, and the incident is from the Buddhist committee. In our villages and nearby villages, we have a monk in each who can see the past life of a newborn child by performing rituals. 

One such thing happened when a lady gave birth to a child. The child had two grown teeth, which seemed very strange and even scary to people. When the monk was called upon to look into this matter, he clearly stated that a ghost had been born in human form. And that it was a sign of bad luck. With that statement, the poor lady with her child and husband was sentenced to a lifetime exile. 

How can people believe some spiritual leaders so blindly that they are even ready to agree and declare a newborn child a ghost or monster just because of some disabilities and natural teeth? Whereas science says that it's nothing but just a rare case and the mother who gave birth to the child must be proud and happy that her child is rare.

She really should be happy with herself rather than listening to the stupid shitty things of people who called her child a ghost or a monster just because they had never seen this thing before.

Therefore, I would conclude my writing by saying that we must look beyond the things that appear. We people don't look at things how they are but look at them how we think about them. That's why education is a necessity. 

Moreover, acquiring knowledge and looking for a positive outcome in a strangely difficult situation is most important.

Tenzin Jambey

Pestalozzi Children's Village, India.

Sharpening The Saw - Rishona Chopra

When a woodcutter's saw is blunt, he sharpens it to work more effectively. Similarly, our mind needs motivation and energy to do something effectively. 

Our priorities should be organised and well-conducted. We all need a break and a time when we can just refresh ourselves by pampering ourselves or doing anything that makes us happy. If we keep working all day long without taking a break, not only will we be tired, but the work's efficiency will not come out to its true potential. 

When a lion is about to attack its prey, it takes a few steps back so it can attack with full force. Sharpening The Saw simply means to refresh, energize and motivate oneself to do a task.

I personally don't like the word "workaholic". This is because it is not suitable to work continuously for long hours at a stretch. We stop enjoying the work we do and consider it as something we are forced to do.  In the long term, it affects our work speed, efficiency and, most importantly, our health. 

An even better attitude is to re-energise, not to do work but to be a better person. Motivation and hope include reflection. Reflection in every aspect of life. The sharpener needs to be solid and good enough to sharpen the saw. That means our attitude and positivity matter quite a lot. But how can we maintain a positive attitude throughout the day even when there is constantly a problem? 

First, we will have to come to terms with the truth of life - We will face problems every day and every time. Every situation will have a downside and problem, but we must overcome them. 

While dealing with problems is like a war; one has a stronger army, and the other has a weaker military. In the battle between the issues and humans, humans have the upper hand as it depends entirely on their thoughts and attitude that decides who will win. We must remember that every problem has a solution. 

Second, we need to know our feelings whenever we feel negative, sad or hopeless. We should be on the lookout for such thoughts and not let them control our minds, but if we ever see a valid risk, we shouldn't ignore it. We should be able to understand and differentiate between the necessary and the unnecessary thoughts. 

Lastly, we should replace our pessimism with optimism. 

To conclude, we need motivation and energy to do a task, so it is vital to make time for renewing activities. But, all of that is only useful if we have an optimistic attitude towards life and all our tasks. We need to sharpen the mind, but in reality, the mind is the sharpener!

Rishona Chopra
Grade VII
Gyanshree School

The dilemma between the heart and the mind - Shristi Khulal

A dilemma is a difficult situation in which we must choose between alternatives. We have to make many choices between many things, which can also change our lives. It can have both positive as well as negative impacts on us.

When it comes to the dilemma between heart and mind, I experience it every day. My heart usually tells me to enjoy and do fun things, but my mind tries to tell my heart to do those things at the right time and not to get away from my studies. Recently I experienced a dilemma when I needed to feel like studying. My heart said to me, "Let's sleep. I'm not in the mood to study." But my mind said," No, no study, don't you want good marks?" In which mind is correct, we should make the balance between the heart and the mind to live a good life.

The heart is sometimes wrong and leads to the right path. So we should also listen to our hearts sometimes to lead a happy life.

Shristi Khulal Pestalozzi Children's Village India We are reading the book with Jugjiv Sir at The Sunday School.

Importance of bedrock mentoring - Shilpika Pandey

There is too much or too little of so many things in this world that we wish to catch in life. Our dreams, aspirations and wants make us put our hands into a jar full of innumerable  options but when we get stuck at what to really pick, we falter and are unable to choose and thus come at a precise decision. 

The road ahead seems blurry and one wonders if at all to walk on it until someone out there clears, not the road but the vision to see it clearly and helps us walk on it with a confident gait that we realize the importance and effectiveness of that guiding hand, advisor, counsellor or a bedrock MENTOR! 

A Mentor is what each one of us needs to take the best decision, pick the right option and stay focused. But how do we know our mentors? How do we recognize them? The answer is very unadulterated.. When the student is ready, the Guru or mentor appears!

One recognizes a mentor in a kind, empathetic, non judgmental ,helpful, supporting, encouraging, motivating, positive and a wise human. A mentor is a gateway to a mentee's world of opportunities becoming correct and lifelong decisions and facilitating a successful place in life! A true mentor plants a belief, nurtures trust and backs a skill in the right direction. A mentee is forever looking for that mentor who exists but justifies his/her presence when the former is open to welcome one.

A mentor can help one find himself ,change lives and help build a nation and so MENTORING MATTERS!

My greatest fear and how I overcame it - Tenzin Jambey

People have so many fears in life, but we can overcome them by facing them and trying out the challenges that create fear. Like everyone, I have so many fears.

I am afraid of darkness, blood, scary things etc. Out of all these, my greatest fear is my future. I feel terrified when I think of my future and what I will become later. As my friends put it, it's very amusing, and I believe the same. This fear dips me into depression when I think of how my future would look and how I would take care of my family.

Specific questions arise in my mind, like would I be able to fulfil my family's wants? I fear feeling ashamed if I fail to meet my family's demands and wishes, as they put in a lot of hard work to send me to school. But I also believe where there is dark, there is light, too; where there is sorrow, there is happiness too!

There are plenty of careers and jobs that I can choose from, and this thought gives me relaxation and relief. This positive thought keeps my fear away and helps me focus on the better side of life!

Tenzin Jambey
Pestalozzi Children's Village Society

Happiness From Within - Rishona Chopra

Happiness is one of the most critical and defining qualities of life. Everyone wants to be very happy all the time, and no one wants to lose their happiness at any moment. There is nothing more important than being happy in human life. 

It's the top priority of all humans. But at the same time, everyone feels that happiness is not permanent and comes and goes away very quickly. 

This is because the source of happiness for most people today is external and external sources in our present lives keep changing and going through ups and downs. Some people in the world also feel that this is how happiness has been eternal - unstable and temporary in nature, and there has never been any time in the world when happiness was permanent. All of us want happiness in our lives, but so many bad things are happening in the world; how can we be happy on earth? Here's the answer, we don't get happiness from things and situations. Even the worst thing in the world can have a positive side!! So if we look at each case positively, we can easily be happy. We do not get happiness from the environment but from within.

According to the world happiness index, the World Happiness Report is an indicator of global happiness. The rankings are based on reports of respondents' assessments of their own lives, and articles on national happiness are included. The report also compares other elements that influence (quality of) life. The rankings of national happiness are based on a Cantril ladder survey. Nationally representative samples of respondents are asked to think of a ladder, with the best possible life for them being a 10 and the worst possible life being a 0. They are then asked to rate their current lives on a 0 to 10 scale. There is a tale about Birbal in a similar context. Once a man came up to Birbal and said that his home did not have space, so Birbal advised him to bring goats to his house and take them out after a day. When the goats were there, the house was so whole and small, but when they went out, it felt so much bigger! So happiness is just a perspective of looking at things!

There is this quote by Lewis B. Smedes - To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you. This means that when we have a conflict with someone, they are also bound by negative feelings, and so are we. We both are sad and want to solve the fight, but our ego does not allow us to do that. So if we once set the prisoner as the person who we fought with, not only will he be free from the negative feelings, but so will we.

I feel happy today,
An aim to smile every day.
It's a unique ray of hope,
That gives me a new scope.
To do something good,
I misunderstood,
The word happiness.
I thought there was a reason for this smile.
But all this while.
I was wrong to think,
That happiness could shrink.
It was something even more unique,
That came from within and was sentimental.
I couldn't possibly want something more,
 But to be happier than before.

Rishona Chopra
Grade VI
Gyanshree School

When I see a glass half full... - Rishona Chopra

When I see a glass half full, at first, I think the glass is half empty. Instead of looking at the positive side, I look at the negative side by saying that the glass is half empty. It's very catchy, isn't it? Always look at the negative side of every situation.  

Little things in life make a difference. When I see a glass half full, I always try to change my thoughts by thinking that the glass is half full, not half empty. Little exercises prepare you for big ones. Slowly by slowing when we learn to control our negative thoughts and replace them with positive ones, we attain mindfulness. Whenever you think of something negative, try to change it to the opposite. Slowly you will get used to it, and the positive side of every situation will be pretty straightforward. 

The most important part of this glass is that it is refillable, whether half full or empty.

Rishona Chopra 
Grade VI
Gyanshree School

Positive thinking - Rishona Chopra

Experiencing a life full of different events, which can be harmful at times, can be demanding and make life a difficult journey of ups and downs. We also realize that we can withstand and tolerate situations, and not only a few people but all of us try to some extent or the other. Of course, some of us fail entirely, also. 

There is no substitute for correct thinking when a difficult situation is in front of you. You think negatively but act according to the spiritual knowledge you have read. That will not make you successful in overcoming the situation. Inner habits of creating thoughts of fear, pessimism, hopelessness and impatience will not reduce, although we may temporarily feel positive based on what we have read or learnt. 

Inner habits are intense and have been inside the inner spiritual being or soul since many births. Each time we have performed an adverse action or created a negative thought, a sanskara was made based on that thought, word or action. This is the cycle of repetition. And this cycle keeps having a more powerful negative influence on us the more it is repeated. 

We must get out of this vicious cycle and convert these constant negative thoughts into positive ones. We have several goals, but the first goal should be to eliminate negative beliefs and replace them with positive ones. This takes a calm mind with determination. We should never think we can't be positive as we still have those qualities in us.

Rishona Chopra
Grade VI
Gyanshree School

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 

The Art Of Focus - Rishona Chopra

 

The Art Of Focus, is a skill to be in the present in the moment. It is quite important because our mind is a universe of thoughts, while doing something another thought pops up into our mind and we start pondering over it and forget about what we were doing. The ability to control our thoughts and be present from our mind is the Art Of Focus.In school, when the teacher is teaching, and we have a doubt, we stop listening to the teacher and start thinking about only our doubt and don't realize that our doubt was already explained! 

Apart from that, the book focuses on positive thinking...In today's chapter we read about how accepting death helps us overcome challenges in life. Of course it is difficult but it is a section of life and that is why we should always keep doing good deeds because what we do for ourselves dies with us but what we do for others continues and lives on forever. 

It is better to accept death happily because being sad won't change it.

Rishona Chopra

Grade VI

Gyanshree School

What makes me feel positive? - Rishona Chopra

My mother makes me positive, maybe sitting in her lap and reading a book make me feel positive. There is no reason for it; it's just her face that shines so bright and makes me smile. She, for me, is the most spiritual person I know and the most positive person too. Seeing her, I feel that everything in the world is just great. It gives me positivity and hope.

This is for you, 

When anything happened, you knew.
You taught me to be true,
And that's how I grew
You cared for me,
You are the one that makes me feel free!
The kindest one ever,
When I needed you, you were always there whatsoever. You make me positive, You are so progressive, You give me a new sense of hope, There is no one like you on the globe! There is no reason for this, It's just a natural bliss, That's probably why you are my mother, You are like no other! Rishona Chopra Grade VI Gyanshree School

Monday Morning - Rishona Chopra

Monday morning is truly a tiring day and very boring too. Yes, after the relaxing break of Saturday and Sunday, getting back to the busy schedule is very tough unless you see the good things that will happen. Like on Monday, we have art, two English periods and sports. That thought makes me want to go to school on Monday. Monday is the best day to work on your thought process, as Monday is just the way you see it!

You can see Monday as a tiring and lifeless day and a fun and exciting day! Today, in the Art Of Focus, we read about positive thinking, so can we all be positive and make Monday fun and colourful? 

Monday, perhaps very boring,
It can also be adoring,
Like they say, glass is half empty or half full,
All you need is a positive pull!

Rishona Chopra
Grade VI
Gyanshree School

Forgiveness - Simar Kaur

My reflection post-reading chapter 18 of the book. I deem forgiveness as an opportunity to look at the situation positively. When someone does something to hurt us, we start hating that person. It often results in adverse changes in our mood and a thirst to take revenge. We don’t get satisfied until and unless we retaliate. Once we maintain this as a habit, people notice behavioural changes, and that is how we enter into a vicious cycle that traps us for life.

My middle school experience is something that I describe as terrible. The reason for that is the bullying I faced as we entered into a wider world. Till fifth grade, our innocent selves don’t let materialistic items affect our judgement. But in sixth grade, as we enter into the world of unavoidable changes, we can’t help judging a person by the way they look, how someone performs in their studies and much more. I was a victim of that and possibly an attacker. I kept that with me for a long time, resulting in my grades and academic life deteriorating.

Eighth grade was a breath of fresh air. Covid pandemic hit, and we were all trapped into lockdown. 

Eighth grade was like an opportunity to escape my struggling social life. I had a chance to get away from all my friends and classmates and be the ones I loved. And that made all the difference. I felt refreshed, and I was a lot more cheerful and happy. But I realised that my happiness was not a by-product of avoiding people. I became happy when I decided to forgive everyone who hurt me in the past in one way or another. I forgot all about my past misery and people who had actively been a part of it. It made me feel a lot better. 

After two years of break from social life, I enjoy school. I may not have a lot of friends, but I have what I need. Going back to school wouldn’t have felt this good if we wouldn’t have been trapped in lockdown, and I wouldn’t have been as forgiving as I am now. But now I know that forgiveness is extraordinary, and I am trying my best to apologise and forgive anyone I hurt or anyone who hurt me.

Simar Kaur Grade X Gyanshree School

Happiness - Rishona Chopra

As we all know, happiness is a feeling where we feel pleasant, jolly and satisfied, but where do we get happiness?

All of us want happiness in our lives, but there are so many bad things happening in the world; how on earth can we be happy? Here's the answer, we don't get happiness from things and situations. Even the worst thing in the world can have a positive side!! So if we take a look at each case from a positive angle, we can easily be happy. We do not get happiness from the environment but from within.

To understand it better, let me tell you a story-

Happiness is everything

Once there lived a young boy named Jack. People said that his luck was never on his side, and he was also known as the unlucky boy. 

Once in his exam, he broke his pencil, and it took him 10 minutes to sharpen it! The other day in the park, he fell several times and from that day till the next few weeks, he was not able to play. Such minor unlucky instances made Jack very sad. It was like his happiness was lost.

That night Jack wanted to cry all his pain out, and he called out to his mother and said, "Mum, everyone calls me the unlucky boy, and it really isn't my fault, and what did I do wrong that my luck never supports me?" His mother, surprised, told him, "My dear, your luck was forever on your side; you just had to take a look from another angle. When your pencil broke, didn't your teacher give you extra time to sharpen it?" Jack said, "She did". His mother said, "Well, then you could have used that time to calculate a few questions too, right? Jack, realizing what his mother said was true, happily cried out, "Yes, and when I got hurt?" "When we get hurt, it helps our body grow stronger!" said his mother. "Oh yes, mum, yes. 

Thank you for making me realize that," said Jack, smiling.

From that day, Jack was never unhappy and found little joy in everything!

So even if a thing doesn't have a positive side, don't be sad; you can be happy by thinking about the solution to that problem!

Rishona Chopra
Grade V
Gyanshree School

NB Updated version of the post originally written on 20th Dec 2021.

Positivity - Rishona Chopra

If you reflect on your day and think how many times you think the answer would surely be ' many times but then when you think how many times you had positive thoughts the answer would be ' a few times. But the question is why have positivity? How can it affect us?

Firstly, what we think is what we do and as we do the consequences are equal and if that then it is most likely to happen than what we think comes true. But that might not sound like something you would actually believe in so let us take a look at it in another way:

Imagine you wishing that you would pass your exam but thinking you never can. Now, when you think that you never can pass your exam then you don't try harder, you have lost hope and when that is then you are sure to fail even when you could pass. Even if you worked very hard but thought that you will never pass then you could fail too. On the other hand, if you worked hard and also thought that you can pass the exam then you could pass!

So working hard and thinking positively both are important. 

Rishona Chopra
Grade V
Gyanshree School

Appreciation - Rehan Raza

Praising anybody for their task can increase the confidence of the receiver. The word “Appreciation” looks smaller from the outside, but it can help achieve anything if used properly. This word is the most powerful word for motivating someone. If someone gets appreciated for a specific task, then that person always gives the best in everything.

This word is motivational, carries a vast power inside and can turn negative thoughts into positive ones. This is the magic of appreciation. Many people know how to make use of this word while others recognize its depth and meaning. If this word is used for a person, they can carry out any problematic task with low input energy. Many organizations and multinational companies are known for their culture of appreciation. This is the main reason behind the happiness of their employees. If there is a difficult task ahead and a team is unfamiliar with how to carry out that task, the team leader or manager tries to appreciate members or members for their previous task. This can increase the inner power of that member.

Appreciating someone’s efforts is not an act that makes you feel shy, but it’s an act that proves your character. This act shows that you are living down to earth. Therefore it is necessary to appreciate a person whenever possible. It is an excellent way to make things easier and simpler.

Rehan Raza 

Class XII

The Fabindia School

Trust - Krishna Dave

Trust is an essential thing in life, trust is hard to define, but we know when it's lost. It takes years to build but seconds to break, and it cannot regain. When a paper is crumbled, and you can smooth it over; but it's never going to be the same again. Trust makes the people believe in you like; when students trust, its a teacher, the teacher always tries to make the student future as bright as possible. Trust is fundamental to life, and it is always said that gaining someone trust is difficult, but it's not true if you build the nature of belongingness, then you can gain someone's trust easily without any difficulty. Faith and trust are two qualities that make a man great.

If you can trust, you are the person of courage because a coward person can never ever trust anyone in their life. When there is trust, communication becomes easy, and the goal can be achieved. It is a special thing to be trusted by someone. To be told, you are trusted is an even greater feeling. You should not trust anybody easily because people only take your advantage, always be careful before you trust anybody once you found someone you can trust then your life becomes good and sorted. 

Trust is like a good deed; it always comes in a good manner. Initially, being honest and trustworthy is the same because you never lie to someone, then automatically it builds someone to trust in you, which brings a feeling of happiness. For trusting someone, you should trust yourself first; if you can't trust yourself, then there is no way that you can trust anyone else because if you doubt yourself, then you will always doubt those around you as well. 

Trusting someone is always positive; trust is a scarce thing to find in life. It is always difficult to trust whom you don't know. Still, you should give one chance them by trusting them there will be two situations that person whom you trusted would break your trust then you should make that person your lesson by telling yourself that whom I trusted taught that you should never trust someone easily in your life or that person not break your trust, then you are lucky to have that person in your life. That person gives you good memories that give you the courage to deal with any problems in life.

Krisha Dave

Class- XII 

The Fabindia School

                                                

Image courtesy: health.hkej.com