A piece of me

                     Last sunset of 2022🌅 Looking back at 2022 brings me tears of joy. From making new friends to starting a blog, I had never expected all this to ever happen, and yet it did. There were happy days and sad days, and there were days I felt least productive. Some days I felt inspired, and other days I wanted to give up. Although I made mistakes, I learned valuable lessons.   The greatest lesson that I learned this year was that, while I am busy thinking about what other people will think, those other people are busy thinking about what someone else thinks. Hence, in the bargain of being accepted by others, we lose beautiful parts of ourselves. It's the fear of rejection that keeps us from being who we are and doing what we love. No doubt I still have the fear of rejection, but I don't let it overpower me.   I hope that in 2023, our fears will have less power over us. Something really beautiful said by P...

                       Picture 1 Christmas is celebrated with great joy all around the world. This occasion is a reminder that our God loves us to such an extent that he sent us his only son. Jesus Christ lived a simple life for us and died for us, and he continues to do so. For me, Christmas has always been the most anticipated part of the year. Decorating the house and making sweets together, cracking jokes, and filling the house with carols always leave beautiful memories.     Christmas carols are like icing on the cake; they bring in a different energy and joy. One of my favorite Christmas carols that never fails to lift my mood is Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer. Apart from being a jolly Christmas carol, it has also been a reminder that I am perfect the way I am.   Rudolph was unique; he was different, because of which he would always tease and call people names. He was always left out by the other reinde...

A lot of struggle has to be met for a butterfly to emerge. This beautiful insect that is a muse to several individuals goes through several stages before taking flight. The life cycle of a butterfly includes four stages: the   egg ,  the  larva (caterpillar) , the  pupa (chrysalis) , and the  adult butterfly.                                               Butterfly  One can learn valuable lessons by simply observing the life cycle of a butterfly. The first stage, which is the egg, lasts for three to seven weeks but can go longer in different species of butterflies. This is true for us as well; we are all different. Some are early birds, and some are night owls. We are all different, and it's important to know that it's normal to be different. Thus, the point of moving out of one's comfort zone differs from individual to individual. While some be...

              Crackers burnt for diwali               "One man's meat is another man's poison "   This proverb can be applied to several situations. In simple words, what is good for one can be dangerous for another. The same goes for the festive seasons, the present being Diwali. People all around India, in fact, all around the world, join their family and friends in celebrating this auspicious festival. The family together carries out the various traditions they missed out on in the past two years because of the pandemic. Burning the different varieties of crackers brings a certain joy to the children, teenagers, and youth. The adults, while assisting or keeping a watch on the eager children, are flooded with memories of their own childhood. But these crackers don't bring joy to everyone. Every year, a disaster management protocol is revoked during the 3 days of Diwali (pre-diwali, diwali, and post-diwali...

  A person can make a huge difference in our life. Example - teacher. Teachers are the most important figures in a child's life. A teacher can make so much difference in a person's life, but whether this difference is positive or negative depends on the teacher. I have been blessed to have such great teachers in my life who, unknowingly, have made a great impact on my life.   In the library, I always found our librarian, Miss Petlina, who was no less than a teacher. Her arrival had led to an increase in the number of readers. She encouraged us to come to the library to borrow and read books. My regular visits had made me familiar with her. On learning that I write poems, she encouraged me to not only continue writing but also get them published. Even as I wished her a happy birthday today, she reminded me of the same. I always admire her for her patience and understanding nature; above all, she always makes me feel special.   Another teacher I can't forget is my math ...

Stepping on the sand at the beach after such a long time brought me a different peace all together. However, this was disturbed by the amount of plastic and other waste scattered all over the beach. But the fact that I was here to clean up the beach, a place so peaceful and calm and somewhere I have created so many fond memories, reassured me.            Beach cleaning in progress Given that it was the time of Ganesh Chaturthi, the type of waste was quite predictable. Garlands, leftovers of fire crackers, cloth pieces, and the unwanted guest at every corner— plastic  The most unexpected things we found were slippers and undergarments (very disgusting). While collecting this, many of us kept wondering about where people leave their brains once they come to the beach. Is it so easy to just litter our surroundings and not feel any guilt or shame about it?         A grop picture of all students after cleaning   Being able to clea...

  Rain arrives with June. Petrichor scatters around. The phone is ringing .                                                                  -Alloysha Dias  --------------------------------------------------------------------- Picture credit: Google 

Mangroves are salt-tolerant trees that grow in swamps and are mainly found along the coast. In India, mangroves are found in West Bengal, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Goa,etc. These salt-tolerant trees protect the water quality by removing pollutants; they also prevent soil erosion and are responsible for better air quality. The root system of these mangroves makes them an ideal spot for fish and other organisms seeking food and shelter from their predators. Some of the mangrove fauna categories include crocodiles, lizards, turtles, mud clams,etc. Among the fish, one can find the giant perch (chonak), mullets (shevte), sand whiting (muddoshi), snapper (tamoso), grouper (gobro), catfish (sangot), and others. The cormorant, great cormorant, large egret, Indian shag,grey heron, and painted stockbird form part of the mangrove ecosystem. However, in recent times, due to commercial as well as industrial development, several of these mangroves have been cut down, which in turn has threatened the man...

       Change is alarming , But does the cocoon intend to be forever?                                                                           -Alloysha Dias  ★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★ Picture credit: Google 

               Singer:Heather Sommer       I just heard the song "the way a friend would" by Heather Sommer, and my! I was pondering deeply. The music is a soft, soothing one, and the song as a whole, with all its words, proves to be very profound; the lines seem like words that belong to each one of us at some point in our lives; the line "I wish I could see myself the way a friend would see me" proved to be the most compelling to me. I realized almost all of us see only the faults in ourselves, and only a handful are able to see or list even a few good qualities about themselves. To make things worse, when our friends point them out to us, we rarely take notice of it and instead deny having any of the qualities stated. Perhaps if we saw ourselves through the eyes of a friend, it would be different. Because it's only a true friend who sees us differently, and I suppose that's the reason we are so open and different when around...