Mind is the Playground!

Mind is the playground and we are its celestial players. Mind gives us opportunities and choices for us to explore the purpose of our existence. Life just doesn’t happen. Each soul is born for a reason. We are eternal beings in a mortal body. It is with this avatar of ours that we can proceed to the next destination of our perpetual journey of self-realization. Education is the basis of this magnificent endeavour. Education is enlightenment and when imparted in the right sense, it will become a guiding star shining through turbulence of all kinds.

When A.P.J Abdul Kalam’s mother was worried over her son’s decision of pursuing further education away from home, her husband enlightened her by saying, “Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself. They come through you but not from you. You may give them your love but not your thoughts. For they have their own thoughts.”

Just like our body is a receptacle to carry our immortal souls, we as teachers and parents are the vessels in which our kids will learn to set sail. We cannot wind their sails; we cannot calm the ocean to make their way smooth. What we can do is make them realize that storms will pass but determination will stay. A determined mind needs no guidance, they are self-driven and self-motivated. They think of every obstacle as a stepping stone to success. They see the grand scheme of things in everything. They become the celestial whose minds are the size of the Universe itself. Let us give our kids wings and let them set in on fire to reach where their destiny awaits.

- Echoes, July

Happiness Week!

Life Skills: Happiness Week:

The Happiness Week this year started with the theme ‘Anything is Possible’. Yes, it is! All that we need to understand is that we are beyond our perceptions. There is so much of inbound potential that each one of us has latent in us. It is the belief that we need to nurture. The belief of being able to tap into the unlimited potential. The boundaries are just in our mind. It is the mind that we need to conquer.

The students participated in discussions and role plays to see how they can accomplish anything if they tap into their potential. They also learnt that if someone can do something successfully, anyone else can also learn to do it the same way, provided they understand the strategies that the successful person adapts to in doing anything. To do all these, they had to also understand that all the resources that one would need to do anything in life are all present within one’s self only.

We all also had another activity this month, where the students learnt that we can communicate our feelings to other beings and the way our feelings affect the others. The secondary year students performed an experiment where we chose 2 sets of plants to communicate our feelings to them. We chose 2 plants to share our positive thoughts, love, care and appreciation and the other 2 plants to share our feelings when we are upset or hate something and even to ridicule. The students had a feeling that they are surely making a difference and also, not being too fair to the plants to communicate their feelings of hatred to them. That is when they understood subtly, how shouting at others in haste or ridiculing their own friends made a negative effect.

We continued this experiment to observe the plants over a period of one week. However, being set up in this environment with friends around and them understanding that feelings do matter a big deal, they could not communicate their feelings of upset to the plants that they were supposed to. So, we did not have a major difference in the way the plants grew or responded. But yes, it was surely an experiment that would be etched

in their minds for a long time to come!

Article by Mr. Raju Chandangiri, Hindi Teacher.

Mr. Raju Chandangiri, our teacher from the Hindi department has written an article on his visions of India by the year 2030. The men and women who sacrificed their life to bring us this freedom and how we can bright India to the forefront is being discussed in beautiful details.

उम्मीद की ककरण : 2030 तक भारत पूरे दुनिया पर राज कर सकता है... सपिे तो हर कोई देखते है लेककि सपिों को साकार करिे की जो उम्मीद होती है,

वह बहुत कम लोगों में पाई जाती है। भारत देश को आजादी नमले उिहत्तर साल हो चुके है। जो सपिा हमारे स्वतंत्रता सेिानियों िे देखा था कक आजादी के बाद भारत किर एक बार संपन्ि देश बिेगा।गुलामी के जंजीरो को तोडकर ववकास के पथ पर आगे बढकर गरीबी का िामोनिशाि दूर करेगा। क्या उिका यह सपिा पूणण  हो पाया ? जजस स्वजणमण भारत की कल्पिा उन्होंिे की थी क्या वह पूण ण हुआ ? इि प्रश्नों पर हमें गौर करिे की आवश्यकता है। वैसे देखा जाए तो उिका यह सपिा कुछ हद तक जरूर पूरा हुआ क्योंकक हमारे देश में प्रनतवित लोगों की कोई कमी िहीं हैं, जैसे आकदत्या वबरला, रति टाटा, मुके श अंबािी, िरेंद्र मोदी आकद। यही िहीं, भारत के मूल से तालुकात रखिे वाले बहुत से ऐसे प्रनतवित लोग हैं जो दनु िया के हर कोिे म ें देश का िाम ऊँ चा करत े हुए कदखाई दे रहे है।ये हमारे नलए बडे गव ण की बात है। लेककि वही दसू री ओर अशैजिकता के कारण बेरोजगारी की समस्या कदि ब कदि बढते जा रही है, जजससे देश पीछडेपि की और झुकता चला जा रहा है। इसनलए देश के हर िागररक को नशजित होिे की आवश्यकता है। चूँकक भारत के सौ करोड से भी अनिक आबादी में कुछ लोगों के तरक्की से देश पूणणतय ववकास के पथ पर सिल िहीं हो सकता हैं।पररपूण ण ववकास तभी संभव हो सकता है जब सौ प्रनतशत देशवासी नशजित होंगे। एक बात सच है कक उन्िीस सौ सैंतालीस से लेकर दो हजार सोलह तक लोगों की दृविकोण में कािी बदलाव आ गया है । इसका एक मात्र कारण लोगों में समािता की भाविाएँ आई है। िम ण के िाम पर, जानत के िाम पर होिे वाली ववपिता कम हो गई है। यह देश की सफलता का पहला कदम है और सबसे बडी बात है कक माता-पपता के अंदर शशक्षा के प्रशत जागकृ ता आ गई है। आज प्रत्येक माता-पपता यही चाहते हैं कक उनके बच्चे कापबल बने, इसशलए उनके सम्रग पिकास के शलए अपनी ओर से तन, मन, धन स े संपूर् ण कोशशश कर रहे हैं। जैस े कक हम जानते है देश का भपिष्य युिा शपि पर ही शनभरण है और आने िाले कु छ सालो में हमारा देश युिाओं से भरने िाला है और िह कदन दूर नहीं है जब भारत सारे देशो से आगे होगा। देश को सोने की शचकडया बनाने का दीप बहुत पहले ही प्रज्िशलत ककया गया है। आज उसकी रोशनी चारों ओर बढती जा रही है और आने िाले कदनों में उसकी रोशनी पूरे दुशनया में उजागर होगी। उम्मीदों पर ही दुशनया कायम है। मेरा पूरा पिश्वास है कक आन े िाले 2030 िर् ण तक भारत अग्र स्थान पर जरूर पहुुँचेगा क्योंकक 2030ि र्ण तक हमारा देश युिाओं का देश बनेगा और िह कदन दूर नहीं भारत सारे देशो पर राज करेगा।

An Article by Anshika Aggarwal, Grade 7 was given a photograph to look at and write her thoughts.

Anshika was given a photograph to look at and write her thoughts:

      I had heard stories of how the outside world was, saw photographs of faraway places, smelled the roses that bloomed in spring, heard the cuckoo sing; all this I had done, but I had never really known it or atleast the other dimension of it all. To begin with, I had never seen it with my own eyes, except for the little outlook from my glass-paned window, and that doesn’t count. I had never seen a river or a lake, never trod on fresh green grass, never even felt a plant on my skin. The house was my world, and the outside world, some distant fantasy that merely existed, but wasn’t real.

I fail to understand why those fortunate creatures who are given access to the places I never saw, groan and grumble if they so much, as have to get clothes from the line in our garden, leaving the boring video games and television shows that my life is infested with. My world is small and weird in many ways. I have seen pictures of places like Tokyo and New York, but never experienced a minute in my own garden. I’ve heard much about school, but never been there. It sounds so wonderful a place to be in; I don’t know why my friends groan to go there, as if they would rather loll about on a wheelchair at home; day in and day out, as I am obliged to do.

There is one thing outside that I dearly want to know; ‘rain’. I hear that rain is just water falling from the endless blue that everyone calls the ‘sky’, and that I might as well touch water under a tap, which, according to them, is much cleaner and more convenient. No one understands what rain means to me; a phenomenon already known, but yet to be discovered. Not just water from the sky, but some sort of magic of nature that I have heard much of, but have yet to know it personally on different dimension.

It was raining. The droplets were forming sparkling diamonds on the glass window of my room. I touched the transparent material, wishing it was as non-existent as it looked, so my hand might go right through and touch the rain. Not the first time, I dreamt of the wonder and vibrance of the world, the lush green fields, the trees that spread wide, the birds and animals. Running away was out of the question. I was far too weak and dependant.

Just then, the rain stopped. It had formed a large puddle on the ground. Droplets glistened on the leaves of the old banyan. A cuckoo started to sing. Unintentionally, I smiled. I felt contented. As I looked out of the window, it seemed like a picture of all I had ever wanted to see. All I had ever wanted to know. To see. Maybe, someday, I would. Perhaps, someday...

Literary Fest 2016-17

Literary Fest

Beginning on the 28th, The Open Minds Literary fest 2016-17, was a three-day carnival which culminated on the 30th, with the parents arriving to watch and play literary activities. The venues for each language i.e. Telugu, Hindi, English, Spanish and French, were set in various arenas of the school campus for the ease of the kids and parents. Every stall displayed activity based learning and applications of various languages.

There were scintillating monologues and ravishing display of cultures via their dance, music and narratives.

The Telugu department had prepared an array of stalls to show their prowess in the language. There were games organized for the parents which included Treasure hunt, Word building, Guess the Proverb and one of the most memorable event was where the parents were required to speak in Telugu using no english words as fillers. Students of Grade 8 and 9 had also organized a skit.

The Hindi department had events that captivated everybody’s attention. With a medley of songs and dances, monologues and skits, it was raining talents! Their stalls included Flash card based word games, creating stories out of a picture, presenting the contrast of different traditions and celebrations

across India, etc. Kids of Grade 9 and 10 performed a skit in Hindi on the topic ‘Unity in Diversity’.

The English department stood out in many aspects with out of the box activities, games and monologues. The student in collaboration with Performing Arts department, brought the characters of Shakespeare’s plays alive. Stalls included tongue twisters, Challenge me for a story, Sight word tambola, deciphering secret messages, Acrostic poems, writing a song using rhyming words and many more. There was a debate in between Parents and Kids and it was a sight right out of this world. A shortfilm on the importance of reading was also displayed which was shot entirely in the campus. And to bring things to a grand end, kids of Grade 9 performed Alphabet Aerobics

The French department surprised everyone with stalls where kids sang french songs and recited french poetry. There were card games and mazes, Karaoke activities and students putting up a french bakes sale stall.

The Spanish corner was also the center-stage of everyone’s eye. They displayed videos showing spanish culture and sang songs to the parents. Students narrated stories in Spanish. Music students performed Bailando.

The bars have been set so high this year that next year it is going to be a challenge to supersede the fun and energy displayed