Into the Fabric Buzz - Anvesha Rana

As I enter the fabric buzz, 

I look here and there, 

Nothing seems to be

Right enough to wear. 

The colours are strong.

But they do not stand out, 

The lines are long, 

But they only wait for a shout. 

The clothes at the start

Are overflowing with jewels, 

Their colours do not blend, 

Their design is awful, 

Their pattern makes me feel bad

But what can I do?

Yet People look over them. 

As if precious diamonds, 

Yet the mass buys them 

As if a lost treasure, 

And yet all wear them 

As their prized possessions. 

I can’t manage to look.

At such faces, 

Not because I am jealous, 

But it just makes me feel devastated. 

So, I enter deeper into the market, 

Where there is less racket, 

And for the first time, 

I see something I like. 

The clothes at the end

Do not stand out, 

But they make me feel welcome. 

They have just the right. 

Blend of colours yet 

No one there for them, 

They have just the 

Perfect pattern yet 

No one sees them, 

They have just the 

Best design yet 

No one buys them, 

They have just the 

Good inside yet 

No one understands them. 

I like it better here, 

In the end, 

The start is too crowded and painful, 

But the end has no one yet it is oozing 

With Love. 

The Way we see Beauty, 

Is no different from this, 

We like the ones with pretty faces, 

But not the ones with untied laces. 

We seek perfection in looks, 

Not in books. 

Beauty lies within, 

And there is no beauty out, 

When there is no beauty in. 

Anvesha Rana, 

Grade 10-B, 

Gyanshree School. 

Shinrin Yoku - Rishona Chopra

Shinrin Yoku is the Japanese art of forest bathing. To simply be in the forest, to take its many gifts and allow it to suffuse us with its healing properties, is - Shinrin Yoku.

This reminds us of our timeless connections to the natural world and the vital importance of rediscovering those ties through touch, smell and mindful presence in the here and now. 

Being with nature awakens a new self in us.  

Nothing in nature is perfect; the trees are not shaped up, and the flowers wither, but either way, nature is beautiful just the way it is. Spirit is finely interconnected. When it rains, the flowers blossoms; when the wind comes, the trees sway to the wind's beat, and when it's a storm, the trees are sad and break down. These little lessons that we learn from nature help us a lot.

Let aside the lessons, being with nature, in a forest, hearing the birds chirping gives such a wonderful feeling.

This is also why most spiritual leaders like Buddha sit under a tree because it helps calm their minds.

Rishona Chopra 
Grade VI 
Gyanshree School

Totto-chan's World - Anvesha Rana

Totto-chan was oozing with inquisitiveness; she always wanted to know this or that; she squeaked at the sight of anything new and liked it immediately. Similarly, when she saw the Health Bark, Tottochan wanted it for herself and her family, and after taking money from the Headmaster, she bought the health bark. The man selling the Health Bark was a fraudster who used tricks to sell the simple, ordinary bark by claiming it to have magical properties. Still, little Totto-Chan couldn't see the reality for the only thing that mattered to her was that her family, rocky and all her friends were fit as a fiddle, thanks to the miraculous bark. 

Another time a new student joined Tomoe; he was from America and hardly knew anything about Japan; he was Miyazaki. All the children at Tomoe helped Miyazaki to learn the Japanese way of life, and in turn, Miyazaki became like an English tutor for all of them. The amount of learning that can take place between people from diverse cultures is portrayed through the means of a few words.

Once Totto-Chan was also going to be a part of the school amateur drama, she was supposed to play Yoshitsune, but Totto-Chan didn't like her character very much because Yoshitsune was only supposed to be beaten. Still, Totto-Chan couldn't wait to retaliate when someone hit her, even if it was for a play! So, Totto-Chan was not a part of the first, and the last time an amateur drama took place at Tomoe Gakuen. 

Each year on an annual day at my school, I am part of the dance; since an early time, dance has been an art that attracted me the most, and I immensely enjoy it. My favourite dance was when we performed a classical item. 

The best part about Tomoe is that the students are let free; they are allowed free of discipline, stringent rules, and free of strict teachers. Sternness can only kill the imagination, but freeness can ignite it further. The Headmaster lets the students write music notes with chalk on the polished floor by keeping in mind that they will be the ones scouring the floor after their musical transition. This way, everyone learns to take responsibility for their actions. 

This was so far from Life at Tomoe Gakuen, a small school blended with love and values, making Totto-chan's small world complete. 

Anvesha Rana,

Grade 10-B,

Gyanshree School