Stress’s Impact on Children’s Learning

Fridays @ EBD, reading from What Did You Ask At School Today? by Kamala Mukunda: The meeting began with a discussion on how stress affects children’s academic performance and emotional well-being, with participants sharing personal experiences of being punished for poor academic performance and exploring various risk factors that contribute to emotional difficulties in children. The conversation then shifted to educational challenges faced by first-generation learners in Banjarjour, where parents lack the necessary resources to support their children’s education. The conversation ended with suggestions to connect the Jaabaz Kishori project with Retreat plans and to invite girls from each village to participate, which were acknowledged as important initiatives. Summary Stress’s Impact on Children’s Learning The discussion focused on the impact of stress on children’s academic performance and emotional well-being. Neelashi explained how stress affects memory formation and highlighted the adverse effects of chronic stress on the developing brain. The group shared personal experiences of being punished or scolded for poor academic performance, with Jugjiv and Minakshi recounting instances of detention and parental expectations. Neelashi emphasised that stress is not beneficial for academic achievement and outlined various risk factors that can lead to emotional difficulties in children, including family difficulties, ecological factors, and school practices. The conversation concluded with a call to action for teachers to recognise and address these risk factors to support students’ emotional and academic development. Supporting First-Gen Learners in Bandarjud The discussion focused on the educational challenges faced by first-generation learners in Banjarjour, where parents lack the time and resources to support their children’s education, including basic skills such as holding a pencil. Akanksha suggested connecting the Jabas Kishore project with retreat plans by inviting two girls from each village to participate, either by selling local items or joining the retreat activities. Neelashi acknowledged the importance of these points and mentioned that Juji would take note of the suggestions. AI-generated content may be inaccurate or misleading. Always check for accuracy.

Three authors, three worlds!

This Sunday, The English Book Depot, Dehradun hosted a delightful literary gathering that brought readers and authors together in a warm and welcoming atmosphere.

The event featured Janhavi Prasada, known for Nainital: Through Memory, Stories and History; Rushina Munshaw Ghildiyal, author of Chutney: A Compendium of Stories and Recipes; and our Sir Sandeep Dutt, author of My Good School.

Rather than a formal discussion, the event had a more personal and welcoming tone. Readers got the opportunity to interact with the authors, see their books up close, and appreciate the diverse themes their works explore.

My Good School highlights the importance of values and holistic learning in education. Chutney beautifully combines food heritage with culture and memory. Meanwhile, Janhavi Prasada’s book on Nainital captures the charm, history, and emotional landscape of the beloved hill town — making her meet-and-greet especially meaningful for those connected to the region.

The gathering was simple yet special — a space where literature brought people together, sparked curiosity about different kinds of storytelling, and reminded everyone of the joy of meeting the minds behind the books.

Sometimes, just being in the presence of authors and their work is enough to inspire readers — and this Sunday did exactly that. 

- Sneha at The English Book Depot

BOOKS OF THE WEEK

THE DARK-COLOURED WATERS : A Journey Along River Chenab by Danesh Rana 

ABOUT THE BOOK
The Dark-Coloured Waters is as much the story of a river as it is of a man shaped by its course.
Danesh Rana has had a profound connection with the Chenab. As a child, it flanked family road trips to Kashmir. In the 1990s, it ran through the newspaper headlines of bloodshed and militancy. And in 2002, it flowed past his police station in Ramban during a tense posting flat the heart of conflict. In 2018, on election duty in Himachal Pradesh, Rana arrived at the river’s source – a symbolic homecoming that compelled him to write this book.
Spanning decades and landscapes, The Dark-Coloured Waters traces the Chenab from its mythic origins to the violence-scarred landscape of Jammu and Kashmir. Along the way, Rana blends memoir, travelogue and keen observation to chart the river in all its complexity. Every bend reveals something new – culture and conflict, memory and myth, power and resistance. The Chenab is also a river of diplomacy, enshrined in the Indus Waters Treaty and entangled in the acrimony of India–Pakistan relations. From Bollywood to bloodshed, spiritual quests to statecraft, the Chenab reflects the many Indias that surge along its banks.
This is no linear chronicle, but a riverine journey – restless, reflective and deeply human.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Danesh Rana is an Indian Police Service officer of the AGMUT cadre. He has served for 25 years in different capacities in the three regions of (the erstwhile state of) Jammu and Kashmir. Presently, he is on central deputation with CRPF. His debut novel, Red Maize, won the Tata Literature Live! First book award for fiction in 2015. His second book, a work of non-fiction, As Far as the Saffron Fields: The Pulwama Conspiracy (2022) , is a definitive work on the deadly Pulwama blast of 2019.

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