Shishukunj

Spreading the Light of Knowledge

CBSE had invited students across all schools to submit art-work for their forth-coming calendar.

The following entries were sent by Shishyans.

Art by Chhaya Joshi, Class XII C

Art by Arushi Bhargava, Class XII C

Percy Jackson and The Lightening Thief by Rick Riordan

Reviewed by:		Seshal Jain, VIII C

		I read this book when I was in Class VI. It is written by Rick Riordan. The story revolves around a boy named Percy Jackson, who is a demigod, the son of a mortal being and the sea god Poseidon. He suffers from dyslexia and ADHD. Zeus, the god of the sky accuses him of stealing his lightning bolt, his symbol of power. Zeus sends many monsters from the realm of Hades to torment him. What follows is a very interesting adventure. The author has placed the ancient Greek gods correctly and humorously around the world, which makes this story even more interesting. I enjoyed reading this book and would like to recommend it to all my friends.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J K Rowling

Reviewed By	:	Vasudha Gupta, VII B

		Harry Potter has given his exams of the fifth year. It is in the middle of the summer holidays and Harry is at the Dursley’s house. He is waiting for Dumbledore to come and take him to Hogwarts, the School of Magic. The last time Harry saw Professor Dumbledore, the Headmaster of Hogwarts, was when he was fighting against Voldemort, the darkest evil wizard, in order to save Harry. Harry is very curious to know why the Professor is coming himself to take him, he comes to know this quite soon. Dumbledore came himself because he wanted Harry to persuade Professor Slughorn, an old teacher, to come back to Hogwarts and teach again. Then at ‘The Burrow’, his best friend Ron’s house, he meets the new Minister of Magic and has an argument with him. Harry’s sixth year at Hogwarts has already got off to an unusual start! He is suspecting Malfoy, a boy in Hogwarts to be a Death-Eater and Professor Snape helping him. On the other hand Harry finds a book of Potions of the Half-Blood Prince which helps Harry in many incidents. Professor Dumbledore is now taking extra classes for Harry where he shows Harry memories related to Voldemort and tells him it would help him kill Voldemort. Professor Dumbledore asks Harry to persuade Professor Slughorn to give him his memory of Tom Riddle. Harry tries but fails the first time. Ron is poisoned but survives. Harry notices Professor Dumbledore’s hand is burnt but doesn’t know how. He now tries to follow Malfoy everywhere with the help of two house elves – Dobby and Kreacher. This is a very unusual year as the worlds of Muggles and Magic start to intertwine……. Like to know whether Harry kills Voldemort or not? Read the book to find out for yourself. I strongly recommend it!

A night on the terrace – all thanks to the power cut!

It is the most irritating thing when there’s a power cut during the night when you are about to vanish into the sweet world of dreams with all the comforts of life, no tensions, no work-stress; and you have to sleep on the terrace in the hot weather in the lap of mosquitoes!

With much difficulty, you adjust yourself on the terrace, all set and ready to sleep. As you lie down, a mosquito comes and bites you. You ignore the first bite and try to sleep when another one comes. You are tolerant. You try to ignore the first few bites but when it becomes too much for you, you lose patience and your temper and begin dancing about trying to kill the mosquitoes.

For about half-an-hour you dance like that and you are tired and exhausted and try to go back to sleep. This time you feel it’s too hot and you are not able to sleep. You twist and turn, trying to lure sleep into your eyes and finally give up all attempts and sit up. You declare that you are not going to sleep at all.

After 2-3 hours of boredom, it gets cooler and you relent and want to try to sleep again. But when you lie down, sleep has vanished again. You feel very angry and pity yourself. When you finally do feel sleepy, it is time to wake up.

And when somebody looks at your puffy eyes and asks you what had happened, you say, “I had a long sleepless night.”

Celebrating Independence

Enthusiasm was in the air for the entire week as the creative Shishyans decorated their soft boards for the Inter Class Display Board Decoration Competition held on August 15, 2014.

A few samples of the display boards from various classes.

Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey

Reviewed By	:	Mrs. Seeta Jaiswar – Educator

		(A book on life management published in 1989, a short version of the same book by Sean Covey ‘Seven Habits for Teenagers’ is also available.) Though I read this non-fiction self-help book some time ago, I feel that it is a must read for every person striving to become a better individual. Its principles of independence, interdependence and continuous improvement are motivating and inspiring. This book is universal and timeless in its appeal. The book teaches you to be proactive, to believe in self-development, to begin with the end in mind. It teaches you to put first things first and identify your time wasters and come out of your comfort zone, to believe in the win-win paradigm of interdependence and healthy competition. It focuses on developing emphatic listening i.e. seeking first to understand then to be understood. The book first introduces the concept of paradigm shift and prepares the reader for a change in mindset. Eventually it teaches you to sharpen your saw i.e. to renew and strengthen the four dimensions of life i.e. physical, mental, social and spiritual by exercising, reading, service to mankind and meditation. The sequel to this book is Sean Covey’s The 6 Most Important Decisions You Will Ever Make: A Guide for Teens published in 2006 and Stephen Covey’s The 8^th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness. A good book and strongly recommended by me.

Who Ordered This Truckload of Dung by Ajhan Brahm

Reviewed By	:	Mrs. Latika Pandey – Educator

		WHO ORDERED THIS TRUCK LOAD OF DUNG by Ajhan Brahm is a wise and thoughtful collection of 108 short stories (if one can call them so) which are much longed for a respite, from mundane perspective towards life, that one tends to gather like unavoidable dust around. The book breathes with four accomplished Divine forces: simplicity, humanity, warmth and understanding and talks about why silence is the very need of the hour or why forgiving self and others is the beginning of eternal love. Each of the stories impresses on one the very essence of life subtly and deeply and reminds the reader of an inherent will to transform to ascend to a progressive self. At the end of each story one comes to a realisation, stumbles upon the lost or robbed bliss and longing for eternal love. Why it’s a must read for all has an answer in what each one of us tends to seek at the end of the day: peace, satisfaction, progress, self accomplishment, etc. The book has that all giving enlightenment to offer. Add the book to your bookshelf to add new and unheard of meaning and pragmatism in your life.

The Island of Adventure by Enid Blyton

Reviewed By	:	Parv Golwelkar, VIII D

		The story revolves around 4 best friends: Lucy-ann, Dinah, Phillip and Jack, who live at ‘Craggy Tops’- a village under a cliff overlooking the “Isle of Gloom”- an island which was famous for its copper mines about a century ago. The book is about how these children uncover a mystery. ‘Joe’ a servant and ‘Bill’ a bird watcher too are a part of the story. The children are very eager to visit the Isle of Gloom as they have heard about the beautiful copper mines under the sea. The children take Joe’s boat and reach there. They climb down the mines and find out that there was already someone else working down the mines. They slowly move ahead and are seen by two men. They catch the children and keep them locked in a small, dark cellar. Meanwhile Jack loses his way in the copper mines and is unaware about his friends getting trapped. The children fool the kidnappers and escape whereas Jack is still lost. Is it Bill behind the whole scenario?? What will happen next?? Will Jack remain lost forever?? Will the children uncover any other mystery?? Or is it something else…….?? To satisfy your curiosity read on……….. Full of mysteries, adventures and frightening experiences, this book is surely one of the best books of Enid Blyton. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THE BOOK.

I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai

Reviewed By	:	Mr. Nitin Verma – Educator

		The autobiography is an account of Malala Yousafzai’s life, family, dreams and struggles amidst the Taliban regime in the Swat Valley of Pakistan. She draws inspiration from her supportive father and fights for her “sacrosanct” right to education. Her grit and passion for the cause of education for girls and their equality is inspiring. The book is an account of her extraordinary courage that does not deter her despite threats and suppression from the despotic Taliban. She is shot in the head by Taliban fanatics in her school bus and her survival seems bleak. However, it is because of her fortitude and the intensive care of doctors and the medical staff that she recovers at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, UK. Malala has achieved world-wide appreciation and accolades, the most prominent being nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. Her life is an epitome of the power of an individual’s determination to bring change in one’s community and the world. I was highly inspired by this book and strongly recommend it.