The Neem Tree and The Bench
Essay by Gorle Asvath Naidu

Essay Writing Competition 2025
Category: 12-15 years
- Commendation -

Senior category: Commendation

The Neem Tree and The Bench - Essay by Gorle Asvath Naidu

The Neem Tree and The Bench

There is a neem tree near the gate of our apartment. It isn’t tall like the coconut trees in the village, but its shadow stretches over the old cement bench beside it. That bench has no name, no plaque, and no one owns it. Yet, every day, it becomes a meeting place of different people and many lessons.

Some days, it is occupied by a newspaper delivery man who rests there after his morning round. Other times, the aunty who sells idlis in the morning leaves her basket under the bench and sits down to rest after hours of steaming and wrapping. Once in a while, my friends I eat snacks there when we get tired after playing. That bench never speaks, but I think it sees and listens more than we do.

One evening, I sat there waiting for Grandma to return from the shop. A group of students, dressed in school uniforms, were trying to fix the tire of a cycle. It had gone flat, and they didn’t know what to do. A vegetable vendor nearby paused his work, walked over, and helped pump air into the tire using a small hand pump he had tied to his cart. The students thanked him, giggling, and rode off cheerfully. When Grandma returned, I told her what I had seen. She smiled and said, "That is what kindness looks like, doing something helpful without expecting anything in return." I nodded, and the image stayed with me like a quiet little story.

In our textbooks, we read about great leaders and major events. But no one tells us about the silent heroes around us, the flower seller, the newspaper man, the cycle-repairing vegetable vendor. They live simply, but teach richly. I believe peace doesn’t begin in speeches and slogans. It begins when someone is confused and someone else pauses to help. It begins under neem trees and on public benches. If I could shape the future, I would fill every city with such benches. Not just to rest tired feet, but to rest tired minds. Benches in parks, outside schools, in quiet corners of busy towns, places where people can sit and watch the world, listen to it, and talk to each other without hurry.

In my future, we would also bring stories back into schools. Not just stories from history books, but everyday stories about kindness, courage, and community. The kind my Grandma used to tell me, sitting beside a brass lamp in the evenings. I also believe we should learn how to speak kindly. Words are free, but their meaning is priceless. I’ve seen classmates teasing others about how they speak, dress, or eat. But I’ve also seen one student offer their pen to another without being asked.

That one moment changed how they treated each other after that. Small words. Big peace. A neem tree stands without asking for attention: steady, strong, and quietly useful. Like the vegetable vendor who helped without being asked, or the students who received kindness with gratitude, peace is found in these small, unnoticed moments. The bench beneath the neem tree is not just a place to sit, but a silent witness to care and connection.

True peace is not made through big declarations, but through small acts, kind thoughts, and shared spaces under the same sky.

Congratulations on your beautifully reflective essay, Gorle! We truly enjoyed your storytelling and the way you highlighted the special moments of compassion. Thank you for sharing such a warm and inspiring vision with us! Well done!

Gorle is 13 years old and attends Delhi Public School. English as first language. Telugu as home language.