The will power

Prisha Gangwar
AIS Noida, X

Justin was a curious teenager with a zealous inclination to learn new things. However, there were many hindrances impeding his inquisitive nature. His life was abundant with hardships, and his parents were fighting each day to make ends meet. To make things worse, Justin was partially blind. He could overcome this impairment after some rounds of surgeries, but it was a farfetched dream as such expensive surgeries could hardly be afforded by his family. However, even though Justin’s sight was challenged, his inner vision was invincible.
One day while lying on his bed, Justin, who was figuring out the objects in his surroundings with his partial sight, thought, “So, what if my parents can’t afford my eye treatment? I will study hard, get a good job and pay for my treatment myself!” Truly ecstatic about this newly formed idea in his mind, Justin went to sleep peacefully.
The very next morning, Justin gathered all his courage, walked up to his father and said, “Dad, I was wondering if I could enrol myself in the nearby school. I know it would be difficult for you and mom, but I will work hard to make it worthy of all your struggles, I promise.” The next thing Justin knew was that he would begin his classes from the following week. Justin was elated yet grateful to know that his parents were doing everything so that he could pursue his dreams. “I will make them proud one day,” he said to himself.
School wasn’t as easy as what Justin thought it to be, especially the first day. He had difficulty acclimatising himself to the new scenario because there was no one to empathise with his trouble with sight. In the evening, looking at a despaired Justin, his father consoled him, “It was just your first day, my child. Give it sometime; things will get better.” With much hope, Justin geared himself for the next day of school, and wished that his teachers and classmates were supportive and sensitive towards his situation. The school did not have proper arrangements to cater to partially blind students; besides, he was being bullied, too.
Despite the adversities, Justin continued to attend the school and went to public libraries post school hours to read books available in Braille. He made it a point to read as much as possible, no matter what the genre was. He read encyclopaedias, novels, research papers, whatever he could get his hands on. In fact, at times he would surprise his teacher by explaining the concepts he wasn’t even taught earlier! Soon, Justin became a class-favourite, with his mates and teachers supporting him.
Eventually, Justin won several awards and made himself worthy of full scholarship from the authorities. As years passed, he made it through school and even graduated from college with flying colours. His determination and hard work got him a great job, much better than he had expected. After getting his eye surgery done, he ushered in a new life for his parents and himself, each of them content that their perseverance had paid off.
Nonetheless, there was one thing that Justin had yet to accomplish. Although he could now see clearly, his mind was stuck at the situation faced by people who were still struggling for inclusivity with their impaired visions. Working toward the same, in a few years, he built a school for  people struggling with vision. He ensured that nobody went through what he did back in his time. This is when his hard work did indeed pay off! Looking at the newly constructed school building, Justin gave out a sigh, thinking, “Where there is a will, there is a way!”

 

3D bookmark

Koena Malhotra, AIS Pushp Vihar, VIII

Material required

White sheet
Scissors
Pencil
Eraser
Ruler
Water colours
Paint brushes

Instructions

Take a plain white sheet and from it, cut out a rectangle of dimensions about 30cm long and 7cm wide.
Press fold this rectangular cut-out in half.
Now, draw the outline of a flower and a butterfly on it as shown in the picture.
Cut out the outline of the butterfly, but don’t detach it from the sheet entirely.
Now that you have a rough idea of the shape, replicate the same sketch on the other side.
Open the fold to find a mirror image of the butterfly and the flower.
Using water colours, paint the shapes in the colours of your choice. Here, blue has been used for the edges of the bookmark; blue, black, green and grey for the butterfly; and yellow, orange and green for the flower.
Once dry, flip the bookmark and paint the wings of the butterfly visible on this side. Let the paint dry.
Your bookmark is ready! Use it to keep a track of your progress as you read your favourite book next!

The song of universe

Prisha Prasad, AIS Gur 43, X B

Our universe is full of weird things
Anywhere you see is a new beginning
There’s Jupiter, as strong as a king
Look at Saturn dancing with its ring
In this grand scheme of God’s art
Earth is nothing but a tiny part
We experience days, nights and noon
Even have our own beautiful moon
 
Mars is only a step away
Venus is closer to sun’s rays
Hot Mercury makes us swoon
Revolving this planet, is no moon 
 
Uranus is a big ball of gas
Neptune still has ice to amass
Not even a planet, is the poor Pluto
This isn’t anything new though
 
This is our great solar system
One of the houses in universe
Each day, it is known to expand
All but thanks to the Big Bang! 

A shattered place

Tavishi Duggal
AIS Saket, Alumna

The clouds are weeping again
Howling winds are piercing my ears
I try to shelve my despair
As my heart drowns in tears

What have we settled for?
Hatred burns the Elysian hope
While the fire in our hearts dies
Keep on dreaming to elope

God painted a pretty landscape
Who dropped black ink over it?
Redemption is an illusion
We’ll pay for crimes we commit

The world is now a terrible place
We shouldn’t take long to realise
Hide away in our shells if afraid
Or make a big change if wise.