अभिलाषा मेरे मन की

सदा राग द्वेष से दूर रहूँ
गंगा सा पावन जीवन हो,
बनूँ ज्योति पुंज और स्नेह सिंधु
कोमल काया, निर्मल मन हो।

आँगन में खेले खुशहाली
सौभाग्य सुमन भरा उपवन हो,
वाणीं में मिश्री सी मिठास
औ”स्नेह  सिक्त  हर बंधन हो।

कर्यतव्यों से ना फिरूँ कभी
पर निंदा कभी ना रुचिकर हो,
मुस्कान भरूँ हर जीवन में
करूँ काम जो सबके हितकर हो।

कभी सच का ना छोड़ूँ दामन
और झूठ,प्रपंच से नफ़रत हो,
हर राह सुगम हो जीवन की
खुशियाँ बिखराना फ़ितरत हो।

सुख दुख मैं अपनों के बाँटूँ
हर रिश्ते में अपनापन हो,
उम्मीद पे सबकी खरी उतरूँ
सुख शांतिपूर्ण मेरा जीवन हो।

संतुष्टि का अतुलित कोष मिले
दृष्टांत ये अपना जीवन हो,
यही “अभिलाषा मेरे जीवन की”
प्रभु अंत समय तेरा दर्शन हो।

स्वरचित
9.18.2022             आशा

My heart’s Desire

I should be far from resentment,
The life should be 'pious like mother Gangese'.
And be like the bunch of light rays and the ocean of love'.
I should appear polite and with pure heart.

Our courtyard be full of happiness,
The garden be full of flowers of good fortune.
My voice be sweet like sugar candy.
My relations with all be full of affection.

I should be dedicated to all my duties
Should never like to dispraise others.
Should induce smile for others
My deeds be helpful to all.

I must remain always truthful
And hate the lie and deceit
The way of life to all be easy
By nature I must spread happiness.

I should share and participate in the happiness  and sorrow of others.
There be selflessness in all my relations.
I should prove fruitful to others expectations.
My life be full of ease and peace.

I get the treasure of incomparable contentment.
The life be exemplary
This is the 'wish of my life'
Oh God ! please be visible at the end of my life.

Written by me on
9.18.2022             Asha

ISW walks off with 1st Place Float for the 4th year!

by Bhawna Sadhu, Amita Rao

Hard work and terrific execution with the addition of the ISW Symphony Dhol Tasha Lezim group, put the beautifully decorated ISW Float in first place again making it four years in a row that ISW has received this honor. The parade was part of the Spirit of Shrewsbury festival spanning the weekend and led off with the Shrewsbury's Got Talent show, managed each year by ISW. It was a pleasure to watch more than 40 contestants participating across 4 categories. The amazing contestants ranged from 4 year to 76-year-old with a great mix of talent on display from beat boxing performances to math wizardry. The feedback was uniformly positive with comments from the judges, parents and participants thanking the organizers for such a well-organized platform to showcase talent. Thanks to the ISW Cultural Committee, the judges and ISW Community for supporting this.

On Sunday, the second day of the Spirit of Shrewsbury, ISW participated in the Spirit of Shrewsbury parade. As we celebrate 75 years of India’s independence, ISW presented glimpses of children dressed in the native clothing of the different states in India and gave give a small peek at the amalgamation of cultures and traditions in India. The ISW team was excited to showcase the energetic rhythmic ISW Symphony Dhol Tasha Lezim ensemble - which represented the diversity and inclusiveness of Indian traditions wonderfully. The float was followed by Lezim dancers showcasing the folk-dance form with jingling cymbals that gave extra energy and rhythm. The ISW group give their heart and soul into this performance and had everyone listening to them dancing and enjoying along the way! For the fourth year in a row, the ISW Float was awarded first place. ISW welcomed judges to be part of Spirit of Shrewsbury parade.

The winners of the Shrewsbury’s Got Talent show were

Tiny Tots

• Krithya Krishna
• Jasmin Grover
• Aditya More

Young Icons

• Dali Meng
• Sahasra Singari
• Sahiti Kundu

Terrific Teens

• Advait Bhowmik
• Rihana Dash
• Diya Gopal

Amazing Artists

• Grishma Shah Gandhi
• Naresh Batra
• Shilpi Batra

We thank our judges -

• Bhuvana Ganesh
• Ruchi Chauhan
• Keith Allan Kramer
• Shrinivass.A.B

    

ISW Symphony Dhol Tasha Lezim performs at the Cancer Shakti event

by Ashok Kale

Cancer Shakti Foundation is dedicated to raising cancer awareness and supporting cancer patients and their families. ISW Symphony Dhol Tasha Lezim group (Symphony DTL) was privileged to perform at the Nara Park event.

The evening couldn’t have been better with everything blessed - beautiful lakeside Nara Park, weather holding up for the event, awesome stage decoration, and a variety of entertaining performances. The organizing committee was extremely enthusiastic and very caring for the performers.

Symphony DTL felt proud to be part of this noble cause. The team was fully ready well in advance and was cheering up from the sideline for the ongoing performances with the musical beats.

The whole team was looking awesome, and many attendees couldn’t stop from taking pictures with our team. We added a couple of more local members to our Lezim with onsite training before the event. Also, we introduced one new pattern, especially for this event. Our performance started on the stage with a couple of patterns and then we slowly moved into the dancing audience to upbeat the atmosphere. We performed six different patterns which resonated well with many on the dancing floor (lawn) and was evident from their enthusiastic participation. Our energy was doubled and tripled with such an amazing crowd. 

Above all, finally, the moment of truth when we all went up the hill and lit up the candles in support of breast cancer. Couldn’t have wrapped up the event any better than feeling internal happiness and gratitude.

Thank You.

  

हिंदी दिवस

by Asha Singh, Teacher, ISW Cultural and Language School

    —————————

अपनी भाषा तो हिंदी है

सुंदर गाथा तो हिंदी है ,

मन के भाव को करे व्यक्त

अपनेपन की परिचायक है,

सुंदर इसकी हर ताल व लय

यह सुखकर है सुखदायक है।

आओ इसका सम्मान करें

निज बोल-चाल में आम करें,

जन जन में चेतना लाएं हम

यह गौरव है अभिमान करे।

मातृ भाषा अपनी हिंदी

हम बोलते हैं सुख पाते हैं,

एक दूजे से बाँधे बंधन

आपस में स्नेह लुटाते हैं।

अपने देश की गरिमा ये

दुल्हन के भाल की बिंदी है ,

अपनी तो भाषा हिंदी है

सुंदर गाथा तो हिंदी है !

स्वरचित और अप्रकाशित    Authored and self published

14.9.2022.         आशा

                             (दिल्ली)

Why we should increase the driving age to 18

By Shreya Nippani

Imagine sitting next to your older sibling who just learned to drive a car. You’re zooming around the place when, bang! You crash into another car and the airbags deflate. You should read this because if you know or are related to someone who is about to get their license, you may want to re-think driving with them. My name is Shreya Nippani, I am twelve years old and live in the state of Massachusetts. Today you will read about why the age to drive a car should be increased. I chose this topic because when I come of age to learn to drive, I don’t want to be in any accidents. In this essay I will explain the problems that we currently face from teen drivers, the solution I am proposing to this problem, and what the world looks like if you take my advice or if you don’t.

The main problem which we all are facing is the increasing number of accidents from adolescents and young adults while driving their cars. People are dying and getting badly injured from these accidents and we need to put a stop to this. You might think that the teens have supervision while they first learn to drive, but even then, accidents can happen to the most disciplined. Parents are concerned for their children because not only do they have to pay for any damage, but their child is risking their life as well as others’ lives too.

According to Fox News, “A survey found that most parents of teen drivers have been worried about their kids' safety behind the wheel”. Lots of things can cause accidents to happen; social media, texting friends, as well as talking to people while they drive are only some of the causes. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) found evidence that in 2019 that, “38,800 people were killed in car accidents in the USA”. The CDC also said that in the same year, almost “2,400 teens were killed between ages 13-19 in the USA”. There is not any parent who would want to see their child get hurt. Many people might not even realize this, but there is no necessity for teens to be driving at that young age! Maybe their parents are too busy to drive them around or they just want their children to be more independent - there is nothing wrong with that. But would it hurt just to carpool or take a bus? Are teens just using this privilege to joke around or go to parties? According to the Portola Pilot, “Contrary to popular belief that allowing teens to drive will make them more responsible, 16-year-olds are simply not prepared to handle the mental and physical demands of driving. By just waiting two more years, the critical thinking skills, level of responsibility, and awareness of drivers would be greatly improved. Parents should rethink sending them to drive alone to places for unnecessary reasons. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) says that “an adolescent’s brain is not yet fully developed or matured till the mid or late 20s”.

Sending a teen to drive may not be the best idea considering their brain is embryonic. They aren’t aware of the consequences if they don’t pay attention and are more likely to crash their car. With all this evidence, it shows how dangerous it is for adolescents to be driving.

This is why it is time to change the law!

The solution that I am proposing to this problem is that the age to drive without parental supervision should be increased from 16 to 18 for every U.S. state. This way, there will be fewer accidents, injuries, and casualties. The first step is to spread the word to your local driving schools. We will explain the problem at hand and try to convince them to not allow students below the age of 18 to learn to drive. If that idea fails, the next approach is to create a petition. We will take a survey of parents in our town who agree with our idea, and they will learn more about the consequences and therefore prevent their children from driving at such a young age. This would force driving schools to increase the age they let people learn to drive. Once this has been accomplished, we will go to the governor and explain our idea. Subsequently, we will try to announce this around the country through social media. One way we can spread the word through the internet is by making a video about the consequences of driving when you’re an adolescent. Explaining about the dangers and risks of doing that will make people aware of the problem. Eventually, it will get the attention of governors around the USA and it will be passed to the president. If we have enough advocates, America will become an even safer place for drivers on the road.

Let’s imagine what the world would look like if you don’t take my advice. Your adolescent is sitting in the car with their younger siblings. They are going shopping for groceries and are gone for a long time. Suddenly your phone starts ringing and you answer it. The police have just called to inform you that your children are badly injured and are at the hospital. They tell you that your teen was speeding and the crash resulted in others getting injured as well as the damage of your car. How would you feel if this happened? Would you just punish your child and forget about it? Or would you put a stop to this? There are crashes happening every day in the world and your child could be part of it. How would you like it if every time you go out, you see police everywhere and accidents on every road? You would never be able to get to work on time, ambulances would be stuck in traffic causing harm to their patients, and it would be extremely dangerous for adolescents to be driving in hazardous conditions. Let’s change that now before things get any worse! We can prevent negative consequences from happening if we all work together and support this cause. Just imagine how much better the world would be if we increased the age to drive a car to 18. Your child will be mature enough to know the privileges of having a car and will use it wisely. There will be fewer accidents on the road and it would be safer for everyone to drive. Take my advice and support the cause! Let’s make the roads a safer place for everyone by extending the age to drive to 18.

Today we took a hard look at the facts of what makes teen drivers so dangerous, the solution I provided of changing the legal age to drive to 18, and what the world would look like if we don’t make a change. You can make a difference in the world so your children can live a safe and happy life. Vote to change the age to drive so there will be fewer accidents. Spread the word to everyone you know and explain to them how vital it is to increase the age to drive to 18. To all those adolescents out there, inform your friends about this so you can all stay safer on the roads.

Join the cause today and let’s drive safe!

स्वतंत्रता दिवस

—————-

वर्षों से गुलामी की बेड़ी में

अपनी भारत माँ जकड़ी थीं ,

दी लहू की आहुति वीरों  नें

ऐसी ज्वालाएँ भड़की थीं ।

कुर्बानीं उनकी रंग लाई

शुभ आजादी की घड़ी आई ,

जयघोष से गूँज उठा अंबर

रोमॉच से ऑखें भर आईं ।

संघर्ष था जारी बरसों से

अब “विजय”ने ली है अँगड़ाई,

अंबर पे तिरंगा लहराया

मन में खुशियों की बहार आई।

अपनी धरती अपना ये गगन

उन्मुक्त हो गया अपना चमन,

हम प्रेम के बीज को बोएँगे

महकेंगे घर महकेगी पवन।

आओ हम उन वीरों के

सपनों को अब साकार करें,

उन्नत ललाट रहे भारत का

दुनियाँ में सदा उपकार करें।

काश हमारी मातृभूमि से

दु:ख का ,छल का पाप कटे,

पुण्य का पनपे बीज यहाँ

खुशहाली की फ़सल कटे।

भारत माता की जय!

वंदे मातरम !

7 .17 . 2022           आशा

"INDEPENDENCE DAY"

Mother India was enslaved,

For many many years,

Our brave warriors shed their blood

For the flame of freedom.

Their sacrifice resulted,

In the auspicious hour of freedom,

The sky echoed with applause,

And eyes were filled with tears of joy.

The struggle of many many years,

Then resulted in success,

The tricolor flag waved in the sky,

Bringing a tide of happiness.

It is now our land and our sky,

Our garden is also freed,

We will sow the seed of love in it,

To fill our home with its fragrance.

Let us remember those brave fighters,

And make their dreams a reality,

Let India hold its head high with pride

Let us help others in this world.

We wish that our dear mother land,

Be free of the sin of deception and sorrow,

Let the seed of virtue grow,

And harvest happiness,

Long live Mother Bharat.

Vande Mataram.

7 .17 .2022.          Asha

By Ayan Mishra, Grade 7

Hi, my name is Ayan Mishra. I live in Shrewsbury with my mom, dad and dog, Muffin. My parents were born and brought up in India and I am an Indian American by origin. I have been associated with the culture and traditions of India since birth since I have been visiting India every year with my parents. This article is very special because it talks about India’s historical 75^th Independence Day. This day reminds us of the various sacrifices that many freedom fighters made to get India freedom and independence from the British Rule. This day and the year of the 75^th Independence is being celebrated not only in India but in many countries across the globe with much ardor and pride, with people from different walks of life coming together. This special year is called “Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav” to celebrate 75 years of progressive India and the glorious history of its people, culture and achievements!

India declared independence on August 15^th, 1947. Many revolutionaries fought and died so India could get its freedom from British Raj. The Indian Independence movement began during World War I and was led by freedom revolutionary Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. Some other revolutionaries who joined and led this movement were Subhash Chandra Bose, Bhagat Singh, Rani Laxmibai and Lala Lajpatrai.

The first name that comes to our mind when we talk about Independence is, the father of the nation, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi who was also known as Mahatma Gandhi. His famous hunger strikes and non-violence methods helped unite the nation. He was born on October 2nd 1869 and the entire nation celebrates this day as Gandhi Jayanthi. Gandhi was a lawyer, and founded several organizations which include the Non-cooperation movement, the Dakshina Bharat Hindi Prachar Sabha and the National Indian Congress. One fun fact about Gandhi is that he got his start as an activist in South Africa, not India. While he was in South Africa Gandhi faced discrimination which ultimately motivated him to campaign for the civil rights of Indians in South Africa and later leading the revolutionary movement in India along with many other strong revolutionaries.

This year marks the 75^th Independence Day and Indians all across the world are celebrating this big day in their own ways. Let’s start with our country, India. The first prime minister raised the Indian flag for the first time above the Lahori Gate of the Red Fort in Delhi to mark our freedom from the British. This has become a tradition and this year our Prime Minister, Narendra Modi will raise our flag at the same place that the first prime minister did when we gained independence from the British. UAE is going to light up the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa in the colors of the Indian flag. New York city in the US is planning to light up the Empire State building with the tri-colors. This a moment of pride for all our Indians!

Last but not the least, our own ISW is back with our India Day, celebrating this historical year at the DCU center on August 6^th. This is one event that I have attended as a kid through my growing years always and have beautiful memories of attending and participating in the cultural program, singing the national anthem, participating in the parade, playing in the kids’ zone and lastly enjoying all the yummy dishes from different restaurants. I cannot wait to attend India Day this year and am hoping to see many of my friends at the event.

Wishing everyone a very Happy 75^th Independence Day!

ISW launched the new ISW Sports Committee and inaugurated the outdoor sports facilities on July 9th with the volleyball and pickleball courts. Pickleball is a game gaining quite a lot of popularity in America and is being enjoyed by people of all ages as it provides a decent level of exercise and is easy on the body! It is quite the combination of Tennis, Badminton and Ping Pong (aka table tennis). Volunteers painted the court according to the official court dimensions and kept it ready for the July 9th Sports Day Celebration.

Pickleball attracted quite a crowd since it was something new and people were fascinated and wanted to learn about it. Our friend, Suhas Biwalkar, came down from NH to explain the rules of the game, which thankfully are simple and not very complicated. There were many matches held and almost a queue of people waiting to play. Many people who came for volleyball opted for pickleball instead.

From the Chess Corner!

Thanks to Radhika Chintapalli, who set up several chess sets for those interested, a sophomore in high school learned chess over 3 hours without checking her phone! It even attracted two visitors from another private function at the India Center and who’s chess playing attracted quite a crowd. People of different ages, from 6 years to 50 years, played and enjoyed chess.

Abhijeet Nikte, Chair ISW Sports Committee

 

by Ayan Mishra

Hi, my name is Ayan Mishra. I am 11 years old and live in Shrewsbury with my mom and dad. I am going to start the 7th grade this September. I am an avid swimmer and like to play basketball and tennis.

Today I will be talking about my trip to India. During quarantine my parents and I really wanted to go to India but we couldn't because of the new variant and all of the Covid cases. In November 2021, we decided to go in December during my Christmas break, however we couldn’t because my dadima fell sick and only my dad could go visit her. We then finally decided to go to India in April from the 7th to the 23rd. When I got to the airport, I was really excited. We reached the airport 3 hours before the flight and we were at the gate for 2 hours. We were in boarding group 3. When we got on the plane, I immediately looked at the screen and saw what movies the flight had. They had all my favorite movies and I watched 7 movies. The flight took 18 hours to go from Boston to Doha. At Doha, I met my cousin, Prisha, and bua, they were traveling the same day to India, but had boarded the plane from New York. She was also going to New Delhi and was on my flight. Her seat was much behind me. The flight from Doha to India was very short and flew by fast. 3 ½ hours after we left, the Pilot finally announced, “We have landed in Delhi, India”. We went into the airport, said goodbye to my cousin, grabbed our bags and left. When I went outside, I immediately started sweating. It was 90 degrees at 2am! We got in a taxi and drove for an hour to my Dadu’s home in Gurugram. I was so excited to meet him after 2 years!

We got to my Dadu’s home at 3 in the morning and stayed awake the whole day. For breakfast we had Paneer Pakoras, some yummy jalebis from a famous shop and chips. To avoid jetlag, we then thought of stepping out and very quickly the day became sooo boring because I had to go shopping with my parents. One exciting part of the day is that we also went to Pizza Hut and tried some Paneer Tikka Pizza. It was delicious!

The next afternoon we went to my Nanu and Nani’s house in Faridabad. I was so excited to meet them after 3 and a half years! Before we left, I had asked my Nani to make Chole Bhature for lunch. She made it and it was amazing! We stayed there in the evening and I had so much fun catching up with my Nani and Nanu. The next morning, we woke up early and my Nani and Nanu took us to see the Red Fort, Rashtrapati Bhavan, India Gate, Connaught place and South-ex which is one of the posh areas in Delhi. At South-ex, my mom and Nani bought some things for the wedding (I will talk about this later).

In the afternoon, we got hungry, so we went to a McDonalds and ate this amazing aloo tikki burger. I have had that burger multiple times and that is my favorite burger. We then continued driving around and seeing a few more places before we headed back home.

We decided to take it easy the next day, and my Nanu showed me a great show called Race to The Center of The Earth. We watched the show till the afternoon and had our little discussions while watching it. We then went to a glasses shop where they made a pair of glasses for me in just 15 minutes, I was impressed! After getting my glasses my mom and Nani wanted to go buy some clothes. They dragged me and my Nanu along. After 3-4 hours of shopping, we all decided that it was too hot and we went to get some Vadilal Ice Cream. When we got back, we were all tired and we immediately slept.

In the morning of the next day we headed to my Dadu’s home because my mom had to do some work for a village school. My mom is part of an organization called Sewa International. My mom is a part of their SHE program (sanitation, hygiene and empowerment of the girl child). She went to a village school to create awareness about hygiene and importance of education for girls. The SHE program also helps in building clean toilets in schools for girls. After our trip to the village, in the evening my cousins Aadi and Vinayak came over and we chatted and had a lot of fun. Vinayak said “that was the most English I have ever said in a conversation”. They only came over for 3 hours though, I wish they stayed longer. On the other hand, the next day when we went back to my Nanu and Nani’s home a lot of my cousins came over, though only one of them was my age. His name was Aarav. We played a lot of video games. Over the weekend, my mom's school friends also came over, they have been together for 25 years now, and one of them had a son also named Aarav. We played some video games at first and then built a tank out of Legos.

After that we went shopping to prepare for one of my mom's cousins' weddings. My mom bought a fancy wedding dress and my Nani wore so much jewelry. I also bought a fancy kurta and vest. At 4:30AM we took a taxi to the train station which was an hour away. When we got to the train station it took us 40 minutes to get in because of the huge crowds. We finally got on the train, which was going to Jalandhar, where the wedding took place. It was my first time on an Indian train and I was so excited. It was a great ride. The train moved really fast and there were a lot of people on the train, everybody had a seat though. I didn’t eat much on the train because I am not used to the outside food there and I didn’t want to get sick.

When we got to Jalandhar, we had a chauffeur waiting for us to drive us to the wedding venue. When we got to the resort our chauffeur took our bags and we went downstairs to attend the Haldi Rassam. The food there was delicious! After 2-3 hours of meeting relatives and clicking some photos, we went to our rooms. My Nani and Nanu had one and me, my mom and my dad had another room. We relaxed and slept in our rooms until it was time for the Shaadi. There were at least 200 different dishes in the buffet. I tried maybe 4 or 5 of them, but the chole bhature were the best ones though. I went back to my room at 11pm, 1 hour before the shaadi ended. When we woke up we went to the breakfast room, ate a quick meal and left to go to Amritsar.

We got to Amritsar at 11am. We went to the Golden Temple where we had to take off our shoes. The ground was so hot that it burned my feet even though I had walked on the carpet and dipped my feet in water every few seconds. The Golden Temple was beautiful. After we went to the Golden Temple I started to feel sick from the heat. I had a cold Limca but what I really wanted was water. We then went to Jallianwala Bagh where the British massacred innocent Indians who were enjoying their day. Some Indians jumped in a well but the British shot them too. Jallianwala Bagh had one entrance/exit which the British had blocked off so the Indians couldn’t escape. There were no survivors and barely any British casualties.

I was then really getting sick and almost threw up. Mom finally called the driver and I jumped in the car and drank two bottles of water. We asked the driver to then take us to a famous Chole Kulche shop in Amritsar for lunch. We had them while sitting in the car in the AC, since it was boiling outside! This shop was famous and their food was delicious! We then came back to the station to take the train back home. I didn't eat anything on the train except 2 ice creams. When we got home, I immediately slept because I was tired from the travel and the heat. In the morning I said goodbye to my Nanu and Nani and we headed back to Gurugram for the last few days.

The last few days were about shopping, running around, getting our covid tests done, and somewhat relaxing. I did fall sick the last two days of our trip, but my Nanu’s friend, doctor nanu, helped me with some medicines and I was able to take the flight home.

When we got back I was most excited to meet (guess who), Muffin! She was so excited to meet us and more excited to come home. My trip to India was great with some new experiences of traveling by the train and visiting two new cities! My parents and I really enjoyed it.

I hope you enjoy it reading it. Thank you for reading!

Winter

by Shreya Mukkamala Nippani
Grade 6, Saint Bernadette School, Northborough

When the snow starts to fall
And the wind starts to call
That’s when you know that winter has come
And that it’s time to have some fun
The snow falls bit by bit
I hope my mittens still fit
In the snow, there is so much to do
Build a snowman or have a snowball fight too
Remember to put on a carrot nose
And take a little selfie pose
After that you can go sledding
And slide down the soft snow bedding
A little bit later, you go inside
And as you walk to the kitchen you find
A cup of warm hot chocolate with marshmallows
And accidentally get some on your nose
It’s been a long and fun day
And now you know the best way
To spend your snow day