I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. – Maya Angelou.

How true are these simple yet evocative words!

My dear students, teachers and parents, each of us humans have been gifted a mind to think, a heart to love and the power to disseminate our thoughts, words and actions. With those whom we bring close to our hearts, we cherish every moment with them and nurture the relationship till it blossoms to our heart’s content.However, my dear students, as much your parents and we at school, try to shelter you from the harsh realities in life, you will have to face the hardships that lie on your paths. These will be tests of your character and your inner strength and your true nature will emerge from these challenges.

What we have to remember is that more than words, more than even deeds, it is the way we make another person feel, that is finally remembered and recognized. There is a form of communication that transcends the power of words and that is the power of emotions.

So, my dear students, let us together make the world a better place, a happy place, where there’s more to life than just the mediocrity of one’s daily grind. Spread sunshine through your smiles and see the reflecting glory fall on you. Spend time with your grandparents and make them feel that they are still wanted. Make your best friend feel as if he or she is the most important person in your life and see how your life suddenly gains momentum and energy.The feelings aroused by the touch of a hand, the smell of a flower, a beautiful sunset, a work of art- all play on the conscious and unconscious aspects of the self and make you a more sublime human being. Maybe a part of our education system should be training in empathy. Imagine how different the world would be if the curriculum prescribed was ‘reading, writing, arithmetic and empathy’!

As Aristotle has rightly put it, “We live in deeds, not in years; thoughts, not breaths; in feelings, not figures on a dial. He most lives who feels most and acts best!”