Rainy day from my window- Saikiran Sahu

Rain is a boon; without rain, there is no life. We don't understand its importance until it is taken away. I understood this during my summer holidays. That one day taught me a lot. I was watching the dark clouds hovering over our house, blocking the skin-burning rays of the mighty Sun, giving a great sense of relief after the days of torture that I bleared. 

With a flash of loud, boisterous lightning, the clouds started to pour their precious beads of water with the gush of a cold breeze that slightly touched my face as if wanting to convey a message. 

The soothing tingles and pitter-patter of the rain made my eyes shut, putting me to sleep just like my mother used to when I was an infant. Even the trees were dancing to the beats of the rain as if in a dance party. The smell of the fresh mud gave me a homely feeling and eventually sent me down memory lane!

This was my experience of a rainy day from my window.

Saikiran Sahu

Grade- IX 

Gyanshree School

Image courtesy- Unsplash

Two men looked out the prison bars; one saw a mud, one saw stars - Pasang Sherpa

Life is strange, and so are the humans. We have very different perspectives and ways of doing things. Some people get up and continue their journey even after knowing their chosen path is difficult. But some people seem to be hopeless. Likewise, this quote emphasises the different perspectives of two people for one thing. As it is said, "Two men looked out the prison bars: one saw mud, one saw stars". The first person who saw mud was hopeless and thought whatever he was doing was futile, while the other had an optimistic feeling that one day, like stars, he would attain glory and freedom.

Name-Pasang Sherpa

Pestalozzi Children's Village Society

Image Courtesy- Flickr

Two men looked out the prison bars; one saw mud, one saw stars - Nishan Karki

The image is for representation only.

The man who saw the mud was sad and angry. He never remained happy and was very aggressive. He never practised happiness; in fact, he did not know it. He could not control his emotions and actions. He often fought with the other prisoners. This made the other prisoners hate him. They never wanted to be with him except for the prisoners who resembled him in nature.

What about the man who saw stars?   Well, he was a man with a joyful and happy nature. He laughed a lot and made other prisoners laugh, too. The other prisoners always enjoyed his company. They preferred him rather than the first prisoner. Although he was a prisoner, he was soft-hearted.

Everyone has different perspectives, perceptions, ideas, views, opinions and experiences. They usually differ from each other. People's behaviour and actions define who they are. 

To be like the second prisoner, one must have a healthy (pure and soft) heart. He must know how to control his emotions and actions. He must know how to behave with others and enjoy their company. He must be happy. Remember, "the one who gets angry for a minute loses 60 seconds of happiness."

A positive attitude and mindset can also make a person happy and joyful, like the second man. To get happiness, one must have a burning desire for it, which must be mixed with faith to gain it.

"To change ourselves effectively, we first had to change our perceptions." – Stephen R. Covey. 

Nishan Karki

Class 10, Pestalozzi Children's Village India

Image Courtesy- iStock