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It was a bright sunny morning. Tim, a tall, handsome 8 year old boy was fast asleep in his comfortable bed when his cute, playful golden retriever dog, max, instead of barking, roared out at him,”wake up you lazy boy!”

He woke up with a shriek! He couldn't believe what he had just heard when the dog shouted again, “Tim wake up,breakfast is ready!”He hurried down the staircase shouting with disbelief that Max could talk! No one could have the breakfast in peace because Max was acting like a complete Chatterbox. Fed up of the dog,Tim asked him, “What has happened to you? You are talking, and that also non-stop!”

“Oh now I know how am i talking! I ate that tasty bone in the garden and Voila...this miracle happened!”Exclaimed Max.

There were many questions Tim wanted to ask his mischievous little pet and questions shot out of his mouth like bullets! Few of them being- What is your actual name? When is your birthday? What is better, walking on 4 legs or walking on two? Do you like the food we give you? And many more! Max answered all his questions patiently. While they were talking, time flew away so fast that it was night already!

Tim was feeling sleepy but he still had 2 important questions in his mind. So he curiously asked him, “Do you like my family? Do you like our behavior?” “Yes, I love you and your family. You all brought me up, cared for me, loved me and always treated me like a family member! What more could I ask for?!”” answered Max lovingly.

“You had a lot say and I had a lot to ask that is why today was a very noisy day! But do you promise me that you will never be so noisy in the future?” Questioned Tim

“Yes I promise that I will never be so noisy!” uttered Max. “I also want to tell that your abnormal speaking condition has no cure. So we will be one happy family with a talkative dog.” laughed Tim.

“Yahoo!! thank you for not taking away my voice Thank you very much! I am the luckiest dog in the world.Not because I have a voice but because I have such a caring human owners.”Exclaimed Max joyfully.

Talking about dogs, well they are the most friendly, vicious, adorable, obedient, loyal, smart, playful animals found on earth. My name is Jaanya, I'm 13 years old and an only child to my parents…..umm.. well not really! Yes,I have a sibling, my dog, Pepper. Pepper is like a brother to me- caring, loving and everyone's favourite!

Every night before I go to bed, I always dream that I'd wake up to find miraculously that my dog has started speaking! And I pondered, that imagine, if he could talk, what he would say to me?

One morning i woke up and saw a letter on my bed. The letter read:

Your pet, Pepper has eaten something weird and now he'll be able to speak for next 24 hours!

Completely overwhelmed, , I couldn't believe this. “ Is this a joke or what?”, I thought to myself. . I stayed in the bed for a while wondering about all the questions I would ask him and all that i wanted to tell him for so so long but first i had to go to him to see if this letter was true.

I jumped out of the bed, ran downstairs and opened the door to see Pepper fast asleep in his bed. I said "Good Morning Pepper" and waited for his reply. He woke up slowly, stretched his legs and said "Good Morning Jaanya". It was a surreal and awe-struck moment for me as finally my dream came true!

I began to ask him questions. “What do you do when I’m at school?”, “why are you so scared of storms?”, “what life did you live before we adopted you?”, “am I your best friend?”.

The questions continued and Pepper answered each one of them. As the sun was setting down i realised we had spent the whole day talking with each other. I checked my watch and saw that i had only one minute left with Pepper to talk.

I knew exactly what i wanted to say! Taking a deep breath, i said, "Pepper, you're the one person with whom I share all my joys, sorrows, excitements, achievements, confusions and frustrations! Basically you're my "Dear Diary" And you know I love you beyond words!

Pepper looked into my eyes and said “I love you too, and I am so lucky to be part of your family”.

Suddenly I started to feel sleepy so I laid down on the lounge outside and Pepper came and sat next to me and rested his head on my arm and we both fell asleep.

The next thing I knew, my Mom was coming into my bedroom saying, “wake up sleepyhead!!!”.

“Mom, guess what? Pepper talked all day yesterday with me. We sat on the lounge outside and he answered all of my questions I have been wanting to ask him”, I exclaimed with excitement!

My mom looked at me and said “that couldn’t be true, you have been asleep all night and yesterday you were at school all day”.

I thought to myself, this must have been a dream. So I walked downstairs and hugged Pepper and said, “I had the best dream ever, you could talk”. He looked up into my eyes and I thought he was going to say something but he winked at me instead. It was like as if he had the same dream!

When patterns are broken, new worlds emerge. – by Tuli Kupferberg Indeed, the pattern has changed, and we are walking towards a new world. A bright new world full of mixed emotions and filled with confusion. What the 2020 impacts on 2021, a mind full of “what will happen now” and a pocket full of “uncertainty”.

So, What do you think: Is 2020 good or bad for you?

2020 is by far accepted as the worst year in the history of the Earth but that’s debatable because there have been years worse than this but yes, this too has been a difficult year in terms of many things ranging from health to economy to innumerable deaths. We’ve suffered losses that are great to break anyone’s back. Not that we don’t have the capacity to bounce back but it will take some time to get things back in order.

Events in 2020 will strongly shape the world in 2021 In people’s opinion, There are huge impacts of the year 2020 which will drastically impact the year 2021.

2020 gave us a crisis, COVID-19. It turned the world upside down with a deadly virus thrown at us which left the people baffled. No cure, no vaccine, no specific medication. Hospital bills mounting higher than Mt. Everest which has left common a person perplexed and asking “Is this the country I should be living in” because let’s admit healthcare of this country, I mean India, is the worst.USA has Obamacare for the poor and middle class, what do we have? Medical insurance doesn’t cover even 50% of the bills but the premium is equal to a two months salary of a middle-class person.

This pandemic has also given us food for thought, “Is the government doing enough”? The answer of course is divided, but for a person who works 14-16 hours a day to lead a healthy and a happy life, the government surely has failed them. Now a common person doesn’t want to reveal whether he is sick or healthy, in fact, he believes it is the best if he recuperates at home because he cannot afford the hospital care which in the result is going to increase the mortality rate.

The second thing that 2020 gave us is Unemployment or Employment with no pay. This pandemic has forced a liquidity crisis on everyone. The labour class left their jobs in lieu of the pandemic and started walking towards their native places thinking that it would be the best for them. In fact, this resulted in the work being stopped and money circulation halted, not only for them but also for the country.

Next up is the Economic Crisis. COVID 19 gave India a GDP contraction which brought it down to -23.9, all because of no jobs, overburdened healthcare, and a complete economic breakdown. Nothing was getting manufactured, no sales, no import or export, nothing. This was where the Government has suffered a passive hit back all because of poor planning.

Why impact of 2020 is good for you? Let’s look at some good things as well. Yes, there have been some good things, it’s all about perspective. These things are going to remain with us for the future.

Now in my opinion,

2020 gave us a knowledge of the technology, which is one good thing that happened amidst all the chaos. People now know how to use the technology for their benefits. Online classes, online training, work from home jobs, online grocery shopping, everything is now at your fingertips. People who were not comfortable with technology are now the Mastersof it. Teachers who did not think their classroom would move ahead of books and blackboard can now have a laugh at how they have become so tech-friendly, that they are handling their teaching material and issues of kids online, oh and using a whiteboard.

Climate Change was one of the major positive changes. Mother Earth could finally breathe! The lockdown resulted in about 20% outdoor activities which in return gave Earth the time to heal. Pollution levels were dropped, Rivers became pristine, no garbage on the sideroad, fewer cars on the road. People started loving the atmosphere. The air was fresh to inhale. Now it all depends on people as to how they maintain this positivity in future also.

The pandemic has been hard on us physically, mentally, and emotionally. That’s how 2020 will impact 2021 and It is a big change for all of us, a big change in the usual way of leading a life. 2020 has come with its own set of rules to follow and I’m afraid to say that we must follow them if we want to live a good and a healthy life. Times will change because nothing is permanent but until then we must hold onto whatever we have and make the best out of it.

In The pandemic year, 2020 Corona virus has forced people to stay inside the houses which has tremendously changed the mindset of the people due to which many things have changed. There would be a strong effect of the year 2020 on the year 2021. Let me tell you why...

People have learned the value of savings because COVID-19 pandemic taught the people that anything can happen at any time and therefore, savings are important to protect ourselves in these tough times. So, People should save more money by avoiding unnecessary expenses.

The year 2020 has witnessed people getting stuck in other countries or in other states within the country due to lockdown throughout the world and I know how it feels to stay away from your loved ones as I had to stay away from my grandmother for months due to this lockdown. After going through difficult times in 2020, people may want to stay close to their families in 2021 which may encourage more family bonding.

Because of covid-19 people may not be ready to go to the theatres at least for the next few months due to safety reasons so OTT platforms such as Netflix & Amazon Prime may take over the traditional film industry in the coming year.

As many people are now scared to eat out and they are preferring healthy food to boost their immunity, restaurants and food delivery apps may continue to struggle in 2021 as well. There will be more investments in the companies which are manufacturing hygienic products and raw foods.

COVID-19 came when the world was least expecting it. No country was fully ready to face it. Many developing countries have a shortage of healthcare professionals and medical equipment. Even developed countries have a shortage of medicines. So, in 2021, countries may work to fill this gap. Thus, in 2021, nations would make it their priority to build medical infrastructure to tackle any such future contengencies.

Global warming has been a serious issue but this year people became aware about it and the world has improved as carbon emissions were less due to less travelling. According to a study, the world saw 8% drop in carbon emissions. This awareness may hopefully continue in the future.

Technology played a vital role during the pandemic. Covid-19 has made people think that online shopping is better than in person shopping, causing many people to sell their products online (as There Are 2.05 Billion Online Shoppers in 2020) giving a larger platform to small businesses, This mindset may continue further due to which shipping will continue to increase. 2021 will be a crazy year for shipping, with high online purchases and the shipping of millions of vaccine doses at the same time.

Many people were unemployed this year but 2021 may bring more work from home jobs, as more and more companies are thinking of it as a win-win situation for them and for the employees. We know this because Google has found that on an average 39% or fewer people were spending time at their workplaces, meaning more people had to work from home.

There would be more e-learning opportunities for students in the year 2021. Virtual meetings will become more common as 87% of people say that video calling has helped to speed up the decision-making process thereby increasing their productivity. Video calling has helped us to do important meetings virtually which eventually helped to save a lot of money. As a result, in 2021, people may not travel on flights just to attend official meetings. This will result in less carbon emissions.

The Supreme Court and High Courts have resorted to virtual courtrooms, arguing that physical hearings are not necessary. Now, advocates have been appearing working from home on virtual screens, and some important cases have been heard. It was found that virtual court hearings were more productive than physical hearings. The trend might continue next year.

With an increase in work from home jobs, virtual meetings, and e-learning opportunities, 2021 may see an increase in cyber security threats.

In the year 2020, the whole world was fighting with a virus, which changed the way we live and work at least temporarily. No one knows when this pandemic will end, but it is evident that the year 2021 will be different all thanks to the year 2020.

“Sovereignty is not given it is taken and When sovereignty and diplomacy ends, war begins”

Diplomacy is a patriotic art of conducting negotiations between nations and a skill of handling affairs without arousing hostility. China had maintained ethical and diplomatic relations with India since a long time both economically and politically, but on 15th June 2020 the Indian and the Chinese troops clashed in the Galwan valley where 20 Indian soldiers handed their dinner pail and alongside came several news flashes about the compromise with the privacy of the data of the Indian users using Chinese apps. The Ministry of Information Technology and the Computer emergency response team had received multiple reports about misuse of mobile apps for stealing and surreptitiously transmitting user’s data in an unauthorised manner, which was a matter of deep concern. Being cognisant of this, the Indian government banned 59 Chinese apps on June 29 under the 69A of Information Technology Act to safeguard the sovereignty and integrity of India. On the same grounds, 118 more apps were banned on September 2020. The Union minister of Communication ,IT Ravi Shankar Prasad described this as a “Digital Strike “and now 220 Chinese apps stand blocked in India which includes the voguish video platform TikTok with over 120 million users in India and the sought-after shooting game PubG with 50 million users in our country itself. Shein and Club factory were two leading fashion brands with the philosophy “everyone can enjoy the beauty of fashion”, but this beauty was turning out to be a hindrance for the Indian market. The senior minister at the IT ministry said that, google and apple had been asked for delisting these apps from their online stores. Soon after, Nikhil Gandhi the tiktok’s India head said on twitter that the company had been invited to meet the concerned government stake holders for a field day to submit clarifications but that didn’t help.

But some part of the community was earning from these apps. Making video content for such apps was their walk of life, but as it is said that every cloud has a silver lining, majority of these people have now started to work for the Indian markets and now contribute to the amelioration of our commonwealth. Adding to this fact we cannot turn a blind eye to the youngsters like a 21-year-old student from West Bengal’s Nadia District who committed suicide after the ban on Player’s unknown battleground. Shubham Kumar Singh, stated that ‘this is an epitome of what can be called as a pure Democratic movement and is praiseworthy’. I would give that a nod. According to me this is a great opportunity for our Indian entrepreneurship and may bring more investment to the data centres in India. It is an opening window to launch and upgrade Indian apps as alternatives to the banned apps. Trade is a major strength of china’s economy and India’s ban on these apps is a major move to hit their economy and revenue system. The ban has now opened up a gaming ecosystem to align their business with the government’s ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ strategy. We as autochthonous Indians should be proud and thankful to our government that they made the ban now because the longer we delay, the more we pay. It was the right time for our motherland to use this weapon ban because a ban is like inventing a state of art for the nation to go great guns.

Hello Friends! Do you know, every photograph has a meaningful story behind it? Most of you must be having a photograph which carries a pleasant memory. Today, I also have a photograph to show you all. This photograph is of me and my dog taken 1 year ago. It is a very sweet memory for me! Every photograph depicts something, but sometimes we are not able to guess it and we think that there is no story behind it.

Let me tell you the story behind my Photograph. My dog was very small when I took this photograph. He had to take continuous vaccinations and injections for good health. That day also, He had to get an Injection and he was very scared of the Injection. After some time, His doctor arrived. The moment he arrived, my dog ran and hid under the bed. He could easily go under the bed because his small size. I helped my mom to pull him out of the bed. After 5 min, post facing many difficulties, we finally pulled him out. But he was still very scared. I was not at all feeling good about that. So, to calm him down, I picked him up in my hands and gave him a hug. And then, my mom clicked this photograph and I took a printout of it to preserve it as a memory. I could also keep it in the mobile only but that could have been easily misplaced or could get accidentally deleted. I have kept this photograph in my cupboard locker and that locker is the home for this Photograph. And now this photograph is indeed my most cherished memory which is much more important for me than my birthday also.

Do you have a photograph that tells a story of your pet?

Freedom of the press is the most important wheel of democracy. Without a free press, a democracy cannot exist. Press is very important in our lives as it brings the truth to our notice. We can see what is happening in the world without even moving from our homes. It is the voice of the nation. Whenever there is corruption or anything wrong happening, the press is the first one to raise a voice. It is on the information that the press provides, that we as citizens take action.

If the press was not there, the citizens would remain uninformed, the nation would lose its voice. If press would not do their job, the ones in power would run the country as per their own will and there would be nobody to report the wrongs that would be happening. This shows that the presence of press in our life is very important. But is the press independent and free? No it is not.

It is controlled and censored by the government. Censorship of the press is nothing less than a dictatorship. When the government imposes censorship on the press, it obviously means they are trying to hide something. A person only hides lies and not the truth. Thus, this way the citizens get manipulated into thinking that there is nothing wrong with the government.

Its is also controlled by big business houses. The press needs money to work. They have to update the technology time and again for customer satisfaction and have to pay to their staff. This money comes from advertisements which are provided by the big business houses. The cost of advertisements varies from Rs. 1000 to Rs. 1,00,000 depending upon the news channel, viewership, and time of the day. So they cannot report against people who are feeding their pockets with huge contributions.

Instead of showing a balanced report and leaving the decision of right and wrong to the citizens, press often shows only one side of the news to gain viewership because’ More viewership = more advertisement = more money’.

As we can conclude from the earlier statements, the press has a huge responsibility on their shoulders. They need to be vigilant and honest. Media has a powerful role to play in the functioning of any form of the government, whether democratic or totalitarian. The information they distribute helps in shaping the views of the public. So the media should be a source which is dependable.

Do you think Indian media is independent and is a dependable source of information?

“You know what’s cowardly? Tyrannizing someone to an extent where they want to end their lives.” This is the case in the lion’s share. Most of it happens with the budding souls in school. Every act around them affects their growth, their mental well-being. The victims of bullying often suffer in silence. They are so inferior that they lose belief in their potential. Bullying is not just all about making fun but can make an elated person go into depression and anxiety. It can majorly shoot down their self-esteem

An instance which must be taken into notice is when Raunak Banerjee, a 9th grade student at the Baldwin Boys’ School was bullied badly by his seniors and he jumped to his death from the 10th floor of his apartment block. Bullying cases can vary from minor verbal bullying to major physical ones. I, along with some friends of mine, have been battling with a group of seniors in my school. It had terrorized each one of us. Those girls abused us and we, as immature lasses couldn’t make any utterances. That horrifying scene has stayed in our mind always and it took us a long time to overcome their wrong doings. This became an everyday issue in schools.

Many campaigns like the anti-bullying campaign have been started to protect the little ones. Republic Act no. 10627 in Philippines requires all elementary and secondary schools to adopt policies to prevent the acts of bullying. Montana is the only state that has passed a statewide policy discussing bullying to prohibit it. In India “Building Bonds Campaign” has been launched by MANAS FOUNDATION for handling bullying specific to different ages, genders, ethno-cultures, levels in community & children with disabilities. All we need to do as individuals is understand this issue and make our children and friends understand that practicing bullying is a trespass and it is our duty to make those children overcome their bullying experience and outshine like every other person.

I would conclude by saying that “meanness is a sign of weakness and trying to blow out someone else’s candle doesn’t make your shine any brighter”. So be human and let everyone live a life full of confidence.

America’s second President, Thomas once aptly said that “our liberty depends on the freedom of the Press, and that cannot be limited without being lost”. Freedom of the Press is the very foundation of and an essential condition for a successful Democracy.

It is the backbone and a watch-dog of democracy. It keeps the government on its toes by exposing its various misdoings and acts as a true mirror of public opinion.In India, the freedom of the Press has been guaranteed by the Constitution.

Freedom of press is not specifically mentioned in article 19(1) (a) of the Constitution and what is mentioned there is only freedom of speech and expression. In the Constituent Assembly Debates it was made clear by Dr. Ambedkar, Chairman of the Drafting Committee, that no special mention of the freedom of press was necessary at all as the press and an an individual or a citizen were the same as far as their right of expression was concerned.In our Constitution, Right to Freedom is a vital part of the Fundamental Rights enshrined therein. And there is no other way of expressing oneself than through the written word, i.e., the Press.

A free Press is, therefore, an essential instrument for ensuring awareness in the society, as also for reforming it. In a society where overwhelming millions are mute, the access to a forum that reaches them must be viewed as a trust to be operated on their behalf and for their larger good.

Unfortunately even in India, brazen attempts have been made from time to time to control the Press.

For instance; Indira Gandhi led Congress government imposed censorship on press,pan India during the dark emergency days of 1975-77.

Latest example of this misadventure which refreshed blatant attack on press & independent media was by the Maharashtra Government on Republic Media which catalysed people's movement not just in India but among the non resident Indians globally too.

Thankfully better sense prevailed at the right time when Supreme Court of India who also plays the most important role as the "Custodian of the Constitution of India", intervened by categorically saying that if they don't intervene now it will lead to disastrous consequences.

Freedom of the Press is a sacred privilege, but it requires great tact and patience to exercise it properly. Freedom of the Press, like all other freedoms, carries with it certain obligations; Publication of correct news being one of them. Media or Press is undoubtedly the 4th Pillar of Democracy which cannot be exonerated & must be allowed to function smoothy & efficiently as it up helds the basis democratic rights of one & all.

Every picture has a backstory either it is funny, cute or right before a disaster. My picture’s story is actually right before a disaster.
Me and my dogs went for a walk in the fields. I actually have four dogs so three of them ran away but one of them was walking right besides me. The field was full of water due to the heavy rain. My dog went and sat in it. Initially I though it was very cute and I took a picture of it.

Little did I know that he was going to go and lie down into the water. As soon as he got up, he ran towards me and his fur was soaking wet and his feet were muddy. He suddenly came and jumped on me.You all might think that it was super cute and adorable but here is the disastrous part: I was wearing white clothes and I had to go for a class. That is when I realised that I was in a lot of trouble. First of all for going into the fields and thereafter getting my white clothes spoiled by this naughty little fur ball . This was the story of my picture! What is yours ?

India with its prolong history and varied heritage, is one of the societies which deeply rooted in
traditions. Traditions keep us grounded ,imbibed & helps in self realising who we are and where we come from. On the other hand, modernity ingests in us a super fluidic approach making us quite flexible and adaptable to the ever changing dynamics of modern times and in fact helps us to embrace these changes with an open mind & heart.

We all are consciously aware that whether its Yoga, Cycling, Work Life Approach ,Social Personal front all we need is "Balancing" which ultimately helps us perform our duties & obligations to the best of our abilities and capabilities.

But in a typical Indian household this balancing act between traditions and modernity is alas missing which is the dilemma we have to face in everyday lives. Every now and then we witness difference of opinions flowing, clashing & trying to overpower each other owing to different experiences of all individuals in their respective lives.

A day to day friction between the elder generation and a younger ones over trivial issues, say for instance, not eating non-vegetraian on Tuesday is a common sight in an Indian household. While they want to uphold the age old norms and practices, for us youngsters these are sometimes too much to be logically digested.

Due to generation change in an Indian household family all individuals have their own approach which might fit or might not fit in today's modern times. Our elders expects us to swear to our traditions religiously where as we as millennials with global exposure wants to embrace modernity with all our will and heart too.

I personally feel lucky and blessed that my family has inculcated both traits in me as I take pride in values of our culture where as I am also quite open in my pragmatic approach towards modern life.

I strongly believe we must follow Lord Buddha' s teaching of following middle path where we keep a mix and tinge of both aspects as only then we will feel connected and also liberated in the fabric of life!

So now I would like to conclude my topic, in the words of an anonymous quote, “The modernity of yesterday is the tradition of today, and the modernity of today will be tradition tomorrow.”

If someone shrunk me down to 1 inch, my life will change a lot. I will become a miniature human. In many of the fictional stories I have read about small human- like creatures. For eg. Dwarfs in Snow white or minions of Despicable me or Thumbelina. Wonder, I will become one like them!!!

Well, there are many disadvantages of being small. Due to my unnoticeable height, I might get stamped by other human beings or animals. I might have to roam naked because only I would shrink and not my clothes. I would not be able to use any kind of transport services like car, bicycles etc. I would not be able to eat anything kept in the fridge. So I would have to find my food myself, just like ants. If I would need any medicines, I would have to work very hard to get them as I could not tell anyone to do it for me because they would not be able to hear me due to my small size. If pests would be near me I would become their food. In case, there is any pet like a cat or a dog in the house, my survival would be really difficult because I guess, I would be a perfect toy for them. When people would speak or animals would make noise or when someone would listen to loud music or watch television with a loud sound, my ears would pain because due to my decreased sized, my sound tolerance would also decrease.

Just like there are two sides of every coin, there are two sides of every situation- advantages and disadvantages. Being small does not only have disadvantages, it has advantages too. Even after shrinking, I would still be a human, my size would decrease but my brain capacity would not and if I would survive, I would get used to this life. And about travelling, I would creep into any car, bus etc. and reach my destination without even being noticed. But the best advantage would be that I would understand the struggles of life of small insects and the problems we humans create for them because I would be like one and if I get a chance to get to my original size I would create awareness for the same.

But being small in size would be overall a great experience for me because who doesn't like to face new challenges??

I believe you are the person with the ball in the right pocket who can amend the country. While it is the time of modernity where all the females want to go out, have social and political emancipation and feel safe in the surroundings, on the contrary a latest NCRB report revealed that 2019 saw over 4 lakh reported cases of crimes committed against women, up from 3.78 lakh in 2018 and 3.59 lakh cases in 2017. NCRB reported 32,033 rape cases which translates to a shocking 88 rape cases a day -- and this is just 10% of all crimes against women.  This statistic brings forward the dilemma in which women are stuck between choosing to be free or to be safe. One can change the mindset of the individuals at home but it is not feasible to do that with the men out side.

Afghanistan being the poorest and somehow underdeveloped country in Asia has a law of hanging the rapist to death within the time period of just four days while in India which is a well-developed nation, a major case like NIRBHAYA got its justice after a prolonged time of seven years of the sexual assault. We as concerned natives of India want our country to be politically, economically, socially evolved into a leading one, but that can never be possible if the women here are not secure. I just want to solicitate for the change in some laws and bring forward a constitution that provides better justice for the misdeeds done to the girls in our country. Apart from that if my words reach out to you, I would really love to appreciate all your positive acts as well that makes us girls expect more from a person like you who can actually bring the change and grant us the liberty of working late and giving us the opportunity of bringing more pride to our country.

2020 – A New Year saw the light of the day and with it an uninvited and an unexpected guest knocked at the world’s door. Yes ‘COVID- 19’! And what mankind witnessed in the days that followed was something nobody had ever imagined and most certainly not bargained for. Lockdowns were imposed, monuments and places of worships were closed, transportation and travel was suspended. In fact the planet was literally on a shutdown mode and human lives came to a standstill.

Amidst all the chaos, fear and deaths, mother earth surprised up in multiple ways. With lockdowns in most parts of the world, the pollution levels decreased considerably. Interesting visuals were witnessed by people and social media was flooded with news pieces like: ‘Nilgai spotted roaming free on the streets of Noida’, ‘ A group of monkeys were filmed having a pool party’, ‘Residents of Punjab woke up to an unprecedented view of the snowcapped Himalayas’.

Not only nature but for a while it seemed that the outlook of people is also set for a big change. With the will of the superior power yet again proclaiming its unmatched supremacy over the universe, an illusionary image was created of a world wherein the people will appreciate the bigger things in life like love, relations, health and actually life itself and will somehow realise the futility of the materialistic things. Comparisons, judgmentalism, boastfulness will give way to compassion, humility and harmony. People will understand the value of family and ensure a great bonding time in this crisis. Spiritualism will touch a new height. In fact heavy phrases were started being used like : ‘Planet is healing’; ‘Society is cleansing’ ; ‘mindsets are rebooting’ etc.

But as the world transcended from ‘lockdown’ to ‘unlock’ mode, life started picking up its pace. Eventually the traffic was back on the roads and with it came back the pollution. The reckless attitude we display towards the environment bounced back with full swing. Travel photos were substituted by cooking pictures but somehow the urge to prove oneself better than the other was still the same. And guess what ‘virtual flauntations’ became more lethal than the physical ones. Instead of bonding with the family, people started feeling suffocated and yearned to socialise even at the cost of risking their lives. Domestic violence cases were on an alarming rise.

People are adapting themselves to the ‘new normal’ and while we celebrate the undying spirit of mankind, here is something to lament: Though, the pandemic shook the very foundation of the society, it could not a put a slightest of impact on the deep rooted vices in the human mindset. Indeed we are back to Square One! ...

Few months back , one fine evening while sitting with my friends , the topic of discussion moved towards travel . As much of a travel enthusiast as I am, my spirits were at once lifted and I was completely pumped for a great conversation. So the first one goes, how she and her family booked a villa at one of the exotic locations of Dubai and she went on and on about the kind of hospitality they offered. The second one excitedly started narrating about her Europe trip and the number of countries they covered within a fortnight. While I was all ears to them, an unexpected thought stuck me and when they looked towards me for my reaction, I could barely manage a courteous smile.

Well, the thought referred above was- Is the true essence of travelling somewhere lost?

Travel dates back to antiquity. The quest of man to explore beyond certain boundaries and his inquisitiveness to know the unknown have always driven him towards travel. While in the past travelling was a distant dream for major chunk of the population, in today’s era it has become quite accessible. But are we able to accumulate the priceless treasures which travel has to offer? It is unfortunate that while we go for holidays we misconstrue these leisure trips as travel and ourselves as travelers.

I happened to read an interesting perspective once and to quote ‘ Travelling makes one humble because we realize what a tiny place we acquire in this world!’ Well, makes me wonder when did the idea of travelling transcended from exploring a place to merely visiting a place? And more so when did travel become a mere status symbol? Well, without going to the extremes of a backpacker, here’s penning down some of the simple ways in which one can experience travel in it’s true sense and that too without compromising much on the comfort.

Research: Making your ‘bucket list’ for the trip has its own unmatched charm. When we customize our trip after thorough research we are definitely bargaining for the most enriching experience. To add to it the thrill and excitement of what all goes into the preparation of a forthcoming trip is beyond words.

Travel Slow: It can be tempting to pack in as many cities as possible in your trip, but trust me travel is all about quality and not quantity. Don’t worry about trying to impress people about number of countries you have visited. Slow down an soak up your destinations.

Travel Light: Since my childhood days , one golden of travelling that has been embedded in my soul is to travel light. Infact at times my heart aches to see people packing their luggage to the brim while travelling.

Absorb in the History, geography and culture of the place: Strive to go beyond your own roots to understand the history and culture of the place visiting. The best way to absorb is to mingle with the local there. Seeing a place from the eyes of a local could be a great rewarding experience.

Don’t expect everything to be comfortable: Travelling has its fair share of struggles and overcoming these struggles will give you memories to cherish for a lifetime. That is the beauty of travelling .They say travelling is a great teacher, sometimes it makes a mark on your memory and sometimes on your consciousness

Remember mates, traveling is much more and beyond the comprehension of what we have of it. It is magical; it is enriching; it is infact life changing! ...