Be in your own skin

We often get bogged down by peer pressure that pushes us to the dark corners of anonymity. Nivedita Kapoor, AIS Noida, XI, explores how one can overcome stereotypes to be his or her true self.

Do you wish you had more freedom to be yourself or express yourself? Do you wish you were not subjected to constant peer pressure to be what you really are?  We all wish to be free and fair to all, but the world, unfortunately, isn’t! So, what it takes to be comfortable in our skin. Read on to unravel this not-so-mysterious thing.

Love who you are
Nobody is perfect, and when you are bombarded with a range of advertising and beauty standards, the whole perception of beauty simply gets restricted to that ‘idea’ that has been fed to us. Such farce perception of beauty only creates stereotypes and nothing else. Thus, we are bound to be under confident about our appearance. But, how does it really matter? Look at how Winnie the Pooh is so proud of what he is. So, just simply be proud of yourself, with all your flawed glory.

Take charge of your life
When it comes to making a career decision, we are always encouraged to take up the ‘safest’ and ‘well-paying’ jobs that have been there since forever. Our options are always frowned upon and berated. But, just look within and understand what you REALLY want in life. This goes for everything in life. And, always remember, decision making is a solo game, and only you are responsible for your life.

 People fear what’s different
When Blossoms, Bubbles and Buttercup arrived for the first time in Townsville, they were feared and hated by the citizens. Soon they became the heroes of the town. Sometimes people react badly to change or new things, and it’s not your fault. You really don’t need their approval to be a non-conformist. Individuality is a personal trait. Nurture and cherish it. 

Not so immature
Sometimes in life, people jeer at us for being immature. But, always remember no two people are alike. So, in this case, you really don’t bother if people make fun of you. In such cases, remember Chuckie from the show Rugrats. Even though he was older, Tommy Pickle was considered the smartest one, always. So, age really has nothing to do with wisdom. And, never mind, Chuckie too had a tidbit of wisdom or two to share throughout the show! So, we all grow at our own pace, just smile and relax.

It’s ok to make mistakes
Our society always thinks that it is wrong to make mistakes. So we return to Aladdin for our last piece of sage advice. When Sultan mistook Jafar to be his well-wisher, he simply couldn’t figure out his evil intentions beyond his loyalty. This story tells us that it is completely fine to make mistakes because only then you will understand what it takes to make a right move. Trying to be perfect in every way is unrealistic. So, just carry on with your life with a smile.

Disorderly beings

The virtue of indiscipline is what every Indian is born with. But to achieve certain milestones, discipline is a prerequisite. What if, things reversed?

Aditya Kaushik, AIS Noida, IX

In an ideal world, it might be possible to do without punishment, but it would be quite difficult to imagine a world without disciplined individuals. While discipline brings order and eliminates chaos, we often struggle to make it a part of our lives. However, to achieve some things in life, discipline is a prerequisite. What would be the world like if we let go off it completely?
 
Winner by chance
The race to the coveted top position in any sphere of life — be it academics, professional or sports would be a game of inconsistency if the virtue of discipline evaporates. Ask Roger Federer, Virat Kohli or our own Raksha Gopal, what regularly motivated them to achieve the unexpected and you will get the answer. Discipline is institution to build up the ideal character.
 World at war
What if a soldier decides to sleep for five more minutes at LOC and dismisses the firing shot he heard while he was sleeping as a passing dream? That world would break into wars and conflict if the army slips into casual attitude. After all, there definitely is a reason for putting them into years of grueling training sessions.
 
Chaos on roads
We Indians are already notorious for jumping queues, overtaking cars and ignoring traffic lights. Let’s imagine an India where all rules have been written off and everyone has his own way of doing things. In the absence of any rule, our uncouth behaviour would be at our best. The chaos on roads, in the metros and even in supermarkets, is quite imaginable. Isn’t it?
Through discipline comes freedom. So discipline is the only foundation upon which successs is built.

Little pearls of wisdom

Give wings to dreams

Prisha Mehra, AIS Gur 46, VI

Fatima was only 14 years old when she lost both her parents in an accident. They could have been saved had they received immediate medical aid. But their small, underdeveloped village didn’t have proper medical facility at that time. A life of abject poverty surrounded them when they were alive, yet they provided her with the best education available. They would cut down on their expenses and save money, to send her to the only government school, the village had. Fatima too understood this and put in all her efforts to realise the dreams of her parents. In fact, she was the brightest girl in her entire school.
But that day, when the news of her parents death arrived, her whole world came crashing. She wasn’t sure what the future had in store for her.
Her school teachers got in touch with an NGO to support her education. Soon a representative from the NGO arrived and took her to Delhi. Fatima was a bit unsure of her future, but stayed positive to start a new life.
She accepted her new environmentsand started studying diligently. There were several ups and downs, but she resolutely followed her passion to become a doctor. With her passion and dedication, she soon became a doctor and was offered a job in a prime hospital. But Fatima refused to take the offer. Her decision surprised her peers. Instead,  she went back to a government hospital that had come up, a few kilometers away from her village. Her  dream was to open a hospital in her own village. She knew it would take many years, but first she wanted to serve her people because not many doctors liked to relocate themselves to such a small village. Years of hard work, dedication and patience finally paid off; and she was finally able to open a hospital in her own village.
Just like her none of us are immune to  falling to difficult times. But what matters is how we choose to react to the difficult times when they come. We either let them destroy our hope for the future or learn from them them and continue to move forward with the hope that the best is yet to come.

Another beginning

There is no greater truth in this world than the saying, “the pen is mightier than the sword for the sword slays and the pen heals”. I always knew that the written word has the power to change the world and is a wonderful way of self-expression. This is why when I conceived the idea of The Global Times almost a decade ago, I wanted it to be a democratic — for the students, by the students, and of the students — newspaper so that the young minds develop critical and analytical thinking at an early age.
But along with these skills, it was important to give them hands-on experience of working in a newsroom and be sensitive to deadlines and most importantly, impart them qualities like leadership skills and teamwork. This thought paved pay for ‘GT Making a Newspaper Contest’ and hence our flagship ‘GT Award Ceremony’. As I have been witnessing the gala ceremony every year, my heart swells with pride whenever I see my children collecting trophies after trophies for the hard work they have put in writing, researching, editing and conceptualising stories. These budding journalists are critical thinkers of tomorrow and it gives me immense joy to tell you that we, at Amity, have produced several creative writers, passionate journalists, and researchers. And, an activity like this is one of the first kinds in Indian schools that give students massive scope to discuss pertinent issues, write incisive critiques and unleash their creative side when it comes to designing.
The enthusiasm with which everyone comes together every year to put up this fantastic event also highlights how every school believes in  The Global Times, India’s first registered school newspaper. Our hearts are in the right place and so is our mission to create a newspaper which is truly democratic in nature.

Win or lose

Being a part of the ‘Making a Newspaper Contest’ is the best part of The Global Times. The GT team gets to interact with budding writers, illustrators and photographers who come together, putting in their best to make a newspaper with their own special touch. Kudos to the schools’ Editorial Boards who conduct numerous brainstorming sessions and prepare a pool of stories. The GT team picks the cream of the crop in their quest for perfection.
As the GT Awards Day approaches, my anxiety levels go up a notch. Because at the end of the day, only one school gets to walk away with the prestigious ‘Best GT Newspaper Award.’ If it wasn’t your school, then this column is for you.
You are simply awesome. It has been eight years, and you may not have won, yet your hard work and passion undoubtedly enriches this annual competition.The fact that each year, the quality and standard of the newspaper improves is a clear indication that you have put in your finest work.There is no formula to win this prize. On many occasions, people have asked me why they didn’t win, or what they can do to win. The secret is to take up the challenge and keep striving for the pinnacle, never accepting defeat or giving up, like the Little Engine That Could. It’s your passion and effort that counts. Remember, ultimately, winning or losing does not matter. For they are not opposites, but two ends of life’s natural state. It’s the distance
traversed that is the biggest award.