Jugjiv and Sandeep introduced a new book, "My Name is Cinnamon," by Vikas Prakash Joshi. The book tells the story of a young boy's quest to find his biological parents. Jugjiv shared the author's background, highlighting his successful writing career and numerous awards.
Discussing 'The Word From the Author' by Vikas Joshi
Jugjiv led a discussion about the book "The Word from the Author" by Vikas Joshi, with Manisha reading the "Word from the Author" section. The group also included RP Sir, the chairman of Learning Forward India, Sandeep, the founder, and Manisha, the Principal. Jugjiv structured the discussion to alternate between reading the book, asking questions, and reading again. Vikas shared his writing journey, stating that writing was part of his identity, not a compulsion or ambition. The group also learned about Vikas's challenges in publishing his book.
Book Reading and Character Introduction
Jugjiv introduced the book's theme, emphasising the author's intent to reflect the reader's experience and offer a glimpse into other worlds. Vikas Prakash then began reading from the book, starting with the introduction and continuing into chapter one. The reading focused on the main character, Cinnamon, and his experiences as a goalkeeper in a school football championship. The narrative was filled with details that evoked a sense of excitement and tension, culminating in Cinnamon's crucial penalty kick.
Cinnamon's Story: Adopted Child's Achievements and Dreams
Vikas Prakash narrated a story about Cinnamon, an adopted child who loved sports and cinema. Cinnamon's parents, Ma and Baba, were proud of their son's achievements, and they celebrated his success as if he were their biological child. The story also touched on Cinnamon's dream of becoming an Indian football player and winning the World Cup. The chapter ended with Cinnamon receiving a giant fruit instead of a chocolate bar to reward his performance.
Vikas Prakash's Book Reading and Writing Inspiration
Vikas Prakash read the first chapter of his book, "Cinnamon," in front of an audience that included students and teachers. Rajinder, a schoolteacher, praised Vikas' writing and encouraged students to start writing at a young age, citing famous writers who began writing in school. Vikas explained that "Cinnamon" was inspired by his childhood love for reading and his teacher's insistence on correct pronunciation. He also shared that his own life experiences heavily influenced the plot of his book and that the advice of a more experienced writer led him to write about his unique experiences in his first book. Yashraj and Jugjiv listened to his story and reflected on their own experiences, and Vikas emphasised that his book fills a gap in the market for children's books in India.
The Boy Who Grew Up" Book Discussion
Vikas Prakash introduced his new children's book, "The Boy Who Grew Up", which explores themes of adoption, identity, and self-discovery through a humorous and engaging story. He intended to impart positive values to children while tackling serious topics. When asked about the key messages he wanted children to take away from the book, Vikas emphasised the importance of not making assumptions based on initial behaviour and not limiting oneself based on past experiences or mindsets. He also revealed his writing approach, which involves starting with a general idea and allowing the story to unfold as he writes, discovering new elements.
Creating Characters and Overcoming Rejection
Vikas Prakash discussed the process of creating characters for his book, emphasising the importance of making them realistic and relatable. He also shared his experience of rejection from publishers, which he described as a standard and expected part of the writing process. Shubhangi asked about the title of his book, which was initially rejected by publishers but is now being translated into six languages. Manisha asked about the most challenging chapters to write, and Vikas identified two chapters at the end of the book as particularly difficult.
Vikas Prakash's Child Adoption Journey and Writing Process Vikas Prakash shared the emotional challenges he faced while writing about a child's adoption journey, highlighting the complex relationships involved. He revealed that his motivation for writing the book was a childhood dream and a desire to share the story inside him despite the pandemic's challenges. The initial draft took a few months, but reworking and making changes based on publisher feedback took around 6-9 months, totalling 1-1.5 years. The team expressed their gratitude towards Vikas Prakash for his time and insights, and RP emphasised the importance of broadening one's perspective through travel and meeting people from different backgrounds.
The discussion centred around the challenges trees face, particularly those planted in urban environments. The speaker highlighted how trees in parks, often not native to the area, struggle to grow in urbanisation's harsh conditions, including compacted soil, lack of open space, and constant human interference. The speaker also noted how the mechanical process of planting and maintaining trees, such as pruning roots, can negatively impact their growth and health. The discussion underscored the need for a more nurturing and supportive approach to tree care and maintenance.
Urban Tree Growth and Maintenance
The speaker discussed the growth and maintenance of trees, using redwoods as an example. They highlighted the contrast between the natural development of old-growth forests and the managed growth of urban trees. The speaker noted that urban trees often suffer from over-pruning, leading to fungal infections and stunted growth. They also pointed out that the compacted soil and restricted growth on the roadside make it challenging for urban trees to thrive. The speaker emphasised the need for a more natural approach to tree care to allow them to grow and develop properly.
Urban Trees and the Challenges They Face
Learning discussed the plight of trees in urban areas, highlighting the challenges they face due to limited space and human interference. The discussion focused on how trees' roots often grow into underground pipes, causing blockages and damage and how this can lead to trees being cut down due to their intrusion. Learning also shared an extensive study by Rohr University that found trees were attracted to loose soil, not extra nutrients, which often led to them growing into pipes. Jugjiv confirmed that he had seen trees growing into concrete in his multi-story condo, and Manisha was asked to reflect on why trees fall. Learning encouraged the team to share pictures and stories of trees affected by urbanisation to raise awareness of this issue.
Urban Trees and Their Stressors
Learning discussed the harsh conditions urban trees face, including the urban microlight climate, heat from asphalt and concrete, and pollution from exhaust fumes and salt. These factors cause stress to the trees, leading to premature death. The oak processionary, a rare species, has become a pest due to the attractive conditions of urban environments. However, trees of the same species planted in rows can communicate and support each other, offering a small consolation. Learning emphasised the need for reflection on the life of a tree in the city and the challenges it faces.
Book Reflections and Group Communication
The group discussed various topics, including a reflection on the book The Hidden Life of Trees and its similarities with Cinnamon. They also discussed the process of writing reflections and how to submit them. Manisha, the facilitator, encouraged everyone to share their takeaways from the book and to write their reflections, which would then be published on the blog. The group also discussed the use of a shared whiteboard for brainstorming and the importance of communication within the group.
AI-generated content.
Please excuse our addressing all participants by first names. This is not intentional, and AI is not good at showing respect and emotions yet. You may discover inadvertent errors. Please do excuse us.
Harsh Tiwari and Divyansh summarised the day's chapter, demonstrating their understanding and engagement with the material evidence.
Mr. Paul also had an exclusive meeting with the interns, where he discussed their roles and responsibilities. By contributing to these sessions, he emphasized how they can refine and apply their skills and potential.
Overall, the visit was highly interactive and fostered a more profound understanding among all participants.
The post is courtesy of Deeba Naqvi, a passionate educator at Sunbeam Varuna School and Hostel pursuing the Fellowship Program with the Learning Forward India Foundation.
We played the 2 Girls 1 Mic Podcast - The conversation revolved around classic literature, reflection, and societal norms. Participants shared their perspectives on the significance and enduring appeal of classic novels like Pride and Prejudice and Little Women. We discussed the importance of reflection in understanding oneself and others.
Reading Jatakas, which explored the challenges of societal norms, offered fresh perspectives on the role of women in historical contexts.
Additionally, the speakers discussed the behaviour and adaptation of trees in response to climate change and brainstormed ideas for a newsletter and podcast for their school's JOL Diaries.
https://otter.ai/u/wSMurS0H9DA5m2PHFU0Q--iTukA
Link to the Session Summary
- Tune in to the Podcast 2 Girls and 1 Mic -
- What does heaven mean to you?
- Which is your favourite classic?
- From Jataka Tales -
1. Why do we read about the Jataka Tales?
2. Did the story connect with you today, and why?
3. What learnings can we take away from the story today?
4. What does "iniquity" mean?
5. Gender Equality
6. How have things come along and changed in this world?
7. Change in mindset
- From Hidden Life Of Trees -
1. Why do we read about trees in the first place?
2. Did the story connect with you today, and why?
3. What learnings can we take away from the story today?
4. Take a look at the trees growing around any small clearing
5. Characteristics of fungi. What is their role in the life of a tree?
6. Notice a fungi growing on a tree and mention how it looks.
7. Why do trees grow downwards? Mention a tree that grows downwards.
Read My Name is Cinnamon by Vikas Prakash Joshi. We will invite him to a meet and greet soon!
These are some suggestions. We're looking forward to your excellent and thoughtful reflections, which you can email to LF@ebd.in.
"Books" are that one constant companion throughout the whole life and "Reading" is that one habit which brings joyous colours to your life.
People who understand the art of reading will always find peace in it because books aren't only for reading but can also act as a safe place for many people.
The enhancement of vocabulary and good communication skills are some of the important skills that one can have which is actually a necessity in the real world, they can also make your point of view even larger and you get to understand people and your surroundings more properly and in an adequate manner.
Here I am, resting my words by resonating that reading is essential for those who seek to rise above the ordinary
We did a lot for today's class, but what reflected in my mind was that happiness is the result and not a cause.
I want to write a short note on this because of a discussion we had in class.
It depends on external things. Its result, which comes from within due to our kind works, gives happiness.
* Life of Crescendo (reflection)
. Life is a mission, not a career
. It tells About what keeps people growing
. We learned about the six paths
: happiness is the result, not the cause
: stress is not bad
: Physical exercise is essential and good
. If you enjoy
: Cash doesn't last
: Stay involved in work
: Maintenance of a robust social network
. Anyone who keeps learning stays young 🌱
. Staying focused
. It's all recognition of the abundance of facts.
*Creating Passion
Passions are developed through emotions, mainly through activities that you find to be fun.
As mentioned by Amerdeep sir in a previous session, he remarked, "DON'T FOLLOW PASSION. CREATE YOUR OWN PASSION." he has motivated me through all aspects of problems with his meeting in the session.
* Leaving 2023 and moving to 2024 ( learning I did from My Good School in this passing year )
. Breaking goals into smaller steps makes them more accessible for students to comprehend. As mentioned by Amerdeep, sir.
My Good School always taught me never to stop dreaming and to keep learning and improving my reading, writing, and listening skills.
A good school encourages the young minds of students and is filled with positive thoughts.
Thank you, sir.
Tenzin Chonzom
Pestalozzi Children's Village India
Sandeep Dutt is an Advisor to the KFL and was invited as a speaker. In conversation what Geetika Kohli, he speaks about life, times and how we thrive in life with the #JoyOfLearning.
The link to the video on Youtube:
The literary extravaganza, a spectacular range of language diversity in the programme, participation of 10 countries and over 25 languages. Over 500 speakers from various nationalities and recipients of major awards such as the Nobel, the Booker, International Booker, the Sahitya Akademi and many more.
Featuring a range of themes, including the ongoing climate justice debate under the urgency of borrowed time theme, the great women writers and artists focusing on the female voice and identity, crime fiction, memoir, translation, poetry, economics, tech morality and Artificial Intelligence, the global crisis, cutting-edge science, India and the world, art and photography, health and medicine, amongst others.
Every year, the festival brings together a diverse mix of the world’s greatest writers, thinkers, humanitarians, politicians, business leaders, sports people and entertainers on one stage to champion the freedom to express and engage in thoughtful debate and dialogue. The Kalinga Literary Festival has hosted nearly 2500 speakers and performers and welcomed book lovers worldwide since its inception in 2013.
Celebrities from literature, cinema, media and politics will assemble in the temple city of Odisha to deliberate on the “India and the World” theme at the Kalinga Literature Festival in Bhubaneswar from February 24-26. Acclaimed writers from Nepal, Sri Lanka, Japan, the UK, Italy, South Africa, and Austria to the festival.
Hey, I am Oshi Singh from Gyanshree. I am also an intern at the Joy Of Learning Program. Some of you might know me because of my posts on the joy of learning diaries. I am writing this article to pay tribute to My Good School for helping me find the missing 'ME' time in my life. The Sunday School has also helped me immensely, especially as a writer.
Finding time to read every week and learning how to be a better person, the weekly conversations always help me a lot. Also, reading other people's life experiences and getting the best out of them is a new skill that I developed here at My Good School.
The teachers and interns here have become like family to me. It has made me believe that this is where passion meets education.
I am thankful to everyone here who is helping me develop into a better human being and giving me excellent life opportunities. I look forward to getting to know the people better and collaborating with them. Also, after reading this, I hope some of you would like to join our family and make it grow bigger and wiser!
People have been writing as far as mankind can recollect; we have come a long way, from random ancient letters to a modern stable form of Writing. Writing, for me, holds an extraordinary place in my heart. While writing, I find a special feeling that is a little difficult to express, but if I try, it is something like peace. It is hard to find but harder to get rid of when discovered. When I write, I feel the greatest. I feel like Alice in Wonderland or Harry Potter at Hogwarts. Nothing compares to the feeling you get when you simply write while sitting on your balcony at the height of your society's building. Watching every single bird, car and plane pass while you write. Watching everyone look so tiny except for yourself, who is busy roaming and enjoying their fantasy world. It is the closest I can get to nature while living in cities.
Writing for some is a doodle, while it is a tough row to hoe for some. The biggest misconception about Writing is that it's limited to schools and colleges, but I differ. I believe it is about an expression of thoughts. Writing is telling your tale and unravelling your thoughts on the blank page. It is about capturing your past and living your present. It is about making memories.
Writing a journal is an excellent start to mastering this art. While writing in your journal, you don't need to care about spelling and grammar or its presentation. All you have to do is write; that's how I started, and You can too! The more and more you write, the better you get at the language and, more importantly, being able to clearly convey who you are and what's on your mind. People may or may not like it, but you will become more comfortable and confident about yourself. Reading books is also a great way to start writing!
Sunday School is a live example. While we read stories of the greatest writers in history here every Sunday. We, too, write the most exciting and intriguing reflections and stories by aspiring writers. Later we post it on the Joy Of Learning Diaries, making it available for a lifetime and tracing a mark of our start.
Finally, I hope you got my point, as Writing is more than making meaningful sentences. So why don't you give it a shot right now? After all, you're never too late to miss the train, and even if you do, take a deep breath & relax. There's another one coming your way, and you are on time for YOUR train!
There are a colossal of amazing things that I have learnt from my one year at My Good School. I read three meaningful and impactful books and got to know three very new authors that helped to make my year a little more bedazzling.
Reading is all about simplicity and beauty, which I was able to experience regularly throughout this year. Though I couldn't reflect much in the written form, as far as I can tell, I did have the chance to go through the whole discussion and analysis in the meetings. I enjoyed expanding my knowledge of articulation and vocabulary and viewing the world through different perspectives. I made new friends and got to know their stories and opinions.
The first book that we read, Dr Anupam Sibal's "Is Your Child Ready to face the world?', was a book that made me dive into the observations and life lessons manifested through the life of the author. I believe it gave me a view of the world I will be stepping into soon. That book made me discern what those virtues meant to me and how I would want to when I grow. Even today, if someone ever asks me about some helpful self-help book recommendations, then I would only ask for that person to give this book a read.
The second book 'Totto-chan, the girl by the window' was written by a Japanese author, Tetsuko Kuroyanagi, a country I admire. This book gave me a view of how childhood is for a Japanese kid, fascinating and adventurous what I was able to make out. The whole book was heartwarming, and it felt like travelling back in time to a different country like I was there. Especially reading these books with all of the My Good School members was fun. It was simply marvellous knowing so many new things every week. I am proud and content with the idea of me being a part of this home-like friendly open programme which is just free of judgements.
It's indeed been a roller-coaster ride, somehow. Apart from everything, there is one thing I can say for sure that one-hour meeting felt like a safe place for other children like me who were interested in the beauty of literature and admired it and lived the stories just the way I did. Now that I think of it, I can't express how much gratitude I feel for being able to be a part of this; looking back at it as a journey of improvisation and learning,
I don't know if I would even be writing anything if it weren't for My Good School. I would have probably thought for it to be something I couldn't do and just wasn't for me, but because of this practice of reflecting, I have enriched and improved that now I can do it anytime, whenever I think of it. It's been a healing experience, and of course, I want to thank the organisers, Sandeep sir, Monisha ma'am, all the interns who have put so much effort into making this a success and the other members who joined, which always made the meeting come up alive.
The Joy of Learning Diaries is a website where students can post their reflections on My Good School’s reading program every Sunday. They can literally post anything they want. We publish the Joy Of Learning Diaries, and our blogs go in an extensive diary where many students can post.
We connect the Joy Of Reading with the joy of writing by -
We learn all the values needed,
After going to My Good School, we all succeeded!
There are several things you can do,
Each item is new!
We can read and write,
We are bright!
We can design and create,
After all, My Good School is great!
11.00 AM SWAMI AND FRIENDS by RK Narayan
11.40 AM The Art Of Focus by Gauranga Das
12.00 PM Hari Ghaas Ki Chhappar Wali Jhopadi Aur Bouna Pahad Hindi Edition by Vinod Kumar Shukla
Read With Us!
Rishona Chopra Grade VI Gyanshree School
