Shishukunj

Why Not Praise the Thunder?

Maria Malik, Class IX G

I was happy, lazy staring at the window pane;

What I saw was thunder, lightning accompanied by heavy rain.

I never knew if paper boats could be caparisoned that way;

Dark creepy thoughts entered with a beam of golden ray

Colours of saffron, golden and yellow had disappeared that day;

Blue, black and grey had given way to dismay.

You could even take the wild thunder as a radio track;

Or maybe a ghostly sound, haunting and black.

My teeth were chattering, my lips rosy pink;

How can anyone hate these pretty puddles all the way, I think.

I pray to God to never let their paper boats sink;

To see them jolly, merry and happy after every blink.

Heavy rainfall can be equally bewildering;

Whatever it be cats, dogs or any human being.

The birds are spotted looking for shelter in this heavy storm;

I wish I could bring them in my blanket to keep them cozy and warm.

Am I the only one who enjoys every form of nature;

In this fake world of materialism created by every creature?

I hope to find someone who thinks the same as me:

Not cursing the weather but being thunder thirsty!

2. Five People I’d Like Helen Keller to Meet

Riddhi Singhania, Class X D(After reading Helen Keller’s The Story of My Life)

1. Bernard Morin

Bernard Morin is a mathematician, who became blind at the age of six. He studied in a blind school till the age of fifteen and had interests in Philosophy and Mathematics. The practicality of Maths so attracted him that he became a mathematician.

Helen Keller’s autobiography tells that she hated Mathematics. But I, being a maths-lover would have liked Helen to meet Morin, to know how abstract numbers can be so fascinating, even for those who can’t see.

2. Hadeel Ayoub

The autobiography of Helen Keller describes times when Helen got frustrated as she could not express herself, especially when she hadn’t learnt to speak.

Thus, I would have liked Helen to meet Hadeel Ayoub, who invented gloves with sensors that converted the sign language (lorm) into text and speech. It is very helpful for the deaf and blind, who can’t speak. I think, Helen would have been happy and curious to know how people use technology to make the disabled feel, that the world has never been different and easier for others.

3. Malala Yousafzai

Helen Keller has been known to achieve success despite barriers, and so has Malala. Learning and education was the goal for both.

Malala fought for girls’ education against Taliban and is the youngest Nobel Prize laureate. Helen, I think, would have felt nice to meet someone, who fought for her and others’ education even in the cannon’s mouth. Like minds make great acquaintance, and thus, the meeting of Helen and Malala would have been the most memorable, where both would inspire each other.

4. Keller Johnson Thompson

The name ‘Keller’, of course, tells she might be related to Helen Keller and, indeed, she is Helen Keller’s great grandniece.

Everyone has this aspiration, to meet the next generation or even one’s great grandchildren someday. But this wish, obviously, can’t be fulfilled. But I would have liked Helen Keller to meet her great grandniece, who, she would have been happy to know, was inspired by Helen herself. She was from her childhood told about Helen by her grandmother and Helen’s life inspired Keller to become the Director of Education at Helen Keller Eye Research Foundation, and even run school programmes about Helen’s life. Undoubtedly, Helen would have felt proud of her niece!

5. Riddhi Singhania

That’s me! I would have liked Helen Keller to meet me, or rather, ‘I’ would have liked to meet Helen Keller. This meeting would have been a gain for me.

Reading merely the autobiography of Helen Keller made her an inspiration for me. Even after the bitterness of not being able to express herself, she went on, and overcame her challenges to see and hear the world not with her eyes or ears, but, with love. Her tireless and successful efforts – to learn sign language, manual alphabets and Braille, writing books and later working for other blind and deaf people – make me wish for one chance to meet her. It would be really interesting to meet someone, about whom you are being taught in your course books!

1. Five People I’d Like Helen Keller to Meet

Vasudha Gupta, Class X D(After reading Helen Keller’s The Story of My Life)

Keeping in mind the immense growth in technology and the breaking of social stigmas, I would like Helen Keller to meet these five people, who I think would have a great influence on her.

1. Kevin P. Corcoran

He is the CEO and president of the Eye Bank Association of America which in 2016 provided 82,994 corneas for transplant, success rate being 95%. Helen would surely be inspired by how technology can help bring sight back to blind people and perhaps Helen would invest in this noble cause and feel happy how so many sight-challenged people are now being liberated of their disability.

2. William F. Austin

He is the owner, CEO and president of the Starkey Hearing Technologies which is the largest hearing-aid manufacturer. No matter how much success he achieves, he will always be remembered for his generosity and his vision: So the World May Hear. The foundation fits 100,000 hearing aids annually. Helen would be inspired and influenced by him as he used technology for fulfilling one of Helen’s dreams.

3. Malala Yousafzai

Malala lived in a society where girls’ education was not supported. At a very young age she became an activist for girls’ education resulting in even being shot by Taliban. It is only a spirited person that can truly understand the fiery spirit of others. Helen would be inspired by her and be led to believe that no matter what the odds be, struggle can make you rise. While Helen fought physical constraints Malala fought social barricades. After meeting Malala, Helen would feel grateful for the optimism shown by her own family and teachers in helping her overcoming her physical disabilities.

4. Hemant Gupta

He is the CEO of BSE Samman. The wealthy have always been approached for charity to social causes. Taking a step further, the central government of India made it mandatory for corporate houses to invest 2% of their profits to social causes. BSE Samman is a platform where these corporates can find genuine NGO’s doing good work. This helps to facilitate the movement of a lot of money to the needy effectively and easily. Helen would be influenced by the sheer magnitude and clear planning of such a platform for charity and would then move on to channel her charity through a better platform.

5. Bill Gates

While he is best known as the co-founder of Microsoft, he now focuses most of his time on philanthropy, running the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. This foundation gives grants for initiatives and programs across the globe for agriculture development, emergency relief, global libraries, urban poverty, global health, education and the handicapped. Till now Bill Gates has donated $27 billion for these causes to many organizations including UNICEF. Helen would appreciate that Bill Gates was not just focusing on a particular problem faced by a sector, like she did primarily for the deaf and the blind, but he is trying to cover all the major problems across the globe across many sectors.

Watch Out!!!

(Class IX Story Writing Competition: One of the Best Three Stories)Kartike Chopra, Class IX F

10-year-old Sally gasped as she entered the large hall. It was made to hold a thousand people. Sally had read the magazine and wanted a peek at Olivia’s watch. Olivia was the daughter of Mr. Robson, the owner of Trapwire Industries. He was so rich that he could afford his personal watch maker Dortrund Revter. Olivia’s watch was worth $ 2 million.

Sally and her mother quickly recognized the 16-year-old girl surrounded by four bodyguards and adorning an exquisite dress with elaborate stitching and gem work and a diamond studded necklace. They went and greeted Olivia and thereafter retraced their steps.

“My watch!” Olivia cried. “It’s missing! I had it with me till a few moments ago!”

Mr. Robson could not believe that his daughter had lost the very expensive limited-edition watch. He quickly had everyone frisked at the exits. Two dozen guards were called and they first turned towards Sally and her mother. After all, they had been the last ones to greet the princess. Nothing was found. Nothing showed up in the flower pots either.

Olivia broke down and Mr. Robson rushed to console her and promised her another watch. T.V. reporters surrounded the girl. The huge doors of the hall were opened and the unfortunate visitors filed out.

As the valet brought their car, Sally tugged at her mother’s sleeve “Mommy!” she said, “Did you get a glance at the watch everyone has been talking about?” “No, my dear”, her mother said, “I wonder if the watch was ever there…..”

A significant statement, don’t you think? Maybe it was after all another gimmick of the rich world?

Honey and Poison

(Class IX Story Writing Competition: One of the Best Three Stories)Ayush Baweja, Class IX G

It was a beautiful Sunday morning. I was as excited as could be and could hardly wait to break the news to my grandmother. I left the house with my briefcase. Inside the briefcase was a single document – a contract from Mr. Sinclaire, Chicago’s biggest crime boss. He had called on me to be the getaway driver for a bank heist. A single mission from Don Sinclaire would pay enough to support my grandmother and me for years. I rushed to her and excitedly told her that our days of suffering were about to end. Ever since the accident killed my parents, she was forced to work long hours in the nearby factory. I jubilantly described my meeting with the Don and the contract. Yet, she did not reciprocate my elation.

Instead, she stared at me disapprovingly. Her deep, dark eyes bore into mine. She spoke with strict authority – “No”. I was taken aback. Clearly she didn’t understand the magnitude of the job. I tried explaining it to her, but she wouldn’t budge. She said that she would rather work till she died than live on stolen money. ‘She’s going senile’, I thought. This small setback wouldn’t come in between me and my money.

The night of the heist arrived. I drove the car swiftly through the night. Once we reached the bank, the men got out and inconspicuously extracted the money. No evidence was left behind. A clean job. We quickly left to escape. We were done. Easy money. But just as we turned the corner, I was blown out of my wits. In front of me were several policemen behind a number of police cars – all armed and in the center of all that was none other than my own grandmother!

I got out of my car, with my hands up, towards my grandmother, with a look of rage and that’s when she told me something I had never known. She said, “Your parents did not die in an accident; they were murdered. They were thieved of their lives.” I realized what I had done. I had committed a great mistake. The killer thieved lives and I had thieved money. I was no different from the killer. I regretted my decision and accepted my punishment. The day had taught me something – a drop of honey is better than a pound of guilty poison.

A Sleeping Genius

(Class IX Story Writing Competition: One of the Best Three Stories)Vidhi Dev, Class IX A

Tara had a problem, a very strange problem. Like every other problem she had, it involved her bratty younger brother, Shrey. Her family had recently moved to a smaller apartment, where she had to share a room with him. She had tried very hard to persuade her parents to let her stay in a different room. But it was to no avail.

So, Tara shared a room with Shrey. Now, coming to the problem, Tara discovered something. Her brother was not a light sleeper. He snored. But even worse, he talked in his sleep. It would’ve been fine had it been just nonsensical garbage. But unfortunately that wasn’t the case. Every night, it was different. He would recite pi or deliver Martin Luther Jr.’s famous speech ‘I have a dream’. He would sing songs ranging from the national anthem of the United States to the harvest songs of the farmers. And how can you sleep when that’s going on?

Tara was done. She was fed up. She was annoyed. But most of all, she was exhausted from getting no sleep. She tried telling her parents, but they would hear none of it. She had no choice but to go to Aunt Stella. Her aunt could help with any problem, no matter how big. She was basically the go – to person for everyone in the family. ‘She has a solution for every problem. No matter how weird it is, her solutions are even weirder!’

Thinking this, Tara immediately rang up Aunt Stella and filled her in on the problem. Her aunt listened intently and when Tara was done talking, Stella told her what her plan was. Upon hearing it, Tara was baffled. She highly doubted that it would work and expressed her concern to her aunt. On hearing them, Aunt Stella reassured her, “I know it seems like it won’t work, but believe me honey, it will”. Tara was still skeptical but she agreed to give it a try. What did she have to lose anyway?

That night, Tara waited for Shrey to fall asleep. He did and in less than half an hour, he was reciting the Gettysburg Address. That was her cue. Tara picked up her Hindi course book and started reading out the poems loudly. And surprisingly, that shut her brother up. Wonders never cease!

Tara could finally sleep peacefully at night for her brother never sleep-talked again. And she had her eccentric Aunt Stella to thank for it!

You Don’t Know My Story

Lakshya Somani, Class IX A

I am a soldier but you don’t know my story,

All your eyes can see is my glory.

I have seen days worse than you could have,

I have been there even when you should have.

I am brave, I am bold,

My hands do not open in front of gold.

To money and power, your souls you’ve sold,

But deep in my heart, my integrity I hold.

I have fought wars and seen a lot of blood,

You’ve seen parties and a lot of pubs.

I have witnessed sorrow and felt the pain,

You have danced and enjoyed in the rain.

Don’t think I live my life in vain,

Everything to lose, nothing to gain.

But my heart is dedicated and so is my brain,

Not to just one person but the entire human race,

I fight on the ground, not in space.

I am humble, I am bold,

I am a soldier and my story, now you know.

The Lion

I saw a lion in the woods,

It looked all fierce and crooked.

I thought of running away as soon as I could,

But I don’t know why, long there I stood.

I wondered what was the real story?

Is the lion what it really shows?

Is it just the King of the Jungle, as the world knows?

Then I gazed to the other end,

There lay a hunter in the bend.

He sat there with a shotgun,

His aim was at the little one.

The lion aware of this situation,

Had already lost its patience.

It was angry because as a father,

Someone dared to hurt its world.

Maybe that’s why the lion is fierce,

It just can’t see its family in tears.

That is how I want to be,

Who, in pain his friends, can’t see.

I may not be liked by everyone,

But that’s fine by me as long as my friends are hurt by none.

Book Review: The Hero’s Guide To Saving Your Kingdom

Aryan Tomar, Class VII D

This book by Christopher Healy, is a mix of some very popular fairy tales… with a twist. In most fairy tales we read, the princesses get to be the stars while all their knights in shining armor are mostly shunned. Almost all of them are referred to as Prince Charming. Not in this book.

This book is a newer version of the fairy tales from our childhood. All the princes of Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Snow White and Rapunzel are specifically named as Prince Liam of Erinthia, Prince Frederic of Harmonia, Prince Duncan of Sylvaria and Prince Gustav of Sturmhagen respectively. The book is humorous and sees the princes in awkward situations like being captured by bandits, sat on by trolls and even in the middle of an actual bar fight. All the princes have different personalities like the elegant Frederic, the courageous Liam, the somewhat weird Duncan and the gruff Gustav.

The book sees the princes trying to earn a name for themselves to make a reputation for themselves in an attempt to stop a witch from taking over all their kingdoms in a chance to prove themselves as heroes.

The book is a must read for all Shishyans and will be accompanied with many humorous moments.

Words and Actions

Words and ActionsMishi Jain, Class IX E

By saying different things

People try to prove themselves to be the kings

Words once said are said

And by them our way is led

Those words cannot be called back

For them to retreat there isn’t any hack.

Some words touch our heart

Some make us feel like times are hard

Before speaking, thinking twice

Makes us wise

To make a person we’ve hurt feel better

We need to write an apology letter.

Shoes

Shoes we wear

So that our feet are not bare

Laces or Velcro they bear

This is how for our feet they care

Their partners are socks

Which have elastic and not locks.

They hide our dirty feet

And dance with us on the beat

They save our feet from the heat

From the shoe, the guests they greet.

With regret I want to conclude

These friends are not possessed by our poor dudes.

My Brother

Oh my dear you are so shy

But the most adorable guy

When you shout and cry

On your head you hold the sky

You cry crocodile tears

When the TV screen clears.

You flog a dead horse

When mamma scolds you

Then you get a feeling of remorse

But that lasts only for minutes few.

You have a habit of letting the cat out of the bag

In front of mamma, papa and others

You can’t bear to see me blue

And for everything you do I love you!

Life Journey – From Dawn to Dusk – 2

Human life is a journey that can be compared to a day from dusk to dawn. Elaborate with reference to ‘The Seven Ages’ by William Shakespeare.

Harsh Khurana, Class IX F

When the sun gives out its sunrays at dawn, it tells us that we have come in this world for a reason, with a motive. Just after dawn, all the birds come out of their nests and fly in the sky: carefree and enjoying themselves just like a small child when he plays with his friends in the neighbourhood. After some time, when the sun completely arises and is at its peak, when the birds go in search for food for them and their young ones just like a grownup who has various responsibilities for him and his beloved ones.

When the sun is going to set, all the birds come back to their nests, exhausted and satisfied with whatever they could get just like an old man who has hustled hard in life and has earned respect and various achievements in life. He is although tired, yet satisfied and now it’s his time to rest and enjoy until the night prevails and his death arrives.

Harveer Chawla, Class IX F

The poet says that all the world is a stage where man shows his beautiful journey of life. Just as the day has various stages, man has seven ages in his life. He is born with the dawn, early rays of sunlight, highlighting him into the world. Then comes the morning, when he is an infant, holding a large finger with his little ones. Learning to speak and stand, walk and fall, enter into deep thinking, sharp rays of noon showing his agitation and power. The rays also highlight a new height and hair and he becomes an adult in the evening, calm and steady. The day entering into dusk, making him an old man, all mature and experienced and the purpose of his being on ground fulfilled. With night coming, darkness prevails over man and he sleeps to wake up to another world.

Yashoneel Shukla, Class IX F

The journey of a man commences with the Golden Era of a person’s life which is his childhood just like a day which begins with an early fresh morning. As the journey continues, the person reaches the stage of his youth where he is at the peak of his youth and becomes arrogant and sometimes insensible, just like the scorching sun at noon. Between noon and the evening, the sun creates a warm and soft environment and comes to peace. The person at this stage reaches his adulthood and at the time of dusk, his old age takes over the reins of his life and the Golden age of the person returns along with the old age. At the end of the day, darkness starts to prevail, which is similar to death.

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