Shishukunj

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.

On Social Networking

Inter-House Board Decoration

Friends

Sameehan Trivedi, Class VII B

When you’re feeling down,

And you don’t know what to do, to do.

Call up a friend,

And you’ll feel less blue, less blue.

Don’t sit around and mope,

When you start to get all teary,

Call up a friend,

And you’ll feel a lot less dreary.

Friends can bring us up!

Friends can make us smile!

So grab a phone and send a text,

Or better yet just dial.

Life of a Student

Aahan Nawab, Class X F

The life of a student requires sacrifice,

Twenty-four seven you get commands,

It can’t be judged as it’s neither nasty nor nice,

And it’s not up to you to fulfill demands.

Holy hardwork is needed

You eventually get exhausted.

Information is fed,

Is there any place for thoughts?

Pages and pages combine and gather,

Get together to build a burden

To bring on a sunny day, a stormy weather,

Still, we work hard to get the work done.

Knowing all these you will still try,

Coz’ you have helping hands.

That’s why on the last day you’ll cry

And one day you’ll be a player but now you’re in the stands.

Exams

Pranav Mandlik, Class X F

Everyone is afraid of exams. Exams decide where we stand based upon our knowledge. Exam can also be defined as a career decider. Exam is that pressure which forces a person to study. Exam is also good in some terms as it gives us an incentive to learn and gain knowledge. It also helps us to pursue our dreams. In other words, it helps us to fulfill our dreams.

Some tips for students preparing for Exams.

– First of all, make a time table and follow it.

– Revise from your textbook and then do additional questions from a reference.

– At least play for 1 hour every day.

– Thoroughly read all the chapters.

– For maths, do at least 10 sums a day for practice.

– Give at least 45 minutes to each subject.

– Eat healthy and nutritious food.

– Must have 7 hrs of sleep.

– Never get disappointed by what others say and only follow your path and have confidence in yourselves

– Never compare yourself with others.

– Keep your gadgets aside. If you have to use them, don’t play games on them.

– Devote half an hour for yoga and meditation to increase concentration.

As I said, never compare yourselves with anyone. God has made everyone different. Everyone has his/her own talent. Try to find your talent and work upon it. Talent is a flame but Genius is a fire. -Bernard Williams.

So, all the best for your exams. Work hard. I will also try my best to work hard and give my 100% in my Class X Boards. Let’s pull up our socks and be ready to face all odds to gain the best in exams!

The School Bus – 2

Class VIII B

After reading ‘The Palanquin Bearers’ students of Class VIII B wrote the following poems.

The School BusMariya Mhowwala, Class VIII B

Slowly, O’ Slowly we go by a bus

Everyday the bus carries us.

Seeing the flowers, trees and all creatures,

I admire the beauty of nature.

On the cold grey stones

I see dogs chewing at the bones.

The stones have cracks

And we travel on rocky tracks.

The School BusNiral Palod, Class VIII B

Daily, O’ Daily we travel on a bus

A bus in which we all make a fuss.

Going to school we all see trees,

Along with birds, insects and bees.

Small windows through which we peep,

Hey, did I just see a jeep?

I see big trucks and cars,

Along with my friends, I eat chocolate bars.

Travelling in a bus is fun,

With friends, we eat and play.

And when the day comes to an end,

The bus has got itself to mend!

The School BusMansi Singh Ranwat, Class VIII B

School bus is the best way,

To reach the school happy and gay.

Our friends are always with us,

To enjoy and chat in the bus.

The windows show a scenery,

With buildings, industries and greenery.

The fresh air rushing through the window,

Cools down the fever on my brow.

It also teaches us to respect time,

By reaching the bus stop at the appointed time.

This practice makes us punctual,

By developing the habit which is usual.

Riding the school bus is safe and fun,

In this long journey, a few lessons are also learnt.

Category: Blog