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

Gratitude makes our Attitude - Sunbeam Varuna

Ismat - "If you concentrate on what you have, you'll always have more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you'll never have enough." - Lewis Howes

Astha - Maintaining an attitude of gratitude holds significant importance as it transforms our mindset. By redirecting our attention from ourselves towards appreciating people or things, we open doors to express gratitude for every facet of our lives.

Ismat - Cultivating this attitude involves consciously appreciating both major and minor aspects regularly-be it relationships, health, business, possessions, basic necessities like food and water, or our general sense of wellness.

Astha - Embracing an attitude of gratitude lets us engage from a standpoint of abundance. Nurturing this mindset cultivates greater happiness, positivity, and compassion towards ourselves and those in our circles.

Ismat- Centering on what brings us gratitude helps build stronger habits of appreciating the significant individuals and elements in our lives. Gratitude, fundamentally, involves appreciating what we possess rather than fixating on what we might lack.

This is our maiden effort, we hope you like it.

Brought to you by Sunbeam Varuna School & Hostel Varanasi

You can also listen out our podcast on your favoured app or on www.DilJeeto.com.

The relationship between exercise and mental health - Shambhavi Nautiyal

If you feel overwhelmed or want to stay in shape, it is a great idea to exercise. Exercise helps you feel happy and productive. 

According to the Bhagavad Gita, it is a rajasic activity, i.e., an activity that makes you feel vigorous and fervent, and a way to worship God since you are sacrificing your comfort to do something productive. It is consequential to maintain both your physical and mental health. If you are someone who experiences low self-worth or insecurity about. If you are not productive enough when giving yourself a self-care day, then this is a sign for you to exercise. 

Exercising helps regulate your breathing and hence grounds you at the moment (i.e.increasing your mindfulness) whilst releasing the "feel-good" hormones of serotonin and endorphins. It regulates your thyroid, makes your heart stronger, improves your memory, and concentration, and keeps diabetes at bay for you. Knowing all these benefits will certainly leave you feeling less stressed out as you meditate on how you are blessed with such good health.

Investing in 30 minutes of exercise every day. Exercise is implicitly fruitful for people with mental conditions like anxiety, depression, and schizophrenia, as it helps ease the symptoms and also leaves the average person feeling easier than usual. If you are healing from depression, then it can give you something, like a purpose to focus on, and help distract you from negative thinking. patterns. It can also provide you with a community if you go out and join yoga classes or a gym. This can aid in removing feelings of isolation and loneliness. You move through the day feeling like you are at the helm of your decisions and have gifted your body something in return for all that it does for you. Your body feels agile, robust, and healthy. So appreciate your body be body-positive, and keep exercising!

Shambhavi Nautiyal 9F

Ahlcon Public School

Image courtesy- Canva

Reflections - 19th November 2023

Sunday School 

- From Live Life In Crescendo

1. Gratitude makes our attitude
2. Power of a book in a child's hand

- From Tata Stories

1. Find out more about Aspy Engineer and his work
2. Recreate the Gypsy Moth aircraft - you can draw it or even write about it
3. Know more about the flying race, its competitors, and what it was about. Does the race teach us lessons of friendship and teach us some values?
4. Competition between friends sometimes ruins bonds, it gives rise to jealousy and selfishness; we get lost in competition that we don't see who is on the other side.

- Know more about JRD Tata here - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J_R.D. Tata

These are some suggestions you can choose from. Looking forward to seeing your wonderful and thoughtful reflections!

You can email your reflections to Manisha Ma'am at - SS@learningforward.org.in

Rishona Chopra

School Captain My Good School

Diwali in Nepal - Nishan Karki

We all celebrate various festivals, one of which is Diwali, or the festival of light. It is one of the biggest and most popular festivals in India. It is celebrated with immense joy, enthusiasm, and happiness.

Have you ever wondered how Diwali is celebrated in Nepal?

You may have, or maybe not.

Diwali is called Tihar in Nepal. It is also one of the most popular and biggest festivals in Nepal. It is celebrated differently in Nepal in contrast to India.

Tihar is marked by lighting diyas inside and outside the home. Still, unlike Diwali in other parts of India, the five days of Tihar include the celebration and worship of the four creatures associated with the Hindu god of death, Yama, and the goddess of wealth and prosperity, Laxmi. Nepal's various communities celebrate Tihar in different ways. People decorate their houses, make rangoli, light diyas and eat delicious food. Special foods such as sel roti, finni roti, and patre are eaten during Tihar.

The celebration of Tihar goes on for five days. The first day is called Kaag Tihar. On this day, we worship crows (kaag in Nepali ). We prepare delicious food and offer it to the crows.

The second day is called Kukur Tihar. On this day, we worship dogs (kukur in Nepali). We make marigold garland and put it around the dog's neck. Fresh and delicious food is also offered to the dogs. The third day is called the Gai Tihar. We worship cows (Gai in Nepali) on this day. We offer delicious food and put garland around the cow's neck. Goddess Laxmi is also celebrated on this day. She is offered prayers and puja. She is believed to bring wealth, prosperity, and happiness to people.

We perform Bhailo on this day. (At night, Bhailo is performed by girls and women.) The girls performing Bhailo are called Bhailini. The fourth day is called Goru Tihar. On this day, we worship oxen (goru in Nepali). Oxen are worshipped in the same manner as cows are.

We perform Deusi on this day. Both boys and men perform deusi. The boys performing Deusi are called Deuse. The fifth day is called Bhai Tika (bhai dooj in India). Bhai means brother in Nepali. On this day, sisters pray to Yamraj for a long life and prosperity for their brothers. The ritual involves sisters marking the foreheads of their brothers with a seven-coloured long tika. The brothers bring gifts to their sisters and the festival ends with feasting.

Now, let's talk more about Deusi and Bhailo. Deusi and Bhailo are Nepalese traditional folk songs sung during the Tihar festival. Children and adults perform Deusi/Bhailo by singing songs and dancing as they go to various homes in their community, collecting money, sweets, and food, and giving blessings for prosperity. At the end of these songs, the house owner serves food and gives money to the Deusi/ Bhailo singers and dancers.

Name: Nishan Karki
Class. 10 
School -Pestalozzi 

JOL Diaries November 23

Newsletter by My Good School

"This Children's Day of the year 2023, we are most delighted to bring you the first issue of our monthly newsletter, and we look forward to the middle of every month to get into the middle of your heart and mind with #JoyOfLearning".
Rishona Chopra, School Captain