2020 – even reading this makes you sigh, doesn’t it? I feel the need to fetch a dictionary or else I would run out of words to describe the roller-coaster 2020 has been! Be it mentally, physically or emotionally, 2020 has changed us all in numerous ways. This year holds great significance in everyone’s lives and not just because of the adversities we all have been through but also because of what we have achieved and who we have become post overcoming all the obstacles that have befallen in the way.
Hair, I’ll Never Crib About You Again!
It was my birthday and I held a party the day after. All of my friends and relatives were overflowing with gifts for me. They were all great, except for one – the exotic shampoo.
It was called ‘Elements’. It was given to me by my school friend Estelle Jackson. When she gave it to me, I immediately started to open the wrapping paper, because Estelle gives amazing gifts. When I opened it, I screamed, ‘I LOVE HAIR PRODUCTS!’. I opened the cap and took a sniff. It smelled heavenly! I hugged Estelle and thanked her for the gift.
Book Review – Pinkoo Shergill Pastry Chef
Book Title – Pinkoo Shergill Pastry Chef
Author – Vibha Batra
Illustrator – Shamika Chaves
Genre – Realistic Fiction
Publisher – Scholastic
Recommended Age – 7+ years
Avani Joshi
Avani Joshi was born to two mothers. Hers was not the conventional family. She was a pretty and happy girl. When she first went to school, she kept a low profile because she knew that she could be ridiculed because of having gay parents. But a new talent gradually grew within her: Physical Education. In the first grade, she picked up a baseball bat. It was marvelous for her! She also excelled on the cricket pitch. A few days later, she was introduced to football, and she played like a professional at the very first moment. When she started basketball a week later, she became a star. She was soon a popular girl due to her sports skills and made lots of friends in school.
Thank You Teachers
It takes a special person
To teach a child in class
To just keep his attention
In a world that moves so fast
The Fate Of Faith
The ringing of bells and the chanting of priests echoed resonantly through her ears. The smog from the fire was soaring higher and higher in the air. The waft of incense sticks hovered in the room. The instant Neha came out of the room, she felt as if she could finally take a breath. Nobody understood how troublesome it was for an atheist to be a part of a pooja. For her, it was like being somewhere she did not belong. She didn’t understand the purpose of believing in God because she could believe in herself and that belief was what mattered to her. Although, she didn’t have much choice. Most of the times, when anyone heard about her being an atheist, they would get startled; all the more because for people around her an ideal girl should have been following their rules of devotion. Her mother believed that religious worship was crucial as she thought that God was the only one who could protect her at all times.
Two To Tango By Soma & Haritha – Special Mentions
At Beyond the Box, we are constantly thinking of ideas to give something unique, refreshing as well as challenging to our community of writers. Two to Tango was one such endeavour to encourage the participants to work along with another writer as a team and bring about a creative synergy. 66 teams participated in this one-of-its-kind contest and the winners were chosen by an eclectic jury panel comprising of prolific authors Ramendra Kumar, Shilpa Suraj and Apeksha Rao. Below prompt was given to the writers and they were asked to narrate the same story from two different points of view.
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Book Review – Prince With a Paintbrush
Book Title – Prince With a Paintbrush – The Story of Raja Ravi Varma
Author – Shobha Tharoor Srinivasan
Illustrator – Rayika Sen
Genre – Biography
Publisher – Red Panda
Recommended Age – 6+ years
“The greatest treasures are those invisible to the eye but found by the heart.” – Judy Garland.
Mona Lisa is a world–famous painting by Leonardo De Vinci. The specialty of the painting is that it looks towards us from all the sides. But, there are many other artists and painters around the world who have done wonders. However, we do not know of all of them and hence, it is so important that we tell stories of these extra-ordinary talents to pass on their legacy from generations to generations. “Prince With a Paintbrush – The story of Raja Ravi Varma” by Shobha Tharoor Srinivasan does exactly this. It is a fantastic illustrated biography of one of the greatest artists of India – Raja Ravi Varma.
The Sports Buzz
Another day passed by with another medal for the Corry Saints High School trophy room. A close call for the basketball finals, but they brought home the trophy with a score of 20-18. Finally home after a laborious, tiresome week of training, Sophie slumped onto her bed, her face red and sweaty. Hours passed and she hadn’t moved an inch. The tick of the clock became faint as Sophie dozed off, slipping into her own world. Her alarm buzzed at sharp 5 and jolted her awake.
Evolution of children’s literature in India
My first foray into the world of literature was when I was three. My dad got me a magazine called ‘Magic Pot’ and simply said ‘You’ll like this. Read.’ I admit, I initially read only for the free stickers that came with the book, but as I grew older, most of my time was spent swimming through pages of monthly magazines and storybooks that my cousins passed on to me.
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