Tag: blogger

Suffering from boredom? Here are some ways you can kill it.

 

Although we have the entire world today at an arm’s length, our mobile phone. We can’t help feeling bored and empty after scrolling through endless feeds on Facebook and Instagram, binge watching an uncountable number of series and movies across different video streaming platforms, unlocking each and every item available in our favourite video games, and using almost every app on our phone. 


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It is time to look beyond what our phones have to offer. It’s as simple as looking for another source of happiness when something you have been doing fails to excite you. Here are some of the activities that can help you while suffering from boredom. 

Sing a song


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Sing for yourself. Not for someone else. Don’t seek approval from anyone. Play your favourite song in the background and sing along. You will eventually get better at it and also feel better. Doing things for oneself is the best gift we can give to ourselves. 

Dance to your favourite song


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Dance in your room when no one’s looking, or dance at a party without caring if anyone’s looking. You’ve got to get your blood and adrenaline pumping. That’s how you end your suffering from boredom and kill it under your prancing feet. 

Play your favourite song


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If you don’t feel like trying the activities above, play your favourite song. You will automatically find yourself singing and dancing to the tunes. Playing music on your phone is surely the easiest form of entertainment you can seek. But avoid the urge to visit social media as you play your favourite song in the background. Observe and understand the lyrics of the song, and let your imagination run wild on the foreground. You can be the hero romancing your heroine, or the other way around in your favourite song. 

Write a song


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It sounds complicated, but it’s not. Have you ever jokingly or unknowingly replaced a word or a phrase from your favourite song, and it still sounded perfect? Do it a little seriously this time at a greater length for the sake of your suffering from boredom. Try doing it over consecutive days instead of doing it at a single stretch of time.  

Take pictures


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Here’s another activity that involves your phone, but it’s worth your time. Take pictures of anything that appeals to your sight. From the colourful rubix cube sitting on your desk, to the sun rising from the east. There are many things worth capturing around you, which you can find as you observe your surroundings with your eyes wide open. Suffering from boredom might actually come in handy here as you try finding beauty in little things to entertain yourself. 

Call a friend


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We humans are social beings, so why not share your suffering in boredom with your friends? The conversation might probably begin with, “Dude, I am so bored”, to “so see you at 5”. You can come up with something interesting between the opening and closing lines. There, you have managed to kill it and end your suffering from boredom. 

Play an instrument


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It’s time to pick up that keyboard, guitar, or drums that is catching dust in the corner and start creating music. It does sound like a daunting task, to me. But playing an instrument to your favourite song will be a more delightful experience. 

Draw something


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Be it a doodle at the last page of your notebook, or a full sized drawing on an A4 size paper. Drawing gives the satisfaction of having created something. Creation is the best medicine for someone suffering from boredom. You might have heard yourself saying many times that I am bad at drawing, but the final results of your creation on paper is often much better than you imagined. At least if you draw from reference instead of drawing from your imagination. 

There are other activities you can take up such as learning a new language or taking up a specialization course in a field of your interest. But this article focuses on simple pleasures one can experience while suffering from boredom and finding ways to kill it. 

You can also come with some of your own activities and mention them in the comment section to help others kill boredom. Myself included. 

How to overcome your feeling of shyness.

 

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Imagine this. It’s the beginning of a new academic year in a new school or college and you enter a classroom full of chattering students. Does that sound like a nightmare to you? Do you wish that a teacher or a professor should enter the class soon so that there will be silence and you won’t feel left out? If you do, you know that you are a shy person. Shyness is an obstruction that prevents you from presenting yourself in a social situation. One might even find ways to avoid a social situation due to his or her shyness. 

Shy people often wait for the others to begin a conversation and hope to be invited into their friend circle. Once they become comfortable around a bunch of people, they seem to have overcome their shyness and become the life of the party around them. 

Why could you be shy?


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During such daunting social situations, you might have had this question in your mind, “Why am I so shy?” The answer could range from something serious such as being bullied, or subtle such as lack of experience with social situations. There are also biological aspects such as genetics that influence the trait of shyness within a person. Shyness is often the result of the environment and an individual’s relationship with their parents. 

Having had strict or doting parents during childhood could result in the development of shyness in an individual. Shy parents could also render their children to be shy. Public humiliation or overly critical workspaces develop a sense of shyness among adults. 

 How to overcome your feeling of shyness


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You might be racking your brain right now, trying to figure out how you can overcome the feeling of shyness like me. But let us first take a moment to figure out our strengths as a shy person. It might seem less likely but you might get pleasantly surprised! 

  • Being shy puts you at an advantage in certain kinds of job profiles. In this aggressive and competitive world, being calm and considerate is valued and anticipated among therapists, counselors and other social-service oriented careers. 

  • Your shyness, which results in a calm and composed stature may seem as less intimidating and approachable for many people. Newbies might feel more comfortable approaching you than the competitive and loud person nearby. 

  • Being a shy person, you might rethink choices you need to make in difficult situations. It might probably slow you down but would help you arrive at the right decision. 

With our strengths out of the way, let us focus on the steps you can take to overcome shyness. 

Observe your friends or a family member


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There are people around us like close friends and family members who relatively lean on the bolder and talkative side of the spectrum. They might be able to get things done by talking and socialising at an event might be easier for them. You can take cues from them and act accordingly when you feel shy. 

Start simple

Initiating a conversation with a stranger is often intimidating as we might not always know what to say. You can start simple by introducing yourself and asking questions such as “Where are you from?”, “What kind of hobbies do you enjoy?”, or you can ask for a simple favor or information. Asking questions can help you know the person better and you may find some similar hobbies and interests that you can talk about. 

Join groups with similar interests

Find groups of similar interests and hobbies, you will have a lot to talk and share about with people in such places. 

Visualise being bold


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One of the effective ways to overcome shyness is to imagine yourself as bold and confident. An upcoming social situation need not be feared with the imagination of embarrassment and humiliation. Instead, visualise yourself having a good time talking to people. 

So there you go! These are some of the ways you can overcome shyness. Do embrace yourselves as you make progress with overcoming your shyness. There are considerate and helpful people who are willing to accept you the way you are. 

Cheapest places to visit for Indians

 

Taking a trip to a foreign country is a dream left unattended by many. Considering the conveyance charges, hotel expenses, and higher value of foreign currency. But it’s time to chase your dreams as there are beautiful and picturesque views across different countries for which you won’t have to pay a fortune. We will be focusing on countries with almost equivalent or lower currency value to an Indian rupee. 

From neighbouring countries to some distant lands, here are some cheapest places to visit from India within your budget. 

Bhutan- A carbon negative country

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Bhutan, one of the neighbouring countries of India is home to picturesque views of snowy peaks and lush green forests. A unique feature of Bhutan is that its forests cover 72% of their land, thus making it a carbon neutral, or even carbon-negative zone. Bhutan is famously known for evaluating the happiness index of their country while the rest of the world measures their economic wealth. 

Tourists can visit the Buddhist monasteries on the mountains and participate in Bhutanese festivals. Adventurers can immerse themselves in its shadowy forests and wilderness for a phenomenal experience. Hotel rooms and food are similarly prized as in the states of India. It is regarded as one of the cheapest places to visit for Indians. 

Conveyance charges

Tourists can travel by flight from Delhi, Kolkata, Bagdogra, Bodh Gaya, and Guwahati in India to Paro international airport in Bhutan. Ticket charges range from 5,500 INR to 11,000 INR (one way), depending on your boarding choice. Railways is the cheapest mode of transport to Bhutan. Trains are available regularly from Delhi, Kanpur and Kolkata to Hasimara, a town on the Indo-Bhutan border. 

Hotel Charges

Prices vary based on your choice of accommodation from 2,000 INR and more. 

Indonesia- World’s largest island country.

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Whether you are an avid adventurer, or a complete opposite, Indonesia has something for both the spectres of personalities. It is a land in possession of pristine waters, scenic islands and diverse cultural tribes. Bali is the most popular and sought after tourist spot in Indonesia due to its extravagant temples, beautiful mountains and exciting nightlife. But there are several other places to visit in Indonesia such as Gili islands, Maluk beach, lake Toba and many more that serve different prospects and interests of tourists visiting Indonesia. 

Conveyance charges

Air travel, presumably from Mumbai or Delhi to Jakarta, the capital city of Indonesia may cost you approximately 20,000 INR.

Hotel Charges

Although conveyance charges are seemingly high, a decent hotel room for a night can cost 2,000 INR. You can further cut costs by opting for home stays. 

Laos- For a meditative experience

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Are you yearning for a peaceful and a soothing experience during your vacation? Look no further than Laos. Visit the Bokeo national reserve and enjoy the privilege of staying in a treehouse and traveling in a zipline across the forests. You may also spot a black Gibbon, an endangered species of animal found in China and Laos. Witness the longest river cave systems in the world illuminated by miner’s lamps creating stunning visuals only in Laos. There is a lot more to explore in this culturally rich country. 

Conveyance charges

The easiest way to travel from India to Laos is by air transport. Flight travel can cost from 10,000 INR to 12,000 INR (one way). Prices may vary based on your boarding point. 

Hotel charges

Charges for a hotel room per night may begin from 1,200 INR and above. Depending on the place you choose to stay. 

Malaysia- Truly Asia

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With Malaysia, it’s probably the time to marvel at some magnificent manmade structures as this country houses the futuristic Petronas Towers, colonial buildings and palaces. Tourists can also indulge in Scuba diving and Snorkeling to witness the amazing coral reefs and lay on its soft sandy beaches. There is also a UNESCO world heritage site, namely mount Kinabalu which is the tallest mountain in the country. Malaysia forms the perfect blend of cities and nature preserves as there are plenty of places to indulge in shopping as well as immerse in the beauty of nature. 

Conveyance charges

Air travel from India to Malaysia can approximately cost 16,000 INR (One way). Prices may vary according to the boarding point. 

Hotel charges

Prices could range from under 1,000 INR upon booking in advance. 

Here’s the list of affordable places for you to fulfil your international vacation dreams.There are also tourism packages available for these places from sites such as makemytrip, yatra, thomascook, and more. The list is short indeed, but it makes it easier to decide

Happy Journey!

National Education Day!

 

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Education is highly sought after around the world. It often acts as the key to knowledge and wisdom in different areas of our lives. From four year old kids to adults, everyone is indulged in learning something at schools, colleges or even homes. Whether you like it or not, the sense of achievement one experiences as they clear an examination and witness their qualification add value to their name (Ashish Edwin LLB for example) is priceless. 

Today is regarded as National Education day in India on account of the birth anniversary of India’s first education minister named Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad. He served as the first education minister for an independent India. The National Education day has been observed every year on November 11th since 2008. 

Who was Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad?

Abdul Kalam Azad was an independence activist, writer and a senior member of the Indian national congress. After India became independent, he went on to become the first education minister of an independent India. He was fondly referred to as Maulana, a hororrary term meaning ‘Our master’. He took up Azad (free) as his pen name for his writings. 

His contribution to the educational foundation of India is remembered by celebrating National Education Day on his birth anniversary across India. 

A journalist

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At an early age, he began his career as a journalist by contributing to Urdu newspapers and magazines. He further went on to purchase a monthly journal, until its closure due to lack of resources. He also became an editor for a newspaper from Amritsar. 

A freedom fighter

Azad heavily criticised the British and Muslim politicians of his time. He opposed the British for discriminating and failing to provide for the needs of Indian civilians, and opposed the Muslim leaders as they focused on communal issues over common interests of the nation. Azad, alongside two others are accredited to the establishment of Jamia Millia Islamia Institution of higher education in Delhi. It was being run solely by Indians without any British involvement. 

His post independence career

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Azad initiated the construction of schools and colleges, and encouraged children and adults for enrollment to popularise formal education. Being India’s first minister of education, he encouraged educational privileges to be extended to the rural population and girls. He also laid emphasis on free and compulsory education for children till the age of 14. Azad addressed the All India Education conference on 16th January 1948 stating that, 

“ We must not for a moment forget, it is a birthright of every individual to receive at least the basic education without which he cannot fully discharge his duties as a citizen.” By Abdul Kalam Azad.

The first Indian Institute of Education (IIT) was established by the ministry of education in 1951 under his leadership. He also encouraged the development of the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore, alongside the faculty of technology in Delhi university. 

How is the National Education Day celebrated?

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Educational institutions across India celebrate this day by conducting seminars and workshops, holding essay writing and elocution competitions, and initiating rallies with banners and slogans that emphasises the importance of education, in remembrance of the honorable Abdul Kalam Azad’s emphasis on importance of education during his tenure as the education minister of India. 

Communication, but non-verbal ones!

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Communication is an important tool for us to share our thoughts and ideas with each other. When we use this tool to associate with strangers, it has to be done skillfully. Thus the term communication skills became generic and many people began teaching them or learning them. However, communication need not be confined to typical speech and verbal boundaries. Your facial expressions and gestures also communicate your thoughts to the intended audience. Thus, proving the existence of non-verbal communication. 

Non-verbal communication 

The key to a successful personal or professional relationship lies in your communication skills. But it is not simply the words you use that counts. The non-verbal communication you make with your facial expressions, mannerisms, and gestures brings a lot of difference in a situation. These non-verbal cues are often expressed in a subconscious state of mind. 

While communicating with a person, you send silent messages apart from a typical speech with your expressions, tone of speech and posture. These non-verbal cues have the power to attract and draw the audience’s attention towards you or leave them confused and withdrawn from you. 

Sometimes, the message we convey from our verbal communication is different from the one we express through our non-verbal communication. For example, saying you are happy as you put up a sad face. This renders the audience in a confused state of mind regarding believing the verbal or non-verbal cues.  Finally, they may choose to follow the non-verbal cues as it is often expressed in a subconscious manner. 

 Segments of non-verbal communication

Now that you may know the importance of non-verbal communication, let us look at some of the segments of non-verbal communication in detail. 

Facial Expressions

Whether you are happy or sad, most probably your peers can identify the way you feel. How is that possible? It’s your facial expressions that give your feelings away. Facial expressions are a significant part of non-verbal communication. There are so many things you convey with your smile or frown. People’s forms of expression differ across different regions and cultures. But facial expressions conveying basic emotions such as anger, fear, happiness or sadness are universal. 

Gestures

Although non-verbal communication is said to occur in a subconscious or an un-intentional manner. Some deliberate gestures also help convey a message or statement. We may wave our hand to gain someone’s attention or point a finger somewhere to give out directions to a person. These are some of the deliberate non-verbal communications we make in our day to day lives. 

Paralinguistics

Paralinguistics is a form of verbal communication that is seperate from the language quotient. It is inclusive of vocal factors such as tone of voice, pitch and loudness. To put it into perspective, the tone of voice alters the effect of the linguistic communication that you make. A statement being produced by a strong and confident tone gains approval and enthusiasm from the audience. The similar statement provided with hesitation receives lack of enthusiasm and support. 

When your friend asks you how you’re feeling, you may say you’re fine. But your certain degree of fineness is revealed by the tone in which you delivered your statement. 

Eye Gaze

Our eyes do speak volumes. When you see someone or something you love and adore, your eyes start to blink and your pupils begin to dilate. Thus forming an important segment of non-verbal communication. Blinking, staring and simply looking are some of the ways we communicate with our eyes. 

On the other hand, people may observe your eye gaze to determine your degree of honesty and trustworthiness.  By maintaining a steady and normal eye contact, you are perceived as an honest and trustworthy person. But the inability to maintain eye contact or having a shaky gaze may be considered as unreliable. 

Hoptics

Hoptics is a mode of communicating through physical touch. It also forms an important segment in non-verbal communication. A gentle touch or pat on the shoulder conveys warmth and affection. This form of communication is intense and must be treated with immense care. We tend to utilise this form of communication with people we know very well. A touch can be perceived as both appropriate and inappropriate based on where and how a person is touched. 

Appearances

Does the guy wearing a suit, sitting across you give out professional and business vibes? It is because that is what he communicated to you silently through his choice of clothing. Your choice of colour, clothing, hairstyle and overall appearance makes a non-verbal communication with others that allows them to have first impressions about you. That’s why we would prefer going shopping for a new attractive attire for a potential date or party to make a positive first impression. 

  “Few realize how loud their expressions really are. Be kind with what you wordlessly say,” says Richelle E. Goodrich, which stands true in regards to non-verbal communication. 

References

https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/nonverbal-communication

https://www.verywellmind.com/types-of-nonverbal-communication-2795397

WHY BIODIVERSITY IS SO IMPORTANT??

 Biodiversity is soul for life!!💚


Biodiversity has become an important issue on the global arena. The importance of biodiversity is increasingly being recognised as of vital concern on the local, national and international levels. The challenge is how to find practical and workable ways to increase biological diversity. Obviously action needs to be taken on the governmental level. However there are also ways that individuals, and groups of individuals can begin to act on their own right and help create ecological change and increase biodiversity.

The issues and challenges around achieving biodiversity are many and therefore likely require many solutions in order to be find the most effective solution, or combination of solutions, for a given area.

One highly effective solution which has recently emerged is called a “Rewilding Stick”. A Rewilding Stick is a highly-scalable method suitable for leveraging the planting efforts of either a single individual, or of a large group of individuals.

 

Jaipur: The Ancient 'Pink City' of Rajasthan

     OUR PINK CITY!!😍

Jaipur – land of the Rajputs, is an exuberance of colour, dance and traditional arts and crafts. Known, as the ‘Pink City’, Jaipur is home to a wonderful selection of ancient forts and palaces. One of India’s most well planned cities, Jaipur is built in 9 rectangular sectors symbolising 9 divisions of the universe, as per Indian cosmology!


 The first planned city of India, Jaipur has a rich history of a clan of rulers who lived in magnificent forts and palaces. But, that’s not only what the capital of Rajasthan is famous for. The entire city of Jaipur is painted in the colour pink and there’s a really interesting story behind this. Here’s all you need to know about the ‘Pink Paint Culture’ of one of the most hospitable cities on the planet.

The Hawa Mahal 

The reason behind the terracotta-pink colour of the city was the influence of a king named Sawai Ram Singh. In 1876, Queen Victoria’s son, Albert Edward, Prince of Wales (who later became King Edward VII, Emperor of India) visited India and, since pink was considered the colour of hospitality at the time, Maharaja Ram Singh had the whole city painted pink to welcome the royal guests. Lord Albert was said to have described Jaipur as the ‘pink city’, hence creating the name Jaipur is known by today.


Neeraj Chopra: Boy with the golden arm


A touchy teenager, the ‘sarpanch’, good friend, foodie… and now Neeraj is an Olympic champion.💗

 A HAPPIEST MOMENT IN OUR

 COUNTRY!!🙌

PROUD ON YOU OUR  WORLD CHAMPION BOY!!

Neeraj Chopra did not just win a gold medal, flinging the javelin a staggering 87.58m to top the charts in Tokyo, but vaulted himself into history books as well as the consciousness of a medal-starved nation. It would go down, to date, as the most historic of medals in India’s Olympic history. Perhaps, the most historic in the nation’s sporting history. The gold, a historic first for the country in track and field, the second for an individual ever and the first since Abhinav Bindra’s in 2008, would also ensure India’s richest-ever tally (seven).

Much before he won the country’s first-ever track and field medal, they used to call Neeraj the village headman in Khandra, near Panipat. What started as a joke turned out prophetic. It’s one Neeraj story, his uncle Bhim Chopra never tires of narrating.

His story is as much endearing as it is inspiring. While still in school, Neeraj once came home crying. It was very soon after he had rushed out of his house, excited to show his sparkling white new kurta-pyjama to his friends. A stray taunt by one of his playmates would make Neeraj a butt of jokes among pals. The incident would also change his life and give him an apt nickname for the rest of his life.

 

OUR 75TH INDEPENDENCE DAY!!

75th Independence day!!


Indian holiday

 Independence Day, in India, national holiday celebrated annually on August 15. Independence Day marks the end of British rule in 1947 and the establishment of a free and independent Indian nation. It also marks the anniversary of the partition of the subcontinent into two countries, India and Pakistan, which occurred at midnight on August 14–15, 1947. (In Pakistan, Independence Day is celebrated on August 14.

British rule in India began in 1757 when, following the British victory at the Battle of Plassey, the English East India Company began exercising control over the country. The East India Company ruled India for 100 years, until it was replaced by direct British rule (often referred to as the British raj) in the wake of the Indian Mutiny in 1857–58. The Indian independence movement began during World War I and was led by Mohandas K. Gandhi, who advocated for a peaceful and nonviolent end to British rule.

Independence Day is marked throughout India with flag-raising ceremonies, drills, and the singing of the Indian national anthem. Additionally, various cultural programs are made available in the state capitals. After the prime minister participates in the flag-raising ceremony at the Red Fort historic monument in Old Delhi, a parade ensues with members of the armed forces and police. The prime minister then delivers a televised address challenges and goals. Kite flying has also become an Independence Day tradition, with kites of various sizes, shapes, and colours filling the sky. Also, to commemorate the day, government offices in New Delhi remain lit throughout the holiday, even though they are closedto the country, recounting the major accomplishments of India during the previous year and outlining future .

Independence Day, India


SYLVIA PLATH

 WHO WAS SYLVIA PLATH?

Born in 1932 to middle-class parents in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, Sylvia Plath published her first poem at the age of eight. A sensitive person who tended to be a bit of a perfectionist she was what many would consider a model daughter and student – popular, a straight-A student, always winning the best prizes. She won a scholarship to Smith College in 1950 and even then she had an enviable list of publications. She wrote over four hundred poems.


However, beneath the surface of her seeming perfection were some grave discontinuities, some of which probably were caused by the death of her father, an entomologist, when she was eight.

During the summer after her junior year in college, Sylvia made her first (and almost successful) attempt at suicide by overdosing on sleeping pills. The experience is described in her autobiographical novel, The Bell Jar, published in 1963. After a period of recovery, which involved electroshock and psychotherapy she once again pursued academic and literary success, graduating from Smith summa cum laude in 1955 and winning a Fulbright scholarship to study in Cambridge, England.


In 1956 she married Ted Hughes, an English poet, and in 1960, at the age of twenty-eight, she published her first book, The Colossus in England. The poems found in the book clearly showed the dedication with which she pursued her apprenticeship, yet they only gave a taste of what was to come in the poems she began writing in early 1961. She and Hughes settled for a brief time in an English country village in Devon, England. However, less than two years after the birth of their first child the marriage disintegrated.

In the winter of 1962-63, one of the coldest in centuries, Sylvia lived in a small flat in London, with her two children, ill with the flu and nearly broke. She would sometimes finish a poem a day. In her last poems, death is given a cruel, physical allure and psychic pain becomes almost tactile.

On February 11, 1963, Sylvia Plath succeeded in killing herself with cooking gas at the age of thirty. Two years after her death, Ariel, a collection of some of her last poems was published, which was followed by Crossing the Water and Winter Trees in 1971, and in 1981 The Collected Poems was published, edited by none other than Ted Hughes.

SOME OF HER WORKS

1. MIRROR

I am silver and exact. I have no preconceptions.
Whatever I see I swallow immediately
Just as it is, unmisted by love or dislike.
I am not cruel, only truthful ‚
The eye of a little god, four-cornered.
Most of the time I meditate on the opposite wall.
It is pink, with speckles. I have looked at it so long
I think it is part of my heart. But it flickers.
Faces and darkness separate us over and over.

Now I am a lake. A woman bends over me,
Searching my reaches for what she really is.
Then she turns to those liars, the candles or the moon.
I see her back, and reflect it faithfully.
She rewards me with tears and an agitation of hands.
I am important to her. She comes and goes.
Each morning it is her face that replaces the darkness.
In me she has drowned a young girl, and in me an old woman
Rises toward her day after day, like a terrible fish.

2. A LIFE

ouch it: it won’t shrink like an eyeball,
This egg-shaped bailiwick, clear as a tear.
Here’s yesterday, last year —-
Palm-spear and lily distinct as flora in the vast
Windless threadwork of a tapestry.

Flick the glass with your fingernail:
It will ping like a Chinese chime in the slightest air stir
Though nobody in there looks up or bothers to answer.
The inhabitants are light as cork,
Every one of them permanently busy.

At their feet, the sea waves bow in single file.
Never trespassing in bad temper:
Stalling in midair,
Short-reined, pawing like paradeground horses.
Overhead, the clouds sit tasseled and fancy

As Victorian cushions. This family
Of valentine faces might please a collector:
They ring true, like good china.

Elsewhere the landscape is more frank.
The light falls without letup, blindingly.

A woman is dragging her shadow in a circle
About a bald hospital saucer.
It resembles the moon or a sheet of blank paper
And appears to have suffered a sort of private blitzkrieg.
She lives quietly

With no attachments, like a foetus in a bottle,
The obsolete house, the sea, flattened to a picture
She has one too many dimensions to enter.
Grief and anger, exorcised,
Leave her alone now.

The future is a grey seagull
Tattling in its cat-voice of departure.
Age and terror, like nurses, attend her,
And a drowned man, complaining of the great cold,
Crawls up out of the sea.

3. CUT

What a thrill –
My thumb instead of an onion.
The top quite gone
Except for a sort of hinge

Of skin,
A flap like a hat,
Dead white.
Then that red plush.

Little pilgrim,
The Indian’s axed your scalp.
Your turkey wattle
Carpet rolls

Straight from the heart.
I step on it,
Clutching my bottle
Of pink fizz. A celebration, this is.
Out of a gap
A million soldiers run,
Redcoats, everyone.

Whose side are they on?
O my
Homunculus, I am ill.
I have taken a pill to kill

The thin
Papery feeling.
Saboteur,
Kamikaze man –

The stain on your
Gauze Ku Klux Klan
Babushka
Darkens and tarnishes and when
The balled
Pulp of your heart
Confronts its small
Mill of silence

How you jump –
Trepanned veteran,
Dirty girl,
Thumb stump.


Confliction of one's mind

We all are well aware of the different conflicts in our minds. They arrive like impatient thunderstorms,  one right after the other. The times when there’s isn’t any hope to hold onto, we may thrive by words that might explain our mental states. Although, we often fail to do so and start drowning ourselves into the darkest depths of nothingness. 

One thing that never gets old in such situations is writing down your rough thoughts somewhere away from the eyes of anyone, and reading it later at a better stage or when you start feeling yourself again. 

WAYS TO CLEAR YOUR MIND

In a generation where social status depicts one’s nature and affects their state of mind, we often find ourselves getting lost in the world which we created for others to see us like. We should be capable of creating a difference between what’s imaginary and real, that not only helps us stay sane but provides a boundary to the inevitable confusions.

When we invariably replay a situation and can’t stop thinking about it, or think how we messed up; the more we delve into it the more that situation seems to tighten the blank spaces in our mind and start congesting it.

It’s normal to get stuck in the past and have a lot many things playing in your mind at the same time, our mind has a tendency to work funnily.

Instead of putting yourself in a self-inflicting pain, try performing the enlisted activities which will probably distract the course of your mind for the time being:

  • reconnect with an old friend
  • play and spend time with your pet
  • don’t force yourself to be productive
  • go easy on yourself and do some pampering
  • cook yourself an elaborate meal
  • watch youtube, movies and listen to an upbeat music
  • take a long drive to nowhere 
  • take a walk in nature
  • go out with a friend and hangout
SELF VALIDATION

We are forced to put ourselves in a position where it’s tough to concentrate on peace of mind, by comparing ourselves to the person who is superior to us. But we need to understand the concept of self-satisfaction and being content in what we already have.
We should stop comparing ourselves to others because we are unaware of the life that they have behind the scenes, or away from the eyes of the world. It’s natural to get inferiority complexes but that shouldn’t mess with one’s mind.
The positive motivation or the rush and drag to push ourselves to a better position is healthy, but if it makes one sulk and questions their existence then it won’t take long into turning toxic and harmful for the mental peace. 
You have had enough of the taunts and opinions that society has for you, you don’t have to necessarily add yours to it too. If not others, make yourself so focused and proud in what you do that even your conflictions think twice to reoccur in your mind. 
“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter don’t mind.”
― Bernard M. Baruch

Teen Depression and Mental Health

We have heard a lot of cases of teen depression and suicides due to the same, it’s a common problem of the modern and developing world. But have you ever been able to share something that’s bothering you frankly with your family? Or were you forced to keep that feeling inside you and decided to move on with it?

MYTH VERSUS FACTS

Growing up in an Indian family, most of us must have undergone the pressure of having strict parents who always behaved like the devil with two horns on its head. With that, we were well aware to not talk about our mental being with them because usually, the topic was avoided or changed by the intervention of your marks or the progress in the subject you were failing.

If ever kids try to explain how they feel, they are often shut or are scolded for the reason of their messed up schedule. The adults who are literate and know about mental well-being, ignore this aspect thinking that it’s taboo and shouldn’t be considered for discussion. 

The pressure of acting neutral before parents and gulping their actual feelings make new teens undergo phases that are not only depressive but disturbing, which leads to self-harm and suicide.

Depression isn’t a disease but a mental state, and people should understand that it cannot be cured by fixing the monotonous schedule or by waking up earlier than the individual normally does.

CAUSES OF DEPRESSION

Mental health refers to psychological, emotional, and social well-being, and should be considered as an important factor at all stages of life. 

Excessive stress about work, studies, and peer pressure of doing what one is forced to leads to depression. If a child spends most of the time alone, instead of indulging with kids of their own age results in loneliness in the long term, which is often harmful to their mental development.

The constant nagging from parents and people around about any activity that the teen performs, might lead to long term trauma and fear of coming out to people, which will force them to stay hidden from society because of the fear of being judged will let them down and they’ll probably start liking being alone for a time period until it becomes addictive and courses way to depression and mental instability.

Depression isn’t supposed to look like, a person who is always sitting in the dark and does nothing, it has nothing to do with one’s psychical appearances because that can be faked way too easily; it’s about their mental state which might not be stable even when they’re sitting with you, laughing and having a good time of their lives. We should never judge a person by how they look or what they do because we’re absolutely unaware of what they’re going through.

EARLY SIGNS OF DEPRESSION

Experiencing any such following thing might be seen as an indicating warning sign of depression:

  • eating too much not eating at all
  • having low or no energy
  • pulling away from people and usual activities
  • feeling numb or useless
  • yelling or fighting, friends, and family
  • sleeping too much or not at all
  • having persistent thoughts and memories you can’t get out of your head
  • thinking of harming yourself or others
  • feeling unusually confused, forgetful, on edge, angry, upset, worried, or scared
  • experiencing severe mood swings
  • hearing voices or believing things that are not true
CONCLUSION
Depression should be normalized and talked freely, teens should be educated over this topic and should be provided an environment where they feel safe about sharing their feelings and mental state. The unnecessary pressure must be avoided from the side of parents and mentors, letting them have the space to think correctly and not by force.

Traditional and Online School

 It sounded pretty weird when we thought about attending school from our bed back in 2019, but now when we look at it, it has become a new normal.

THE NEW NORMAL 

It started back in March 2020, when the complete lockdown was imposed by the Prime Minister of India due to increasing cases of Covid-19, and all the educational institutions along with everything else was shut down. The mode of classes was switched to online and all the students were directed to cope with the teachers in the online lectures. 

As time passed by and the situation grew even worse, and the mode of online education became normal like any traditional method of education. Online classes didn’t even mold the schedule of students but gave them a better chance to interact with teachers. It’s not that there aren’t any drawbacks to it, they’re present in almost everything like students finding a distraction during the time of classes and a rush to be highly self-motivated, which often leads to students getting misguided and wasting their time.

TRADITIONAL VS ONLINE CLASSES

Both traditional and online classes have their own pros and cons- it’s up to the students how they utilize the opportunities provided to them. 

FLEXIBILITY: Where traditional classes have fixed schedules and demand the particular time of the student, on the other hand, online classes provide students flexibility and a schedule that they can fix on their own. It lets students stay focused and give suitable time to their other commitments. 

SELF DISCIPLINE AND MOTIVATION: When it comes to discipline and motivation traditional classes do have an advantage for it holds a structured schedule and provides students on-campus interactive sessions, whereas in online classes students need to stay motivated and save themselves from distractions that might disrupt their schedule.

SOCIAL INTERACTION: The interaction in the online classes is so much more efficient than those in traditional because not only provides scheduled doubt lectures but gives access to students of recorded lectures that help them deal with their queries, while the traditional classes fail to thrive because of the lack in regularity due to distance and several other factors.

BLENDED EDUCATION

The curriculum is designed in such a way that it can be studied through both- online and in-person learning. It’s up to the individual on how they take the medium and learn to be productive by any means. 
There might be a minimal difference between the two- likewise timing, accessibility, and place, but both the sources implement the best of themselves for the education of students and hence it’s up to the students to decide what they want in the future, as per the present circumstances there might be a day where students will have to choose between the two options of education, that is- online and traditional.
CONCLUSION
Most of it comes to personal preferences of how one learns more efficiently, hence there ain’t no right or wrong in traditional versus online school. These learning methods can be very effective or of no use at all, all that depends on that particular individual for they take apply it on their personal style of learning.