There is already taboo around mental health and when it comes to children, the struggles get accentuated. So many kids and teens have got impacted post the pandemic, and we need to support them as they deal with a range of emotional upheavals. The first step, we believe, is to give them a platform to come forth and bare their souls. They need this safe space to express and hence, we were more than glad to collaborate with WICCI National Mental Health Council for a one-of-its-kind open mic for children held on 18th September 2021. This beautiful and important endeavour led to 20+ kids stepping forward and vowing us with their profound and deep thoughts. Some made us smile, some made us cry and some made us ponder.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Tushar was your regular 16-year-old teen. He studied at a school near his home and walked to school every day. One Wednesday morning, there was a thunderstorm. It seemed to describe his mood better than he could. His parents were having another stupid and petty argument, while his grandparents had put on the television for the entire building to hear. With the amount of noise coming from their house alone, he wouldn’t be surprised if they won a prize for the noisiest household on the land. Along with all that, there was school pressure because their teachers were barely giving the children any time to study, and he couldn’t concentrate at home with the television turned on 24/7 at a blaring high volume.
There once was a man who was very talented. He had a special place in his brain that he would often visit. He called it ‘the world of imagination’. Whenever he was out of ideas, he would visit the place in his brain and get plenty of ideas. But, after a few years, he took the place for granted.
Every dad is a superhero for their children. No matter where they live or even if they are poor, every dad loves his children dearly. Today, I am going to be sharing about my father who recently faced a horrible situation. One fine day, my dad got a call from his boss asking him to come to the office where they used to work before COVID for some important work. He told his boss that he will be there in an hour. After speaking to his boss, he put his phone down on his bed, and was dashing here and there, completing his chores. Then he packed his bag, gave me a kiss, ran to his car, and drove to his office. Once he was there, his boss was telling him something about taxes. He listened to the matter very carefully and was also looking around his office as he had visited after long.
The city of Techtropolis was on a roll like always. Factories were making nothing more than laptops, phones & tablets, and parents were teaching their kids to make robots. Every single household in the city was dedicated to making robots. This city was one-of-its-kind. And that day wasn’t far when the entire city would become controlled by robots.
