Small step big thought

It is that time of the year again, when schools are poised to re-open after the summer break . This June is going to be a special one as most schools in the country are going to re-open fully for physical classes after the two year shake up because of the pandemic . This time of the year is also particularly special for those students who are starting Grade 1. After all it is about new beginnings that have been made possible by years of planning , research and meticulous execution by the busiest species on our planet- Parents! and I know all about this because I have a ringside view to this happening event .My little sister will be starting First grade in June 2023 and my parents are bang smack in the middle of meticulous research; have come up with a list of options and have started talking to schools .If you are privy to project Stellar Kids, you will be aware that the ground work of research and shortlisting of schools to apply in begins during prenatal counseling and planning. My p...

Travel is my passion - the thing that makes my world go round . More often than not , the joy lies not just in the destination but also in the journey itself . Every single journey has given me tons of memories that have shaped my understanding of our beautiful world and its inhabitants who come in many different shapes , colours and personalities, quirks included . I just got back from a getaway at a coffee estate in Chikmagalur . The driver of the car that we hired was an interesting character , possibly bipolar , who drove the car like a bullock cart until we reached the nearest petrol bunk.  I was quite sure I saw a couple of pedestrians overtake our car . Once we reached the petrol bunk, the driver insisted on filling the diesel and the air all by himself , lest the attendant touches his precious Kohinoor of a car . Once he was done , the other side to his personality emerged . He started to drive like a madman on steroids . I had my doubts about our reaching the destination w...

  Sameera was probably the most stylish nine year old that you will have the fortune of knowing. A fashionista in the making, born diva and drama queen were some of her most common aliases. Always dressed to nines, albeit in sleeveless dresses, Sameera was a sight for the sore eyes. She was a textbook example of an organized person and an epitome of perfection . When Sameera was three, she hated playing in sand and getting her clothes and hands messy , a lot unlike her twin brother Shaurya, who was a stinky bundle of mess rolling in sand. She hated finger painting because the paint felt icky to touch. She was literally just the kind of child that every stressed-out young parent wished they had - after all she was always neat and clean and kept her clothes and toys neatly too - a lot unlike Shaurya whose toys were broken and clothing smudged with paint. By the time Sameera was six, she could eat with the perfection of someone who had topped her class in finishing school. However it ...

Chewa Thapa was a bubbly eighteen year old who lived in the picturesque town of Gangtok which is nestled in the mighty Himalayas and offers beautiful views of  Mount Kanchenjunga , the third tallest peak in the world . Chewa was full of bounding energy . She filled her day with multiple activities , walked five kilometres in the hilly terrains to get to her college and helped her mother with chores around the house . Yet she felt pretty charged up and had a tough time falling asleep at night . It was worse when she was in primary school and she had difficulty in focusing and learning . Sitting still in the class was something that she could  never do and more often than not she found it difficult to pay attention to what her teacher was saying . She loved swinging on the tyres that was tied to the tree in the school garden and would try to avoid getting into her class . Other children did not like playing with her since she could not take turns and she was perceived as a bully...

They say that love has myriad hues . Truer words were never spoken . Anindita was a very cute and chubby six year old . Blessed with doting parents and loving grandparents , she had a happy life - for nobody in her family made her feel that she was different . Anindita had autism and the way that she experienced the world around her was so so different from other children her age . One day Anindita went with her mom and neighbourhood kids to the new Corner House ice cream parlour down the street . It was Ridhima’s birthday treat and her mother had ordered death by chocolate ice cream for everyone . Anindita thought that the ice cream looked tempting but she was apprehensive about the liberal sprinkling of nuts , for nuts made her mouth feel terrible , almost like putting pins into it . The smell of chocolate wafting through the air was inviting and she decided to pop a spoon of ice cream into her mouth . Anindita could see the look of joy in her mother’s face from the corner of her eye...

I was watching a winter video uploaded by Cottage Fairy , a social media influencer whose videos are incredibly relaxing and hugely popular . It made me think about the place of pride that food holds in our lives . Food is more than something to eat when hungry . Food is nirvana , nostalgia and joy rolled together . Historically , people ate food that was specific to the climate and geography of where they lived . With the world becoming more and more connected , people have become more comfortable with eating a lot of different kind of food . Our palates become varied as we grow older , travel and open our lives to multiple experiences . But the comfort and nostalgia associated with food that we ate growing up gives gastronomic joy . India is a country of rich and varied flavours and tastes where food plays a major role in all celebrations and life events . I belong to a South  Indian family and rice is our staple along with pulses , vegetables and dairy . All the special occasion...

I was watching the famous “Pale blue dot” speech by Carl Sagan - precious words that are as relevant today as they were nearly four decades ago. It got me thinking about how insignificant we human beings are in the vast universe, yet our actions irreversibly impact the existence of the only inhabited planet, thereby jeopardizing our own existence. Sagan was a part of the NASA mission Voyager to outer space in the year 1989. When the space probe  was about to leave the solar system, Sagan requested for it to turn around and take one last image of Earth as a tiny blue speck amidst the ocean of planets and stars . This went on to become the famous pale blue dot image - a reality check of our tiny and insignificant existence in the vast scheme of things.  We are a mere speck in a vast ocean called the cosmos, yet we hold a place of privilege. Living on the only space that can foster and nurture life and being the only life form  intelligent enough to explore and comprehend ...