Rain

 Pitter-patter falls the rain

It always erases all our pain

It is a heavenly phenomenon and the best of creations

It always brings prosperity to all the nations.

 

In the rain, all the people love to get drenched

By making paper boats, their childish desires get quenched

In this season, people tuck up cozily in their rug

They relax on their bed with a book in hand and a coffee mug.

 

The sound of the shower soothes our ears and mind

The rain teaches us how to be kind

It doesn’t show partiality towards any city, state or country

It pours everywhere and provides nutrition even to the shortest stem and tallest tree.

 

It makes the barren soil fresh

And gives the encouragement to start afresh

It helps the flowers bloom and gives a bountiful crop

It provides a panoramic view and a beautiful backdrop.

We are really fortunate if we can witness a rainbow

This marvel of vivid colors brings in the sky a bright glow

In this season, the photographer hidden within us comes out

To find a good spot for pics, we are always on the lookout.

 

The rain has done many things for us

But unfortunately we don’t realize it

We go on disturbing the ecological balance and make a huge fuss

thus destroying nature’s charisma bit by bit.

 

Due to our recklessness, there are incessant floods in many places

Due to this there is a massive increase in the death cases

So, let us all take conservative steps to restore the rain’s beauty

Let us all join hands, work together and sincerely perform our duty!!

 

                                                                                   -          Anusha Sridhar

 

 

                                                                                                                            

Sky

            As I was sauntering on the sundeck

I had raised my head high

To view the large luminescent light

and the star-studded sky.

 

This gave me a lot of solace

And freed me from the day’s menace.

I realized how beautiful nature could be

If with the right eyes we could see.

                                                                                                                              

The pat of the breeze made my hair dance

Looking at the swaying trees, I went into a trance

All around, there was complete nonchalance

The rays of the moon brought reflections of reminiscence.

 

The dark sky and shining stars were contrasting

Just like black and white

The experience was everlasting

And the moon grew magnificent over the night.

 

The stars were like small crowns adorning the skies

The moon gave us hope to aim for the highs

As time passed, it had become pitch dark

Suddenly, there was a small spark.

 

There was a speck of orange light that arose

This proved the fact that faith never goes

Whenever the thick clouds covered the moon/sun

It always finds a way out

Because it knows its duties

and has no doubt.

 

How grim the situation may be

There is always a hope at the end of the tunnel

You just have to filter out negativity like a funnel.

 

Never think of a back out

Instead become more devout

Never consider the nights to be bad and long

Because it gives you a chance to become headstrong!

 

So, enjoy both the day and night

You will start feeling a sense of delight!

                

                             _ Anusha Sridhar

 

 

 

 

Expectations- the cause for doom or the catalyst for development?

It is a natural human tendency to have expectations on oneself and on others. But not many have the strength to look at themselves once they fail. They go on the track of depression and curse themselves. They become afraid to face reality and lock themselves behind doors. 

Now the main question arises here. Should people have expectations? Is it good or bad? The further lines will provide an insight on how I have perceived this deep-rooted topic.

First of all before plunging into this topic, we must know why people have expectations and what exactly does it mean. 'Expectation' is a term used to define a person's fixed goals which he wants to achieve. This word is used to build up the competitive spirit within us and gives us the strength not to limit ourselves and look beyond horizons.

Now coming to the point- why people have expectations? It is really simple. Having expectations will show us how high we can aim for and will decide our capability. It will show us our responsiveness if something in a plan goes topsy-turvy. It will show us how we can change the situation to our benefit and will assess our thinking power. 

Are expectations good or bad? There are several theories on this. Before proceeding further, one must know that there are two types of expectations. One, that is being forced on you and you personally have no interest in that. Two, that is your passion and you are desperate to achieve it.

In type one, again there is a split in the kind of people. First, are those who forgo their dreams due to peer pressure, accept whatever is being told to them and move on. Second, are those who are not fixed towards anything. Their mind keeps wavering, they can't decide what to do and thus end up in a dense labyrinth. They are the ones who lose out on both the options they have.

The first case of people are better as they at least channelize their energy in one direction (even though they are not interested) slowly, grow towards liking it and feel that fate has thought it to be a better option for them. Be like type two always- who have the burning  fire within, that's what I suggest.

As mentioned in the beginning, expecting something which you can achieve is fine (Not that expecting beyond is not acceptable, but yes, if you can make that true and do not lament if things go wrong and stand back stronger, you can expect higher). But once you set that benchmark for yourself, you can't fall below that. You either have to stay on the surface or go higher. The choice is yours how you want to be, but never have a high-low margin after you have reached your best, that's what I want to say.

See, there are not many who can hit six sixes in an over always. There surely will be ones, twos and fours also, one has to accept that. But what is the condition of those who have established themselves as a perfect scorer who has never gone wrong? What is the condition of those people who have a tag attached to their collar as the 'most-efficient' person? What will happen to those people who have achieved 'celebrity status' and end up coming to a lesser level due to one small mistake?

The most immediate reaction would be shock waves spreading among colleagues and friends. There will be a sudden change in their behavior and people start backstabbing you. Your position falls down and you are not given anything important. There is a saying that if a person who is an epitome of truth utters a lie for the first time, he would never be trusted again. Same thing here. People's perception towards you just changes in the blink of an eye and you become a topic of discussion as to how you spoilt your own name.

It is not that you can never bounce back. It is just that most of us have never thought of it as an option. Remember, if plan A fails, there are 25 more letters, meaning that there are many opportunities for you to prove your mettle and regain people's confidence on you.

But sadly, most people have horse's eyes, meaning, they don't look around them, they think think that the way in front of them is the only path and there is nothing else. They start behaving like frogs in the well who don't know anything other than their own dwelling place! This situation gets worse if people end up their lives.

Now again, we must know why people end their life. Self-expectation is not something that will drive people to the door of death. As already mentioned, we have expectations on ourselves and even on others. By others, I mean Bollywood celebrities, sports personalities, CEO of companies or be anyone for that matter. We even expect the way people have to sit! I mean above one point, if a person crosses the saturation level how can he have inner peace? By talking about these people everywhere; in newspapers, on TV, in paparazzi; aren't we making their lives public? Their personal life news bothers us more than what is cooking in our homes.

In one way indirectly, aren't we stealing from them the right to do what they want? (We literally stalk these people everywhere and if we don't like their clothes, we make them as headlines, why??). In this way we are adding more pressure to the already pressurized mind of those people who do not know how to handle their stardom side-effects. On top of that, there are trolls, memes made on them if something is not up to the mark. I am questioning, isn't this negativity enough to make weak people commit suicide?

The more better you become with each attempt or the higher you rise every time, the more limelight you get in this world. You are recognized wherever you go and lose your basic right to freedom!

When you start achieving your plans without faltering, you automatically get that 'celeb tag' on you. You can't be your true self, you always have to maintain that smile of yours and can't scowl at anyone. You have to maintain a code of decency and can't roam wherever you want. You have expectations on yourself to reach a certain height. But once you do so, you come to the spotlight and more than yourself, others start expecting things from you.

You never realize when self-expectations turn into group pressure! Always remember, the higher you rise on your ladder of goals, the more you give away with your personal choices. Everything in life comes with a price. There is nothing like free lunch.

The most common question that arises at this point is how do you cope up with the stress from all directions? What do we do? It is really simple. Have a true friend (parents are the best) with whom you can share everything and free yourselves from your sorrow. Weep on someone's shoulder whom you know will not leave by your side. Read your favorite book, listen to good songs or soothing music and indulge in your favorite pastime and see how your day changes within the snap of your fingers. 

Every life is precious and death is not the final solution. There are different ways to come out of the spiral of sorrow. Remember, you must always think twice before choosing something. If you are very particular about  your path and steady in your decision, be ready to face criticism and backlash because the world is filled with so many of that kind who have a problem even with your minute actions. Never end your life because you will be called weak. Stand back stronger and hit back at all those who condemned you. For a person who has fallen down, I think this is the best expectation that will keep his heart beating faster.

So, on the whole, I'd like to say one thing. Expect something as long as you know that you won't break so easily. Expecting to achieve your plans is fine as long as you know what failure is and how to battle it. Expectations are good as long as you have self-confidence, but are bad if you have over-confidence. Be strong to face the reality and see how your life will change diametrically. You will become a completely different person with new enthusiasm.

Expect something when you know that you will never tread the path of self-destruction if something goes wrong. Expect something only when you are FULLY AWARE OF THE CONSEQUENCES and be prepared to face any disaster that comes your way. Finally, be you, never change for anyone and expect the unexpected with grit and believe that NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE AND EVERYTHING LIES IN THE HUMAN BRAIN! Keep up to your expectations- that is enough, as it is not possible to satisfy everyone, there will be people finding faults- and never fall down after listening to hate comments.

Rise like a phoenix from the ashes and prove your worth! If you can put a tick to all these conditions that 'yes, I can surpass these hurdles', then expectations will just become a piece of cake and achieving it will become a cakewalk..

                                         

                                      - Anusha Sridhar

Festivities

India is the best example of unity in diversity where people from different cultural mosaics live under one roof. These people have their own distinct traditions and they observe every ritual in their own unique methods. Even though these communities follow divergent practices, all of them come together to celebrate one common festival loved by all- Ganesh Chaturthi.

Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated in every nook and corner of the country in a splendid manner for ten days. This festival is celebrated to mark the birth of the problem-alleviator and the astute thinker- Lord Ganesha. Every day sumptuous food and mouthwatering sweets are presented to Vinayaka (He is just like any one of us, a sweet-lover with his favorite being Modak). Usually, the festival falls during many kids' exams so it is mostly them who pray  him for good scores and a nice rank. It is really amazing how these children balance between studies and fun so efficiently. 

 In many apartments and gated-communities, a Ganesh idol is placed which is worshipped every day. There are games, dancing, singing competitions organised in which everyone- regardless of age- take part and have fun. Children run hither-tither and play the entire evening. Prizes are given away to winners, there are auctions conducted (where it poures money and people go to any height to buy things) for the Laddoo and the Lord's Vastram, and in this entire event, kids get garbed in different attires every day and become really busy in taking pictures. In schools, clay Ganesha making competitions and a jamboree is conducted.

The main highlight in these entire proceedings is the lavish buffet provided the day before the idol immersion and the dance that we perform when the idol is being taken in a truck. During this time, it doesn't matter if you are a dancer or not. You just jump into the arena, shake and twist the way you want!! We hire drum-players for about two hours and keep dancing non-stop! Also, a mini-Holi is played by all where people smear color on each other's faces. Dozens of people go to the nearest lake in trucks and the roads become full! There would be no place, but still more and more people squeeze in. This is very common everywhere and people eagerly wait for that time- where they can open up the fullest.

 After complete two-three hours (or sometimes even four; completely unpredictable) of mental and physical gusto, finally, the air of excitement around us comes down and we become our normal self. After finishing the cleaning, we again start longing for the next year festivities and this cycle keeps going on.

Before proceeding further, one must know the reason why this household festival is celebrated like a carnival. During the British era, when Indians had no unity among themselves, Lokamanya Tilak wanted to bring everyone together. So he organised a religious gathering, stuck posters and popularized the notion of group Ganesh puja at the time when public gatherings were banned. Since Lord Ganesha is worshipped by all castes and creeds, he thought it befitting to bring Gajanan's worship to a larger platform so as to unite people and bring within them the spirit of nationalism. This festival played a pivotal role in shaping the patriotic fervour. Due to that reason, even today, the festival is celebrated in a majestic way.  

It is believed that when we immerse the idol in a water body, we would be leaving behind all our bad qualities thus elevating ourselves to the next state. In olden days, mud Ganeshas were submerged in water. The reason behind this was our ancestors concern towards all the beings of nature.  By doing so, the soil in the sea becomes rich in nutrients thus providing food for the aquatic animals. 

But sadly, these days, POP Ganeshas are used thus polluting the sea water. It doesn't get dissolved unlike mud and causes suffocation for the water animals. So, let us be aware of the fact that our actions done in ignorance would harm nature. Let us take steps to prevent the contamination of our pure water bodies and start looking for ingenious methods to make Ganeshas like using clay, dough, planting seeds inside mud so that it can be watered to grow plants etc. Let us play our role as a responsible citizen and spread awareness among people.

Due to the COVID pandemic, there may not be a full-swing celebration and mass gathering this time. So, let us put on our thinking caps and explore the options of making different types of Ganeshas using eco-friendly materials. 

In many institutions, centers and apartments there are virtual celebrations being conducted. This is done for two reasons. One, is to brighten up moods of people who are feeling sad that they can't have a gala time like last year. Two, is to take them back on a trip down the memory lane so that all the good days get refreshed amidst these adverse times.  Also, many channels have organised Ganesh utsavs with celebrities (which would be aired on national TV) so that people can feel happy seeing their favorite actors/actresses perform and forget their unhappiness.

Every year, we always perform the puja of Ganapati without full knowledge of the symbolism of the festival and the true meaning hidden behind his stories. Lord Ganesha going three times around his parents not only says that he is intelligent but also conveys the message that parents are the child's world and one must always respect them. He chose a mouse as his Vahan so as to spread the message in the society that no animal is less than the other and all lives are equal. He makes us understand that wars are won not by fight but by using one's brain.

The large head of Ganesha symbolizes wisdom and he has huge ears so that he can capture even the tiniest detail in a conversation and can listen to his devotees. The trunk can hold anything in this universe. Similarly, humans too should possess high adaptability factors. Due to these deep-layered messages hidden within these simple anecdotes and symbols, his cleverness and the way of bringing things out without hurting anyone, Lord Ganesha is worshipped first before beginning any task.

So, let us all spend this time well to become well-versed in the reasons behind celebrating any festival, follow the set of procedures wholeheartedly and know more about our mythology. Let us pray for the frontline COVID warriors and increase in the recovery rate of the country. Let us pray to the Vighnahartha- the remover of obstacles to give us the strength to cross this hurdle of COVID that is destroying livelihoods. Finally, let us all pray that by next year everything comes back to normalcy and we welcome him, in a more grand way!!

                                JAI SHRI GANESHA!!

                                         

                                                         

                                                                                                - Anusha Sridhar

The Pursuit

There have been several instances in life where we have not been able to deduce in which aspect of our conduct we were going wrong. Also, many a times, we felt unsatisfied regarding the choices we made and the company we chose. At that grim point in life, we tend to get baffled and fall into a spiral of confusion. We sometimes lose mental stability while racking our brain for answers without realizing that they lie in front of us!! It is just that we have never turned our heads to look at it.

Once the truth dawns upon us, we embark on a journey to seek explanations with a hope that ultimately we would know the reason for our caprices.

How will this 'personal quest for clarification of our queries' become successful? How can we kick-start this journey to the 'road of remedies'? It is very simple. Have an idol or an inspiration whom you emulate and follow his/her footprints. This part is very important because you must choose your role model based on your interests and not by succumbing to people's opinion. The person whom you prefer as a catalyst must be entirely of your own discretion because the more you connect with the person's interests, the better head-start you get on the path of progress. You can associate with their experiences and can relate to things happening with you. This will be a great advantage.

One more thing to remember at this juncture. Every unpleasant situation we encounter always delivers some or the other life lesson to us. This may seem shocking, but even the small naughty things that we commit, too, teaches us something!!

Since different people will look up to different persons, I take a common example with whom everyone can correlate with; the Supreme Godhead, the First Teacher- Lord Krishna.

Yes, you heard me right. The Paramount is an exemplar of good virtues. One can learn many things from him. If we implement them in our life then we will make great strides.

In every stage of His life, He has taught us something. He was mischievous when he was a kid- stealing butter, breaking pots- and had lots of fun too- dancing with gopis, playing games with friends, herding the cows with his pals and playing the flute very beautifully that mesmerized everybody and enchanted the gopikas who danced with him humming the symphonious tune. Even though he was naughty, he never disrespected his parents. He loved them so much that he couldn't see them in pain. He was always ready to do anything for their sake. What we must learn from him is that having fun in childhood is not a bad deed as long as you know your limits. When there is team spirit and oneness among friends, we can achieve anything. By lifting the Govardhan mountain, he proved that one must be ready at the time of a catastrophe and must put one's best foot forward in helping everyone.

By killing the evil tyrannical king Kansa, he fulfilled his promise that he gave in the sloka:

Paritranaya Sadhunam, Vinashaya cha Dushkrutam

Dharma Sansthapanarthaya, Sambhavami Yuge Yuge!!

He said that he will always come to the rescue of the pious and benign people and will annihilate the evil thus rescuing Dharma. He will help Dharma triumph over Adharma and will always descend whenever there is imbalance and chaos in the world. He has taught us the significance of a promise and made us understand the value of a vow and how by breaking it, we would breach people's trust.

He redefined friendship. His camaraderie with Arjun is one of the finest examples of a true friend. He showed to the world that a sincere companion is the one who is present in both your highs and lows. He is the one who points out your flaws and helps you recognize them. In this era of competitiveness, where there are more flatterers than bosom friends, we must take cues from them to differentiate between fake and faithful friends.

Your status in the society is not by your birth, but by your actions. But, unfortunately, many people have forgotten this and are discriminating between the economic statures, which have alienated those who are disfavored. This was prevalent even during the ancient times, but Keshav put a full-stop to all this by washing the feet of his poor Brahmin friend Sudama- who had walked a long distance without food and had just brought a small bundle of rice with him to repay the food he had eaten years ago when they were studying in the Sandipani ashram. Sudama neither spoke about the difficulties he endured nor about the extreme poverty he was living in, but Madhusudan knew everything about his friend's pitiable state. So without his friend asking, he made him rich by transforming his dilapidated hut into an ostentatious palace and gave him good clothes and jewellery.

From this we can learn two things. One is that, never think making friends with an impecunious person will lower your worth in the society. Remember, poorest of people have the richest of hearts because they have faced all kinds of circumstances. Second, a true friend will always know the deepest of desires in your heart and without you asking will fulfill your wish.

He was an affectionate and protective brother of Draupadi and saved her from the humiliation by Dushasan. He safeguarded her honor and stood as a barrier between her and all the evils. He was always there and helped her in all her difficulties. He wiped her tears and was her biggest well-wisher. The people of today must learn the true meaning of a big brother. In this age, where women are ill-treated and body-shamed, this is a fitting example of how a sibling relationship should be.

And finally, the first motivational speaker, Lord Krishna has given us a huge treasure which is proving to be useful in the current scenario- the Bhagavad Gita. Who better than the Omnipotent Being- the one who is above Maya or illusion and narrow walls of ethnicity- can explain to us the laws of living a successful life in the world?

Whenever we are in deep sorrow or are not able to take accurate decisions, following the discourses of the Gita will bring miraculous changes. The Gita gives us the push to rise from the shell of self-pity and makes us self-confident. This is one method to awaken our inner conscience and we can realize the power of the divine. We can arouse our souls from the deep slumber and can become soul-conscious, thus erasing the frenzy of materialism. The Bhagavad Gita teaches us how to be a 'Sthitapragnya', meaning the one who has renounced from worldly pleasures, has no ahankara within him and has a balanced demeanor in all kinds of circumstances.

The person who has achieved this highest level of knowledge will finish his journey to seek solutions and will rise above the rest. The person who is well-versed in the Gita and applies the teachings in real life also will achieve supreme bliss and will have no need to wander for answers, because, he himself will become a storehouse of wisdom.

So, let us all follow the path prescribed by the All Knowing God and imbibe the values that he established in the society. Let us not deviate from our way and work to carry forward our priceless heritage to the future generations and make them aware about the great legacies of the Lord. Let us strive to be a protective brother, a loving friend and a concerned person like the Supreme Deity. Let us go the extra mile to find out our faults and work towards being a better person.

                                               - Anusha Sridhar

Is color a key criteria to judge a person?

One morning, when I was skimming through the news updates on my phone, an article popped out, whose title piqued my curiosity. It was: 'Fair and Lovely changes its name to 'Glow and Lovely' for women and 'Fair and Handsome' has been renamed as 'Glow and Handsome' for men'. I earnestly plunged into the article for further details because there were several questions running in my mind regarding this upheaval. For what reason Hindustan Unilever Ltd had to remove the word 'Fair' from one of the most successful brands that has always minted money and shot up to instant fame ever since its foundation? Why was there a sudden change in plans without any prior notification? With these train of thoughts, I read the article and several interesting details came to light.

Fair and Lovely (or rather Glow and Lovely) was launched in the year 1975. In fact, it was the only fairness cream in the market during those days and the product had given a tough competition to the business tycoons since it had earned a lot compared to the standards then. It was the king of the stock market and no other brand of creams could ever shine or gain popularity. Presently, there are many new fairness creams available in the market every now and then. People are preferring variety in their choice and they do not want to be monotonous i.e. selecting the same every time. They have become experimental and started trying everything new.

Now, the reason Hindustan Unilever Ltd. has given for the renaming is that they support the # 'Black Lives Matter' movement and do not want to indulge in any discrimination. So they have decided to rename their highest-grossing product to show their solidarity to the fight against racism and the brutality committed against dark skinned people.

That is just one side of the story and not the complete one. After the barbaric homicide of George Floyd-who was accused for producing a counterfeit bill in a shop and was ruthlessly killed by cops who strangled him to death by placing their knee over his neck- the company received lots of backlash from people across the world for upholding the practice of apartheid through their discriminatory ads. Not once or twice, but many a times their ads conveyed the message that dark-skinned people have no chance to grow in life and become entrepreneurs. According to their ads, men are considered to be handsome and women flock around them only if they are fair. Also, it was shown that people priorly look only at the skin tone while offering jobs. All this was considered a prejudice against the dark skinned people. In fact, many celebrities who endorsed the brand were trolled badly on online platforms. There were even threats to boycott the product. So listening to all the melodrama going on, they decided to part with the earlier name. But, I really don't understand one thing. Rechristening doesn't actually change the purpose of the product right? Just adding a different synonym is not going to make a sky-to-earth difference.

But whatsoever, this has made people realize that outer beauty is completely superficial and it is the inner beauty that actually matters. Handsome doesn't mean external appearance; it means 'giving your hand to some' in dire need.

But sadly, it was a late realization in the US. The momentary pleasure the police obtained by harassing a black man and showing their superiority and autocracy cost them very huge. The cops were many a times stopped by the bystanders who told them not to give oneself up to manslaughter. They were reprimanded, but never heeded to the onlookers' advice. Their one action cost them to lose their privilege in the society. What is worse is that, Mr. Floyd already suffered from coronary artery disease! Due to the choking near the neck region, he faced a cardiopulmonary attack and died. This inhumane killing spread like wildfire across the globe and everywhere across the US, people started protesting and demanding that justice be delivered for him. The place where Mr. Floyd's body was placed-near the car door by the cops that day-was flooded with bouquets and letters. Also, videos taken by the witnesses during his execution went viral on all kinds of platforms. The entire world was aghast and completely shaken by the killing. There was not even a single person whose conscience did not prick after getting to know that Mr. Floyd had repeatedly begged the officers and told them "I cannot breathe", but the officers  cold-heartedly watched the play. Although out of the four, two were charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and the other two were charged of second and third degree murder respectively, this was a wakeup call for the world and all the questions regarding racism resurfaced again.

This incident opened everyone's eyes and people realized that deep-rooted evils like racism can never get completely vanquished. It is hidden behind a very thick veil and breaching it is totally difficult. You can unveil it for some period, but later on, somehow or the other, it creeps into our thoughts. You can do away with ideologies of apartheid completely in a place, but it really doesn't last long.

One such place that could achieve mammoth victory against apartheid was South Africa. Not that it is totally non-existent there now, but it is comparatively lesser because people have borne immeasurable hardships during those days. There was racism to the fullest with blacks being considered as outlaws, to imprisonment, if one raised their voice. Their life was a twilight existence of secrecy and rebellion. Also, atrocities were perpetrated on them very heartlessly. I really don't understand why other countries of the world don't learn from the bitter past of Africa and how they preached that blacks and whites are the same and color is just a trivial matter. Racism is a case of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter!

But in India, it is the complete opposite. Dark color is considered something that dampens your enthusiasm. Even in matrimonial sites too, there is more demand for only fair skinned people. Light-skinned people are called 'beautiful' and dark skinned people are called 'ugly'. Most of the South Indians are really bothered about color and go to any extent to obtain fair skin. I would like to tell of those fair-skin-frenzy people one thing. Dark is Divine. Dark is Naturality. Not all fair-skinned people are beautiful. All the Gods too are dark skinned. Lord Krishna who is loved by one and all, too, has a dark complexion. Many great achievers too are swarthy textured. Please understand this, fairness lovers, - DARK IS ELEGANCE.

Many a times, it so happens that dark-hued people go into a shell of self-pity and curse themselves as to why they are not fair because lots of times in school, they are color-shamed. Although mostly it is done out of innocence, sometimes, such minor incidents cause a deep psychological impact on the child. The child feels cornered and fit for nothing. Also, few parents of dark-skinned people are against their kids venturing out in the sun because they are scared that they would lose the skin color they already have. They ask their children to apply each and everything on their face, so as to get glow because they feel dark-skinned people have less respect in the society. Also, the habit of teasing dark-skinned kids is developed at a very young age in those kids who bully.

When these children grow up, they unknowingly turn into racists and the habits they learn at a tender age becomes a bad practice. If dusky skinned people don't come out of the barricades they have made for themselves, they will be very easily stamped in the society. This is all just a matter of time. But if the same kid through emotional support plunges out of his sadness, he will make a big difference in the society and will not allow others to undergo what he had to face. Remember, a child's mind is like sponge; whatever good or bad he/she learns is forever absorbed in that stage. So, a child must always learn good things so that when he grows up he can be the catalyst of change in the society.

So, on account of Nelson Mandela's birthday- the apostle of love who achieved political emancipation for his country from apartheid through his actions and changed millions of lives diametrically- on the 18th of July, let us show that WE CARE! Let us all accept each other's differences and not deprive anyone of their rights. Let us put in our sincere efforts to stop R.A.C.I.S.M- a process that REDUCES AND CRUMPLES your IDENTITY and SELF-CONFIDENCE to the MAXIMUM. Let us embrace inner beauty and stop supporting discriminatory advertisements. Let us all- the youth of today, bring in awareness among people that even though blacks and whites have different skin color, all of them have the same blood running within. All of them are sons and daughters of Mother Earth- the mother who is never partial towards anyone. Let us all leave behind bygones and work towards building a rational society that welcomes differences among people and considers everyone the same with out any bias.

                                                    
  - Anusha Sridhar

A Tribute

Some debts can never be repaid,

To those who always come to our aid.

You have taught us, that any circumstance we face,

Must be handled with tactfulness and grace.

You made us understand that people can’t be brought together by force,

Affection, goodwill and warmth are the only ways to reinforce.

You have stood with us as a rock pillar of support,

And educated us not to leave something midway and abort.

You have edified us that participation is more salient than a win,

And made us realize the repercussion of a sin.

You have shaped this motley of tiny-tots,

And have always put your foot forward in removing our blots.

You have recognized the true talent within each one of us,

With your enigmatic smile, you cherished our childish fuss.

You have always strived to push us to the top,

And have cajoled, convinced us when our plans became a flop.

You gave us a shoulder to lean on and a hand to clutch,

You made us forget our worries with your magical touch.

It is because of you we got name, fame and accolades,

You were the one who made us the master of all trades.

Under your shadow, no catastrophe could come to our vicinity,

For you, we always have a special affinity.

You are more like our mother and we are your little ones,

We promise you that in the game of life, we will score many runs.

You are the alleviator of our darkness; you are our Guru,

We are proud that under your guardianship we grew.

You have transformed us into fine gems,

And have made tall trees out of these thin stems.

We vow that with our conduct, we will make you proud,

We wish you a Happy Guru Purnima with our heads bowed!!

                       - Anusha Sridhar