A Note from a Notebook
I don’t like to interrupt people, but as I see, you just got attracted to my autobiography. I know the name of my autobiography looks just like another exciting short story, but let me assure you that you are in for a surprise. Many readers might be grumbling right now about my story, but some are still reading. I am a notebook.
My owner is a girl but I am a boy. I don’t have any name so you can refer to me as a diary\notebook throughout my tale. My owner’s name is Veena [I know it because she wrote it in big letters in front of me] and she writes her heart out in me [ probably because she thinks I am a girl or I am lifeless]. I try hard to cope with all her secrets she writes to me like, ‘Today I fought with my BFF’s and I am totally scared of her now because she is the most popular girl in whole 6th grade. Really…. can you cope with this!
I am calming down now. I am going to start my story now. I don’t know where I was made but I was made in some factory. All I can remember is being in a shop with other notebooks like me and we talked so much about our factories and wondered who would buy us. Then Veena bought me when she came to the shop with her mother. She said, “Amma, I want a diary. Please can you get me one?” and her mother said, “Here, take the money and buy one from that shop.” pointing at the shop where I was. So, she came in, chose and bought me. Some of you are thinking that my story ends here, but it doesn’t end right here.
After she bought me and took me home, I got my first glimpse of her house. It was full of home décor and fairy lights. Her room was very neat [ and full of knick-knacks]. She kept me on a shelf [which was full of other kinds of used diaries] on her desk and when she wants to write she takes me out. Sometimes at night, she can’t sleep so she goes to her desk, pulls me out, and starts writing about her sorrows. I know that you are getting quite curious about her entries now so I will show you one of her entries. Look down and you will see it.
Dear Diary,
Today was my first afterschool class. I am learning chess. It’s very confusing and I took some time understanding it. Our teacher was very kind so when I finally understood it, he was very happy. I am starting to like the class and I made a friend in the class. Even though chess class was fun, my day at school was very rough. I have lost my Bff [best friend forever] and I am very nervous now because she is the most popular girl in our class. She may turn against me, if she does then I will be teased every day by the other girls.
See what I mean, I am overloaded with top secrets. One day she took me to her school. There I meet her Bff, [ the person who she fought with] her Bff was the most popular girl in her class. When she was holding me and talking to her Bff the other girls crowded around us and some of them were interrupting her to talk to her Bff. Anyway, I am almost finished with my story because I am going to retire tomorrow. If you want to know why I can tell you. It’s because I have only one more page left in me. The entry I showed you now is the one she made today. If she makes another entry I will be finished and I will retire… so goodbye!
Goodbye, again and thank you for listening to me.
By, Ojasvini Ghosh, Grade 5, EJPN
WHAT LEARNING LOOKS LIKE AT EKYA
Challenges can indeed turn out to be gifts that bring out the very best in us. With the sudden onset of the global pandemic in early 2020, educators like me found ourselves challenged. We had to replace our traditional in-person teaching methodologies with remote online classes. Despite a tumultuous start, I soon realized that, as an educator at Ekya, I had the responsibility, as well as the means, to make a difference in these challenging, yet formative years of my students.
“Great things are done by a series of small things brought together,” said the famous artist Van Gogh. I love this line, because it is so true. At Ekya, the classroom culture of sharing good things and affirmations continues to be so nourishing, more so during these tough times! With their beaming faces and sparkling eyes, my students share their daily experiences and express their gratitude to their friends and family for their help. Could there be a more important lesson that they need to learn at such times?
Oftentimes, students face issues that trouble them. We provide an inclusive environment where students feel comfortable expressing themselves and discussing their problems. Acknowledging that students truly miss the opportunity to talk to and interact with their classmates, as their English teacher, I strive to facilitate meaningful discussions amongst students by putting them into breakout rooms, albeit in an online setting.
The enthusiasm and creativity displayed by students, continues to amaze me. The clarity with which these young minds share their ideas and opinions is so refreshing. The grade 6 students demonstrated this admirably, when I asked them to collaborate and come up with a group presentation on aspects of various sub-genres under Fiction.
As we embark on our journey into 2021, we are confronted with a road that may not be easy to traverse. At Ekya, we are determined to stand shoulder to shoulder with our students and their families, as we overcome the impact that this pandemic has undoubtedly had on our physical and mental health. Looking forward to working together to make 2021 a successful year for our students.
By, Ms. Sudha Ramesh, English Faculty, EITPL
Meera’s Blogbox (2020)
Categories –
The future of Journalism
Journalism, what is it? Journalism is the activity or profession of reporting news and events from across the world. Journalists write for magazines/newspapers/online news websites/local newspapers reporting the latest news. In journalism, we write about various news and alert people if there are any terror warnings the people should look out for. The latest terror has been the outbreak of the COVID 19 virus. Journalists have continuously been giving the citizens updates. Journalists play a very important role in the lives of humans.
With the COVID-19 pandemic, people have started realizing that online newspapers have the exact amount of content as the printed newspaper. Hence the future of journalism is going to be online reporting. Also, the online news is instant whereas in the printed newspapers you will have to wait an entire day. As we cannot step out of our houses the journalists are helping us by printing online newspapers.
I conclude that the future of journalism is going to be online. The COVID-19 pandemic has quarantined us all, the journalists are doing a great job giving us news online and till they find a vaccine the future of journalism will be online reporting.
Letter to the PMO (Prime Minister's Office) appreciating the current scenario or voicing your concern about It.
To,
The Prime Minister of India,
New Delhi,
India.
From,
Meera Karthik
Grade 5,
Ekya Schools (JPN)
Bangalore.
Subject- Voicing my concern about the COVID-19 pandemic.
The COVID-19 pandemic has become extremely deadly regarding the number of cases. I have compiled the following data, sourced on the internet -
Current cases | Recovered | Deaths |
3.54 Million (+76,472) | 2.71 Million | 63,498 (+1,021) |
I think we should consider going back into the stage of complete lockdown for at least about a month. And we should consider converting the open fields into COVID-19 beds.
The slums can be sanitized and disinfected. The people of the slums can be provided with masks and a small amount of sanitizer. The unused lands can be made into a COVID-19 center.
I request you to look into this.
Yours humbly,
Meera Karthik.
My review: Give your critical viewpoint on any law or act / movie / book / restaurant / news channel /journalist, etc.
The movie Dora and the lost city of gold represent the animated T.V series - Dora the Explorer. In the movie they show Dora as a teenager who is 16 years old- she is shown as a teenager who is keen on exploring. Her parents are professors and are also explorers. They go to find the lost gold of an ancient Inca city-Parapata.
Dora and the lost city of gold is an amazing family movie. On a scale of 1 to 10, I would rate, 8- considering all the appropriation and violence. It mostly depends on the age group viewing the movie. The movie also inspires young kids to follow their dreams.
The movie is a great example of showing children that history can also be interesting. The movie also shows how the Incas lived and their architectural ideas. It also shows how the early civilizations lived with the barter system and how they started to grow crops. Overall this is a very historical movie.
I would recommend this movie as a family movie.
By Meera Karthik, Grade 5, EJPN
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