Anecdote #17

After the completion of my first term examinations, I took up a new hobby. I participated in a Model United Nations Conference, abbreviation being MUN conducted by Modern School. I had participated in one before but was not very sure if it was for me. At Modern school the experience turned out to be very enriching as I was in the company of very knowledgeable people who were moreover more forthcoming than those I had encountered the previous time. The fun was accompanied with a lot of fatigue but somewhere I felt that I found something that stimulated me and was eager to participate in more of these conferences.
Fast forward to a month. My fourth MUN at Birla Vidya Niketan. I was not at all prepared and I started to panic. It was a double delegation so I called my co delegate that and said that I was not in the right frame of mind to go for this. When I was talking to him I realised that he was being very accommodating and understanding and it would be very selfish of me to not even try. I changed my mind and decided to go for it. The next day after the completion of the proceedings I had to accompany my grandmother to a wedding. I could back out to carry on with the research but I decided to be at her side.When I reached there I instantly knew that I was right . The warmth and love I received from the people there is indescribable. My grandmother was elated that I was right by her side and couldn't stop singing praises about me. The next day, I had to face the fire of the MUN. This day was the toughest of all. My partner and I had to work together to solve a perplexing crisis pertaining to narcotics with an interesting mix of bollywood, which added a touch of drama. It was basically a hypothetical situation where a bollywood actor had been caught with drugs and we had to analyse and examine that situation. That day we were proclaimed to have given the best speech and the following day we won an award.
This entire affair taught me two things, firstly that I should never give up because a little faith measures more in the face of surrender and secondly that we need to be more considerate. In this fast paced world where we face the paucity of time our world centres around us as individuals. That should not be be the case. We need to at the least try to put ourselves in the other person's shoes and then think. Our lives are greatly interlinked, more than we know and in this context this idea of me must change into we.

Anecdote #16

Examinations come with a lot of stress and at least once in our lifespan we experience the epitome of frustration and stress. I had a similar experience just before my History exam . A day before the exam at around 3 PM my nerves started to get to me. This was mainly because of the fact that we only had a day to prepare for this subject but the syllabus was pretty detailed. At that point in time I was not even through with half of the syllabus and the sympathetic activation began. I had to be consoled by my parents and thankfully my father took up the responsibility of preparing me for the next day. Interestingly we started with a bit of meditation in solitary confinement and went on with the syllabus. With his guidance I picked up speed and by 5:30 PM we only had two chapters to go.

In between the momentary panic attacks would come and go but it seemed as though my father had resolved to help me through this. At each stage he took care of me and dealt with me gently. My mother gave us space but she too contributed as an emotional anchor. Slowly I came back to my senses and felt normal again. I went to bed early and tried to forget about the result but focus on the action. The next morning all went well and after the completion of the exam I reflected on the previous day's events. I inferred that the timely completion of the syllabus and instillation of confidence was not just my own hard work but my father's as well. It was truly a blessing in disguise and it made me realise that it is not always that one can attempt everything on his own, we will always be dependent on our parents for somethings and there is no harm in that because that is when we realise their true worth.

Anecdote #15

The terminal examinations are just around the corner and we as students cannot help but feel anxious. The voluminous books await me and I try to excuse myself from them as long as I can. Alas the time has come for me to exhaust their knowledge but I each time I wonder whether my strategy to approach the exams is right or not. I try to stay up late but then I fail to function during the day.  So what should I do? My only advise would be to frame a schedule according to your own needs and to keep in made the response made by your mind and body. Try and experiment with different routines by waking up early or by simply not sleeping in too late. This doesn't mean that you should completely compromise on your sleep. Your body needs time to take on the coming day.  For that do what suits you. Do not try to copy and make someone else's your own.You'll make your own mistakes but you will surely learn.
At the same time you must not be rigid. Be open to advise from your peers and parents, they speak from experience and have the noblest interests at heart. Learn from them and surely you will find it easier to reach your goals. That is my humble advise fellow students and with that I conclude because I too am running after time.

Anecdote #14

A hot summer day, the sun waiting impatiently for the morning and blazing in all it's glory. I had planned on going for a heritage walk to Humayun's Tomb so my father and I got ready and landed up at 8:51 A.M. It was one of those days which are not exactly hot but seem very hot.Our guide had kept a roza which meant he could not eat or drink for the next few hours as it was the first day of Ramadan.I couldn't imagine how difficult it must have been to talk the whole time without a sip of water but little did I know that he would be so more immersed that he wouldn't feel the need for a sip and neither did we.
As we approached the Isa Khan Tomb Enclosure I could feel the excitement, I felt the walls and their texture left a tingling sensation on my fingers. These monuments leave you feeling in awe of them. Theses structures have found against the ravages of time and they carry an air of royalty and a sense of eeriness about them. I say that because of the graves that reside there. The bodies of those great rulers who are most respected in history. It's hard to believe that they are those, whose stories you heard and fought those great battles which we learn about. I would say it's incredible. To be there and absorb of all that, I was plenty interested and engrossed. With that attitude we moved ahead to Arab ki sarai, a place where the workers who built the tomb would stay but the structure was dilapidated. The Archaeological Survey of India was trying to recover it but it was not in a good state and the progress seemed pretty slow. I was disappointed until I got to know about The Aga Khan Trust for Culture.
The Aga Khan Trust for Culture is an international organization which is working on recovering this monument, they have done a great job of the buildings we saw and it feels so great that there is a strong will to preserve the immense culture that resides in our country. I was hugely impressed with their efforts and I was even more impressed when I saw Humayun's Tomb. It was a vision, as we climbed up to the tomb we could feel a welcoming breeze. I loved the view and I was not only enraptured by it's beauty but how well it was kept. The monument was spic and span, not a wrapper or any sort of inscription in sight. I was proud to be there and unhappy that we had com to the end of it. We climbed down and I looked at the sun, it was shining bright but our faces seemed brighter.

Anecdote #13

The month of June has commenced and here in Delhi, the temperature has scaled new record breaking heights. The vacations are on but students have been piled on with holiday homework. It's not as if I hate doing this but it is so voluminous that I seem to dread doing it. Somehow I have gotten going with it and apart from that I am trying to keep fit. The thing about exercising is pushing yourself  during each and every attempt to improve your fitness levels,which in a way is similar to different aspects of life.The question that how many are able to push themselves to do that little bit each time because at that moment amidst the fatigue you just feel like letting go. The urge to establish a new record seems to be left for an unidentified tomorrow. Things left for another never seem to be completed. The goals you wanted to achieve wither away like an unwatered plant, turning dull and dry. Without proper implementation of our goals we start living life without a purpose, there is an emptiness which is gifted by time, a fire without a flame. Today we must get up from this trance that a tomorrow always waits because are running out on today.
Cease the opportunity of today and embrace with passion because it will only be tomorrow that you realise the importance of today.  If you are able to achieve that then the satisfaction, confidence and peace you would feel is indescribable. Don't just go with the flow but be the flow so that at each moment you are in control. 

Anecdote #12

 Bombay ( I prefer it over Mumbai), the city of dreams,drama and drudgery. A city I longed to explore which echoed dreams and passions. I landed on a Sunday and braced myself for half a day of exploration. I was accompanying my father on a business trip  and it felt great in getting to learn about the culture of a new city. I had heard a lot about Bombay but I was determined to make an opinion of my own.  I couldn't recall much about Bombay as I had visited it previously as a toddler  but I had always preferred my hometown, New Delhi over it. As soon as we landed we left our bags at the hotel and headed to Indigo in Colaba for lunch. I enjoyed a generous portion of the cheese fondue whereas my father went for a filet mignon. I devoured the plate by dipping in the bread crumbs and swirling them in the cheese for a nice and heavy coating. It tasted delicious and satiated me completely. My growling stomach was at peace and I was ready to take on the rest of the day. The plan was to hit the museums which were a few streets ahead and then to shop. The first stop was a museum cum art gallery which my father accidentally thought to be the Jehangir art gallery. It had some splendid paintings of Shri Almekar but we sped through them and moved ahead. The next stop was the Prince of Wales Museum now known as the Chattrapati Shivaji Museum( what isn't referred to as his royal highness in Bombay? ). This one felt more engaging as I am a history buff and the displays of the stone age, Mesopotamian and Harrapan civilisation  drew my attention. The richness of our history enraptured me and I couldn't help but observe everything keenly. My favourite were the  pots  they had retrieved and the whole methodology and story behind this art. Each and every kind of pot served a purpose and the process they followed was so interesting to study,  the interesting combinations of soil with feldspar or limestone or even ash which kept these artefacts in reasonable shape even today. The exhibit energised my mental faculty and we reached the Jehangir Museum of art. The moment we entered in my father turned towards the hall on our left as if he was captivated by something. I ran after him and realised that I was indeed as captivated as he seemed to be. The artwork there was phenomenal but placed very modestly. A man right in the middle of the room who was chatting with a group of people who seemed to be completely mesmerised by him caught our attention and my father identified him to be the artist. He was simple man who did not receive as much recognition as he deserved.In this transitory world so much gets left behind, people don't end up with the greatest of things or even with that much they deserved. It left me with an ache in my heart and I wished well for him. I tried to look forward to our next stop but for the next few moments I could only think of how unjust life could be and of those who have the talent and passion but don't make it there.

We need to all that we can, try to lend some help , not just material help but maybe only share our numbers for a heart to heart and to try and perceive the hardships one faces. To not just pity but empathize, to not just comment but form firm opinions and not write away diplomatically but power fully. Do what you can and do with your heart and maybe just maybe , you can make a difference.

Anecdote #11

It was the night of a lavish cocktail party with all that pizazz. After many failed attempts of applying make up, I opted to go natural but unfortunately reminisces of the excessive blush still loomed over my cheeks. There I was in a cherry red suit and churidar accompanying my father to a cocktail/ pre-wedding dinner party. It was nothing like I had ever seen, the banquet was enormous and decorated elegantly in white. I saw to my left, an array of little food stalls resembling a small food festival. The yellow light struck our shoes making us look fine and polished. It wasn't long before that I had tasted all the snacks. I met all my father's friends gladly but with a hint of consciousness, worrying that there might be bits of what I ate on my petite bugs bunny like teeth.  I kept looking around and observing the crowd, my father stood out amongst the crowd, waltzing through conversations. I couldn't help but feel in awe of him and wanted to stay in his company when I found myself stuck with an uninterested and disengaged fourteen year old and time slithered on.  The sole reason I wanted to stay to was to watch the much anticipated performances of a sufi singer and a punjabi rapper. In the next ten minutes the dance performances of the family members came on which were amusing to watch with an expected cheesy ending of the bride and groom to be waltzing.  Another half an hour lingered on and I sat still in a chair observing the extravagant clothing and updos of the women. I didn't want to interrupt my dad as it was his time  off but he came around after a while and so did the sufi singer! He was extraordinary and in his element. I had never seen a better live performance in my 16 year old life. The energy got back into me when all of a sudden my dad's friend who was our ride ( due to the troublesome odd even regime) wanted to leave. Apparently he was tone deaf and didn't enjoy the performance and moreover  his wife was leaving a string of missed calls which he was to afraid to take. We huddled outside and got in the car. On the way back my father had to talk to his friend's wife as he was chickening out. It was a funny sight if you ask me. As the car ride progressed I watched the passing scenery from the window, tube lights glistening in the dark with a mild breeze moving the leaves on the trees. I felt unexpectedly satisfied in that moment , enjoying the simplicity of the scenery. . It was a night with experiences of all sorts making it an overall enjoyable experience and one I will remember.