Oh, the Places You'll Go!

There is so much hope we grow up with. As a kid, you're always shown a very bright future.

The whole generation wants to be famous. The whole generation grows up thinking they'll be millionaires one day and some of them probably end up in call centers instead.

We want to travel the world - watch the Northern lights and jump from a mountain in South Africa. Add pampering ourselves, having a bachelor pad and being able to buy whatever we want to the list of things one has dreamed of.

And then, life actually happens. You get out of school, realise how hard it really is, you start learning about the world and how heartless and cunning human beings can be.

As you grow up, you stop believing in yourself. You start thinking about how much better other people are and how you stand nowhere.

Maybe you lose track of where you're going and where you want to go. Maybe you get addicted to something that hampers with your growth.

Eventually, you start wanting something magical to happen that will change your life and turn it downside up.
But, you don't even believe in magic anymore.

And I think, that is the thing. You need to start believing. Believing in yourself, in your capabilities, in how many things that could happen because of you. It's a good life and there are just so many things to be grateful for.

So go and work for your dreams instead of complaining.

For if you don't stop believing, Oh, the Places You'll Go! :D

Love,
Kanksha

(Do watch the video, it's my favourite <3)

What I think meditation actually is

A few days ago, I was thinking about not thinking. It came up when my mom asked what meditation means to me. I used to believe it's a state of mind where you don't think about anything. No thinking about the ice cream in your refrigerator or the fight with your friend, just sit silently and letting go into a zone of nothingness.  

Quite obviously this isn't something I see happening anytime soon – some or the other thought always pops up. So the next best thing, I realised, was finding out what I did to think about nothing except what I was doing. That happens to me when I write. I'm so focused on what I want to say that I don't care about what is going around me. Also putting my thoughts into words or writing a chapter of a book gives me a sense of calm and happiness that things seldom can. Another thing that calms me down immensely is running. It helps me clear my thoughts and figure out whatever is bothering me. 

Meditation, I realised, doesn't have to be limited to sitting down and chanting ohm or focusing on your breathing. It just has to be that one thing that takes you into another world, your own personal zone where all you care about is that one thing. There's no effort involved in trying to reach that state. And when that truely happens, you're left with a positive feeling. A feeling that helps you move on in life and that helps you fight back whatever you're fighting. It’s something that gives you enough positive energy to feel invincible. 

For some people, melting into the mountains or feeling the sand between their skin works wonders. It could be anything - watching the world pass by as you drive or typing code at supersonic speed.

Make meditation your habit and you'll feel like a new person altogether. 

Thanks for reading!

Kanksha :)

Running Awayy

All the 5k people. People ran 10 and 15 as well!

I went to Aamby Valley for a run recently, courtesy Nike, and it was absolutely stunning. The place was gorgeous full of hues of green and fresh air, so were all the people and pacers.

Starting from the interesting bus ride where the pacers shared their story, to the warm welcome with dhols and warm up where we got tired even before the run, the run itself, followed by the cool down session, it was a great experience.

I just couldn't get over the view and it got over all too fast (except the part when we went uphill of course).

The cool down session. Don't we all look good?

It was highly inspiring, we realised the effort people put to just go out and run. They talked about a mom who wakes up before her kids do and run to start the day. They talked about how running has changed their lives. And after running with all those people, I came to the conclusion that I wanted to do this more often too. 

Now running is something a lot of people say they can't do.

But we all run.

We run away from our homework, deadlines and examinations. We run away from relationships, we run from commitment. We keep running and running till our last breath.

     Look at the lake and look at the mountain   

I know I've talked about working out before and how you must begin. Well, do that and run. 

Actually, physically run.

Trust me, the energy and positivity after a run is incomparable. I don't think anything can mess up my mood half as easily as it'd have got messed up otherwise. Also the tint on your cheeks won't go unnoticed. 

Don't think too much. If you keep thinking, it's probably never going to happen. If waking up is problem, you're making excuses. I know someone who puts an alarm on his amplifier to wake up. On the other hand, if not being able to run is the issue, you're not trying hard enough. Find a group to run with. The pacers will motivate you. A friend could also do the same job.

So get out of your bed. 

Put on your shoes.
And just do it.

Keep running and keep reading!
Kanksha :)

Is media really the voice?

The internet is a wonderful place. There's almost nothing you don't get out there (apart from the feeling of community and fresh air but let's ignore that for now.)

Social media is even better. It let's you stay connected with people you've met for a day, is a platform to share envy worthy photographs and make the rest of the world want your life - often when you yourself want someone else's, but more importantly, it let's you express your own opinion and get majorly influenced by others'.

These days, you find open letters about everything to everyone. Open letters to stop war, open letters to begin war. Open letters by so-called feminists talking about how women are oppressed completely forgetting about equality, open letters to Bollywood big shots to incubate a wave of change because they're influential.

It's ridiculous, really.

The internet exaggerates every issue, big or small. Most people don't think. They just talk about and support whatever they read first. It's understood that art should be supported irrespective of nationality. But it should also be understood that our soldiers were killed and those very artists inhabitant in our country, refused to acknowledge that what happened was wrong. When you live in a country, it doesn't matter against whom it's fighting, or whether you want peace either. You need to be grateful.

I won't talk about much more.

Just don't believe in everything you read or hear. There are so many opinionated people and it's scary because they refuse to even consider their being wrong. You've got tons of people talking about peace, but a lot of people aggressively talking about how we need to take revenge as well.

Don't trust all that you see either. Sometimes social media becomes a nuisance. I recall looking at pictures of so many people having fun, candids (fake ones *cough cough*) and longing for the same, only to realise that when I now have a chance, it doesn't really matter half as much.

Quite funny life is.
Kanksha

The Room

I entered quietly into the room-
Stubborn, shy and reserved.
In my little corner I happily lived
And around me, nothing I observed.

I liked shouldering responsibilities;
As the teacher's pet I was known.
And even though my temper would easily lose,
Moral values in me were deeply sown.

As I let people in through that little door,
I discovered more of myself.
Dance and drama shaped my personality
And infused me with confidence. 

Through college the room began to look different,
The changes I could not resist.
The door was widening and I was opening
To people, possibilities and risks.

I am now reaching out, and as I do,
I'm overwhelmed with the love I receive.
Trying new avenues, being at my productive best,
Novel angles from which to perceive.

Everyday brings in something new-
I peep out to see what's next.
I feel grateful for everything inside the room
And have no complaints on any pretext.

I now look to shed my inhibitions,
To be a master of my work,
To repay society for all it has given me
And embrace each of my quirks.

The door has widened as much as it could,
It is time to step out to bloom
And fill the space with loving energy
As I gracefully exit the room.

-Aditi

Inhabitants of this Pale Blue Dot

Let consideration course through our veins,
The concept of respect be understood by our brains,
Let love replace hate,
Let equal access to resources help us weave our own fate.
Let the connection between an individual and community be made
As we accept everyone with open arms.

I believe an inclusive commonwealth is where every single living being is happy and feels that he or she belongs. In an inclusive commonwealth, we would accept everyone for who they are and there would be equal opportunities for all, irrespective of their background.

Currently, we do not look at each other simply as human beings. Racism is still prevelent, we judge each other depending on which religion we choose to follow. One's economic status serves as another distinguishing parameter. With the economic divide increasing by the day, the rich get almost everything they want, the poor barely have a voice.

If we want an inclusive society, we need to consider every living being from trees to birds, young to old and the physically challenged. We need more parks for children, and lesser noise so that babies and our grandparents can sleep peacefully. We need job openings and a more friendly environment for the physically challenged whereas wildlife sanctuaries and plantations of flowering trees and plants to give a home to animals and breeding ground to butterflies.

It is hard to change our mindset and make the idea of social inclusion go viral but I think it's possible.

Let in equal access. Access to a place to live, food, healthcare and information are bare necessities. Once provisions of equal access are created, physical barriers creating exclusiveness would almost be done away with and more psychological barriers would be left to work upon.

Let in innovative education. Ideas of inclusivity need to be incorporated in education systems globally. Strategizing is required to ensure active participation of all individuals and groups, irrespective of their background. Perhaps education could also be used to change perceptions of different cultures and backgrounds, which are hampering with a students learning negatively. Education helps people stand on their own feet and is a ladder to excellence.

Let appreciation for excellence in. In sports, we manage to look beyond the backgrounds of athletes and applaud them simply for how good they are. We must begin appreciating people for their contribution to society and respect them for the work they do.

Let unity in. Patriotism for their country keeps countrymen together, love for sports creates whole new communities and religion holds millions of people globally. But before all that, we must feel connected to each other simply because we are all equal souls living inside different bodies.

Let in consideration. At times policies are made without incorporating the needs of certain groups. Leaders must be considerate of every individual or group of people before they take any decision. We too must remind ourselves that we are all different and keep in mind how our actions could affect people in different ways.

Let the connectivity in. Technology has helped with providing equal access to information and made communication easier than ever before. It has also made creating awareness simpler and helps us feel connected.

Let support for a fellow human being in. We need to help each other at every step. We need to support students, we need to support the research of scientists and entrepreneurs starting a new business. Sometimes nothing but support, without conditions attached, acts as a gift in itself - it makes you feel like you're a part of something.

Let participation in society in. We need to find a way to get people of all kinds to participate in society. If we all work together and contribute to develop our society, social inclusion will be at its best.

Let us let the concept of inclusiveness in.

Let us identify ourselves with one common identity - inhabitants of this 'pale blue dot'.

Kanksha :)
This is an essay based on the theme - An Inclusive Commonwealth. 

That Feel-Good Feeling

When you're so done but ready to start anew,
You're tired but burning alive;
The impossible seems doable again,
Into challenges you wholeheartedly dive.

These days, I've been getting that feel good feeling before sleeping almost every day. I call it the feel-good feeling, but it's probably more of an amalgam of happiness, satisfaction and confidence. Sometimes it's because it was a great day at college, other times it comes from smaller things. Meeting an old friend and reminiscing about 'those times', helping someone out, playing games at home or even racing on a semi-crowded sky walk (and two friends not even a part of it suddenly joining in and overtaking you) can bring a smile on your face.

It doesn't only come out of socialising and tad-bit-crazy experiences - working and learning well plays a huge role as well. Newspapers make you feel smart, so does knowing things beyond what you're 'supposed' to. I remember being super frustrated with the education system and the way I would learn things in the eleventh and twelfth grade, but the internet has insane amounts to offer, irrespective of what you're doing. If you're a student and reading this, please explore online courses. You will fall in love.

But apart from doing things, I guess the most important part is your mental state. My grandfather's daily schedule includes reading the newspaper and going for two walks besides daily chores and I don't think I've ever seen him unsatisfied(Oops, he checks his Facebook at night for thirty minutes as well haha). If that's all I did, I'd probably go insane.

So I think we all need to explore. Everyone looks for what gives people lifelong happiness, but guess what? That doesn't exist. You can be happy perpetually though. Just..

Work sincerely.
Learn passionately.
Meet people.
Spend time with yourself.
And make sure you do things that leave you with that feel-good feeling.
Every. Single. Day.

<3
Kanksha

Artistically Scientific

Being an engineering student, I've studied math, physics, and chemistry all (eighteen years?) of my life. These three subjects teach you that everything that happens has a reason. They mould your thinking to be logical and analytic. You begin questioning things, you begin looking for answers - finally you can satisfactorily explain why the sky is blue. You see patterns and order within chaos and that's pretty awesome.

But on the flip side, people believe that it's easy for people like me to forget about perspective, to forget about how there isn't just a single answer, to let go of logic and just go with the flow.

Is it really? Is it so when the most important phase of testing a software is before it is even made - understanding the problem itself? Light is both a particle and a wave - both answers are correct. Quantum mechanics speaks of things which aren't intuitive at all and challenges what we already know today (in which case, you kind of do need to let go of 'logic').

While science is based on facts, arts is on imagination, observation and debates. Poetry and prose can be interpreted in multiple ways, and all those interpretations could be correct. An artist could imagine and paint something that doesn't even exist. A dancer could make you feel over the moon and change that to sadness within seconds, whereas a lawyer has the ability to make something false appear true. There are no laws to be followed, no postulates or axioms.

But you need grace, and an understanding of how to shift moods with movements to be an exemplary dancer. Reasoning and conviction is needed to come up with a false proof. Technique along with colour theory is needed to paint. Although driven by emotion, arts have an equally technical side people must master before adding their own style to what they do.

The debate between science and arts will keep going on but I believe they're more connected than we think, at least at the elemental level. The biggest similarity between an artist and scientist would be how they observe, learn and perform. A scientist observes natural phenomena, an artist would observe human behavior or work done by others. The imagination, observation and debates are what lead to scientific theories and facts in the first place. Secondly, they don't fear the unknown. They don't mind experimenting in their own domain and put their findings forward to the whole world!

Our professions may seem to be poles apart, but at the core level they're all the same, aren't they?

I'd love to know what you think!

Kanksha :)

The pink end of the rainbow

Sometimes we feel sad and lost because we're looking for something but in vain. This poem talks about how it's probably because you're not looking in the right place.

 

I'm looking for the pink end of the rainbow
Somewhere in the moonlit sky;
The park is as empty as a packet of Lays,
I fail to understand why.

 



It isn't moonlit but I think it's dazzling

I'm looking for blue in the Arabian sea But all I see is shades of green,
The TV has negativity emanating from it
What I want is Mr.Bean.

 

I'm looking for heavy metal and rock
Inside a JB concert full of squealing girls,
Can't find a single strand of straight hair
In her plethora of messy curls.

 

I'm looking for marks on my physics test
All I see is a big fat zero,
Reading a book suggested by many
But the guy who dies is the hero.

 

Hunt for rainbows in the sunlight and rain,
You'll find kids in the day,
Clean the sea from tomorrow,
Change the channel if you may.

Study what you love,
From tragedies, do refrain.

Don't look for dreams inside your head,
Know they lie in your heart instead.

 

You'll never find what you're looking for
Unless you're searching in the right place.
Change where you look,
That way you'll always sport a happy face.
 

Thanks for reading <3
Kanksha

Velavadar National Park

I just went to Palitana for the weekend which is a place of worship for Jain people but on our way back, we decided to stop over at Velavadar National Park.

A 35square kilometre land is super small for a sanctuary, but for the black bucks? It's big enough.

The savanna makes you feel like you've been teleported to Africa. Due to less rainfall this year, the grasses weren't as tall but they still glistened golden. Parts of them had mood swings and were red, yellow and brown.

Before you go into the heart of the savanna, there's a 10km drive which eases you into the surrounding. Black drongos are seen in plenty. We got really excited when we saw a herd of black bucks grazing but little did we know there was much more to come.

Black bucks have this really cute way of jumping on all four legs. The only way you can see it is if they cross the road to go on the other side. We were lucky enough. Imagine forty of them, skipping away right in front of you. What's really crazy is that even though you keep moving the car ahead, they manage to keep the same distance from you. If you come into their zone of safety, they run even farther till that zone is maintained.

We also saw two white-black bucks. I think that's the coolest.

Apart from BBs, we saw a neel gai (which isn't actually blue), a crane all the way from Siberia, a black and white striped bird that had migrated from Israel (its national bird) and the Indian crane . The Indian crane is always in sync with its other half. Standing at about 5ft tall with a red crown on its silver body, it's a sight to see.

The common crestal kept coming into view and there was a Harriet as well. This sanctuary is the biggest resting ground for them. They come at night and move around together in circles. I wish we were allowed to see that.

Now incase you're reading this because you're planning to go there, here are a few tips.
1. Go there early in the morning around 7. That's the only time you'll get a chance to see a wolf or hyaena since they're night predators.
2. Black bucks cross roads in the morning and at around 4:30. Make sure you're present around that time since that's the closest you'll get to see them, and that too in action.
3. There are lodges to stay inside. Although we didn't stay there, the guide told us you need to send a demand draft atleast a month before and it isn't really easy to book.
4. It isn't allowed to get out and take pictures in between but *cough* request *cough*
5. The best time to come here for bird watching would be in December or January as many immigrants can be spotted.
6. Food available inside is only vegetarian.
7. Timings are 7-1 and 3-6. You could cover one side in half the day, and the second wetland part of it in the second half.

That's all, guys. It's definitely a place you should visit. Not many people know about it and the solidarity just adds to its charm.

Will write some more out here soon.
Thanks for keeping up with me <3
Kanksha