Every year around May & June, the Indian parent community gets caught in the whirlwind of the board results and its repercussions. It is not only the parents of the kids appearing for the boards but every other acquaintance of theirs anticipating these results with bated breaths. As India braces for the intense summers so do the parents, school, and most importantly the kids fraternity for this overwhelming event.

The progression in terms of expectations, disappointments, and heartbreaks around this event has led me to think if as a society we are inadvertently or intentionally subjecting our kids to mental trauma in the name of academic excellence.

In most Indian households, the beginning of the board academic years coincides with kids being the center of everything. All schedules, routines, and activities are set around it. The pressure keeps on increasing with passing months as the boards approach. While all feel a sense of relief once the exams are done and dusted, it’s short-lived.

As the results date approaches, the temperatures soar all around like the increasing mercury of the thermometer. Although the parents do their best to keep the child in good and positive spirits, it seldom works with them fighting their own emotions.

All around there is a talk of impending results be it social circles, friends groups, or media. The new age media with their predictions based on previous years’ results, speculations about cut-off percentages, and revisiting old clips of yesteryear’s toppers all lead to a situation that makes the child feel as if he/ she not only has to surpass self-expectations but that of the whole of India.

The result day is a whole different ball game altogether. The nail-biting expressions on the kids’ faces as they surf through the board websites to get their marks are akin to none. It just doesn’t end there. The reactions of kids upon getting the result that may be joyful, mixed, or one of heartbreak are indeed nerve-wracking. It is indeed heart-wrenching for a parent to watch their child go through this roller coaster ride of emotions. The ones who score as per expectations get perturbed by the next set of challenges that lie ahead, while for those who do not score well, the world comes crashing down.

The harrowing experience doesn’t end here for the child. As soon as the results are out, the phones start ringing, and the constant barrage of messages to know the child’s performance is another humongous hurdle that the family as a whole has to face. It is very easy to label kids as a success or a failure based on one set of exam performance. However, this labeling without knowing any background regarding the issues faced by the child during this important year in terms of health or family situations is not acceptable.

Even if the parents come to terms with their ward’s performance, there is no respite from the societal interventions. We need to think of what all this does to the mental health and morale of the kids. A child who has topped the exams would not like his/ her name to be mentioned to every friend of his/her and be compared to. Similarly, a child who hasn’t fared well should be given time to accept the result and not be bombarded with empty sympathy.

This very scenario plays out every year and it’s high time that we as a society realize and realign our priorities.

1. Kids Mental Health – This should be the focus of the parents and society as a whole. The importance of these results in a kid’s academic graph cannot be taken away, yet, things have been taken too far over the years. We all know that things do not go as planned but that does not mean the end of the world. There is always a way out, a different path that can be followed, a solution that can be implemented. The need is to highlight the other alternatives and focus on what’s to be done next rather than making out the situation to be non-redeemable.
2. Comparisons – They are the biggest energy depletion for any child. Just as the fingers of our hands are unique or no two leaves are the same, each kid is unique. They have their own strengths and weaknesses. Our goal should be to augment their strengths rather than compare them with others.
3. Looking beyond the usual – Technology has opened up career opportunities. Today, kids can choose a regular career or an off-beat one. Not getting the desired results in boards should not be seen as the end of the road. Here parent support is of paramount importance. Their openness to unusual career choices would make the way easy for kids.

Every kid is unique and must be cherished. Considering our country’s academic patterns and policies, the importance of board years cannot be taken away. The need of the hour however is to blunt this sharp and brutal impact that the kids face around results time. Acceptance needs to be cultivated while judging and labeling the kids based on one exam performance must be shunned.

We must provide a world to our kids where they are accepted for who they are and not as who we want them to be. It’s time for change.  Don’t you agree?

Author : Sudha Murthy

Book Name : THE SAGE WITH TWO HORNS

This year I have read many books but the book which caught my attention the most and was the most memorable was “The Sage with Two Horns” by Sudha Murthy. Her books are always bestsellers and fan favorites because of her simple yet strong language. She uses words that are very simple but convey a strong message. This book is a magnificent collection of Indian mythological stories in her style. It gives us many life lessons and its interesting stories lure the interests of readers. It’s a must-read.

We often read mythological stories of Greeks, Romans, and other countries but forget our rich literary heritage and history. This book puts out to readers some of the famous Indian stories.

It’s a great work of literature. It takes us through the great sacrifices made by the sages of our country, and the wise decisions made by our ancestors. The intriguing story plots in the stories also help the reader to build up interest. It’s a book that doesn’t require you to keep a dictionary aside while you read.

If you are new to the wonderful world of reading I would recommend this book a lot. If you want to dive into the extraordinary world of the mythology of India and at the same time learn new life lessons, this is a perfect fit for you. The illustrations depicted in the book act as an added factor to pick this book up and read.

To conclude, I would say it’s a star book and a must-read for all kids.

Have you ever seen the Tasmanian tiger AKA the Tasmanian wolf? Well, I have not and I would never get to see that species ever again. Not just the Tasmanian Tiger, I or rather we will never ever get to see the beauty of the ivory-billed woodpecker, never get to see the majestic Indian Auroch and never again we will be awed by the magnificent White Rhino. These animals are considered possibly extinct as of today. The undeniable reason behind their disappearance is us, a species considered superior with high intelligent and emotional quotient – human beings. Pathetic! Isn’t it?
Plastic Pollution is considered as and proven to be the major cause of the extinction of a lot of species. In fact, in the last couple of minutes alone, a hundred and twenty thousand plastic bottles have been thrown away and each of them is literally threatening the existence of our lives on this dear Earth. So, the theme of this year’s Environment Day as declared and accepted by the UN and all the countries is “Beat Plastic Pollution”. What a perfect theme! It suits aptly for the current global situation—just the need of the hour to battle environmental illiteracy among all sections of society.
Plastic has managed to usurp the very roots of our environments, affecting the strong foundation on which we have constructed the humanity complex and built our structural empires. Arguably, we cannot just go about blaming plastic for all these unfortunate affairs. Plastic is a beneficial substance. No doubt. Unfortunately, again the sin is upon us for violating its usage every day.
You might come to think that only small everyday use plastics can affect the environment but no! There are more than 1,200 species of animals that either get strangled, or misshapen by larger plastic strands, and sometimes plastics behave as a huge choking hazard to the unsuspecting little creatures lurking in every corner of this vast planet. Plastics thrown away randomly, can increase the rate of evaporation, and introduce chemicals to the soil thereby changing soil chemistry and affecting the food habits and lifestyle of all the animals including human beings.
Preventing plastic pollution, the mayhem we created over the years, is easier said than done. But, we do have a very strong chance to overcome this onerous predication. To have a real lasting impact, we must work together, and we must work swiftly. Change must start from the self. Every time, we see or use a plastic article, we must, either, dispose of them in a plastics-only bin, or find a way to reuse the bottle in another innovative way. Such use not only boosts the health of the environment but also the creative juices that flow in your think-tank. By taking small steps like recycling plastic articles, choosing not to overuse plastic, and promoting the same across nearby communities, might just turn this predicament around and give us new hope.
Remember, the steps that we intend to take this time must definitely be smarter, wiser, and stronger with the experience of tackling a huge monster in our abuse of plastic. I would like to quote Neil Armstrong – a sure and apt one at this hour, I am sure you all will agree – One small step for man, a giant leap for mankind. Let us take the small steps together and make this world a better place.

“Baby, we have no choice of what color we’re born or who our parents are, or whether we’re rich or poor. What we do have is some choice over what we make of our lives once we’re here.”

Such a pure, urgent, passionate piece of wisdom. The terrific author of ‘Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry’, Mildred D Taylor is an acclaimed African American writer who conceives ideas and expresses her layered socio-philosophical thoughts through immensely human stories.

Her writing traces back to her African American roots, and brings to the table a much-needed perspective. Her contribution to children’s literature has introduced many kids and teens to the delicately sensitive themes which include diversity, life along the margins, and how such things affect an individual and the world at large.

Born on 13th September 1943, Taylor consumed stories and acquainted herself with real-life experiences (the recounting of it to be more precise), especially of her father and ancestors who suffered during the great depression, and other circumstances that came their way. All of it seeped into her work over the years and decades.

She wrote about racism, discrimination, the lack of (and thus the need for) basic human values and emotions, respect, kindness, and love; many of which are fairly evident in ‘Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry’. The hugely acclaimed series of books revolving around the Logan family includes the titles – ‘Let the circle be unbroken’, ‘Road to Memphis’, ‘The Gold Cadillac’, ‘All the days past, and All the days to come’; in that order as sequels to one another.

Along with a hard-hitting social commentary, Taylor’s books are hugely enjoyable, thoroughly entertaining, and engaging. Her settings are lively and vibrant, leaving a lot of room for visceral imagination.

The other titles in Taylor’s fantastic body of work includes the likes of ‘Song of the Trees’, ‘The Friendship’, ‘Mississippi Bridge’, ‘The Land’, and many more.

A kid doesn’t live and grow in a vacuum. Partaking in the social landscape that becomes a supremely integral aspect of a child’s growing up life, it’s immensely important for children by and large to be made aware of many sociological elements that might hopefully shape them, inspire them, and help them grow up to become better human beings, and better versions of themselves.

Taylor has undertaken this task in her little capacity as a writer for decades now. Her legacy is here to inspire a generation of readers, and potentially aspiring writers too.

“There are things you can’t back down on, things you gotta take a stand on. But it’s up to you to decide what these things are.” the legend writes.

Subtle, simplistic, and significant enough!

“As someone who puts books together using words and pictures, I try to remember how special that was to me as a child and balance the pictures and the words in such a way that each of them tells part of the story, but not the whole story and they leave each other plenty of space for the reader to become involved and make connections between the words and the pictures as he or she examines them, both the pictures and then reacts to the music of the words.”

Born on October 26, 1941, Steven Castle Kellogg is an American children’s writer and illustrator of more than 100 picture books.

Inculcating the habit of reading in children from a young age goes a long way. The safe, comfortable environment created by elders amidst which a kid gets introduced to the magical world of storytelling influences the child in a significant manner. Kellogg’s grandmother read to him since he was a tiny little kid. Christmas books were a thoroughfare at his place.

He soon began exploring the fictional world by making up stories and narrating them to his sisters and others around. The joy that kids seek in an imaginary made-up world is an epitome of innocence. The purity with which they acquaint themselves with the stories they consume helps them identify and relate with a range of emotions, and eventually perceive fellow humans and society with the same childlike purity.

Having studied design, Kellogg also began creating illustrations for his writings. And the state of creative flow is something that helped him further his case. This element again, transcends writers (and artists in general). Once a flow kicks in, time and space go for a toss. Kellogg emphasized its importance, how a state of flow can inspire you further, creating a healthy and safe space to write, illustrate, and create.

Kellogg’s pup inspired him to pen down a lovely character based on the fur baby. ‘Pinkerton’, a Great Dane, his most famous creation, ended up turning into a series of adventures. The dog finds himself in the most absurdist situations, eventually leading to chaos, tension, mess, and the consequent comedy of errors arising out of it all, resulting in hilarious moments filled with heartwarming joy. Humour played an integral role in Kellogg’s illustrations, leaving behind a sweet feel-good aftertaste. The collection kicked off with ‘Pinkerton Behave!’, and included adorable titles like ‘A rose for Pinkerton’, ‘Tallyho Pinkerton!’, ‘Prehistoric Pinkerton’, and ‘A penguin pup for Pinkerton’.

A few other titles in Kellogg’s celebrated body of work include the likes of ‘The mysterious tadpole’, ‘Mike Fink’, ‘Give the dog a bone’, ‘Can I keep him?’ and many more. He also reintroduced classic and folk tales like ‘Chicken Little’, ‘The three little pigs’, etc.

“The ideas for the other books come from lots of different sources, but most of them have their roots in feelings and images that I retain from my own childhood. I try to blend illustrations and words so that each book is a feast for the eye and ear. I want the time that the reader shares with me and my work to be an enjoyable experience – one that will encourage a lifetime of association with pictures, words, and books”, Steven Kellogg once candidly expressed his writerly persona.

Kellogg’s innocent, unadulterated worldview got translated into his writings, and then eventually into his readers seamlessly. He inspired kids to read, write, and most importantly imagine.

Author : Elena Favilli & Francesca Cavallo

Book Name : Stories for Rebel Girls

Stories for Rebel Girls is a wonderful book that displays the equality and rights of women throughout the years. It contains stories of doctors and athletes, artists and lawyers, explorers and rulers. The compilation beautifully displays the adventures of courageous, fearless ladies of our times and conveys their tales timelessly.

The book contains the fabulous tales of a hundred rebels, fighting against governments, racism, patriarchy, and glass ceilings. It talks about the general position of women in society and how they fought to break through the social barriers.

Stories for Rebel Girls speaks about famous personalities such as Michelle Obama, Ada Lovelace, Mary Kom, and Jessica Watson, and thought-provokingly describes the hardships they faced to achieve their successes. Each page is a new adventure into the real-life achievements of extraordinary women, from Elizabeth I to Maya Angelou, who refused to be silenced.

To a young reader like me, this book is very inspiring. It makes me think of a world where gender does not define your worth. These women rebelled for a cause, to make their mark in the world, and to remove the obstacles for future generations. The intricate and attractive illustrations add life to the tales and make the book eye-catching. Each lady is depicted in a full-page, colored portrait which captures their rebel spirit.

I would recommend Stories for Rebel Girls to girls of all ages. It is bound to be an interesting read for whoever picks it up.
The authors of this book have conveyed a beautiful message to the readers :

“Dream bigger. Aim higher. Fight harder.
And, when in doubt, remember
You are right.”

The revolutionized world we live in is filled with technological advancements, resource exploitation, and human development, we always tend to be short-sighted looking into the needs of the near future rather than in the long run. A good example of the above situation is with plastic. Plastic made from fossil fuels like oil, coal, and natural gasses can be found scattered on almost every street.

Plastic is a substance that can be easily synthesized and provides an awesome medium to do various activities/tasks. From being used in construction, all the way to energy generation (inside solar cells), it is indeed an excellent innovation that makes lives simpler.

We must understand that every good thing in the universe comes with its set of cons. Though plastic is a wonderful innovation with various uses, it is non-biodegradable meaning it cannot decay. Their accumulation on road corners, public places, and water bodies causes nuisance. They pose the threat of choking for animals that try to eat the edible items packed in them.

As mentioned above plastic is made from oil, coal, and other natural resources. Today, its use is pervasive in the form of plastic bags, food boxes, packets and so much more. Wouldn’t you be grossed out if you get to know that all the toxins and other chemical impurities present in plastic from the time when it was synthesized directly enter into your body with the help of oil? Hence, it is important to avoid using plastic at all costs.

Globally and especially the government of India has taken a lot of initiatives towards banning plastic and spreading awareness on stopping its usage. The use of plastics has been reduced drastically, which is a huge win for the country. By banning plastics, we are saving millions of lives including ours, and storing fossil fuels for the next generation.

But we must take into consideration that plastic cannot be entirely banned. Thus efforts must be made to ensure its usage to a minimal extent. This has led to people looking into innovations with plastic that could help not only humans but other species and the environment as well.

Let us discuss a few wonderful innovations in which plastic has been used.

Imagine going to school and putting your books onto the desk, only to notice them being made with weird patterns. They look awfully similar to the Tetra Pak cartons you were using yesterday. You take a closer look to find out that there were actually a lot of Tetra Pak cartons fused to create the bench that you were using that day.

This happened in a school in Mumbai. With the help of an organization, the school collected plastic cartons from the students and used them to create desks for their classrooms. That’s one innovative idea, I must say.

Up next comes an idea that can be quite shocking. Plastic is usually delicate and can be torn easily. But two insightful women – Ovy Sabrina and Novita Tan spent 18 months creating a formula that can turn plastic into bricks. Though these bricks cannot hold the weight of an apartment, they are a wonderful alternative in pathways, walkways, and other places.

We all know art is an emotion. It doesn’t matter which color or canvas you use, art unites us all together. This 27-year-old mastermind, Chisomo Lifa turned plastic into beautiful art. Lifa melts bottles and bags and molds them into animals, which he paints and varnishes.

Plastic into art is a wonderful concept of mixing creativity with plastic abolition, and that was one idea I enjoyed.

These innovations above go to show that there are indeed various methods to reduce plastic. It is our duty and our responsibility to minimize the use of plastic. This change with every single man on the planet can have a great effect on the entire globe.

With the coming up of World Earth Day – falling on the 22nd of April, everybody must take the initiative and spread awareness on reducing the use of plastic and the growth of trees. One person can affect a family, one family can affect a society, and one society can affect the states and eventually all countries around the world. All it takes is for you to take one initiative towards plastic usage minimalization and growth of trees. One such simple act can have a positive effect on millions of people around the world.

Into the screen, he splurged all time,
Treating it worse than measly grime.
His thoughts of sanity, logic, and parity,
Clouded alas, by a compulsive vanity
And no remaining conscience to contend,
Oh! He’s entered the devil’s end.

Technology – a necessary evil, accepted and agreed,
For all and sundry, not just for meek and nervy indeed,
Unlocked the world of digitalization and creations
Several revelations, whilst building civilizations
Believed to be a creator and saviour
Brought along an obsessive behaviour

Addiction’s a disease of the soul, no doubt.
He chooses to live selling himself out,
Incomprehension of his role, mostly deaf,
Hindered by the gadgets on his shelf.
Informed, he was of his toxic relationship
Yet no way faltered; his phone he held, what a strong grip!

Supporting his abuse, no rights or wrongs
Back he went, ignoring all the chores.
At times, he looks up and sees a space eerily liminal now
Filled only with the humans who allow
Their time to be swindled, dwindled of potent,
And of the events, willingly glad to miss out.

Once allegedly common, mostly among the grown-ups
Later proved wrong, by the daughters and sons,
All smart gadgets, handhelds and tablets
Amidst progress, only drive users to madness,
Keeping them awake, weeping for a refuge
From the storm of screens and digital deluge.

Offscreen hobbies, one or two
An olive branch, so thorough and true,
If only one can foster and nurture small
To make good of this never-ending appall,
Shall be the hope and light so bright
For generations now and future right?