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Shimla

 I ditched my school farewell to go on a trip to Shimla with my mom and her friends. I don't regret it one bit.  I have spoken before about how I'm not particularly attached to my school in The End of School Life . So missing my farewell was not that big of a deal for me. Shimla was spectacular and the trip of a lifetime. Shimla is known for being beautiful. It is straight out of a fairytale. The mountains, the roads, the shops, all are very remarkable and unique.  The mountainous streets were very tiring and new to us plain dwelling creatures. There is an absence of autos in the roads of Shimla and instead there are only buses which were no less than a roller coaster for me, with the meandering roads which also decrease and increase in elevation. During the night the mountains, with their lights look like a grand tapestry. I bought a bubbles toy which made huge bubbles- bigger than I had ever seen before. The sellers blowed them on the street which made the already surreal tow
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Babaji

 In this post I'm going to recount a few fond memories with my paternal grandfather, Babaji. Most of these are of the time when he used to pick me up from school for a few months in fourth grade. He used to pick me up from the front field of our school and we walked back to the car, often holding hands. I often found a small stone to kick along the way. In the car, there would be always waiting for me a pillow and a bottle of cold water. It felt no less than luxury. He asked me eagerly what I learned in school. I remember one time I told him I had learned a new word- unique. He asked me what it's meaning was and I said different. But that's not an exact synonym, and he explained the nuance in the different meaning of the two words. I remember, earlier he had explained to me the same way how the Hindi words बाल and केश differed from each other. Since he used to pick me up from the field, where a lot of my classmates were waiting to be picked up too, I often asked them how ol

The End of School Life

 I finally got done with school. It was the end of the fourteen years of my life- all spent in the same school. It was supposed to be bittersweet, nostalgic, melancholic and emotional, at least, that's what all media taught me. It wasn't. I loved that it was finally ending. Perhaps it was the lack of vacations for years in a row, the lack of deep friendships, my dip in academic performance, or it could have been the fact that it did not feel like the same school anymore. In 14 years, the school had not only managed to completely change its buildings, but the prayers said in the assembly, its teaching style, its uniform, its colour scheme, the house names, the children's park, its symbol, the copy and book covers, almost everything. Imagine the classroom walls, chairs, tables, staircases, corridors looking almost completely different from your first memories of the school. Don't get me wrong, I am grateful for the wider staircases, the ACs, and the washrooms being miles

A few fond memories with Mummy.

  I think most of us could write something on this title. However, as I have grown and seen how my peers talk about their mothers, and admire mine, I have realized she is not just my mother, but my best friend. Many a times I have heard classmates talk about how one cannot tell everything to their parents, and I have and silently disagreed. To her love not only for me but for everyone, her hardworking nature, her impeccable cooking skills, and her passion, I have learned and have yet to learn a lot from her. Her oiling and combing my hair almost everyday, and her telling me which clothes to wear as I have negative amount of fashion sense. I got awesome hand me downs from her,  I like to wear them. I find it very beautiful and quaint that I'm wearing clothes that she did when she was younger, and almost every time she says, "I can't believe that used to fit me?" I could go on and on about her cooking, I am not joking when I say that the food she cooks is better than th

Van Life

 I have had some experience with van life, and have even mentioned it in my " Different Saumyas " post. No, I'm not talking about selling my house and living in a van like recent social media trends might have you thinking, I'm simply talking about commuting to school and back in a van. Like I said in the post linked above, it definitely contributed to my personality. I am not the kind of person who would just not say anything when somebody attempts to be rude anymore. It has also given me a few of my fond memories. One very rainy day, the streets had flooded and the van stopped on the road. The driver (who was the worst out of all I had during my van life) simply stepped out of the car and went into some unknown abyss out of our sight without saying a word . This lack of concern for us was not uncharacteristic of him, more on that later. The van currently had a girl my age, a boy a couple years junior, and of course, me. All was fine and well and we continued chattin

Executive Dysfunction

 Executive Dysfunction is when the brain and body refuse to cooperate. The brain wants to do something, but the body is doing something else. It is different from procrastination such that the person is actively wanting to do the task at hand, instead of leaving it for their future self, but is unable to do so. This makes it difficult for the person to not only do academic or professional tasks, but also the easy and important stuff, like chores or hobbies. Here's a short poem by me, inspired from my experience. I sit in my room  being 'lazy' like always I tell myself that I'm going to  finally change my ways  But at this point I know that it is all a lie I tell myself lets go But I don't comply what is this confusion I can't listen to myself Executive dysfunction greeting me again

The Undeserved Poverty Of Indian Artisans

 During my board exams, there was a gap of three days after one exam. There happened to be a fair in my city. My parents decided to take me to it. Over there I saw some of the most beautiful and intricate metal work, glass work, waxwork, handicrafts, sarees, and artworks I had ever seen. While it is good that the government is organising such fairs to empower artists, I couldn't help but wonder why these artists had to lead a lifestyle the way they did. I think it is general knowledge that usually even the richer artisans are lower middle class at best.                                             The 'starving artist' stereotype is widespread. However the Indian artisans are different from the lone, starving western artist. The artisan's work is very often being done for generations, as is the tradition of India.It carries folk and mythological stories within its spirit, and it carries great cultural significance. One might think that they are just clothes and showpiece