We're all in a jungle,

plunged into a lair of the uncanny,

where all bloody beasts hide

and disguise their social cannibalism

with a handsome or beautiful smile

We're in a forest of unexpected lions,

where each human is like walking meat,

we're all prey,

we always have to be on our toes,

because the betraying bushes

conspire with the red eyes

of awaiting vile tigers.

                                             By Kakraba Afful

You buried my soul deep into

the inner core of the earth

and now the fiendish magma

rises to burn it with ease,

now my arteries melt

in this romantic disease

My spirit cries,

trailing, lingering home

and the tears just wash my whole

world away,

my mind, plunged into oblivion,

I'm a walking forgotten soul,

the shades of my eyes, turn

colourless, transparent as emptiness,

because I have lost the power

to fathom the eyes that gave me rest

Now I am a slave

to your callous departure,

confidence, crippled, battered and bruised,

my being, denounced from the world,

like it never even existed

You, my talisman have let me,

and I am now powerless,

shrouded with defeat

and wearing the sackcloth of sadness,

my tears are unending,

a melancholic waterfall.

                                              By Kakraba Afful

Dignity means worthy of honor and respect.

All works should be respected and valued.

There’s dignity in any job done with honor.

*No work is below one’s dignity. In Gandhi’s ashram everyone did any king of work because every job, including sweeping and cleaning, is important. Remember that if a particular ob is left undone, there will be a problem. For example, if the person who sweeps the classroom doesn’t do the work, the classroom will be dirty. Would you like to study in a dirty classroom?

At Sabaramati

Mahatma Gandhi’s Sabaramati Ashram is located in quiet and peaceful place on the banks of the Sabaramati River. Hriday Kunj, the temple simple cottage where Gandhi lived, is now a national monument and kept as it was during the Mahatma’s lifetime.

The ashram was a busy place when Gandhi lived there. It was the centre of India’s freedom movement. Many people came to visit Gandhi. They worked together to free India from the British. Any visitor to the ashram had to follow certain simple rules, such as personally keeping the Ashram, particularly the toilets, clean.

Everyone id the work happily because they saw that Gandhi himself took part in any work that needed to be done –including cleaning the toilets. There were no servants at the ashram. Gandhi said that it was not right for one person to make a place dirty and have another person to clean up. Everyone had to clean their own plates, wash their own clothes and take part in any work there was. Gandhi believed in the dignity of manual work.

• Your classmate accidentally spills her lunch on the floor of your classroom. Some children suggest that she call the servant to clean up. Some children tell her to clean up by herself. Some children offer to help her clean up.

15th August 1947, a day of immense proportions, my country got independence and we the citizens of this country got the opportunity to breathe in fresh and free air. Thanks to all the freedom fighters who struggled and toiled hard to see their motherland free from the clutches of those Britishers.

But that was then, now the times have changed, and its really a pity that this country has again become a slave. Slave to corruption, slave to blind baseless rituals, slave to regionalism and religion, slave to superstitions. Go to any Government department and you will come to know, the only thing that works there is "MONEY", even the judiciary is not free from this evil of corruption. Cases are made and solved with money only.

Day in and day out we hear about riots and fights happening and people from different religions fighting over small issues. I cant understand, how does it makes a difference if someone believes in god, allah or bhagwaan, after all in the end, we all have to submerge into ashes only. And why to fight while we are alive. This life is really short for spreading love even
One more thing that's making we the people of this country slaves is the baseless rituals and superstitions that we guys possess. Just a couple of days back, my friend RaJ was talking about a thing called Nazar (said others may envy her success and may curse her) and she really believed in this crap. Now if such is the status of an educated youth of India, what can you expect from those who are not so educated. If such is the case why does'nt Roger Federer or even Sonia Gandhi are affected by it, the main thing thats most important is the work you put in and then only you can succeed, thats it. Then none will envy you. We have to come out of this sick mentality.

I as a youth of this country seriously believe that time has come that we shall come and join hands and raise our voices against these evils, that has engulfed this beautiful country. I agree, India is shining. GDP is rising. Industrialisation is their. we are becoming developed but, what about those who are Below Poverty Line, their number is increasing, what about child labour, what about girls being raped, what about widening gap of sex ratio, what about illiteracy and gosh their are many more things, that need to be sorted out, and I am ready to do whatever I can to play my part and make my country independent from these evils.
My India will be independent again......