Create Your Passion - Rishona Chopra

"You see things, and you say 'Why?' But I dream things that never were, and I say 'Why not'"

There is something in life that keeps us going,

A goal that lets hope keep flowing.

A candle in the dark,

The passion that leaves its mark.

We're all here for a purpose,

Something that needs to be created within us.

A passion which must keep going,

In order to keep growing.

You can only follow your passion once you create it,

Do what you love and don't hate it.

This life is precious,

Happiness is a must.

That purpose must be there,

And leave that whiff of happiness in the air.

Rishona Chopra

Grade VIII

Gyanshree School

Reflection For The Week - Sunday 2nd June 2024

Reflection of the week   

-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 "The Crane and the Crab." 

4. How do the 6 C's connect with the story?   

  Hint: Critical Thinking, Creativity, Collaboration, Communication, Character and Citizenship 

5. What is a forest haunt? 

6. Draw a fish comb. What are its characteristics? 

7. Varana Tree and its symbolism 

8. What is a pincer-like grip? 

 

- From The Hidden Life Of Trees-   

1. What did you learn from the chapter today?   

2. What impact does this book have on you?   

3. What are phenols? 

4. The Beauty of Nature 

5. Draw a woodpecker and note its features  

6. What are aphids? 

7. The intelligent and perfect cycle of nature and how it keeps going  

8. The meaning of the word "regurgitate" in the context of the story 

9. The language of trees 

 

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

You can email your reflections to - nk@learningforward.org.in, call for support Monday to Friday, 10 am to 7 pm, +91 135 2710958

Life Of A Guitar - Rishona Chopra

The guitar shop is one of the most delightful places for me. I feel the most calm and composed here than anywhere else. The shop is my happy place.

The fragrance of the wood of the guitars, the lavender incense that fills the shop brings over me a rather unique feeling that makes me feel like I should never leave and luckily I don't think I ever will.

Every day in the shop is the same and yet I never get bored. Though I don't interact with other guitars, I have never once felt as if I were alone; perhaps because I am always surrounded by books of all sorts. The owner of the shop knows I adore reading books, and so she lends me a novel to read each week. If there’s anyone I talk to, it would most definitely be the owner. A quite heartwarming and charming person indeed!

My fellow guitars often wonder how lonely I must be but being alone isn’t being lonely and definitely not when one has books by their side.

I have always thought about how I came to where I belonged, not as a human(they’re too complicated!), not as an animal(I have no interest in being eaten) but as a guitar, the most peaceful and humble of things.

As I write today, I see a young girl enter the shop. Not many customers come by these days since people have started forgetting the power of music and would much rather listen to it than play it. It most definitely was a surprise when I saw a youngster with such passionate eyes enter the shop. I couldn’t help but look at her and see which guitar she would choose. After a few minutes of observing her, I drifted back to my own world but was woken up by the sound of music. The girl was playing me! This could only mean one thing: she wanted to buy me and I would have to leave my happy place. Soon, my suspensions were proved correct and I knew I was being taken away. Oh, how miserable life can be!

On the journey to my new home, I drifted back to sleep but was soon woken up by a jerk and realized it was time. Though I love being a guitar, the only thing I dislike is not having legs. This would be quite useful in times like this. It’s surprising how envious I feel of humans right now.

It was hard to believe that I was really here, away from the shop, in a strange place with who knows how many books. I finally realize how hurt and confused Dorothy must have felt in The Wizard Of Oz. I felt like turning back but I knew I had to face these terrible times eventually.

The girl took me out of the car seat with delicate hands and took me to her room. Her house was modest and beautiful but her room was mesmerizing. It was minimalist and yet so aesthetic and captivating. Knowing I would be kept in a place like this, did make me feel a tad bit better.
She placed me on a guitar stand. It was quite comfortable and more importantly a flattering gesture. Take this advice from me, if you have a guitar, you better know how to treat it well. Nothing is more dangerous than an upset guitar. The very unique thing about guitars is that you can't hear them talk but if you listen closely and have a passionate mind for music and an extraordinary dedication, then you can feel us and hear our thoughts.

It had been a long time since someone played on me so it hurt a little in the beginning but it got better. In the midst of this, I noticed how the girl had a unique collection of books. It had many that I hadn’t read before. I had the urge to grab it and start reading but how could I, the girl couldn’t understand me.

At that very moment, the girl grabbed a book, wrote a note on it kept it in front of me and left. Could she understand me? Or was she one of those queer people who devoted their life to mind-reading guitars? I read the note and much to my surprise, it said: “I can understand you”.

Let me be very honest here, knowing that someone can hear your thoughts, isn’t the most comforting thing. It’s rather creepy and absurd. I was instantly regretting coming here but how could I leave this exquisite collection of books?

Despite having a lot on my mind, I continued reading the book she handed me. After a while, she passed me a few notes telling me about books she had read and some of them were my favourites! We talked for hours about books and music and I had never felt so alive. Perhaps coming here wasn’t so bad.

Through this experience, I realized, that change is constant, and it’s always hard to adjust to a new beginning but every cloud has a silver lining and each place has its good sides, and the good sides are what one needs to focus on.


Rishona Chopra
Grade VIII-B
Gyanshree School

Oneness to Me - Shambhavi Nautiyal

What does oneness mean to you? What is its true meaning and why is it relevant in today's times?

Oneness means being there for each other, being each other’s guardian angel and to me, it means seeing yourself in other people and deciding your consequent course of action. Oneness is the opposite of jealousy because you can feel happy for people, which truly marks self-love. If you feel happy for others, then you will be able to feel happy for yourself. 

I’ve been tested as to whether I believe in oneness by god and now I don’t feel bad for anything that happens to me anymore because if I don’t feel bad for deprivation, discrimination and other things happening to other people, then I don’t have the right to feel bad for myself either. All I can and should do is ‘embrace’ it all. Since the past can’t be changed but can be, I choose to let go of it. 

If you want to become like Lord Buddha, you have to have a sense of oneness. Oneness is feeling others’ pain and knowing that their win is your ‘win’ too. Brotherhood and sisterhood are the actual true essence of our being. Oneness is not denying or neglecting the Truth in you, but rather unleashing it. Comparison is not the key, acceptance is. 

It’s relevant in today’s times because it helps us find our set of people, who care about us and are ready to understand us. Oneness is a motivation to uplift each other and try to do what’s meant for each other’s good on an emotional level since we come from one Source and then merge into it.

Shambhavi Nautiyal

Ahlcon Public School

Beaver Dams - Arfa Khan

Illustration- Arfa Khan 

Beavers have incisors as strong and sharp as a chisel. They gnaw the bark of a tree (most of it) while the wind helps in taking down the rest. They use the bark and stones as the base of the dam and then pile up mud and sticks to finish it off. These dams play a vital role in cooling the forest down.

Arfa Khan

Grade 9

Ahlcon Public School

Thinking hastily and thinking wisely - Nishan Karki

It is human nature to think wisely and act in an absurd fashion.

― Anatole France

There is a big difference between thinking hastily and thinking wisely. Everyone in the world has a different way of thinking. Thinking depends upon experience, state of mind, situation, education, etc.

Firstly, let's talk about thinking hastily. Thinking hastily means thinking in a hurry without being very careful. Hasty thinking is not prevalent in our daily lives. We do not tend to think in a hurry while doing our daily work. We take time to think and make desirable decisions. Hasty thinking may ruin our decisions which will hamper our daily work and routine.

However, if we are stuck in a situation where we have to make split-second decisions, hasty thinking helps a lot.

Secondly, talking about thinking wisely. Thinking wisely means taking time to think carefully and make desirable decisions. Thinking wisely is prevalent in our daily lives, business environment, family, career, etc. This type of thinking helps us a lot throughout our lives to make sound decisions, tackle challenges and head to success. It is a very essential and necessary part of our lives. 

We have to think wisely to choose our career, future and family member's welfare. Entrepreneurs also have to think wisely and make sound decisions relating to their work and business. Wise thinking also helps them to compete with other businessmen.

On comparing these two, we come to the conclusion that thinking wisely is more important than thinking hastily. Thinking wisely is prevalent in our lives but thinking hastily occurs just at some point in our lives. Thinking wisely gives us a proper result or outcome. Thinking hastily leads to unsound decisions, errors and unintended consequences.

Nishan Karki

Pestalozzi Children's Village Society

What really matters? - Rishona Chopra

“As is a tale, so is life: not how long it is, but how good it is, is what matters.”

- Seneca 

Life is a precious thing. Perhaps, one of the most precious things on Earth. But what really matters in this life? Does it matter how long we live, or how we live? It's the tough question of Quantity or Quality. What matters more? But, what is the point of a long life if that life lacks quality? Lacks happiness, peace and content? If life has quality, then no matter how short, it does leave an impression and a good one. What's the point of a long life if it's full of sorrow? 

Life is like a book. Just like in a book, its quality matters. Its humour, mystery and uniqueness matter more than how big it is. It doesn't matter if a story is long, but if it has that quality, we turn back to read it again and again. 

Ultimately, we need to ensure that we live our lives to the fullest. This world is full of risks. Our life can take unexpected turns so we must live every moment. We struggle to live with content and happiness but a simple way is to look at all the good things in life. Let's count our blessings instead of focusing on the little wrong things. 

A moment without happiness is a moment wasted. And with a precious thing as life, we really can't afford to waste any. 

Rishona Chopra 
Grade VIII 
Gyanshree School