KEEP SMILING

“A smile is happiness you will find right under your nose.”

We all live in a world full of work, stress, different types of tensions, running after the life or the world or to be the best or the no. 1. But in the midst of this busy race we miss a very important thing of our life is that to live it, we really forget that how to live life. Eating, studying, working and sleeping does means life it is just same as a robot. But we are not robots we are much more than that we have emotions, we laugh, we cry, we love, we hate, we enjoy, and the best thing we can do is smile.

A smile doesn’t cost us anything, everybody can do it and everybody has. A simple smile can change everything, it can stop wars, it can spread love, happiness, solve problems, clear confusions, and much more…. if we can’t do these things then what type of life are we living? This is not living. Living is that what we do together with our mind, heart, body and soul and enjoys doing. Going ahead in life with everybody, we create moments, memories whereas alone it’s just nothing.

College, we share a beautiful part of our life with it. College itself is a living thing, it has life. Here we do a lot of things first of all we make friends, study, moments, memories and much more….. Which is going to remain with us throughout our lifetime? We live in college, batches come and go and people move ahead in future but the memories which we create here remain with us through our life time. If we compare to our life it’s a very small time but it remains in our hearts always. Some people say classes are boring in college but they are the one who are going to miss it really bad I swear.

We gain a lot of things from here which can’t be expressed in word actually they don’t have proper expression. In school we dig the foundation for life but here we make the column of life which becomes the spine support for our wall of life strong and firm. We are going to miss the college the most the classes in which we studied, white – boards, stools, tables, windows, corridors, etc….

I’m  not going alone from here taking only the degree, I’m taking much more valuable than that, I’m taking those laughter’s, tears, memories some priceless things which I shared with this college doesn’t matters whether it’s sad or happy, some special teachers, director, non-teaching staff members ,food  and the most important our special friends . Don’t indulge yourself in the busy and crowded race of life leading you nowhere.

Go still and see around analyse yourself and find out what you actually want and try to live the life with mind, heart, soul and most important smile. be happy, share yourself with others because happiness increases and problems reduces after sharing, and keep a smile on your lovely faces it increases the serenity of your face and then see the world around yourself, the world will become the beautiful place to live in and living the most interesting work to do, which you will do with full enthusiasm wish you all a very bright and happy future ahead. So always smile, be happy and be a reason for others to be happy as well.

Alma Kerketta,

Archi,

3^rd Year

A CAMERA'S TALE OF LOVE

It was not until I was batteried-in and switched on to open my lens that I came to know what the real world looks like. No, for me, unlike most of my fellow beings, they were not the colorful objects, moving bodies which grabbed my attention but that beautiful girl! It was the very first time I saw any human being and it was her! That very moment I knew she is to be my world forever… You humans have perhaps named this very phenomenon as “Love at first sight!” There she smiled and I couldn’t help but click, thanks to my ‘Smile Shutter’ mode which was on then. All surprised by this she went on to explore all my possible settings as her fingers caressed me. To be in her soft hands made me feel more secure and comfortable than being packed in that dark case!





Our first date was on her school trip to the amusement park. The rate at which she kept clicking was something I couldn’t have imagined of! I tell you, it was one tiring day but all worth it… Not only did I see a swarm of human beings but also got enveloped deep into their happening lives. To see their smiling faces, funny poses, scary expression while on a ride was a new experience and a treat indeed. But most of all I loved clicking her…mahn! She is so beautiful!





I could see my existence giving her a relief even in the boundaries of her room. Be it her pen, that notebook containing most unromantic of chemical equations, every corner of her room, the laptop, the balcony, plants in it, the narrow streets seen from it, the unending skies… she was falling for the beauty of these ordinaries and I, for her!





One fine night she told me how she wishes to go to places all around the world only to click endlessly. I was so overwhelmed, for now I knew she wants to be with me for a lifetime. She kissed me goodnight and went to sleep, with me sitting right by her side…. In the darkness I could not see her but feel her fragrance, her every serene breath… it was a sense of sheer contentment to know that I am one reason for all the happiness she gets by capturing pictures.





Our days were going great together exploring every little place of the town she lived in… through me she had captured her memories of school. Even when carrying me along to her school was only a venture full of risk, she took the chances. That was her last day in school and she clicked every special corner of it and all her dear friends… With memories of many such incidents life moved on and soon she began her new college life! It was there I realized how possessive she could get about me. She never gave me to somebody else’s hands only because of the fear that I might be mishandled! They were such little things which gave me all the little pleasures I needed from my life.





Gradually as she tasted freedom in the new city and explored the place, I could feel we both getting into a matured relationship. Now, it was not a matter of a bunch of random clicks out of which some turned out to be good. But now, together did we feel awestruck at the heights of hills, the depth of lakes, the azure sky, the vastness of the greenery around… at the whole amazing range of awesomeness nature provides to the human beings and their mates, like me! Apart from an almost spiritual experience with the nature, it was fascinating to frame some of very thoughtfully designed buildings. And then yet another part of her life made both of us have fun together: clicks during the bunks, at the canteen, on getting dressed up for a party, while the evening or a morning walk. She perhaps doubted if her own memory would be able to keep so many lively moments to its own record, so wished to preserve every moment through me.

Things were going cool between us, only till one day when I had to capture a few lines written by her:

"To capture

 the moment, the beauty of moment,
the ecstasy of moment, the rarity of moment;
you saved the moment as a still moment...
But here, now, at this moment you do realize
How unworthy it all is when you lose catch of the real moment..."


Had I been a human, I could have said that I was almost in tears reading this. But I was a camera… a camera of strong spirits and I did understand it was only natural for her, being a human, to face a moment when she would question if my existence in her life was reducing the significance of times spent with fellow human beings or at times, alone in the lap of introspection.



That feeling with a touch of melancholy was short lived as her behavior with me never changed but only became better. I must take this chance to thank our mutual and dear friend Facebook, who helped a great deal in strengthening our bond at a time when our relation, like any others, could have faced a downfall of emotions. It not only helped her glorify me but also find meaning to all the time spent with me. She now knew that clicking is not something she does just to pass time or simply as a hobby… rather it is something which helps her open pores of creativeness and induces her to come up with an amalgam of her life experiences and my clicks only to express her inner being to the world.



I had learnt a lot from her and loved her even more… But call it the unfair part of destiny that I was never made capable enough to express wholly what I felt for her. If some fine day I get a chance to tell it to her I would do ahead with this…


“I really don’t know why or how but I get pure happiness when I play the role of your picture-clicking device, and be with you or even think about you even when I am switched off… I could say you are my love of life, but girl you are what the whole of my life could ever be! I feel honored when it is me with whom you share your thoughts upon a click.


There is a secret I want to reveal today… every time I am in somebody else’s hands to click a picture solely of you, I skip a heartbeat. I stay awestruck, staring at you…you, a person of extreme beauty, so pure and mild… and it is perhaps this feeling which helps me click the best of your DPs. I just wish this goes on for our forever.


Love you much,


Your Cam <3 “

~ Ayushi Jangalwa,
   Archi,
   2nd year.

__________
______________________________________________________

GIVE THEM SOME SUNSHINE!

“A woman is the full circle. Within her is the power to create, nurture and transform.”

                                        ~Diane Mariechild

“If you are killing a child, just because it’s a girl; you aren’t doing anything wrong. Even some Cannibal tribes do the same thing.”

                   ~ Anonymous

“It has been 6 months since I have first formed into a zygote. I’m so excited! Just three more months, and I’ll be feeling the first breath of the mortal world. My father would be taking me into the loving hands of his and that would be the moment when I’ll stop crying! Just can’t wait for his kiss, which would be the most precious one of my life. Then my Mom would slowly open her eyes, forgetting all the pain she beared for the past 9 months, and she would be crying- this time, out of happiness. My sister would be jumping out of happiness knowing that she got a buddy for life. All the love, all the care, all the craziness of this world is waiting me. No matter how mad you people are and no matter how many troubles I have to face in my life, I am ready to be one of you!

  These were my dreams, until yesterday. But now, I’m helpless. I overheard the conversation of my parents last night. They went to a hospital and from the tests, came to know that I’m a girl. I was overflowing with joy, knowing this. So, I am going to add to the beauty and serenity of the world. I am a girl and so I am the best. But my heart sank as they continued their discussion. My dad was against me(being born). All of a sudden I became an enemy to him. He said to mom “We can’t raise two girls. There’s no option for us but for you to undergo abortion! And do it as early as possible.”

“Am I a mission that gone wrong, to be aborted? I am a child, I am a soul and above all I AM YOUR DAUGHTER, memento of your love on mom. Dear dad, no need of an abortion. I am already dead in my heart!”

Next day, I felt scissors piercing my body and cutting me off. As I was being operated out, I felt the sun rays touching my feet and that was the last feeling I’ve felt. I didn’t even get to see how it looks like to be out in the sunshine! I am very glad that I’m not going to be a part of this creepy minded world. But I hope my fellow girls survive their race into the world, unlike me!”

Salutes to every person who realise that killing a girl child is no less crime than killing your mother and shame on those who don’t get this!

STATS:

v It estimated that more than ten million female foetuses have been illegally aborted in India.

v Researchers for the Lancet journal based in Canada and India stated that 500,000 girls were being lost annually through sex selective abortions.

v In 2011, 15,000 Indian women were bought and sold as brides in areas where foeticide has led to a lack of women.

v Arvind Kumar, an official in the Hyderabad district enforced the PCPNDT Act after taking over in 2004. He investigated all 389 diagnostic clinics in the city and took action. 361 ultrasound scan centres were issued notices for non-compliance with the PCPNDT Act and the licenses of 91 centres were cancelled.

WELCOME TO INDIA

                       

BIZZARE. OVERLOADED. TECHNICOLOUR. CHAOTIC. GOLMAAL.                         JUGAAD. CHALTA HAI.

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“After the conversations about Indian philosophy, some of the ideas of Quantum Physics that had seemed so crazy suddenly made much more sense.”

                                          ~ W. Heisenberg (German Physicist)

“If there is one place on the face of earth where all the dreams of living men have found a home from the very earliest days when man began the dream of existence, it is India!”

                                        ~ Romaine Rolland (French writer)

“In religion, India is the only millionaire……the One land that all men desire to see, and having seen once, by even a glimpse, would not give that glimpse for all the shows of all the rest of the globe combined.”

                                       ~ Mark Twain (American writer)

 You’d run out of words long before you’d run out of an India that all those words describe. And in not just one language but many, including the very special “Unicode”..

India is not a contradiction in terms .It sets the terms for contradictions. It’s the world’s biggest and the most energetic democracy, where people chuck out governments as frequently as they chuck out garbage. It’s a byword for immense wealth and terrible poverty, a realm of billionaires and beggars, the traditional  mahakumbh mela and the big modern malls,  weird tantriks and  the popular twitter, the numerous mighty goddesses and the shameless “female foeticide”, a country of unemployment and “U.S employers”, a boast of “Hamare Sanskar” and the ever increasing crime rate in the country.

Be it the unity in diversity or religious acceptance, scientific achievements or vedic preachments, dream land or nightmare for poor… India has always been the stage for almost anything moral, immoral, mortal and immortal values. Many renowned personalities all around the world had been mentioning about India in one or the other occasion, for righteous reasons. At the same time our nation was in the news

for many more wrong reasons. Of course, every nation is like a coin- having heads and tails in its history. We may call it “Shades of the Nation”. It’s a fact that India, among all the nations has maximum colours in its shades and here are some of

them:

CHALTA HAI INDIA: Aren’t we all aware about the infamous “I don’t care” and “ignoring” attitude. Dumping garbage on roads, cops sleeping on duty, the most recent and upsetting example of molestation in Guwahati where no one cared to stop and help whereas just preferred to watch the shameless act  ….and the list of this ‘Chalta hai’ attitude is endless. And yet we call ourselves the heirs of great personalities like Mahatma Gandhi, who fought for the independence of a country which didn’t give a life to him (South Africa).

JUGAAD INDIA:  Innovative fixes, enterprising street mechanics and business ideas, bending/bypassing of rules, getting admission into educational institutions through donations rather than merit… everything comes under jugaad! Not always bad, but they it is put into use had crossed the limits and is narrowing the success chances of a common man. I think we MANITians need not be told what is Jugaad about, after all we consider ourselves to be best at it..

BIZZARE INDIA:  Strange customs and uncouth taboos, creepy rituals and superstitions, crazily mis-spelt signboards, and weird advertising taglines come under this. Only in India you can find a situation in which man builds a temple even over a milestone if its rumored that god resides in it! One doesn’t continue their journey for a while if a cat crosses their path (P.S. Even if it is an ambulance and patient’s is in the edge of death)!

PEACEFUL INDIA : Despite of the so many distressing terror attacks ,India has always stood up with courage and fought back but has never resorted to any sort of violence .Instead has always believed in peace and has treated the whole world as one family, thus following its one of the most intrinsic principle of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam”. 

CHAOTIC INDIA: Complete absence of order and system in our daily life, overcrowded trains, buses, roads, traffic rules never being followed, urinating anywhere and everywhere, and many more such examples are creating chaos in the systematic mode of our country. Everyone waits for the government to do every single work. If the road in front of their house becomes filthy and stinky, they still wait for municipality shifts, but never do they clean themselves. No one’s asking you to clean up the country. Just clean up your own houses. If everyone does it, country automatically gets clean (Here cleaning refers to discipline).

INCREDIBLE INDIA: The spectacular beauty, heritage and medley of color that is India. Multicultural and multilingual India is world famous for its beautiful monuments, enthralling fairs, colorful dresses, wild life and how can we forget the inexplicable magical Bollywood.

So what about the changes that will make this INDIFFERENT INDIA ,the truly INCREDIBLE INDIA, not just in our opinions but also that of the foreign visitors we welcome each day .Even though we are proud to belong to this culturally rich and divine country we must together pledge to make it socially beautiful too. As it has been rightly said “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can  do  for your country”.

There’s no need to be ashamed of being and Indian as there are many proud things about us and there are many issues which need to be sorted out to make our country a biased coin with only good things to say about! As a last word, a call to the youth and teenagers of our country to help in the intellectual progress of our country. The youth is all powerful and if we join hands and dedicate ourselves to the mission of India’s upliftment, no super power can hold us back. Let us change this “CHALTA HAI “attitude of India and redefine it to “KEEP MOVING”!!. On the last note

                                BE PROUD TO BE AN INDIAN

                                                       ~Prachi Purswani,

                                                 Electrical,

                                                 2^nd year.

 

                                                                                               

VOIDS IN TIME

 Today. Yet another day, at the end of which my brain is reluctant to think. It’s more tiring to have a tired mind, than a tired body.

 This place. I have been here before, endless number of times. But its not mine. I stand at the edge. Do I belong here?

 People. They keep running and running, trying to reach goals set by others, trying to conquer more than others, trying to prove something very irrelevant. It’s a race, where you don’t lose, but people make you feel you did, not by telling you so, but by reminding you of their triumph. But a part of me knows something is missing. My surroundings are empty, thoughtless and hence, powerless. 

I should get down from the bus and walk the rest of the distance. No, I am too exhausted for it. But I should. So I hear myself yelling “I had to get down.” The driver unwillingly stops, my co-passengers glare at me and the conductor giggles at my back. Is this one of the decisions I was going to regret? It’s a pitiable thing to think so much about such a small happening, but my brain keeps on going back to all the faces, my limbs make me regret what I just did. But I needed it more than it was wanted. I start walking, without any realization, I leave the park behind, and my mind wanders off to the summers when I thought tooth fairy was real. All the memories I have are those from the frame of ‘outside the gate’. Did I never go inside to play? Or were they just too impolite to remember? At that time, it was just laziness, but now, I realize maybe it was more than my body’s reluctance to join the other kids. Maybe it was my mind’s.

 Repeated trips to the hospital makes any being more fragile than he was before. Though, I am no one to blame these health factories, I can relate to their psychological setbacks. “But I am more than that. I don’t state the hospitals as the reason of my lack of motivation. Only the guilt of my mistakes can make me prosper. Like those kids there-” as I wandered out and back into my subconscious, I merely saw a bunch of teenagers terrorizing a little pup. Will some of them regret this act? God, I hope they do. Though, I know how they feel; how they are frustrated, confused, like everyone is, more or less, at the time of learning something new.

 Then these are youngsters, trying to learn the most complex mathematics of all: life. Though I am no one to know them, but still, it is not just right to show their dominance over an innocent creature to prove to the world that you are unafraid. Rather, it’s just the work of a coward. But they’ll learn for themselves. Some will wait for big happenings; others will be inhibited by smaller ones. Some days they’ll discover themselves; others, they’ll invent. Some will invite troubles to themselves; others might run away; sooner than later, they’ll know; hard way or otherwise that little things matter.

 Hypothesis of a biologist would suggest I am completely aware of my limbs, moving forward, like trying to win, against each other, a motion in vain. But all I feel right now is my blood thumping through my ears. Was I running out of breath?

 I see a smile of an old man sitting in Mr. Oliver’s window side seat, and it makes me wonder do I have to wait till the last chapter? No. Every happy chapter begins with a smile, and the sad ones end with a smile!

I see a vagabond, and I see a woman sitting on her bedroom window. For one, her house is a prison, for the other, the world outside the house. For any prisoner, their prison is the safest place they know. Scared to be outside, crouching at the thought of being left free; but the spark of not being where you are, overpowers the importance of now and here.

 Sometimes, life is plain, mundane, redundant, but that time, is the most useful time. It’s the intermission of a movie, where you have seen the movie, and, yet, are eager for more. It’s the comma in the sentence, where you still have sentence left for reading, yet, understand the first half. It’s the time to learn, the time to format, to dispose off useless stuff, to be excited for more.

 Like the walk I had; the void which I filled with memories and judgments. Now, I am not regretting my decision of getting off the bus. Aching more than before, I reached the stairs to my apartment.

 Today. I travelled more than I walked; but am still shrugging at the expressions of the fellow bus passengers. 

                                         -Sanjana Wadhwa,

                                     Computer Science,

                                   2^nd year

THE VOW

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that.  Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.”
                                                          ― Martin Luther King Jr.

“If you judge people, you have no time to love them.”
                                                        ― Mother Teresa.

"Watching you walk out of my life does not make me bitter or cynical about love. But rather makes me realize that if I wanted so much to be with the wrong person how beautiful it will be when the right one comes along."

                                        -Anon

BASILICA CHURCH, GOA:

DATE: 01.09.12

Finally I saw the smile on my Mom’s face. She is the best mother anyone could ever have. Her sleepless nights in transforming me from a half corpse to a human have finally succeeded. Adding to this, I finally agreed to marry the girl she chose and her happiness had no boundaries.
 

I was reciting “the vows”, in a robotic style. Not that I’m not regretting for the approval of this marriage, but it’s just that I don’t get any feel on seeing this girl, even when she’s in the most beautiful dress any girl can ever be in her entire life- The Bridal dress. I was just ‘observing’ her happiness in her eyes and smile on her lips. Just observing, not feeling them! Then I started reciting, in “Tim Burton” style-

“With this hand I will lift your sorrows. Your cup will never be empty, for I will be your wine. With this candle, I will light your way into darkness. With this ring, I ask you to be mine.”  

MY HOME, GOA:

DATE: 01.08.12

The break up I had 3 months ago, still had a deep impact on me! In fact, those wounds never heal! Gradually, I became addicted to drugs. At least, it was the only thing that deprived me off my pain. As I began thinking more and more about the past, dosage of drugs had to be increased to kill the pain. By the time I realised that it’s just a waste of my future, I already became a drug addict! There were days, when I just lived on drugs for weeks. My face became swollen and my body- a half dead corpse! Of course, I lost the pain due to break up, but in the process, I lost myself! My behaviour with the friends too changed completely and I had no one to call a “friend” now! My mother started worrying a lot and finally, one day, she threw away all the drugs and locked me away in a room! In the process, I bit her, slapped her and even hit her with my legs. But never did she lost the faith in me and she brought me back into this world!    

BACK TO THE CHURCH:

“You may now kiss the bride”

And as we were about to kiss, I saw someone who grabbed my attention. I felt my heart beating so fast and my eyes searching so hard for that person! Or at least, I hoped that she would be there! And, yes. There she was, in a wheel chair! There was the person who has my heart, of course broken. There was she, in a state of paralysis, on a wheel chair; with tears rolling down her cheeks. She was my Maya!

UPPER LAKE, BHOPAL:

DATE: 01.01.12

Finally, I’ve decided to propose her! We both knew it was coming and I wanted to make it special. We went on a paddle boat and were slowly drifting towards centre of the lake. Suddenly, it started raining. Smell of the rain was fighting hard to dominate the fragrance of Maya, in vain! As she’s playing with the water below, my mind was playing with the eternal smile of her and thoughts with the immortal beauty! As rain has just started, a drop fell on her face and she was as lively as a beautiful flower having dew drops at its end. At the same time, my heart was feeling the fear that her face might be in pain due to the roughness of those raindrops!

The breeze was sweeping her hair off her face, as her mole, on the lips was sweeping me off my feet. The water below was eagerly jumping to kiss her face as I’m envying them. As she was pulling my hand to show the fishes, I felt like I was falling into the well of infinity! I couldn’t hold it anymore and said “Maya, we both know that this was coming. I promise you that I will be holding your hand from this moment, forever and ever. No matter whatever may be circumstances that try to separate us, I will never let go of you. All that I need is a yes.” Even though, she was expecting this, she was completely surprised and amidst that heavy rain, I could feel a tear rolling down her eye and slowly halting at her lips. That is a yes! I know it right away and then I leaned forward to kiss those lips and we were in that state of bliss for hours together!

As many love stories often end up, mine too was a victim of Distance relationships. After the college, she went back to her native place, Hyderabad and me- Goa. She kept on complaining that there’s no one to console her personally at the time of need and no one to love her accordingly! She asked me to shift to Hyderabad. But I couldn’t leave my mother alone, at this age! One day, she just messaged me, saying “It’s all over, don’t try to contact me.” And after that everything was common- Change of SIM, blocking in fb and all other things! I came to know from my friends that her fb status the very next day, was “Got rid of the pain and found my new love, at last!”

BACK AGAIN:

All these memories just flashed in my mind and the line “I will not leave your hand at any circumstances” kept on flashing in my mind! Now she’s back! For me! And she’s in such a pathetic condition. I felt like hugging her then and there, leaving everything! But don’t know why, I chose the second oath! I chose to be the soul mate of Ananya, the girl my mother has selected. After “The Vow” which I took, agreeing to it wholeheartedly, Ananya started looking completely different! I felt that she completed me! And then, I kissed her, the bride, the soul mate and the complement!

TWO YEARS LATER:

After two years of treatment, Maya has completely recovered from her paralysis caused in an accident. Ananya suggested adopting Maya to fill the void created by the death of her parents in the same accident and we did the same! I never broke both the vows. Never did I leave Maya alone in any problem, nor did I share my heart with anyone else except Ananya!

                       - Vivek Reddy