Questions I ask - Rishona Chopra

Photo from https://www.peakpx.com
Nature is so perfect, But why are we so wrecked? Why are we with flaws? Why do humans have the habit of going against the laws? Why aren’t all of us patient and kind? Pure and with a clean mind.

Why do people steal?
Why do people not feel?
Why do we lie and cheat?
Why are people poor and on the street?

When I ask these questions, I realize,
I don't have to look for the answer up in the skies.
The answer is within me,
I am the holder of the key.

God is the fuel of the car,
Helps the car move like a bright star.
But it's the driver’s fault that the car has met an accident,
The fuel isn’t responsible for the mistakes and accidents.

God has given us this body and mind,
Given endless freedom to humankind.
Gave us materials so we have enough food,
But we’re the ones who wrongly viewed.
We made alcohol and tobacco,
We blamed god for our troubles although,
We were the ones to blame,
We were lost in making money and fame.

God gave us the mind,
We had an option to be kind.
But we’re the ones who made the other choice.
And lost the pureness in our voice.

Rishona Chopra

Gyanshree School

Grade VIII

Find your voice and inspire others to find theirs - Ananya Singh

People who have found their voice focus on expanding their circle of influence, being trustworthy, building trust, blending the voices of others, and creating a common vision.                                                      

Ananya Singh 

Grade- IX 

Sunbeam Hostel Lahartara 

The Jai Hind Project - Vineet KKN 'Panchi'

Streaming Worldwide

The Interns of My Good School produce podcasts with élan. Listen to heartwarming stories about schools, schooling and their passion for education. Check out the Learning Forward Podcast on Spotify, Apple, Google, or your favourite podcast application.

In Season 13, Episode 5 of Learning Forward, Vineet KKN 'Panchhi' converses with Anvesha Rana and Saikiran Sahu, leaving a lasting impression on listeners with his unconventional introduction. While most guests are introduced by their educational qualifications, Vineet urged audiences to focus on his passions instead. From cars and bikes to travel and communication, music, outdoor films, voice acting, writing, leadership coaching, and Urdu poetry, Vineet is a dynamic individual with diverse interests. He describes himself as a "rolling stone" and has pursued his passions relentlessly. From being a teenage musician in a band to a filmmaker, communication expert, and Urdu poet, Vineet has done it all. He is also the founder of The Jai Hind Project and Word of Mouth Media. By showcasing his unique perspective, Vineet's approach inspires viewers to embrace and pursue their passions with the same dedication and commitment.

Finding your inner voice - Pasang Sherpa

Helping others find their voice which means helping someone to realize that they can also stand upfront in any situation. 

We can inform them about the human sight they possess if there are matters that need to be dealt with by rules and laws. 

We can help other people but before doing so we should prove ourselves worthy to do so then only we shall be able to guide them to reach their actual inner voice.

Pasang Sherpa

Pestalozzi Children's Village Society

Finding Your Voice - Tenzin Nyesel

REFLECTION: " Finding your voice " (inner voice)

Let's talk about the voice, not the one with which we speak but the inner voice. The voice that whispers in our mind with powerful and meaningful words. It tells us what's right and what's not. It tells us when to leave and where to go when needed. It tells us when to say yes and when to say no. Sometimes, that voice is crystal clear. It says go or stay, right or wrong, but sometimes it whispers. Always be calm and concentrative to have great clarity of that voice.

"Never let your inner voice drown in this noisy world because, in the end, that voice knows what's right for you. Always trust your inner voice." 
 
Tenzin Nyesel,
Pestalozzi Children's Village India

Why Does My Voice Matter? - Shambhavi Nautiyal

Picture Courtesy: https://www.yourdictionary.com/articles/voice-descriptions

My voice matters because 'I matter'. 

I want my voice to matter to all. My voice is purely the interpretation of my thoughts. And it resonates with my soul's reflection on what my body and my mind are going through. It fabricates all of my emotions, opinions, beliefs and desires. It unfolds one by one like the onion peels layer by layer, taking physical form, and I turn my thoughts into reality. 

My voice raises my apprehensions. And sometimes, it unravels my reality. It often unleashes the truth of my core. It lets me stand tall with my head held high.

My voice has been raised on innumerable instances - whenever my existence was questioned; whenever my presence was neglected; whenever my efforts were made meaningless; whenever my credibility was shaken. 

It is not that I raise my voice only if I am overlooked. I am also vocal when it comes to my loved ones' well-being. I also voice it whenever it is a matter of my faith. When it comes to my nation, I never lose the opportunity to take a stand and vote my opinion. That is my karma.

So, it matters how I use my voice.

Do I use my voice to manipulate others?

Or Do I use it to spread negativity and cuss at them, or do I use my voice to show gratitude, express love and use words of kindness and comfort for others?

That is what matters. 

No matter what you say or how you use your voice, it does make a difference. 

If you choose to be flippant and hurtful, it shall harm the people around you for the time being, but ultimately it shall come back to you since then, no one shall want to be friends with you and will start eviting you. Thus, your voice will eventually lose all its meaning, and at last, it will not matter anymore.

However, if you use your voice otherwise, then it shall be reciprocated with pleasure, and you will receive more happiness since now you have learned how to appreciate the things that you have.
When you learn to love yourself, you will start feeling confident. And also deflect people with remorse in their voices. In return for all the good that we do, we receive good, too. 

We should learn to trust that our voices matter because then we can present ourselves and our ideas in the most captivatingly confident manner.

As citizens of this world, we should keep exploring ourselves and honing our skills. We avoid questioning each of our beliefs. We work and focus on embarking on and strengthening the flourishing ones and eliminating the detrimental and deteriorating ones. 

Voicing our thoughts in an upright manner brings a difference in our life. It sharpens the outlook of a wider diaspora commendably. That is how the changes brought in mundane tasks and procedures. That is how the laws are made. That is how the amendments are brought into reality, bringing brimming smiles to the downtrodden section of society. 

Each voice does matter as it facilitates the formation of a powerful road map and vital development of one's nation and ensures accomplishment. Let us have some faith in our worth and keep believing that we all are worthy by simply existing and being ourselves. 

In the end, I would conclude with a famous quote from Steve Jobs that says - 

Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice.

That is all which matters. As human beings, our voices deserve a hearing. Since we are always looking forward to improved facilities and lifestyles for humans living on this planet, and in this process, we can only achieve the best with communication and collaboration whilst having mutual respect.

Shambhavi Nautiyal
Class- 9 || Ahlcon Public School

Today Is The Day When You Define For Yourself - Rishona Chopra

Decision making and trusting our inner voice is indeed an art. The actual counsellor we have is our inner voice, our soul that understands our feelings and situation better than anyone. 

Making decisions and choosing the right path is essential. It is better to choose a lonely path rather than a crowded path. Even as a child, when you try to stay on the right way, you feel the peer pressure, and due to that, you cannot make the right decisions. It's better to have one good friend than a group of bad friends. 

Therefore it's better to go along the road less travelled. It means that we should not get influenced by others on the wrong path but should always trust our voice because it knows it all and protects us.

Rishona Chopra
Grade VI
Gyanshree School

Say what you think

Disagreement and debate are the lifeblood of democracy

Alasdair McWhirter | McWhirter Foundation Chair

If you are one of our alumni and reading this, the chances are you are bright and may well go on to achieve great things in whatever career you choose. Whether that turns out to be in AI, fashion, medicine, politics, protecting the environment or something completely different, find the courage to say what you think about the things that matter to you, particularly when your view is different to that of your friends. 
Social media has its good side but it has also led to a world in which there is a ‘received’ view on most important social, moral and political questions for any given peer group. Disagreeing with that view can feel quite scary, so many people choose to go with the flow and not really think about what may be an important issue. The problem is that ‘accepted’ views can often end up being far too simplistic, leaving little room for nuance, let alone outright disagreement. 

Will putting pressure on museums to weed out exhibits which have a link to slavery really make this world a better place? Isn’t it more important that we understand what happened in our past and why – so we are better placed to guard against anything similar ever occurring in the future? 
On one hand, social media has turned many people into ‘sheep’, on the other it has also led to opinions becoming polarised, as like-minded groups reinforce one another’s views – even when they are highly dubious. Neither situation is either helpful or healthy for society.

Over the next 25 years the world will see huge changes and to make the most of them we need a constant flow of new and original ideas. In a small way, you will hopefully contribute to that flow and help to determine the path it eventually takes, by supporting views you agree with and questioning those you don’t – and speaking out. Choosing your words carefully will hopefully prevent you causing any offence and, far more often than not, earn respect rather than ridicule.

However, opinions only become worth listening to when they are informed by experience or knowledge and knowledge needs to be based on the truth, which, unfortunately, has become increasingly difficult to pin down. It gets buried by the avalanche of information that the internet and our mobiles, iPads, laptops and TVs now overflow with, much of which is inaccurate or misleading. Spinning a story has become standard practice for governments as well as the media and big business. A government pretending that money which has already been promised to its health service is some wonderful new act of benevolence, a newspaper always searching for fault and exaggerating every nasty little detail, or a food company presenting a fruit yoghurt as ‘super healthy’ when a fifth of it is actually sugar, are all simple examples. 

To work out what we do and don’t know, or believe in, we all have to pick our way through a swamp of selective truths, marketing spiel, sensationalism and fake news. Not easy. The depressing lack of accuracy and honesty makes it all the more important for us to talk to one another and share whatever conclusions we’ve reached. Listening to others and discussing a topic is one of the best ways to learn, to refine your opinions and encourage others to do same.  Expressing your views will also help you find your voice, discover who you are and work out where you want to go. 

No one should ever underestimate the value of their opinion. Having a good education is a privilege that adds an extra layer of responsibility to speak out. People who choose to just sit there and nod silently, even when they don’t agree, make it easier for those with power, or a particular political motive, to shape public opinion and set the agenda. 

Disagreement and debate are the lifeblood of democracy.

Say what you think essay competition

Our Foundation Chair, Alasdair McWhirter has below written the piece entitled "Disagreement and debate are the lifeblood of democracy". In the spirit of this topic, we are running a short essay competition, the winner of which will be published in the following newsletter. The requirements for the competition are as follows:

A 500 word essay on the topic "Disagreement and debate are the lifeblood of democracy". You may choose to submit a piece responding to some of Alasdair's points, or a completely new take on the topic. Pieces will be judged on strength of argument, creativity and 'outside the box' thinking. Submissions are due 15th November 2021. Please send your essay or any questions to eva@mcwhirterfoundation.org.au

We look forward to hearing what you have to say!