Scrapbook: Drawings and poems by students from across India

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  Flowers Around Me
  I raised a tiny rose
  In front of my house.
  It is shiny in its look,
  And hurts if we took.
  I lifted a small jasmine,
  Its charm made me feel fine,
  Coaxing with its tempting smell
  It’s beyond comprehension if I tell.
  These two blossoms are-
  still asking us to take care.
  I like jasmine’s aroma because,
  It is better than the thorns of the rose
  Aflah Tanur, VIII, IUAC Tanur, Malappuram, Kerala

  My best friend
  I miss my best friend,
  When she’s away,
  My memories disappear.
  All the naughty things
  We’ve done are all gone.
  I miss my best friend,
  She went away
  I’m all alone.
  And our talks are all gone.
  I miss my best friend
  And she came back
  We are friends forever.
  S. Kayal, III, D.A.V Girls Sr. Sec. School, Gopalapuram, Chennai, Tamil Nadu

  A natural life
  As a young girl, Lily had always been interested in Nature. Growing up in the city, she didn’t have many opportunities to explore her passion for the outdoors. But, as she got older, she decided to make a change. She moved to the countryside and started focusing on gardening and sustainable living. Lily’s passion for organic gardening quickly became a way of life. She spent her days tending to her vegetable garden, carefully selecting seeds and nurturing the soil. She learned about companion planting and crop rotation, and experimented with natural pest control techniques. As her garden flourished, so did Lily’s sense of purpose. She started sharing her harvest with her neighbours and friends, and eventually started selling her produce at the local farmer’s market. But for Lily, it wasn’t just about the food. It was about the connection she felt with the earth and the sense of responsibility she had to care for it. She started composting, recycling, and reducing her waste in every way possible. She even started keeping bees, using their honey as a natural sweetener. Living an organic lifestyle wasn’t always easy but, for Lily, it was worth it. She felt more connected to the world around her than ever before, and she knew that she was doing her part to create a better future for the planet.
  Shams Qumar, VIII, Darul Huda, Punganur, Andhra Pradesh

  Friends together
  We all have some fights or conflicts. Whether it is for a popcorn or pencils. Only today, I witnessed a wrestling championship in my school and the price was popcorn. Worth it, right? Sadly, it was a tie. But today I am not going to talk about that. I am going to tell you about an imaginary conflict between me and… let’s say a girl named Reenu, my former best friend. We shared everything with each other. There wasn’t any “This is mine, this is yours” between us. But here comes the twist. A new girl comes and snags Reenu. What would I have done? Aggressive people may have punched the new girl on her face. But not me. Instead, I suggested that we three could be friends. Guess what? She agreed! After that fiasco, I sometimes felt insecure, but I soon got over that. In my imagination, of course.
  Shreya Nikhil Doshi, V, Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan Sr. Sec. School-T. Nagar, Chennai, Tamil Nadu

  Food for the bird
  A little bird flew
  When searching for a food
  Suddenly fell a leaf
  Cut by a worm’s bite,
  Seeing its meal
  It was happy
  And it flew like a ray.
  A. Vivith, V, SBOA Junior College, Chennai, Tamil Nadu

  A Christmas gift
  I cannot wait anymore
  Finally, Christmas is here
  Has Santa started packing?
  Did he get my wish this year?
  Wrapped in green are gifts of hope
  Wrapped in red are gifts of joy
  Wrapped in gold are gifts of love
  Wrapped in silver are gifts of peace
  I wonder what I will find in mine
  A gift for me, you and the entire world
  So, listen carefully for the jingle of his sleigh,
  his merry laugh, bringing Christmas spirit
  Norah Liz Roy, III A, The Choice School, Thiruvalla, Kerala

  The power of art
  A canvas, brushed with paint,
  A sculpture, of a god or saint.
  Art can be anything, in any form,
  When it comes to beauty,
  Nothing can be wrong.
  A singer’s tune, or a dancer’s feet,
  Drawing the moon, or making doodles, messy or neat,
  Making jewelry out of resin, or cutting paper, too,
  Where is beauty.…
  Ditya Dave, VI, The Indian Public School, Chennai, Tamil Nadu

  Saint Nick in town
  Saint Nick is coming to town,
  And the reindeer want candy cane,
  No snow in Kottayam,
  The chimney must be opened,
  And Santa will want milk and cookies.
  Come and celebrate Christmas with me,
  Love and thanks for Christ,
  And there is food to eat,
  Unseen gifts every year,
  Santa, every child wants to see you.
  Yohaan John Ancheril, V, Pallikoodam, Kottayam, Kerala

  My friends
  My friends are mine
  Everyone likes me
  And play with me
  And help me too
  They learn with me
  I love them all
  I love, I share, I fight
  I play with my friends
  And when I ask,
  “Do you like me?”
  They will say,
  “To the moon and back.”
  Advik Anoop, I, Kendriya Vidyalaya-MEGy, Bengaluru, Karnataka

  Masks Our Best Friend
  Hello, Mask How are you ? You are my friend
  During COVID, you protected me
  Let’s forget the pain and go back to school again
  No more waves can harm us
  No chains can stop us.
  You have returned my dreams of school,
  You have reunited my lost friends with me
  The pretty world isn’t the way it was before
  Instead a new day lies on the shore
  Let’s go back to school again
  To do some new tasks again
  Yuvansh Chaudhary, VI, St. Albans School, Faridabad, Haryana