Did you go on a vacation with your family recently?Do you wish to put down your thoughts about

something that’s troubling you? Did a speech ortalk inspire you to be a better human being? Areyou a budding poet or painter? Whatever be yourinterest, use this space to speak up.

“Do not believe what your teacher tells youmerely out of respect for the teacher.”

Gautama Buddha06 MY SPACE

Want to see your articles andviews featured in print andonline? Register now at:

toistudent.comHOW TO REGISTER: We have kept theregistration process simple. You can regis-ter as a student, teacher, parent or ex-student. Simply key in your name, schooldetails, email id, include a pic (optional),DOB, and you’re good to go.

REGARDING THE SUBMISSIONS: Wetrust that the content sent by you is origi-nal. Kindly ensure that you have attachedyour image with the submission, and alsomentioned your class, school and citydetails.

FORMAT OF SUBMISSION:Text/Video/Image You can also mail attoinie175@gmail.com

WRITE FOR US

I t was a novel experience; Ilearnt a new virtue; I cre-ated memories that willstay with me for a long time

to come. Yes, I'm talking aboutour much-awaited village trip.

After a fun-packed two-ho-ur journey we arrived at ourdestination, Aruvanahalli, avillage on the outskirts of Ben-galuru. A small programmewas organised by a local NGO,Prajapathi Trust and the gov-ernment school. We presenteda poem composed by our head-master about the need to pro-tect our environment. We thenhanded over the stationery wehad collected for the govern-ment schoolchildren. It was apleasure seeing their happyfaces.

After this, we trekked to a

nearby hill, where we planted100 seeds to promote afforesta-tion in the village. After a lit-tle sight-seeing, we came down,refreshed and hungry for more.

Up next was a conversationwith the villagers. We werevery eager to speak to them. Wewere divided into groups andset off to interact and learn. Onthe way, we came across manykids who saw us with awe andeagerly became our friends.These little ones were filledwith enthusiasm, whereas wehad empathy in our hearts.Those prickly, dirty roads didnot deter them from runningaround barefoot. The villagerstoo were very hospitable, wel-coming us warmly. These sim-ple children who loved us somuch took great pride in talk-

ing tous abo-ut theirsimple life-style. Theyappeared to bevery satisfiedwith their simplevillage.

Post-lunch, we per-formed a mime aboutwater conservation andvisited a nearby farm. Itwas hard to leave the little kids,who were still hanging aroundwith us.

This village trip broughtus face to face with the humil-ity of villagers. I learnt thequality of being humble afterthis wonderful trip.

LALITHA K C, class X, DaffodilsEnglish School, Bengaluru

SAVE THE WORLD: HARSHINI.G, class VII,St Peter's Edu School, T V Towers,Hanamkonda, Warangal

WOMEN ON WINGSToday I narrate the tale ofthis girlWith every line, her story Iintend to unfurlShe was born with stars inher eyesAnd a tempest in her soulShe was born with dreamsof conquering the skiesBecause she thought shedidn't need anyone tomake her feel wholeWell, this was her beforesociety decided to take upher caseNew teachings given bythem she was forced toembraceHer loud and bold voicedrowned out by their mur-muringSoon I told her that no onewas listeningHer voice soon turned intoan everlasting silenceThe freefall of her true selfnow commencedWalk two steps behind aman, this she was taughtAll happy women in theirlife men they soughtA woman is incapable of

standing on her own twofeetNo successful woman with-out the support of a manyou'll meetStories of Cleopatra andElizabeth they never nar-ratedWomen can't create histo-ry is the lie that they statedThis is not the story of justone girl, it is the truth ofmanyIt is the story of the down-fall of women, each andeveryThis is how we blur out thetalented women of ourgenerationThis is the catastrophyfrom which we needurgent salvationBecause if we don't dosomethingIt'll lead to our owndestructionAfter all women are theclosest we can get to GodBecause women are theclosest we can get to creation.

T he lack of knowledge is theroot of all evil. We say thatIndia is developing, evolv-

ing and progressing for greaterthings. I find that partially un-true. Yes, politically, we may be

evolving, but we lackknowledge of social issues.Take for example the ongo-ing environmental crisis,

where people asyoung as GretaThunberg areprotesting, seeingwhat others cannotsee, the future of ourplanet. We cannotsee what is ap-proaching as a largemajority of us arebound to a certainway of thinking.Many of us havehabits, like littering,which worsen thecrisis. But I believe aperson will do whathe/she knows, and ifhe/she is shown the

difference between right andwrong, right will prevail.

DIYA RAJADHYAKSHA, class VIII,Ryan Global School Chembur

KINDNESS IS A LOST VIRTUE

MOM AND MEI inspire people withmy hard workAs I never cease myworkPeople always take megoodIf the situation is goodPeople take me bad If the situation is bad.

I am so precious that, Once I pass I never lookback. I always run easy But, never lazyAnd that's why peoplesay, "Time and TideWaits for None"People sing when my

handsTalk with the midnightqueenBuddy, renew yourbondIt's the birthday ofyour loved ones. My two little handsAct like our mother's

For I watch over youLike a hawkMothers are alwaysReady for you with ahackMom and me are here To stay with you forev-er.. And ever and ever....

HAIR AND HERE: ROSHINI G,class VI, St. Mary's Convent,Bengaluru

LOST IN THOUGHT: AADITIPOTEY, Class VIII, CityInternational School, Pune

STRUMMING ALONG: VARUNAKKI, Hyderabad PublicSchool, Begumpet,

Hyderabad

DOLPHIN DANCE: RUSHDAMEHER, class VI, Young

Scholars Academy, B’luru

NEETYA SHAH, class X, Father Agnel School, Mumbai

LESSON IN HUMIL ITY

Harshika Sai. G, class VIII, Slate - The School, Vijayawada

K indness. This simple wordhas such a vast range ofmeanings and emotions.The act of being kind is a

very important virtue, and yet thereare so many people who lack this

emotion. We tend to ignore pettythings and over the years forget the mere

act of showing kindness. 'Do good and goodwill come to you' is one such quote thatpartially conveys the result of kindness.Those who really 'do good' will relate to

this statement, and those who take it as anutter lie have nothing to do with it. I believe in

the former, that you will be repaid for your actionsin the same way you choose to perform them.

Sceptics may well say, "What, then, iskindness?" It would be wrong to set a pa-rameter of any sort to kindness, becausethere cannot be a limit to such things. Whenone person gets something in return for noth-

ing, it is blackmail. When a per-son gets something in return

for giving something of hisown, it is an exchange. How-

ever, when a person gives some-thing and doesn't expect or want

something in return, that can be defined as kind-ness.

Kindness, to the right person, can be muchmore than what it seems like in passing. To thepeople, who need it, who have too little of it, suchan act is more of a gift than anything money canbuy.

I end with a quote:"...would it be asking too much to be kinder

than is necessary?" – JM Barrie, The Little WhiteRose.

AVATHANSHU BHAT, class IX, Podar InternationalSchool Cambridge, Powai

BATMAN: DASARI SATHVIK, classVII, Delhi Public school, Guntur

MOTHER’S TOUCH: CHKEERAVANISH, class IX, HMK School,Gosala, Vijayawada

RESONANCE: D SINCHANA, class VI, DiyaAcademy of Learning, Bengaluru

MY FATHER IS THE PERFECT MAN FOR ME

My father is the per-fect man for meHe is like water inrivers and seasRemoving all the sor-rows in my life Making the worldeasy to surviveHis inner depth is sohighThat it can immerseall my criesFor him, I'm theprincess of the world For me, he is the kingof my dreamworld

Seeing drops of waterfalling from my eyesHe feels guilty, for-getting all my liesIf I order anything,anytime It is served, withoutany delay in timeHis first aim of life isloving and caringAnd teaching me thesoul of kindness andsharing He keeps our family ahappy oneIn every situation,

worst and wonHe hates to scold lit-tle, lovely children Instead, beautifullydelivers a speech andexplains He also makes mymom angry, making amessAnd simultaneouslyasks for a little for-giveness He wants to make memore successful thanhimBut competing with

him is not my realdreamI just want to makehis dream come trueI just want to be hisdaughter of infinitevalueHe tells that ''life hasmany turns and twistsBut we should solve itcalmly, making itsweet''From me, this is thegift to my father Making him happy andlaughing forever.

T he smell of the firstshower that used tobring joy was now theharbinger of doom.

When the first drops fell, wegot to know she was sick, butthe sun inside her shone asbrightly as ever, breakingapart our tears to form arainbow of hope, a multi-hued delicate, but deter-mined, statement of re-silience. After the first show-er the rains stopped, andeverything around us wasmore vivid, the lush greensand bright blues deceiving us intoletting our guard down. But that wasonly the calm before the storm.

In the dark of the night, an elec-tric white flash of lightning rippedthrough the sky and our minds, asthe white coats told us she was get-ting worse. The thunder and the

lightning echoed in my head, leav-ing me unable to hear. Rain rolleddown my mom's face as she held us,the gales of wind sweeping her good-byes away.

I couldn't stay where I was, so Iran away, but I was stepping in mud,sinking in despair

as the dark grey clouds furiouslybattled in my mind, leaving me un-able to move ahead, but also un-willing to stay where I was. Thatwas when I heard the first croak,the notes of a frog's song of re-lentless endurance in the rain,joined by a chorus of overlappingribbits in harmony, and somehowI knew I could do it. I lifted a footout of the mud and made it out ofwhat would have eventually en-gulfed me.

I hugged my mother, and theclouds swirling, tossing, tumbling,crashing in my head finally burst,

and rain poured on my cheeks,drenching me. Some of the greyclouds in the sky turned whiteand floated away. But the mon-soon had just begun, and everynight there was another clap oflightning, another burst of

thunder, another doctor telling uswords we couldn't hear.

As we approached the end, amighty storm hit us, and we did-n't see the sun for days. Every newflash of lightning scared us fur-ther and we lost our last few seedsof hope. The day she died, all thelakes overflowed and peopledrowned in our tears. We thoughtthese were the worst three monthsof our lives, but then followed thenext three – the cold, harsh monthsof winter. All the trees were rip-ped bare and the cold seeped inthrough every crack, settling downfor good in the hole in hearts where

she used to stay.PRAKRITI SHAH, class X,

Podar International School,Cambridge Assessment

International Education, Mumbai

IMP: A l l the ar t ic les and poems are pub l ished w ith bare min imum ed it ing .

THE RAIN ALWAYS REMINDS ME OF MY MOTHER

My Space doesn’tend here. The discussionsand debates continue on

www.toistudent.com. So if youwant to serve your views on

the web too, head towww.toistudent.com.

Register now!

Palak Giri, class VIII, Techno India Group Public School Garia, Kolkata

LACK OF KNOWLEDGE IS DANGEROUS