Shishukunj

Individuality

Nandini Bohra, Class IX E

We all believe in the idea of individuality. Individuality, a feeling or rather your ability to differentiate between others and you. Not all of us possess it, in fact, only a few of us do. And that’s sad! You might count yourself in the privileged list of individuals. But let me tell you, you barely even make it to the end of it. Anyway, who am I to say this? I am a person in the same state as you, so I have the right to speak up.

Why are we constantly trying to get in rather than stand out? Why are we always trying to fit in the stereotypes this society has set? Why are we thinking of others’ opinion more than ours? Why?

After a lot of pondering, I got ‘my’ answer. Insecurities. A word I didn’t even know existed till a few years ago. Insecurities make such a great impression on our hearts that we are unable to differentiate between insecurities and actual flaws. Actually, we are all living an illusion as big as this earth.

Soulless

Mihika Shrivastava, Class IX E

My world is in fragments

I’m broken

People expect me to make amendments

But how can I do that,

When I’ve lost my happiness token?

I’ve lost my faith in god

I’m a cheat

I’m forced to collude

But no one comes to rescue me

So, I blame it on being indiscreet.

The devil is not bound by ropes

I’m in pain

I’ve lost all my hopes

But now I’ve stopped expecting help

Because the world is now treating itself with disdain.

Where am I?

Where no one hears my scream?

Well, I’m in a society with a big sigh.

Oh! How much I crave for fiction.

Oh! How much I wish this was a dream.

Success

Nisreen Malik, Class VI G

No matter how much ever failure upon you rains,

How much ever it pains,

Do not mind if your hard-work goes in vain.

The hard-work you do has its own beauty,

Sometimes it is sour and sometimes fruity,

Be happy in what you have and life will give you

More and more until you fulfill each of your duty.

If you are strong-headed in making progress,

And you believe in God who will bless,

Then you will have the address of SUCCESS.

My First Love

Gaurav Sharma, Class IX E

You may be thinking that this is a love story. No, it isn’t.

I had shifted to the US ten years ago and hadn’t stayed in touch with my family. I couldn’t even to attend my father’s funeral and was very sad about it. Today, I was anxious to meet my mother and all of a sudden, I got a message that she would reach the city by five in the evening. My joy knew no bounds and I rushed to the airport and to my surprise…

I noticed that she was bald. On enquiring, I came to know that she had stage 3 cancer and had undergone chemotherapy. Oh! The last time I would see her was on her deathbed! Oh! How I wanted to die that very instant! I took a day off from my office at Google. We went to malls and talked about my life and other things. We had the time of our lives.

Then at eleven in the night, I felt her body go cold and soon after come the saddest moment of my life. I had lost my first love. I deeply regretted my decision of coming to the US and leaving my family for my career. I realized that family is the most important thing in this whole universe. I plead you to at least stay in touch with your family so you don’t have to live through the kind of grief, regret and pain I do.

A Scenario of Indian War

Pranav Mandlik, Class X F

The war was declared. The soldiers were deployed. Prayers were going all around the country. All the family members of the soldiers were praying for the safe return of soldiers.

After a few hours, the news spread that the enemy had reached the LOC post and was continuously firing in order to gain control over the post. The villagers living near the border were sent to safer places.

The next day there was a high death loss to India. Many Indian soldiers had died. India had no choice but to give up. But one of India’s chief officers motivated the soldiers and formed a small regiment to fight the enemy army.

The next day an incident happened that was referred to as God’s miracle. The scenario of the war had changed. The small regiment fought with full spirit and courage and once again brought victory in the war.

All the soldiers of that regiment including the chief officer were given bravery awards. This was recorded as one of the greatest victories of India.

‘The enemies are only 50 yards from us. We are heavily outnumbered. We are under devastating fire. I shall not withdraw an inch but will fight to our last man and our last round.’ – Major Somnath Sharma

Let’s salute our Indian war heroes who are always on duty so that we sleep peacefully.

Jai Hind!

A Question Mark

Adi Dantre, Class X B

Curved through the top,

Narrow at the end,

A point towards the bottom,

With words within,

Words questioning young minds,

Killing each of a kind.

Exams, lawsuits, find it anywhere,

Cursing childhood and ruining lives everywhere,

Wondering how this curse was imposed on us,

Destroying people, relations and disemboweling trust,

Turning questions to arguments,

Arguments to debates,

Debates to settlements,

Settlements to disagreements,

Disagreements to rage, and

Rage to war,

Then war to destruction,

And destruction to death and,

Death to pain, anguish, sacrifice and loss,

And all this to sadness,

All this triggered by the symbol of doom,

The symbol that never regrets or understands but questions,

Questioning the inhuman reality of this world,

All this triggered by a question mark.

A Dream

What if I told you that all this was a dream?

That in the real world,

Out there somewhere,

All was sweat and cream,

That their hatred did not find its way home,

And respect wasn’t to be found,

Where love would flow in like a mere stream.

Somewhere out there,

We all can just try and live the dream,

Where knowledge would come in like mail,

And money would grow on trees,

Where the sea of egos would be salted,

By truth, but not to demean,

Versatility of a soul touch the sky and come back down,

Where pain would be a mere cookie.

And now what if I told you that all this wasn’t a dream,

Just a strawberry cake, with a base of cream,

Waiting to be licked, by all young eyes,

It’s not the cruel world,

It’s the layer of innocence,

That needs to be cleaned,

It’s always been the same,

Always a dream.

Technology has made us Anti-Social

Vasudha Gupta, Class X D

What once used to be a crowded park, full of people of all ages, kids with grandparents, teenagers sitting around and the youth simply enjoying the weather, is now left totally barren, with hardly a soul wandering about. We no longer bother going out and playing with the sun on our hair or let rain stroke our eyelids. Instead of taking the trouble of going out with our friends or family we’d rather sit and text them, while watching a movie.

Smart phones and laptops have already replaced clocks, books, newspapers, magazines, cameras and are now starting to replace our friends and family. It is asked that with the advent of social media which has connected people from all around the world, how can technology make us anti-social? But think about it, every morning when we reach out for our phone and check social media, are we actually interacting with people or is it just another way of distancing ourselves from those living with us? Don’t we simply stare at our phones many a time just to prevent eye-contact or conversation with those around us, just to “appear” busy? Doesn’t this just show that we have become afraid of actual social contact? Afraid of really talking to the same person we’d casually text now and then?

Quoting Dave Eggers from what he wrote in his book ‘The Circle’, “Here though, there are no oppressors. No one’s forcing you to do this. You willingly tie yourself to these leashes. And you willingly become utterly socially autistic. You no longer pick up on basic human communication clues. You’re at a table with three humans, all of whom are looking at you and trying to talk to you, and you’re staring at a screen! Searching for strangers in… Dubai!” I’d like to say that yes, we do meet and communicate with people we wouldn’t have met or communicated with otherwise, but while doing this aren’t we pushing away our actual friends who daily knock at our door and call us out to play and sit with us during dinner?

Now let me be clear, I’m not condemning technology as a whole, it has done wonders for humanity, and not even the sky is the limit for technological advancement but it has stunted our ability of normal speech and day-to-day conversation, filling us with nervousness, making us feel like aliens among our own brethren.

Walking around a public place is like travelling through a sea of cell phones and iPods. No one seems to have their hands free anymore, not even to wave at an old face passing down the street. Today, it’s only typing, emailing, texting, BBMing, iMessaging, Snapchatting, Tweeting, Facebooking, and Skyping each other, talking face-to-face… oh well, that’s ancient history!

Come on, let’s face it, technology is forcing us into an isolated lifestyle. No matter how many followers we may have, we still, in reality, physically remain alone; there is no one outside the screen or beside us. There is no one to whom we can speak and share our feelings face-to-face, eye-to-eye and we all know eyes have the ability to speak things that we won’t be able to frame even in a thousand words; it exhibits emotions that no emoji can ever depict.

Yes, social media is the new way of conversing but that doesn’t mean we have to stop using our voice box, it doesn’t mean we quit talking to people around us and it definitely should not come as an obstacle between us and our close ones, which, believe me, it already has.

C.P. Snow, the author of ‘The Two Cultures & A Second Look: An Expanded Version of The Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution’ said “Technology is a queer thing. It brings you gifts with one hand, and stabs you in the back with the other.” While we think we have a lot of friends and well-wishers and that thousands of people follow us, it is only very late that we realize that we have shut out the actual few but loyal and real friends we once had, and that’s when the reality, of our being so anti-social, hits us like a truck.

Talking over the net and in reality does have a lot of difference. In the former, only our minds connect, where what we type is never actually spoken. In the latter, souls connect. All of our five senses combine to give life to those words which come woven straight from our heart to attach themselves to the heart of others and thus having a much greater and stronger impact.

We need to realize and accept that we’re really doing today is trying to look social, having an account on every social media site and our phone in our hands at all times, while in reality, actually and truly being totally anti-social and lonely without having even a single shoulder to ever rest on. Perhaps this realization and acceptance will goad us to reclaim our truly social selves.

My Birthday

Anushka Sharma, Class VII B

It’s my birthday and I’ve turned eleven,

My house has done some makeup

And it’s looking like heaven.

My parents have given me a wonderful gift,

Consisting of two balls

Too heavy to lift.

My friends arrive at five

To keep the party spirits alive.

My aunt came with my sister today,

Wearing a pretty dress

To wish me good day.

It was a fun day, I enjoyed a lot,

With people coming to wish me,

Happy birthday!

Dreams

Naqiya Barnagarwala, Class VII B

Some are big,

Some are small,

Some you remember,

Some are lost.

Some come true,

Others do not,

Some are important,

Others you can live without.

It has varieties that vary,

Some are beautiful,

Some are scary.

Dreams are amazing,

Not only at night,

But also in daytime.

Some you like,

Some not at all,

If you want to have a good dream,

Dream on and on and on…

Nature

Oh Nature, Oh Nature!

You’re the beauty untold

More precious than gold.

In the Nature lies peace

It protects the everlasting trees.

Nature helps us in every way,

But now is in danger

And needs our care.

Nature is beautiful superfluity

But is destroyed because of man’s cruelty.

Humans can’t live without Nature,

And all its creatures, but

Nature can live without

Humans and their factions.

Save Nature because

Nothing is more worth

Than Nature on Earth

Which has given us birth.

Things that Humans Do

Soumya Tiwari, Class IX B

One night I was dreaming

About things that humans do,

They cut all trees for their good,

And spoil the pleasant view.

They make those creatures homeless,

Who never did trouble us,

All their melody, mischief and beauty

Go completely lost in the dust…

The peacock’s strut

The squirrel’s nut

The birdie’s song

All lost for long.

The trees all cried in pain,

And humans ignored it only for gain..

They planted not one seed in exchange for ten,

And slowly exceeded the limit, then…

They did someday only realize

What evil deed they had done for mankind,

There was remorse, regret and sorrow,

For there was no tomorrow!

Next morning then I awoke,

And found trees planted round my home,

I thanked God for this wonderful creation,

And planted more trees with determination.

Month: December 2017