Books are magical. They can pull you into a world that seems so real that you get lost in it. The poetic words weave beautiful scenes that come together into a magnificent story. You can travel around the globe by just sitting at home and reading a book. You can adventure through forests, sail across the oceans and conquer mountains. And for all this, you just need a book that whisks you away to another foreign world.

Now, you may ask me, what difference is there between books and gadgets? I mean you read the same stuff either way, right?

But, truthfully no matter how many gadgets are developed in place of a book, not even one can quite come close to the comfort that it can offer. The feel of the coarse paper beneath your fingers and the beautiful smell of the pages, all this is part of the experience of reading a book. There is nothing more relaxing than curling up in a corner with a book in your hand and a coffee by your side.

Besides when you read from a gadget, whether it’s a Kindle or an iPhone or a MacBook, we are still staring at a screen. It can be really harmful for our eyes. So, trust me when I say that nothing can ever, truly replace the simple, beloved and trustworthy book.

Reading books has tons of benefits. First of all, there are lots of different genres. Mystery, fiction, fantasy, romance, science-fiction, non-fiction and hundreds more. We can learn something different from each and every one. And now, I am going to try to list the benefits of reading. Just brace yourself, ‘cause there are a lot.

Reading can improve your imagination. The crazy twists and turns and the plot itself can inspire us in new ways. Then, there is the matter of the words. There are thousands of words in a single book. There may only be a few new words in there but it can also teach you many other things about words. We can learn new idioms and expressions as well.

And then there is the information. In a book, there is the possibility of discovering something in each and every sentence. You can never know where knowledge lurks in the pages of a book, waiting to be discovered.

There are also numerous biographies written by great personalities. These too are books worth reading. They give us insight into a person’s life. We can travel with them as they conquer the different obstacles in their life. These biographies can teach us a lot of things. It can help us handle failure, be hard working and get through the challenges in life.  Some popular biographies to try are “Wings of Fire” by A.P.J Abdul Kalam, “The Diary of a Young Girl” by Anne Frank and “I am Malala” by Malala Yousafzai.

Reading books is a skill that needs to be encouraged in childhood itself. As I have explained before, it has many benefits. Along the years, there have been many great authors like J.K. Rowling, Rick Riordan, Enid Blyton, Charles Dickens, Eoin Colfer and more.

So get hold of a book, sit down and get lost in a magical world. And you will surely have time because its lock down, right? So spend your infinite time reading, because that is the best thing to do when bored.

Don’t forget,

“Today a reader, tomorrow a leader.”

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Happiness is a wonderful feeling. We all have our own reasons for being happy. Some feel happy when they eat food, some feel happy when they travel etc.  let me share with you some of the things that makes me happy.

The small and simple things in nature makes me happy. The swaying trees, leaping waves, buzzing bees, flying butterflies, growing plant etc. Reading books also makes me happy. Let me share with you an incident. An incident that really made me happy.

It was a very pleasant spring morning.My Mamma (my granny) woke me up. I was really angry with her because she woke me up in the middle of one of my amazing dreams. She told me to get up and get ready fast. I really had no idea why. I freshened up and went down stairs to have my breakfast and to ask Mamma, why she had woken me up in such a hurry? Just as I went down, I saw the calendar on the table. Just then I remembered that it was November 9th. It was our ‘Granny-Granddaughter day’. How could I even forget it?

It was really very stupid of me to be angry at her when she woke me up, but a sorry would make it up. I ran to the kitchen and gave Mamma a tight hug and said sorry. She told me that it was ok. She served me my favorite food, which made me happy. Then we went out and hired an auto. You know I prefer travelling in an auto rather than in a car. The cool wind that blows and the greenery that swooshes away when we go. It’s incredible. I guess that it is one of the specialties of our country India.

We first went to the beach and rested and read books for a while. My Mamma took me there because she knew that I am a person who loves and admires nature and its beauties. I saw the leaping waves, flying seagulls, besides I started collecting the sea shells. Collecting sea shells is one of my favorite hobbies. After that we went to the aquarium. I could see a school of fishes swimming happily. There were many colorful water plants like lotus, hydrilla etc. I was very happy. Mamma then took me to the Snow World, where we played with the snow. There was a special section where there were penguins. I played with them. It was a fun filled day, but there was much more in store for me.

Then my Mamma took me to the zoo. There were all kinds of birds chirping around, the dancing peacock, the roaring lion, the elegant elephant and the tall giraffe. It was a wonderful sight. I really enjoyed it. Everything made me so happy. Then we went to have lunch.

Last but not the least, we went to the nearby farm to help the workers there. There were several kinds of grains growing in the field. All the farm animals were roaming about happily. Me and my grandma helped the people there in ploughing the soil, sowing the seeds and yes, I really enjoyed the part where I got a chance to bring back the herds of cows and goats before sunset. We had our evening snacks with them. I was super- duper happy. We then went back home. I thanked Mamma for making the day very exciting and happy for me. It was more of a ‘Happy Day’ than a ‘Granny-Granddaughter day’.

Happiness is not something that you can buy ready made. You need to find it from the things around you. It is not necessary that you will find happiness only in the bigger things in life. We need to appreciate the simple and small things in life. If we do not, then our lives become dull and boring. We will always have a grumpy behavior. We should be thankful to god for the blessings he has given us. So, let’s try to find happiness even in the smaller things in life.

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Have you ever heard this funny but serious proverb? Well, if you haven’t, let me introduce you to Anne Frank, a   thirteen – year old girl who had jotted down these words in her diary. Anne Frank was a German – born Jewish girl with a family of four members. The Diary of a Young girl by Anne Frank is a beautifully written memoir of a young girl caught in the most horrific periods of history. First I got a chance to read an extract of this book. After that I was really longing to grab this book somehow. Finally I got it from my  sister, Annu .After grabbing my copy,I rushed to my bed, piled up some pillows behind my back, throw the blanket and cuddle up with my teddy  and then started exploring Anne’s diary.Just within a day I finished it! It was just inspiring!!! I don’t have any other words to describe this book

let me introduce you to Ann’s family.. Her Father was calm and friendly and she longed for his love and attention,  but her mother was annoying and irritating; she did not like her at all; She often mention that,   Margot, her sister was a genius, but she was the one who mostly made Anne  jealous and she thought that she herself made a lot of noise and bustle.

Now let’s get started. On June 12^th 1942 it was Anns 13^th birthday. Her diary was one of the gifts  she received . She was really excited but thought that nobody would want to read a 13 year old girl’s thoughts and feelings. Inspite of that she started writing and often said “I know that you are bored with my talk, kitty” [that’s how she addressed her diary]

Ann’s family moved from Germany  to Amsterdam to escape the persecutions they faced in Germany. Everything was going fine for Ann in Amsterdam. Every morning  was bright and clear, every afternoon was sunny and merry and every night was dark twinkling and beautiful. One Wednesday evening, when Anne was doing her homework peacefully Margot came running up to her and said that she got a call up from the SS. They know that  this will lead to persecution and torture .Anne was terrified at the thought of jail. But now you must be wondering why Anne got this call even though she was living in Amsterdam. That’s because a few Germans had invade into Amsterdam and started searching for Jews.

All of them were  really worried about the possibility of torture and persecution in German hands.  Margot informed Anne that their mother was going to talk with Vandaan. [A good friend of Anne’s father] about this situation.Then she rushed down. Until 5.30 Margot and Anne sat in their room very quietly. Soon it was decided that they should go for hiding. They packed their rucksacks fast and at 7.30 they closed their door behind them! No one bothered to tell Anne where they were going to hide, So she could not do anything, but follow them. When they were half way to the hiding spot, Anne’s father called her aside and told her that they were going to hide in his office building. The night passed and by the time they reached their destination, the sun was breaking in through the clouds. The moment they opened the door, Anne’s mom and Margot rushed upstairs chose rooms for themselves, arranged some chairs to make a bed and laid down, which continued for two more days. When Anne’s mother was able to get up she made some pea soup and that was what they could eat for four days. On the 5^th day the Vandaans also joined them. Each day in the secret annexe, as Anne called that place, was very boring for her. Peter, Mr.Vandaan’s son only sat in his room all day long and came down only for breakfast, lunch and dinner and did not say a word except if somebody annoyed him. On the 17^th of Nov 1942 one more person named Albert Dussel joined them. But Anne hardly minded him. Two years of poverty filled, miserable life passed like that. On the morning of Aug 4, 1944 a car pulled up right in front of the building. Several figures emerged out of it. They arrested the 8 people hiding in the annexe as well as took all the valuables and cash from that place. Margot and Anne were brought to Bergen Belsen, a concentration camp near Germany. The typhus epidemic that broke out there killed 1000 of prisoners including Margot and Anne. Anne’s father Otto Frank was the only one who survived. He arrived in Armsterdam on June 3^rd 1945 and moved to Switzerland on 1953 and he married Elfriede Markovit Geiringer who had lost her husband and son.

What inspired me in this book was that every time she gets frustrated, it only lasted for few minutes and  she would gather all her courage and stand up in front of all the others like a leader. She is invisibly passing a great inspiration to the readers how to overcome the difficulties in our life.

So, friends think about our current situation. Anne’s was much worse. Even if she opened the door, she found people battling each other. If she can sit inside a building for 2 years then why can’t we?????It’s just for a few days or months. So, let’s STAY AT HOME, BE SAFE and wait while Scientists/Doctors find out ways to sweep out the dangerous COVID-19 from the universe.

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It was a winter morning. There was cool breeze knocking the window. I could hear the birds chirping outside. Everything was so nice. Just then, I sprang out of my bed shouting ‘IT’S MY BIRTHDAY!’ Actually speaking, I am a kind of person who is really excited on these special days, be it mine, my friends or my parent’s birthday. I am always excited. Even on special days like Republic day, Independence Day etc. I always start making plans for the day. Now where was I? Oh yes…..so I was shouting and it was so loud that it made my parents come up to my bedroom and ask what happened? Seriously? It was my birthday come on…… no one seemed to notice. No one even wished me. I was really sad. But no worries, maybe another surprise was waiting for me down stairs.

I freshened up and went down thinking that there would be some surprise awaiting me. But….Nah! There was nothing. Even my parents were not there. But this wasn’t fair. They should have planned something. Well, I thought that they must be busy. As I sat down for breakfast, there was a sound…..BANG! It was so loud that it made me jump out of my chair. It was a musical band and there was a singer who sang ‘HAPPY BIRTHDAY.’ It was so surprising that my eyes nearly popped out of my sockets! So after all there was a surprise planned. After the singer had finished singing, in came two gentlemen with two big baskets. It was covered with a brown paper. I opened it and there were loads and loads of gifts. This surprise was from my grandparents. I started to unwrap them. Well I must say I did get a whole lot of gifts. But wait….where were my parents? I was so busy unwrapping my gifts and listening to the band that I had forgotten about my parents!

hey were no where to be seen. I ran upstairs and there I saw my father. He was holding two big sets of books. Well, you know I am a book lover and I have great fascination towards them. I even have a mini library in my house. So, getting two big sets of story books meant a whole lot to me. All my sadness had vanished. Now where was my mom? I ran downstairs to check if she was there. Oh yes! She was there in the kitchen with a big plate and guess what? It was my special birthday cake. I made a wish, blew the candles and then cut the cake. Just then, the door bell rang……who could it be? The musical band was here, the gentlemen who had brought the gifts were here and my parents were here, so who could it possibly be? Anyway, I ran to open the door, and you know who it was? My 2 besties Ann and Malavika. Now I was super-duper happy.

My mother had prepared lunch. She had made varieties of pastas, sandwiches, biriyani and sweets. It was a sumptuous meal. I then opened the gifts my friends had bought for me. I got a giant teddy and a pretty new dress. Then we went to play. We played musical chairs, hide and seek and of course we had a lot to talk. We then ate the snacks my mom had prepared. It was a fun filled day. Then it was evening and time to bid my friends goodbye.

It was a really good and eventful day. I then had my dinner which was specially prepared for me. Everything was just the way I wanted. I thanked god for blessing me with such good parents and friends. It was indeed a fun packed day. I enjoyed it. It was my best birthday ever!

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There are numerous numbers of people who’ve displayed perseverance in life. An extremely common and cliched example is that of Thomas Alva Edison. Though we are very familiar with his story, I still feel a write up on perseverance without mentioning Edison’s story is just incomplete. Edison tried a thousand times to create the light bulb, but he failed. Though he never lost heart. He continued, and succeeded! It may sound very simple, but how hard is it to not lose hope even after failing a thousand times? But that’s where we go wrong. We consider those one thousand attempts as failure, but Edison considered them as thousand steps to finally creating the bulb. Had he lost heart; we would have still had light around here. Why? Because there were many others who created the bulb before him, but we give him more importance because of the perseverance he displayed. He had been considered, by his teachers, too stupid to learn anything at all, but he continued his journey. And now the world knows him as a credible scientist, whom millions admire, due to his persistence. That’s the magic persistence can create.

What I’ve learnt very recently is that admiring perseverance is not enough. Taking it in, and applying it in your life is extremely essential. Chasing your dreams, prioritizing it, working for it, and being ready to go to any extent for it is very daring. But one thing we should realize is that just because you are working hard, life is not going to stop throwing challenges at you. Problems are common, and attitude is definitely what makes the difference. Realizing this simple fact will in itself help us a great deal in the long run. All those times we’ve felt like giving up, all those times we’ve felt like abandoning everything, are just instances wherein you gain your inner strength. Many qualities out there like honesty, patience, and loyalty are necessary to be cultivated. When given an opportunity to do or die after failing a lot of times, the inner strength that makes us choose ‘do’ is what we call persistence. It helps you fight against all odds to achieve success. Which is why I hope that everyone applies this value in life, as it’s definitely the MOST IMPORTANT.

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