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

Power of a book in a child's hands - Nishan Karki

“There is more treasure in books than in all the pirate's loot on Treasure Island.” ― Walt Disney

The book, one of the sources of knowledge, is of great importance to us. Students need books to learn, teachers need books to teach, and other people need books to acquire information and knowledge. Initially, we all need books to gain knowledge and gather information. A book may be small, but it has the power to change a person. We must never underestimate the power of books.

 

Roald Dahl, one of the most prolific modern writers, in his poem Television, has laid emphasis on the importance of books to children and has gone against devices like television. Following are a few lines that I have extracted from the poem.

"Oh, books, what books they used to know,

Those children living long ago!

So please, oh please, we beg, we pray,

Go throw your TV set away,

And in its place you can install

A lovely bookshelf on the wall.

Then fill the shelves with lots of books,

Ignoring all the dirty looks,

The screams and yells, the bites and kicks,

And children hitting you with sticks-

Fear not, because we promise you

That, in about a week or two

Of having nothing else to do,

They'll now begin to feel the need

Of having something to read.

And once they start -- oh boy, oh boy!

You watch the slowly growing joy

That fills their hearts."

In this poem, Roald Dahl says that the children living long ago knew about many books. He begs and prays for the parents to throw their TV set away and install a lovely bookshelf on the wall where the TV was kept before. They must fill the shelves with a lot of books, which will make their children ignore the dirty looks of TV. When the TV is removed, the children will scream, yell, bite, kick, and hit their parents with sticks. But the parents need not be afraid because in about one or two weeks, the children will have nothing to do, and then they will feel the need to have something to read. Once they start reading, the slowly growing joy will be seen in the children, which will fill their hearts.

 

So, Roald Dahl has beautifully described the importance and need of books for children. It will help children increase their imagination. It will help to improve their creativity too.

 

"The best addiction is being addicted to books." This addiction will help us gain, not lose. It will prove to be an asset, not a liability. So, all people must read books, whether young or old.

 

Nishan Karki

Pestallozi Children's Village Society

Image courtesy- Canva

Book Review: I Came Upon a Lighthouse - Saikiran Sahu

                                     “I Came Upon a Lighthouse” by Shantanu Naidu

Every person has a bookish soul, some just haven't found their match yet! And the book” I Came Upon a Lighthouse” is the perfect match .

This is a meticulously curated book by Shantanu Naidu and illustrated by Sanjana Desai. It is a short memoir of life with Ratan Tata and is probably the best book written on him yet. This book's title is like a magnet, and I can't help but be drawn to it. It paints Ratan Tata as a lighthouse, shining bright and steady in the midst of stormy seas, offering a glimmer of hope to all those lost in the darkness. It is not much of a biography where there is a description of his milestones or historical events , instead the world finally gets to see Ratan Tata's softer side, revealing the big brother and cool guardian angel within! The colors and shades of his personality shone bright as day, leaving us all giddy with excitement! This book isn't merely a narrative, but a poignant memoir that captures a range of emotions. This memoir delves into a profound friendship that transcends age and it was their shared empathy and mutual compassion for homeless dogs that led to an unexpected bond between them.

In a nutshell, "I Came Upon a Lighthouse" is a refreshing and heartwarming tale about an unlikely friendship between a millennial and an octogenarian that gives glimpses of a beloved Indian legend in a warm light. This book is a feel-good read, one that you didn't realise you needed but will undoubtedly enjoy.

Saikiran Sahu, IX Gyanshree School