Anecdote #19

The Delhi winter seems cold but in comparison to the heritage city of Amritsar, it's actually nothing. Yes, I recently visited the city of Amritsar and now the love for my punjabi roots has just accelerated. For my annual day this year I performed on a  punjabi song and ever since that I have been meaning to renew my connection with Punjab. When my father told me he wanted to make a short trip to the city I was more than happy to accompany him. My first impression of the city was delightful, I loved the scenery, the sky, the short patches of mustard and long roads.

Through the course of the trip my father had made an interesting observation that smaller cities have their own charm and honestly I couldn't agree more.

The people were ready to offer help, converse and serve. The golden temple of all places embodies this, the people volunteer to help and serve their peers no matter what background they come from and absorbing the positivity of that atmosphere is truly a feeling that I treasure. With saying that I must admit that there is also the treasure of authentic lip smacking punjabi cuisine. The food there is nothing short of a heavenly delight, from the Kulchas to the chola puri at kanha sweets each meal exists in the form a vivid memory for me. If I speak from my heart I was initially very hesitant about eating at dhabas but actually Amritsar is all about eating out and experimenting. The food we get at restaurants that offer Indian cuisine is nowhere close to the real stuff! The authentic food of India is only available on the streets. So my suggestion to all of you is to put on your shoes and explore. For starters explore your own city or even your own vicinity because the happiness you will get in these simple explorations will last a lifetime.

Anecdote #18

There always exists an eternal struggle between what to do and what not do, be it career options, matters pertaining to the heart or the trials and tribulations of everyday life. Either people choose the suitable option or they don't and the funny part is that we never do know what is right for us.

I encountered such a situation where I had a meltdown, you see I was preparing for a certain competitive exam but lacked clarity of the fact whether I liked it or not. I was also under a  lot of stress  as balancing my schoolwork with this was turning out to be a burden.

I was extremely confused and maybe still am because I had perfectly mapped my future but it turns out I was meant to follow a different path. At first I couldn't come to terms with it and could not contain my emotions. I was not at all proud of this but on the inside I felt completely helpless and had to let it out.
With the help of my wonderful parents I was back on my feet in no time because the made the right decision for me which was to be patient,  not to worry and to explore. I know now that I will excel at something only if I truly feel that my heart is in it. This realisation comes with time so for that too we need to be prepared, if we want to take on the world, live with joy and warmth then we need to let go so that sooner or later we know what we were born to pursue.

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.